Thompson on Hollywood

Oscar Watch: Foreign Branch Narrows Contenders to Nine, Cuts France's Of Gods and Men

Sony Pictures Classics is happy that three of their four films vying for a foreign Oscar slot have landed in the Academy foreign branch's short list of nine: Susanne Bier's In a Better World (Denmark), Denis Villeneuve's Incendies (Canada) and Oliver Schmitz's Life Above All (South Africa), fest favorites all. The film that shockingly did not make the cut has received raves around the world, France's spiritual faith drama Of Gods and Men. SPC does well with its foreign picks, but they also offer filmmakers a Sony release in multiple territories, and over the years have demonstrated that, as one Oscar publicist says, "they're good at this."

By Anne Thompson
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January 19, 2011 5:39 AM
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Sundance Trailer and Poster EXCLUSIVE: Buck, True Horse Whisperer Documentary

With so many movies going into Sundance without distribution, many of them docs, getting them seen by the right people is tough. Cindy Meehl's Buck has the advantage of being the behind-the-scenes true story of the man behind Nick Evan's novel and the film made from it by Sundance's own Robert Redford, the producer-director-star of The Horse Whisperer (1998). Our exclusive first look at the poster and trailer is below.

By Anne Thompson
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January 19, 2011 12:46 AM
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Golden Globe Wins Impact Box Office and DVDs

While the Golden Globes don't have an impact on Academy Award nominations--ballots were due last Friday--they can give winners a serious box office boost, reports Anthony D'Alessandro. See the chart of this year's Golden Globes box office bumps below. In contrast to last year, which saw a number of contenders on DVD by Golden Globes night, distributors took the old-fashioned route this year and unspooled their kudo crop during the late fall/early winter frame known in the trade as Oscar Alley. They also returned to the tried-and-true platform release. That's due to the Academy’s expansion of the best picture category, which makes it easier for off-season fare to get recognized. Distributors don’t have to stress out about opening a high-brow title in the fall; they can comfortably choose the best release date which will maximize B.O. and still gain exposure on DVD at awards time.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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January 18, 2011 9:19 AM
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Jim Sturgess Talks The Way Back, Heartless, Singing the Beatles

Jim Sturgess was deep in the throes of working on a thriller when he auditioned for Peter Weir's The Way Back. The young Brit felt "a combination of intimidation and awe and desperation" going up for a part in a Weir film. "I had quite a strange entrance into the movie," he recalls, "because when I found out that Peter was casting for the film and wanted to see me, I was in the middle of shooting a film back in London called Heartless, where I was playing a kind of psychotic, delusional, manic-depressive, suicidal character in a comedy, a British rom-com." When he met with Weir, he had been doing two weeks of night shoots and looked terrible, and left feeling disappointed. The actor ended up putting himself on tape and sent Weir a letter. "Thank god I did that," he says now, as Weir offered him the key role of a Polish Gulag survivor who leads a gang of escapees across 4000 miles to freedom.

By Anne Thompson
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January 18, 2011 8:04 AM
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Jacki Weaver Talks Career, Animal Kingdom's Evil Matriarch, Voicing Toy Story 4

Australian star Jacki Weaver's role as a wicked mom in Animal Kingdom has generated awards buzz since its premiere at Sundance last year. She's got several nominations to prove it, and a win at the National Board of Review Awards. Sophia Savage sat down for a flip cam interview with the veteran actress:"That's gonna take years," Jacki Weaver replies to a request for a rundown of her Australian acting career, which spans 48 years. "How long have you got?"

By Sophia Savage
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January 18, 2011 7:34 AM
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BAFTA Nominations Analysis: The King's Speech Reigns

The BAFTA Awards, the British equivalent of the Oscars, have announced their nominations, dominated, natch, by Tom Hooper's The King's Speech with fourteen. The film presumably has already made a strong showing on Oscar ballots which were due last Friday.

By Anne Thompson
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January 18, 2011 5:30 AM
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Sundance: Take Shelter Goes to SPC Before Competing at Fest

Jeff Nichols' latest, Sundance dramatic competition entry Take Shelter, has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics ahead of the fest for North American, Latin American, Australian and New Zealand distribution. Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire) and Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life) star as two parents living in Ohio with a six-year-old deaf daughter. When Shannon starts to have nightmares, he keeps his fears and anxieties to himself and obsessively erects a storm shelter in the backyard. His concerned family and community come second to his unspoken fears of what his dreams signify. SPC calls Nichols' script "emotional, deep and timely," and producer Tyler Davidson states that SPC "[doesn't] shy away from original and provocative material, and their name is trusted by audiences who appreciate the difference."

By Sophia Savage
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January 18, 2011 4:50 AM
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Sundance: Jury Members Are Susanne Bier, Matt Groening, Jason Reitman, America Ferrara, Kim Peirce

The Sundance Film Festival has filled out its jury roster for 2011:

By Anne Thompson
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January 18, 2011 3:41 AM
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Sony Pictures Classics Milks Globes Attention, Bier Heads to Sundance

Because the wily operators at Sony Pictures Classics, co-presidents Tom Bernard and Michael Barker, have thrown countless movies into the awards season market over the decades, they have mapped out what works best for lower-profile films. They are well-positioned now, for example, to take full advantage of the boost that Paul Giamatti's Golden Globe best actor comedy win gives Canadian dramedy Barney's Version. After a qualifying late December week's run, SPC opened the film this holiday weekend and did decent business. "I hope people will go to see it now," said Giamatti at the HBO Globes party.

By Anne Thompson
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January 18, 2011 12:11 AM
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SnagFilms Raises $10 Million from Comcast, NEA

SnagFilms, founded two years ago by filmanthropist Ted Leonsis, has raised $10 million from New Enterprise Associates and Comcast Interactive Capital. SnagFilms has a library of more than 2000 documentaries that it releases on the internet; it shares revenues from short ads with filmmakers.