An unsettling tale is found between the lines of 'The Reader'
The Reader (* * * out of four) is a slow-moving but absorbing story of sexual awakening and moral dilemmas. Director Stephen Daldry (The Hours) has intelligently adapted Bernhard Schlink's novel set in post-World War II Germany. Though the effort is uneven, it's a well-acted romance that becomes a less compelling courtroom drama. Kate Winslet is especially good as the taciturn Hanna, a thirtysomething ticket taker on an urban train who starts a clandestine affair with bright 15-year-old Michae

Review: Holocaust too messy for the sterile ‘Reader’
Alonso DuraldeFilm criticI’ve generally been a defender of the films of Stephen Daldry, but seeing “The Reader” made me understand why some people hated his previous movie, “The Hours.” That film, they said, was fussy and airless, tamping down truth and humanity in favor of the brand of dry “culture” that lures certain segments of the moviegoing public with the promise of a tastefully prim Sunday matinee. That’s certainly how “The Reader” played for me; watching Daldry try t

HONOR ROLL '08 | "He Didn't Bail, That's a Little Bit Unfair": "The Reader" Director Stephen Daldry
by Erica Abeel (December 9, 2008) EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part of a daily December series that will feature new or previously published interviews and profiles of some of the year's best filmmakers, writers, actors and actresses. Though literary works are catnip to filmmakers, it's always dicey to reinvent one for the screen. Witness "Revolutionary Road," which will send the unwary viewer reaching for the Welbutrin, despite the best efforts of Kate and Leo, reunited for first time since the boat went down

The Reader Director Stephen Daldry on Sex Scenes, Rudin vs. Weinstein, and Kavalier & Clay
Stephen Daldry has made only two feature films, but he's overseen four Oscar-nominated performances and netted himself two Academy Award nominations for Best Director to boot. His third movie, The Reader, seems to stand a solid chance of continuing those trends. Based on Bernhard Schlink's acclaimed novel, the film centers on a 15-year-old, Michael Berg (David Kross), who in post–World War II Germany enters into a sexual relationship with a woman twice his age, Hanna Schmitz, played by the smokin' Kat

Scott Rudin Pulls Name off The Reader
Academy Award winning producer Scott Rudin has pulled his name off The Reader, the upcoming Stephen Daldry (The Hours) drama starring Kate Winslet that’s set to be released December 12. The announcement comes after Rudin and Harvey Weinstein had a very long and bruising battle over the release date. Variety reports that Weinstein and Rudin have never gotten along. They clashed over Daldry’s 2002 The Hours and again over the post-production schedule of The Reader. Rudin, the winner of the best pict

Reader is Rudin-Less
There's nothing much to add to Patrick Goldstein's story (posted late yesterday afternoon) about powerhouse producer Scott Rudin walking away from The Reader (Weinstein Co., 12.12), the David Hare-scripted WWII drama with Kate Winslet. I know that Rudin and Reader director Stephen Daldry are allies and amigos, having worked together on The Hours (which was also written by Hare). And that Daldry is pretty much on his own in the rush to finish The Reader in time for the early December release date

Jokes and Glory: The Golden Globe Noms
Stephen Daldry's The Reader, a well-made, high-toned Holocaust drama that many critics and smartypants-types have dismissed due to its cool tone and lack of an emotionally cathartic finale, has been included among the five nominees for Best Drama for the Golden Globe awards, which were announced early this morning. What's this about? Is this a result of Harvey Weinstein having worked the room, leaned on Hollywood Foreign Press voters, etc.? What's the back-story?

And The Golden Globes Go To ... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
The Hollywood Foreign Press announced their Golden Globe nominations and they must be getting as old as the Emmy and Oscar nominators. Usually the Globes can be counted on for some fresh picks but this year the choices are pretty straight-laced and staid. Especially since all the critics awards are pouring out and the love seems to be spreading all over for outside-the-box fare (listed all at the bottom).Here's the main Golden Globe nominations:BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMAThe Curious Case of Benjamin Butto

The Reader: "Emotionally Constipated & Unable To Seriously Address The Holocaust" [Critical Mass]
The Reader, a film based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Bernhard Schlink, takes place in a post-war Germany and centers around Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet), an illiterate woman who sleeps with a teenage boy (David Kross) whom she asks to read to her before and after sex. Eventually, the boy grows up and encounters Hanna again when she is on trial for war crimes. The subject matter and plot shift from a story of sexual awakening to a courtroom drama is tiring to some critics, although they agree that

Kate Winslet - “The Reader” private screening in London
Yesteryear’s diva Kate Winslet arrived for the private screening hosted for upcoming flim - “The Reader” in London on December 11,2008.

Scott Rudin takes his name off ‘The Reader,’ walks away
UPDATE (9:58 p.m.): Thanks to one of our readers for pointing out that “The Reader” has been removed from The Weinstein Company’s official site.  Could it mean that Weinstein will fold after all?  Could the pain of getting a publicity team in place, dealing with Rudin’s all-in public play and general bad buzz make TWC see the light and move the film to 2009?  We’ll see… EARLIER: I love Scott Rudin.  All along, throughout this whole nasty affair, I have hoped he would

Scott Rudin Exits "The Reader"
Talk about your dysfunctional families. Only in this instance, the family is a film crew. Scott Rudin has walked away from The Reader and will no longer be involved with The Weinstein Co.’s December release. He also won’t be credited as a producer on the period romantic-drama starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Apparently, there’s been some feuding going on. Rudin’s move took the Weinstein Co. by surprise, coming several weeks after Rudin (pictured with Sydney Pollack) and Har

'The Reader' Announces Release Date, Eying as Oscar Candidate
Agreeing to release the movie in December this year, the producer of 'The Reader' reportedly asks for extra financial support from the Weinstein Company. © Solarpix/PR Photos The Weinstein Company finally announce the release date for their big screen "The Reader", marking that a dispute between producers Harvey Weinstein and Scott Rudin over the movie's release has been resolved. "We are in complete agreement on the dat

Producer Scott Rudin Leaves The Reader
Scott Rudin has walked away from The Reader, and will no longer be involved in The Weinstein Co’s December release. Here is the situation, as I understand it. A couple weeks ago, Nikki Finke made claims that Harvey Weinstein had harassed both Sydney Pollack while on his deathbed and the widow of the late Anthony Minghella in an attempt to get the film into movie theaters for Oscar consideration. Finke was able to provide an email from Rudin to back up these claims. And then The Weinstein Co released a

Oprah: The Elephant in the Room
Ok so we all knew this was coming. I was talking about this a few months ago when I was watching an episode of Oprah and was like “damn she’s a fatty again.” And yes I can say fatty cause I’ve been there to. Oprah’s bootay was blocking Beyonce when she was on the show. I was like WOW! So of course Oprah is ready to talk about the weight gain in the Jan. issue of O magazine. Oprah Winfrey is declaring, “I’m mad at myself” because she’s 

The Reader Release Dispute Settled
A dispute between Harvey Weinstein and producer Scott Rudin over the release of the Weinstein Co.'s The Reader has been resolved. The two men issued the following joint statement Sunday announcing that the film will open December 12: "We are issuing this statement together to emphasize the fact that we are in complete agreement on the date we have chosen to release The Reader. Working together, we developed a plan to extend the post-production schedule in order to give Stephen Daldry the additional ti

Ana Beatriz Barros Brings The Afternoon Links!
- Jessica Biel Stripping In Powder Blue [HollywoodTuna] - Belt Buckles & Mooseknuckles [CO-ED Magazine] - Marisa Tomei is Naked in The Wrestler [Drunken Stepfather, NSFW] - Amanda Bynes For Cosmopolitan Magazine [I’m Not Obsessed] - Britney Spears’ dad is freaking crazy [Celebslam]- Tila Tequila’s Breast Moments Of 2008 [Complex] - Clay Gayken has landed a hot piece [Dlisted] - Mariah Carey is Definitely Knocked Up [Yeeah] - A Date with Anne Hathaway [Derek Hail] - Oprah Winfrey is fat [Th

Brits fly the flag at Golden Globes
Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, Danny Boyle, Sam Mendes and Stephen Daldry are among the Brits receiving Golden Globe nominations. Skip related content Related photos / videos Brits fly the flag at Golden Globes Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is nominated in the Best Motion Picture category alongside The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Reader and Revolutionary Road.And Slumdog also sees Boyle nominated for Best Director, up against Daldry for The R

Video: British TV Documentary Right To Die - The Suicide Tourist To Air Craig Ewert's Assisted Suicide
Fat Chance: Why We're Disappointed With Oprah Winfrey's Discussions On Height And Weight || Video: British TV Documentary Right To Die - The Suicide Tourist To Air Craig Ewert's Assisted Suicide || Guanabee Gifting: 7 Gifts For Fashionistas || Erika Lust's Porn For Women Turns Us On

The Return Of Tina
Just like Cher, there's no getting rid of Tina Turner. Divas just won't go quietly. Nor should they! Eight years after her "farewell" tour, Tina got onstage in Kansas City, MO, Wednesday night and kicked off her 36-date tour. In attendance were Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. Plus Gayle too - duh! Tina's not resting ...

O's BFF on the Weight Battle
Oprah Winfrey's longtime best friend Gayle King went on "Good Morning America" today to set the record straight about Winfrey's struggle to shed pounds. "When you are 40 pounds overweight, you are not a healthy person," Gayle revealed on the talk show. King maintained that Oprah is back on track to her goal weight -- and optimal health. "Oprah's going to do something about it," said King, "she is already in the process of doing something about it."

2009 Golden Globes: Good Year For Jokers, Midnight Tokers [The Gold Standards]
The nominees for the 2009 Golden Globes were announced this morning, and there were a few surprises. The nomination of Tom Cruise for Tropic Thunder drew giggles from the crowd, as did James Franco's nod for Pinapple Express. Apparently, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association thought Franco's performance as a lovable pot dealer was much more powerful than his portrayal of Harvey Milk's lover. Check out the rest of the nominations (and spot the snubs) after the jump.BEST PICTURE (DRAMA)• The Curious Case

Memo: Uh, the Best Actress race is VERY heated
As a few commenters have been discussing elsewhere, it seems that some supposedly attentive Oscar bloggers figure 2008 to be a weak year for the lead actress race.  We’ve been calling it the most competitive derby in years around these parts for quite a while now, so the notion that anyone would find it to be thin is perplexing to say the least. Well, I’m happy today to see that Pete Hammond is on our bandwagon, writing the following at his Notes on a Season blog: This year, however, it is al

Scott Rudin leaves ‘Reader’
After a long and bruising battle with Harvey Weinstein over Stephen Daldry’s “The Reader,” producer Scott Rudin is leaving the project and taking his name off the film. Weinstein and Rudin have never gotten along. They clashed over Daldry’s 2002 “The Hours,” also written by David Hare, and again over the post-production schedule of “The Reader.” Rudin, the winner of the best picture Oscar for last year’s “No Country for Old Men,” had first

The 2008 Golden Globe Nominations Are...
Here are the nominations for the Golden Globes for 2008:1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMAa. The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonWarner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Picturesb. FROST/NIXONImagine Entertainment, Working Title, Studio Canal; Universal Picturesc. THE READERMirage Enterprises; The Weinstein Companyd. REVOLUTIONARY ROADAn Evamere Entertainment BBC Films Neal Street Production; DreamWorks Pictures in Association with BBC Films and Paramount