Thompson on Hollywood

Oscar Talk 22: Dueling Oscar Producers, Weinstein's Inglourious Basterds Push, Bullock Talks

Kris Tapley and I dig into the meat of the matter this week as the Oscar season goes into overdrive. Are voters trying to rig the top ten? What has a better shot of winning, The Hurt Locker, Avatar or Inglourious Basterds, which Harvey Weinstein has been relentlessly flogging? Are Oscar producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic (who aren't getting along) going to be able to put together a strong show with ten best picture nominees and no Oscar-nominated songs?

By Anne Thompson
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February 19, 2010 10:04 AM
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Paramount Acquires Middle Men

While the deal for Paramount to acquire George Gallo's Middle Men, starring Luke Wilson and James Caan, was closed late in the year, details are just emerging. Essential Entertainment started handling sales for the Oxymoron Entertainment-funded movie at Cannes, reported Screen:

By Anne Thompson
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February 19, 2010 9:22 AM
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Penn Charged in Paparazzi Battery Crime, Could Face Jail

TMZ strikes again: the site reports that Sean Penn has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of battery and vandalism for an October encounter in Brentwood with paparazzi (deja vu). TMZ posts video of the fracas (on the jump). He could face 18 months in jail if convicted.

By Anne Thompson
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February 19, 2010 9:07 AM
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Olympic Men's Figure Skater Evan Lysacek Wins Gold

Here's video of American Evan Lysacek's intense, exhilarating winning performance Thursday in the figure-skating men's free. Thanks to tape delay, the online media delivered the news of the win before NBC aired his finale. He's the first American to win the men's figure-skating gold since Brian Boitano in 1988.

By Anne Thompson
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February 19, 2010 6:40 AM
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Oscar Watch: Nick Hornby's Hollywood Education

Brit author Nick Hornby discovered the Lynn Barber memoir An Education and showed it to his producer wife, Amanda Posey, as a possible movie. He liked it so much he adapted it for the screen himself, something he has avoided doing with his own novels, three of which--High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, About a Boy--have been turned by other writers into damned good Hollywood movies. He did adapt his first novel Fever Pitch into a British movie starring Colin Firth. But otherwise he has kept some distance from Hollywood adaptations of his novels.

By Anne Thompson
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February 19, 2010 5:55 AM
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Review: Oscar Animated and Live-Action Shorts

Seattle critic Tim Appelo reviews the Oscar Nominated Short Films 2010; Shorts International and Magnolia Pictures will release the five animated and five live-action shorts in selected theaters Friday and more on March 5. (I'll lay out my Oscar-short picks later on.)

By Tim Appelo
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February 19, 2010 3:01 AM
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Berlinale 60 Day Six: Welcome to the Rileys, Besouro, Bal, Please Give

Our Berlin correspondent Meredith Brody finds she has to pick and choose: and live with the results.

By Meredith Brody
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February 18, 2010 8:18 AM
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Eastwood, Freeman Attend LACMA Promo for 35 Films 35 Years DVD Set

"CGI effects are great in pictures like Avatar and District 9, but I still love telling a story," said Clint Eastwood at Wednesday night's LACMA event to promote the release of the largest box set ever, Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years, from 1968's Where Eagles Dare and 1971's Dirty Harry and its sequels to his biggest hit Every Which Way But Loose and Pale Rider, Bird, Tight Rope, Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima and Invictus.

By Anne Thompson
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February 18, 2010 7:50 AM
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What the Flick?! Online Video Talk Show Goes Live February 19

I was as unhappy as anyone with the last iteration of At the Movies--the disastrous match-up of celeb-hugger Ben Lyons and Hollywood scion Ben Mankiewicz. But the latter, at least, had some potential as a professional cinephile, if not a serious film critic (I am blissfully happy with the current hosts, evenly-matched alpha males Michael Phillips and Tony Scott).

By Anne Thompson
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February 18, 2010 12:22 AM
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Esquire Profiles Roger Ebert

Post-cancer surgery, jawless Chicago film critic Roger Ebert has found his voice: on-line. He's movingly profiled by Chris Jones in Esquire. The irony is that even though Ebert's not on Disney/ABC's At the Movies anymore, he is still the most powerful critic in America. Yes, his reviews are published in old-media newspaper The Chicago Sun-Times and syndicated around the country, but Ebert also tirelessly blogs and tweets. He's the new model film critic, and all others should take notice.