Best of the Week: LA Film Fest Reviews, ‘Girls’ & ‘Newsroom,’ Plus Remembering Andrew Sarris

This week on TOH, we covered the heck out of the ongoing LA Film Festival, considered the excellent Season 1 run of “Girls” while rounding up mixed reviews for the soon-to-start pilot season of Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom.” We reviewed this weekend’s opening films and and culled the critics’ early reactions to “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.” All this and more below!

Interviews:

Screenwriter Vanessa Taylor Talks Surviving “Game of Thrones” Writers Room and Upcoming Streep Drama “Hope Floats”

Immersed in Movies: Turbulent Behind-the-Scenes Yields Pixar’s “Brave” New Scottish World

Immersed in Movies: Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel Talks “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”

Features:

Weekend Preview: Must-See ‘Invisible War,’ ‘Brave’ For Gay Marriage Rights & More

Moviegoers Follows Females of a Certain Age: Dench and Smith Make Unlikely Marquee Stars

Now and Then: “Girls” Was the Season’s Best New Comedy – When Did That Happen?

Festivals:

LAFF: “Middle of Nowhere” Gets Two Standing Ovations: DuVernay and Cast Talk Black Films Reaching Audiences in a Meaningful Way

LAFF Mid-Fest Report and Ursula Meier Interview for ‘Sister’

Tale of Two First Time Directors: “People Like Us” and “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” Debut at LAFF

LAFF: Jonathan Demme Talks “Passion for Filming Real Life,” Neil Young as “Wandering Troubador” in “Journeys”

Russia Film Lures Industryites to Screenings During Moscow Film Festival

Reviews:

The “Newsroom” Reaction: Early Reviews are Tough on Sorkin

Early Review Roundup: “The Amazing Spider-Man” Soars on Teenage Emotion, Aimed at Women?

Roundup: “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” Only Half Succeeds in Marrying American History with Stylized Vampire Pulverizing

Obits:

Pioneer Film Critic Andrew Sarris Changed How We See Movies

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