'Hail, Caesar!,' a Humorous Reminiscence of Hollywood of Old From the Coens&Co.

By V.W.

It was the best of the times. It was the worst of times.

It was the Golden Age of Hollywood. Movie studios were all-powerful, deciding when and what actors appeared in what films.

An era when studio chieftains loaned out actors in their stables to rival studios with little regard for other realities and often with petty motives.

The studio was the parent; the actors were the children. The bosses protected their stars, cosseted them. And punished them if they became too recalcitrant.

It is a comedic treatment of this bygone era that is captured in "Hail, Caesar!," a frothy little souffle from Joel and Ethan Coen.

Sporting an A- and B+-list cast, including George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Hilda Swinton and Channing Tatum, "Hail, Caesar!" opens today in U. S. theaters.

A fuller review will be published shortly.

"Hail, Caesar!" is rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and smoking; visit http://www.hailcaesarmovie.com/ to learn more about the film.

In 'Lucy,' Action Often Goes Where Least Expected

HOW refreshing it is to be watching an action film, constantly making predictions about it and constantly seeing those predictions proved false.

Such is the case with “Lucy,” Luc Besson's sci-fi, fantasy, serio-comedic, action flick. It stars Scarlett Johansson in the title role as a heretofore hapless young American woman who – thanks to a Taiwanese drug cartel – is operating on a lot of brain power. The film opens today in the United States and France. (See the trailer at top).

Though far from perfect, “Lucy” gets some things right. And when it does, it is utterly delightful … More shortly

“Lucy” is rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, and sexuality; visit http://www.lucymovie.com/ to learn more about the film.

NYFF51 Day 16: Generations After Crackberry Comes 'Her'

HEAD’S UP: The 51st New York Film Festival is off to the races, and so are we. This year, we borrow a page from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York coverage, which borrowed a page from Twitter (http://www.ow.ly/pmqvr). To that end, all film reviews / comments will be 100 words or less. Yes, 100. Or less. Ready? Lights. Camera. ACTION! ...

IN the not-so-distance future, people will have full-blown relationships with their electronic devices, including doubledates and surrogate sex.

This scenario is presented in Spike Jonze’s “Her,” the closing film of The 51st New York Film Festival in its world premiere tonight. (See video at top).

An intriguing premise, but the devil is in the details of execution. Pressed to give one word to describe the film, it would be boring.

However, Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as nerdy-sensitive professional letter writer Theodore Twombly who falls for his OS (operating system), an extremely engaging voice provided by Scarlett Johansson.

NYFF51 winds down Sunday with encore screenings of select films, including "Gloria," "12 Years a Slave" and "Blue is the Warmest Color."

Visit http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff2013 to learn more about The 51st New York Film Festival, including tickets and showtimes.