Released in 1997, Anastasia was a dazzling 94-minute animated movie musical. Twenty years later, it’s a fidget-inducing, two-and-a-half-hour Broadway musical, with a production not nearly animated enough to warrant that running time. Largely set in Saint Petersburg and spanning 1907-1927, the musical starts with a dream-like prologue in which a young Anastasia bids farewell to her grandmother, the Dowager Empress (Mary Beth Peil, Les Liaisons Dangereuses), who’s leaving for Paris. That is the last time the Empress will see her family (well, almost…), as 10 years later, all of the Romanovs are tragically killed by the Bolsheviks in an invasion. Read More...
Of all big-name Hollywood directors, possibly none has had as bad a rap as Otto Preminger. Admired in the ’50s by French critics and new-wave filmmakers, he was largely dismissed in this country for what were perceived to be superficial, self-important films, particularly those from his second career as an independent producer-director. He deserves better. As a new collection from Warner and MGM/UA (in fresh digital transfers) shows, Preminger made intelligent, literate entertainments that were models of screen clarity. Read More...
As Andrew Garfield told EW’s Jess Cagle in EW’s VIP lounge Friday, Spider-Man meant a lot to the actor when he was growing up. So it’s fitting that Garfield showed up to Sony’s panel Friday dressed as a fan — before removing his mask and revealing himself as the star of the upcoming gritty reboot. Appearing in front of the crowd in a low-grade Spidey costume, Garfield told the group of attendees, “This has always been a dream of mine,” and then revealed his true identity. Read More...
