Lois Lowry's The Giver Gives...And Then Some!

By Anne M. Raso

Not being a fan of science fiction, I was skeptical about seeing The Giver but I quickly fell in love with it--it transcends the genre of sci-fi and teaches the lessons of love, tolerance and forgiveness via depicting a future society that's not so pretty. I had never read the book by Lois Lowry even though it is HarperCollins' top-selling "young adult" e-book of all time. There is mega-star power in The Giver including Meryl Streep as the Chief Elder and Jeff Bridges as The Giver, and it is possibly Jeff Bridges who steals the show as the one "elder" who doesn't act like a robot in a black and white world where everyone is alike in every way and issued orders on how to behave. Love isn't a concept in this new world--everyone just goes about their daily business with assigned jobs and roles in society, live in identical housing, eat identical food for dinner and even have assigned children that come from a stark baby laboratory where defective babies are done away with via shots and disposed like garbage down a shoot.

The entire cast

Michael Imperioli for Oldboy: This Time He's Playing The Good Guy!

By: Anne M. Raso

Michael Imperioli is an actor with great diversity, and yet we know him best as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos--a no-good junkie, alcoholic, girlfriend-slapping young mafia soldier who made his boss Tony Soprano seem as sensitive and polite as Mr. Rogers! In Spike Lee's new film Oldboy, he plays the "true blue" old friend and bar owner who's not afraid to stick his neck out for a friend (played by Josh Brolin) who has disappeared for 20 years...and who happens to be a criminal on the lam for killing his wife. (Well, or so we are led to believe--I can't give away any of the spoilers for this film, which is a remake of the 2002 avant garde Korean classic of the same name but with twists and turns added!)

Imperioli at Oldboy Press Day, NYC

James Gandolfini's Last Hurrah: Enough Said Movie Premiere

By: Anne M. Raso

Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of, sadly, one of the last movies starring the great late James Gandolfini--the Fox Searchlight romantic comedy Enough Said, which hits theaters on September 20th. The movie is simply one of the best romantic comedies to come down the pike this year.

James Gandolfini and Julia Louis Dreyfus, Enough Said

Winona Ryder: Mob Moll - Q&A On The Ice Man!

By: Anne M. Raso

Winona Ryder has stayed pretty low key in the recent past but you cannot keep a great actress down and in the new mob "hit" The Ice Man, Winona turns in a very real performance as Deborah Pelicotti Kuklinski, the widow of real-life northern New Jersey hit man Richard Kuklinski (played in the film by Michael Shannon) who bragged over 300 hits after being imprisoned even though the cops had the number somewhere more like a modest 100.

Winona Ryder at The Ice Man Press Day

Eva Mendes: All About The Place Beyond The Pines

By: Anne M. Raso

Eva Mendes was looking gorgeous in a polka dotted dress and platform pumps at the press day for The Place Beyond The Pines, co-starring real life love interest Ryan Gosling (headed to theaters nationwide this Friday). Mendes says that like many other actors, she finds on-screen bedroom scenes to be awkward and that she likes to “keep it classy” in this area of thespianism. She wouldn't comment if it was harder or easier to do love scenes with her real life BF or not!

Tina Fey's Candid Admissions On Admission

By: Anne M. Raso

Tina Fey is in peak form in Admission, a social satire on the Ivy League admissions process that undoubtedly hits close to home for a lot of parents helping their smart kids fill out those complex forms right around this time of year! Fey plays Princeton Admissions Officer Portia Nathan, a conservative woman raised by a Susannah, a radical feminist mother (played by Lily Tomlin, sporting a large Bella Abzug tattoo). Paul Rudd plays the handsome and charming John Pressman, head of an alternative high school who has a wild card Princeton candidate for Portia--a kid named Jeremiah Balakian (played by Nat Wolff) with high SAT scores and crappy everything else who just may or may not be the son she gave up for adoption while in college. It's a clever plot and all we can say without giving away spoilers is that Portia's determined to get Jeremiah into Princeton come hell or high water.

Tina Fey and Paul Rudd at The Waldorf Towers, NYC

Not Fade Away: The Sopranos David Chase's First Feature Film Rocks Out 60s Style!

By: Anne M. Raso

I was lucky enough to attend the New York Film Festival screening and Q&A session for The Sopranos creator David Chase’s first feature film, Not Fade Away—not to mention the press conference recently held at NYC’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel this past Sunday.

NOT FADE AWAY, from Paramount Vantage and Indian Paintbrush

The Oranges: A Conversation With Hugh Laurie About His Unusual On-Screen "Squeeze" And More!

By: Anne M. Raso

There are a lot of TV shows set in NJ these days from Jerseylicious to The Jersey Shore to The Real Housewives Of New Jersey--so it comes as no surprise that a bunch of movies set in NJ are starting to come out The Oranges is a dark comedy about two families in the West Orange, NJ area that have been friends for decades. When one family’s rebellious daughter (played by Leighton Meester) returns home for Christmas and has an affair with one of the father figures in the clan (played by Hugh Laurie), it forces everyone to think twice about what happiness really means to them. We obviously can't give away any spoilers here but you can see this quirky comedy soon enough--it starts it's limited run this Friday. (And if you are wondering if it was really shot in West Orange--no! It was shot in New Rochelle, NY, which looks very similar; director Julian Farino wanted to take advantage of the generous tax breaks NYC gives production companies that film there.)

The Cast of The Oranges

Freida Pinto Tells All (and More!) on Her New Film, Trishna!

By: Anne M. Raso 

Financefoodie.com was lucky enough to get to talk to Freida Pinto--the actress most legendary for her work in Slumdog Millionaire about her new Michael Winterbottom directed flick, Trishna--about two star-crossed lovers. Stunning dark-maned Freida is one of the few Indian actresses who has made it into mainstream Hollywood thanks to her stunning looks, the ability to choose classy projects, being "low maintenance" (as she was described by Winterbottom to me) and general elegance in both her movement and fashion sense. Freida has been with Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel (six years her junior) for a long time now, and we slipped in a couple of personal questions even though we were supposed to keep the questions about Trishna--her latest film set in India which is based on Thomas Hardy's tragic romance English literature classic Tess--but with modern-day Indian morals presented.

Freida Pinto. Photo: Anne M. Raso

Snow White and the Huntsman: Who is the Fairest of All? [Infographic]

In case you haven’t heard, today the movie ‘Snow White and the Huntsman‘ was released. The movie has a star studded cast including Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. While the reviews are just now starting to come in, the special effects, production design and Snow White and the Huntsman costumes are said to be outstanding. Whether you see the movie or not most everyone knows the story of Snow White. And according to the mirror in this fairytale, there is only one woman in all the land who is more beautiful than Queen Ravenna – SNOW WHITE. Believing herself to be the rightful most ‘fair’, Queen Ravenna orders Snow White to be killed in the ultimate tale of vengeance. We thought it would be fun to take a look at these two iconic women in this fairytale. Does the mirror speak the truth? Who really is the fairest? You be the judge. Let’s take a look.

Getting "Goony" Seann William Scott & Liev Schreiber - A Quick Q&A For Their New Film Goon!

By: Anne M. Raso

We were lucky enough to catch up with Seann William Scott and Liev Schreiber at the NYC press day for their new minor league hockey comedy and ultimate "boy flick," Goon! We had a chuckle because they were hanging out with the Hanson brothers, the real life Canadian minor league players who starred in the ultimate hockey film Slapshot (but we hear the Hansons advised Scott and Schreiber how to make their characters even goonier)! We suggest that if you see this film, you have a strong stomach for a lot of bloodshed on the ice, and a lot of crude humor. This is not the kind of film Schreiber usually does, but we have to admit--there is something charming about him in a macho handlebar mustache and we kind of wish he kept it, LOL!

Sex and the City's Kim Cattrall Talks Meet Monica Velour, Private Lives and More Sex!

By: Anne M. Raso

Let it never be said that Kim Cattrall doesn't have great diversity in her roles! In her latest film, Meet Monica Velour, Kim Cattrall stars as a down-and-out late 70's porn star now living in a trailer park. She’s unemployable in any sort of “everyday” job, fighting for custody of her young daughter and about to do one last porno in a cheap motel to make ends meet. Basically, Monica is the polar opposite of the chic and sophisticated Samantha Jones from Sex & the City. We caught up with Kim at New York City’s Regency Hotel to ask about the diversity of characters she plays, what drew her to the Meet Monica Velour project (which required her to gain a minimum of 15 pounds), her charity work with Lighthouse For The Blind (where her clothing donations outsell all others at their big annual three-day fundraiser), her future projects (including a possible SATC 3 film and a Broadway run of Noel Coward’s Private Lives which won her accolades on London’s West End).

Anne and Kim. Photo: Anne M. Raso/financefoodie.com

Wall Street 2: Thoughts from an ex-Wall Streeter

By: Finance Foodie

The other night, I attended a private screening for new movie Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. This was no ordinary premiere party though; this was a screening with 100 or so of the best and brightest finance/investments/banking types in Boston, complete with open bar and concession stand. That’s right – all the Sour Patch Kids and Pinot Grigio you can eat and drink. Welcome to the good life baby.

Alyson Stoner: Camp Rock Star to "Step Up" in 3D - An EXCLUSIVE Q&A!

by: Anne M. Raso

Alyson Stoner, just 16, has already wowed teen viewers with Phineas & Ferb and Camp Rock 1 & 2 on the Disney Channel. Now she has her first feature with Disney Films proper - Step Up 3D coming out on Friday, August 6th. I got to go on the set 10 or 11 months ago in the Financial District - where some of the more ambitious dance scenes were shot in a now empty high-ceilinged building once used for admission of cruise passengers. We talked to Alyson about future projects, her friendship with Twilight star Taylor Lautner, her conservative viewpoints about dating and her strange quirks -including hating candy and stickers and not caring too much about getting her drivers license! Forthcoming projects including voicing the Little Engine in The Little Engine That Could and voicing Lorelei Tan Gu in Kung Foo Magoo. Of course, Phineas & Ferb is doing great so more episodes are in the works. Alyson might just be the ultimate teen voiceover queen and not even know it!

Twilight Eclipse's Michael Welch Spills Secrets And More - An Exclusive Q&A!

by: Anne M. Raso

Michael Welch plays the endearing annoying high school kid Mike Newton in the Twilight movie series, and while he has given up on finding love with Bella (since she has two more endearing suitors, namely Edward and Jacob), he also has other movies in line for release, including Unrequited which hits theaters on July 27th. In Unrequited, he plays the rather disturbed Ben Jacobs, an 18-year-old just released from a home for troubled teens and upset that his former gal-pal has moved on to a college guy.

Affable Mike will also be on the Twilight Fan Cruise to Alaska leaving from Seattle coming up August 8th to 15th. We got the 23-year-old "thesp" to spill secrets on the making of Eclipse and what the shoot in Vancouver was really like. He's got a good head on his shoulders when it comes to success. He is one of the supporting players who helps make this the most profitable movie series in the history of film! (And no matter what you think, it's not just teens who love it)!

Pharrell Williams Goes Hollywood: Q&A about Scoring the Despicable Me Movie!

by: Anne M. Raso

Creating the original songs and themes for the animated family film Despicable Me (being released on Friday July 7th 2010) is Grammy Award-winning artist and blockbuster music producer Pharrell Williams, who composed the score with Heitor Pereira (of It’s Complicated and Beverly Hills Chihuahua).  We caught up with Pharrell by phone a few days ago, and we have to say that he seems more enthused about scoring a major motion picture that producing a #1 hit for a major recording artist. Apparently, scoring a film is something he has been dreaming about for at least 10 years now!

Pharrell and Heitor (L-R) discussing music

Jonah Hill Shows His Slacker Side In Cyrus!

by: Anne M. Raso

Jonah Hill has been called the "John Candy of the now generation" but the 26-year-old really brings his own shctick and talents to the table. He excels as both the "failure to launch" twenty-something son from hell in Cyrus and as the goofy but ambitious Hollywood record company exec in Get Him To The Greek! In all honesty, you can't really compare J.Hill to the late Candy--Hill has his own brand of wide-eyed vulnerability and can deal with any slapstick situation put his way, but he also has a certain hipness rather than the "silly old Uncle" vibe that Candy had.

"A Magic Time": Talking To Colin Farrell About Ondine

By: Anne M. Raso

We were lucky enough to catch up with actor Colin Farrell and director Neil Jordan about Ondine, a movie set in a remote coastal town in Ireland, where Farrell plays a local fisherman named Syracuse who catches a beauty in his fishing net. His physically disabled and his on-dialysis young daughter believes the mysterious stranger is a selkie (a mermaid based on Irish folklore). Without doing a total spoiler, it turns out to be a human. The mermaid is played by Farrell's real-life girlfriend, shapely Polish actress Alicja Bachleda, and she told us that she was still able to keep everything on the set completely professional even though her and Farrell are a well publicized "item" and have a nine month old son together.

Colin Farrell and friend/director Neil Jordan on their recent press day at the London NYC for Ondine; the premiere was held as part of the Tribeca Film Festival

Sex and the City 2 On Location Tour: Get "Carried" Away For A Day! [New York]

by: Anne M. Raso

Financefoodie.com not only got to go on the Sex & The City Hotspots Tour from On Location Tour, but we got to do it the night before the SATC2 movie was released on May 27th!

Sex and the City 2 Private Screening Party [Boston]

“Empire state of mind…”

Tonight, I was taken back to my high school prom. And at the Loews movie theatre of all places. This evening, a few dozen Boston area Carries, Mirandas, Charlottes, and Samanthas (with a few Stanford Blatchs in tow) all gathered for a screening party of the much anticipated and highly buzzed about Sex and the City 2. The evening started off with pre-movie cocktails at nearby restaurant Teatro, where attendees sipped on Moet bubbly (the sponsor for the event) and nibbled on hors d'oeuvres while teetering on their highest Manolo Bs.