Thompson on Hollywood

The Messenger: Oscar Contender?

Rookie director Oren Moverman's The Messenger faces the same obstacle in the fall awards season as the Michelle Monaghan star vehicle Trucker. It's one of many marginal outsider films that has to get seen before it has a chance. The movie is a stark portrait of two soldiers (Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster) who have to deliver news to families that their loved ones have died in Iraq. Not only do they have to handle their assignment delicately, but they must also absorb the shock, pain and grief of the bereaved.

By Anne Thompson
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October 17, 2009 8:10 AM
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Trailer Watch: Will Amelia Biopic Play?

I'll be showing Mira Nair's Amelia at Sneak Previews this week. I've seen the biopic of the vanished aviatrix Amelia Earhart, which stars Oscar magnet Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, and look forward to grilling the screenwriters, Ron Bass (Rain Man) and Anna Hamilton Phelan (Gorillas in the Mist). The question at hand: how do you tackle a movie biography these days, when authenticity is at such a premium?

By Anne Thompson
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October 17, 2009 6:33 AM
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Where the Wild Things Are: Weekend Must-See

Weekend Must-See:Where the Wild Things Are Tomatometer 69% Metascore 71

By Anne Thompson
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October 17, 2009 2:03 AM
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Chaos Reigns: Antichrist vs. Fantastic Mr. Fox

What's with all the foxes in movies these days? My Variety colleague Peter Debruge couldn't resist mashing-up the The Fantastic Mr. Fox trailer with the "chaos reigns" clip from Lars von Trier's Antichrist, below.

By Anne Thompson
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October 16, 2009 11:03 AM
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Oscar Talk Episode 6

In our sixth Oscar Talk podcast, In Contention's Kris Tapley and I debate the foreign and animation races, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Messenger, Where the Wild Things Are and The Last Station.

By Anne Thompson
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October 16, 2009 10:49 AM
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With Paranormal Activity, Paramount Sets New Marketing Model

From the start, Paramount online marketing executive Amy Powell knew that she could sell micro-budget horror thriller Paranormal Activity on the Internet.

By Anne Thompson
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October 15, 2009 8:48 AM
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Tree of Life Will Not Open in 2009

Writer-director Terrence Malick's long-awaited family drama about grief, The Tree of Life, will not be released by year's end. Apparition had tentatively scheduled a December 25 release for River Road's 50s period film, which stars Sean Penn and Brad Pitt. But Apparition chief Bob Berney says that a year-end opening was "wishful. It's definitely not going to come out this year." That's because it won't be finished in time.

By Anne Thompson
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October 15, 2009 7:16 AM
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Mel Gibson Stars in Edge of Darkness

Mel Gibson acting in a movie again is big news. So here's a trailer for the revenge flick Edge of Darkness, his first starring gig since Signs in 2002.

By Anne Thompson
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October 15, 2009 6:48 AM
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Oscar Picks of 65 Films Submitted for Foreign Film Contention

65 countries are competing for the 2009 foreign language film Oscar. The Academy has released the official list, which is on the jump.

By Anne Thompson
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October 15, 2009 5:08 AM
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AFI Shapes Up: A Single Man Is Fest Closer

The 23rd AFI Film Festival, which this year takes place from October 30 through November 7--is closing the fest with the Toronto hit A Single Man, starring Colin Firth, who will likely land an Oscar nod for his performance as a grieving man whose lover dies in a car crash. The full AFI story is here.