By Rex Reed 6/19/12 3:55pm

movies

A directing Allen, STILL not in New York.

To Rome With Love: Woody Allen’s Latest Postcard From Across the Way Reads Like a Hallmark Valentine

Big talents, like everybody else, deserve a day off. And sure enough, in the illustrious Woody Allen canon, To Rome With Love is a very minor entry that should be accompanied by a sign that says “Gone fishing.”

Having forsaken New York (temporarily, I hope) for an uneven European tour that includes stops in London, Barcelona and Paris, Woody now sends home a pretty but vapid tourist postcard of Rome that is nothing more than stale bolognese coarsened by a compendium of numbingly familiar clichés. Just how stale is evident as a cheesy rendition of “Volare” overwhelms the opening credits. From there, his 44th film as a director is a labored farce that makes few demands on the talents of its all-star cast and ends up as boring as it is preposterous. Read More

By Julia Halperin 6/29/10 11:56am

Art Snapshot

Art Snapshot: The Top 10 Art Stories of the Week

A princess begins work at Christie’s, ancient apostle paintings discovered in Rome, and work by Stephen Vitiello and Yoko Ono take root in New York. It can’t be a slow summer when there is this much action in the art world.

1. Princess Eugenie of York Interns at Christie’s
Princess Eugenie, the 20-year-old daughter of Read More

By Staff 10/17/06 3:38pm

Egan in Crisis Mode

Yesterday’s unusual reply by Cardinal Edward Egan to a critical and anonymous letter about him circulating in New York’s archdiocese would have once sent major ripples across the city’s political landscape. That it hasn’t is a measure of the diminished influence of the Catholic hierarchy in public life here, a fact that critics Read More

By Mario Naves 10/09/06 12:00am

Evans Crafts Valiant Gestures Out of Cut-Rate Materials

The viability of an artistic tradition depends upon the determination and momentum an artist brings to it. We’ve all seen paintings, drawings or sculptures that reiterate firmly established conventions, often with appealing dexterity and patent intensity. They can be pleasing to look at. Invariably, though, they’re unnecessary—nostalgic glosses with noble intentions.

It’s one thing just Read More

By George Gurley 8/07/06 12:00am

George and Hilly

DR. SELMAN: Good to see you. What’s up?

HILLY: Nothing.

DR. SELMAN: Last time you were here, Hilly was about to go to Rome.

HILLY: It was fun! It wasn’t anything like when we went to Rome, because George wasn’t there and I was with work people, and the first couple nights we were actually Read More

By Staff 8/03/06 1:48pm

What If Madonna Was Single Soon?

Wouldn’t it be weird if Madonna got divorced from Guy Ritchie? Like, soon?

And why have, like, eighteen people mentioned this idea in the last week?

Madonna is a good bit shy of 50. Two-thirds, or so, of second marriages end in divorce. The former pop tartlet is currently on tour, heading towards Rome, Read More

By Bill Tonelli 4/24/06 12:00am

Roman Holiday: Placid on the Piazza Despite U.S. Warning

ROME—Exactly how scared am I supposed to be over here?

I’ve been wondering about this since last month, when the U.S. State Department announced that Americans living in Italy are now in danger of possible terrorist attacks. For some reason, the terror isn’t sinking in. Even after they warned me that:

Demonstrations are planned Read More

By Bill Tonelli 4/24/06 12:00am

Roman Holiday: Placid on the Piazza Despite U.S. Warning

ROME—Exactly how scared am I supposed to be over here?

I’ve been wondering about this since last month, when the U.S. State Department announced that Americans living in Italy are now in danger of possible terrorist attacks. For some reason, the terror isn’t sinking in. Even after they warned me that:

Demonstrations are Read More