Thompson on Hollywood

Weekly Wrap: Chasen, Portman, Harris, Ford, Mulligan, DiCaprio, Crowe, Deathly Hallows, Remakes

QUIZThis week we announced Winners and Answers: David Thomson’s Stump-the-Film-Buff 50 Movie Questions Quiz.

By Sophia Savage
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November 19, 2010 9:15 AM
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Oscar Talk: Governors Awards, Animated and Documentary Shortlists, Oscar Parties, Ronni Chasen

On Oscar Talk 41 Kris Tapley and I have plenty to discuss as Oscar madness heats up. We cover the Governors Awards, the Academy's animated and documentary feature shortlists, the Amazon Studios, and Oscar circuit festivities. And we remember our friend and colleague Ronni Chasen.

By Anne Thompson
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November 19, 2010 8:06 AM
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Spielberg Casts Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln

Steven Spielberg has found his Lincoln. Ultra-picky Daniel Day-Lewis, 53, with two Oscars behind him, seems picture-perfect for the role of the iconic 16th president of the United States, who lead the country through the bloody Civil War. Liam Neeson was in line for the role at one point, but dropped out of the running, citing his age, 58 (Lincoln was 56 when he was assassinated). Said Spielberg:

By Anne Thompson
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November 19, 2010 6:54 AM
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Movie Posters: The Best And Worst

Ten films, ten posters. Vulture selected the best and worst of the year, and while movie poster quality doesn't necessarily line up with box office success or critical acclaim, you've got to question the thought process that went into making these would-be audience-building promotional tools, and those responsible for signing off on them.

By Sophia Savage
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November 19, 2010 5:49 AM
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In Development: Knightley and Wright for Anna Karenina, Moses to Rise Again And Again

News to inspire remake support: Keira Knightley could follow in Greta Garbo's footsteps and play the lead in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. The screenwriter is Tom Stoppard and the director is Joe Wright, who arguably gets the best from Knightley (see Pride and Prejudice and Atonement). It's Working Title's project; they expect the script by Christmas. They will then consider, according to London's Daily Mail: "several scripts destined for Wright, including one by Abi Morgan based on The Little Mermaid fairy tale, ‘and we’ll decide what looks like the most sensible thing to do.’" Let's see both!

By Sophia Savage
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November 19, 2010 5:00 AM
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Good Day for Gibney: Oscar Short List, IPA Auteur Award

Congrats to Alex Gibney for not only making the Oscar documentary short list of 15 with Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer but for winning this year's International Press Academy's auteur award.

By Anne Thompson
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November 18, 2010 10:59 AM
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Fox Signs Black Swan's Aronofsky to Overall Deal

Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment wants to be in business with Darren Aronofsky, whose heat has skyrocketed after Fox Searchlight's back-to-back Oscar contenders, The Wrestler and Black Swan, which follows up a successful fall film fest circuit with a December 3 opening.

By Anne Thompson
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November 18, 2010 9:19 AM
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Academy Documentary List of Fifteen Includes Exit Through the Gift Shop

In a year when the documentary race is particularly fierce--because so many strong features are in contention--folks have been waiting on tenterhooks for the Academy's announcement of the short list of fifteen. These films, selected by the documentary branch screening committee from 101 qualifying pictures, will be pared down by documentary branch voters to the final five nominations to be announced on January 25.

By Anne Thompson
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November 18, 2010 8:21 AM
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Celeb Watch: The Fighter's "Christian Bale May Kill Someone Yet," Gyllenhaal and Hathaway Go Naked

While AFI Fest opener Love & Other Drugs (check out its naked stars below) failed to yield much Oscar buzz, the fest's surprise screening of the The Fighter (here's the TOH review) boosted the prospects for Christian Bale's performance as the crackhead brother to Mark Wahlberg's punchy welterweight. It remains to be seen what the impact on Academy voters will be of John H. Richardson's lengthy and entertaining interview in Esquire with the Batman star, entitled "Christian Bale May Kill Someone Yet." From Newsies to The Machinist, this actor--who admits to having never seen Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story or Breakfast at Tiffany's---is as intense in real life as he is on screen. Straddling the line between pulling teeth and Bale's attempts to resist definition, Richardson asks Bale about the risks of being misunderstood:

By Sophia Savage
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November 18, 2010 6:17 AM
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Winners and Answers: David Thomson's Stump-the-Film-Buff 50 Movie Questions Quiz

I commend all who responded, in part or in full, to David Thomson's first Stump-the-Film-Buff movie quiz, 50 questions strong, for your deep love and knowledge of the spectrum of global film, old and new. Twenty-four film savants submitted answers to all 50 questions, and two brainiacs got them all right. Two buffs weighed in with only one wrong answer, but the one who submitted first won third place. Four more got just two answers wrong. Thomson will send the three winners below a signed copy of his must-own New Biographical Dictionary of Film, fifth edition.