Sometimes I find myself covering so many things that I don’t write about them right away. A case in point: my weekend trip to Santa Barbara. I’m still writing up the Sandra Bullock tribute and haven’t transcribed my writers panel, which went well even without Quentin Tarantino, who did turn up the following day for Peter Bart’s director’s panel.
What struck me was that not only were many of the screenwriter panelists very funny, but veteran writer-directors Jason Reitman (Up in the Air), Nancy Meyers (It’s Complicated) and Pete Docter (Up) and screenwriter Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek), were joined by relative newbies Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious), Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) and Scott Neustadter (500 Days of Summer). I love it when by dint of luck, talent and timing, folks come out of nowhere and hit their projects right into the fluke zone. It happens every year.
Read Moreby Anne Thompson, posted to Awards, Critics Groups, Directors, James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino, Festivals, Writers, Critics, Screenwriters on February 8, 2010 at 6:14pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
What’s lovely about this seven-minute montage of films of the 2000s is the way the editor uses music to link images by mood; it’s astonishing how haunting a moment can be, from Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt to Haley Joel Osment in A.I. .
the films of the 2000s from Paul Proulx on Vimeo.
[Hat Tip: /Film]
by Anne Thompson, posted to on February 8, 2010 at 3:30pm PST | Permalink | Comments (1)
During a public appearance in London last month, Quentin Tarantino told the audience that with Inglourious Basterds, he is now an auteur; he has established a body of work that can be analyzed as a whole and as a product of his unique vision. Recalling his experiences watching the films of Howard Hawks, he said: “My aim is that some kid in 50 years time has the same experience with me and my films.” In this dueling blog, Moviefone’s Jack Mathews and I debate whether QT’s films actually form a body of work or remain a work in progress.
JM —In an essay I wrote for the L.A. Times shortly after the opening of QT’s Pulp Fiction in 1994—a movie I loved, by the way—I cautioned critics and others to lower the volume on their hallelujahs. I wrote: “Whether the 31-year-old high-school dropout and video-store guru has the native intellect and social vision to go the distance as an auteur—whether he has anything, after all, to say—remains to be seen.” Well, QT’s now 45 with five full features behind him (I count the two Kill Bill volumes as one movie, as was originally intended, and Death Proof as a featurette, as it was intended) and while his films are definitely his, I’m still not sure he has anything important to say.
Read Moreby Anne Thompson, posted to Awards, Oscars, Directors, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Genres, Action on February 8, 2010 at 11:20am PST | Permalink | Comments (5)
It was a ten-year journey for animator Tomm Moore, who was as shocked as anyone when, after submitting his first feature The Secret of Kells at the last possible minute, the 95% hand-drawn film earned an Annie nomination (the only indie film to do so) followed by an Oscar nomination for best animated feature (beating out movies from Disney, Fox, Sony and DreamWorks).
Where did this film come from? Ireland, it turns out, with help from the French/Belgian backers of The Triplets of Belleville. The Secret of Kells, a fantasy adventure inspired by the Celtic imagery of the Book of Kells and Irish myths, went into production in earnest in 2005. I caught the movie at the Santa Barbara Film Fest this weekend, where I did a flip cam interview with Moore (in two parts, below). Magical and mythical stylized 2-D, Kells is playing the New York International Children’s Film Festival Feb 27; GKids will release it March 19. Brendan Gleeson and Mick Lally star.
by Anne Thompson, posted to Awards, Oscars, Festivals, Genres, Animation on February 8, 2010 at 8:28am PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
Which of the movies advertised on Super Bowl Sunday convinced you to see them? Vote in this poll. My guess before anyone starts voting? Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland wowed the most eyeballs. Am I right?
by Anne Thompson, posted to Headliners, Jake Gyllenhaal, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Marketing, Video, Trailers on February 7, 2010 at 6:31pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Anne Thompson, posted to Marketing, TV, Video on February 7, 2010 at 6:19pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Anne Thompson, posted to Marketing, TV, Video on February 7, 2010 at 6:05pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Anne Thompson, posted to Marketing, TV, Video on February 7, 2010 at 5:53pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Anne Thompson, posted to Marketing, TV, Video on February 7, 2010 at 5:00pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
Clearly, Jay Leno and David Letterman were not in the same room together for this Late Show Super Bowl spot. Amusing. Leno must be figuring that he’ll come out ahead on this one. UPDATE: EW has the back story. It was Dave’s idea. Oprah Winfrey tweeted as follows:
Yes that was REAL D, J and me. Shot Tuesday nite in New York undercover at D’s studio.
[Hat Tip: @eug]
by Anne Thompson, posted to Marketing, Media, TV, Video on February 7, 2010 at 4:36pm PST | Permalink | Comments (0)
Anne Thompson does more than just break news; she provides an insider’s clear-eyed analysis of a business that defines culture at home and abroad.
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