Thompson on Hollywood

Trailer Watch: Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire

Many top directors are turning to HBO. Given the level of interest in quality dramas for adults at the studios, who wouldn't? HBO's the last place willing to spend big bucks for that kind of cinema.

By Anne Thompson
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March 16, 2010 12:39 PM
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#SXSW: Gore-Epic Centurion Makes World Debut

Monday night I squeezed into the last seat at Fantastic Fest's midnight surprise screening of Neil "The Descent" Marshall's Romans vs. Picts epic Centurion at the Alamo Draft House.

By Anne Thompson
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March 16, 2010 5:28 AM
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Avatar DVD Hits Stores April 22, Earth Day

The stateside DVD and Blu-ray release of James Cameron's environment-themed Avatar (at $2.6 billion worldwide, the highest-grossing film of all time) is April 22, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The film won three Oscars, for art direction, cinematography and visual effects.

By Anne Thompson
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March 16, 2010 5:09 AM
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Oscar Winner Bigelow in L.A. Superior Court

The week after winning two Oscars for directing and producing The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow was standing in line at L.A.'s Superior Court. Fulfilling her duty as a citizen, she turned up for jury duty and was placed in the jury pool for a drunk driving case.

By Anne Thompson
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March 16, 2010 4:32 AM
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Sony Worldwide Acquisitions Group Closes Welcome to the Rileys Deal with Apparition

Finally, the ink has dried on the pact with Sony Worldwide Acquisitions Group and distributor Apparition (as reported here) to release Sundance Kristen Stewart-starrer Welcome to the Rileys. They're planning a fall release. Directed by Ridley Scott sprig Jake, the movie was executive produced by Steve Zaillian and boasts a strong script by Ken Hixon.

By Anne Thompson
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March 15, 2010 6:22 AM
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#SXSW : Gondry Goes Animated with Daniel Clowes' Megalomania

Michael Gondry is a marvel--and I would have loved a longer chat than this flip-cam quickie, which skates across his SXSW doc The Thorn in the Heart, about his school teacher aunt Suzette, who the family used to visit deep in the country in the summer. He wanted partly to capture a vanishing world.

By Anne Thompson
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March 15, 2010 4:59 AM
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SXSW: CMG Buys Foreign Rights to Brotherhood

Foreign sales company Cinema Management Group has acquired all rights outside America for Will Canon’s college thriller Brotherhood, which premiered at SXSW Saturday night. The film began ten years ago as Canon's NYU short film Roslyn. He co-wrote Brotherhood, about a frat initiation ritual gone wrong, with Doug Simon. Chris Pollack, Jason Croft, Steven Hein and Tim O’Hair produced with executive producers Jamie Patricof, Kevin Iwashina, Darryn Welch and Chris Ouwinga.

By Anne Thompson
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March 14, 2010 10:49 AM
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#SXSW: First Hit is Cold Weather

At the SXSW opening night party, Jason Reitman showed me the trailer (below) for Aaron Katz's third feature Cold Weather on his iPhone. Reitman was psyched to see it, and I was intrigued, but it was up against Michel Gondry's Cannes doc Thorn in My Heart, which I needed to see in order to interview him Sunday.

By Anne Thompson
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March 14, 2010 8:50 AM
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Weekend Box Office: Alice in Wonderland Trounces Weak Remember Me and Green Zone

Anthony D'Alessandro reports on the weekend box office, which brought major disappointments in Green Zone and Remember Me, which opened in second and fourth place (full b.o. chart below):

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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March 14, 2010 5:00 AM
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#SXSW Perfect Venue for Kick-Ass

SXSW has a casual young, male vibe. At the Kick-Ass opener, the fest's Janet Pierson and director Matthew Vaughn were both wearing jeans and sneakers. So it makes sense SXSW was perfect venue for Kick-Ass, which has a primarily young male --and less female-- appeal. It's a nasty hard-R super-hero spoof designed to outrage and delight. And it will destroy at the b.o. when Liongsate opens it April. (It opens first in the U.K. in two weeks.)