Thompson on Hollywood

Jennifer Lawrence Talks 'Silver Linings Playbook,' Russell, 'Hunger Games' and Prepping for that Money Scene (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

Awards

As soon as "Silver Linings Playbook" played in Toronto it became the front runner for the Oscar. This is something its Oscar handlers were seeking to avoid, but the film then went on to win the coveted TIFF audience award nabbed by such past crowd-pleasers as Oscar-winner "Slumdog Millionaire." Yes, "Argo" and "Amour" and "The Sessions" and the Weinsteins' other TIFF entries "The Master" and "Quartet" are also in the Oscar hunt. But right now it's "The Silver Linings Playbook"'s to lose.

By Anne Thompson
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September 17, 2012 4:26 PM
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Oscar Watch: Why Affleck's 'Argo' Hits the Zeitgeist, Early Reviews

Interviews

Ben Affleck has another hit due to arrive in theaters October 12. But "Argo," his third feature as director, will be even more commercially successful than 2007's "Gone Baby Gone" and 2012's "The Town," which earned Jeremy Renner a supporting actor nomination. That's because while Affleck understood that the film is timely--unrest in the Middle East has not dissipated since the true 1980 events depicted here--he could not have known that a mob assault on a U.S. consulate would make news headlines just as his film made its Toronto debut.

By Anne Thompson
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September 17, 2012 3:56 PM
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Early Reviews for 'Trouble with the Curve,' Eastwood's 'Gran Torino' Meets 'Moneyball' Antithesis

Reviews

For someone who has enjoyed such a golden career to date, Oscar-winner Clint Eastwood, 82, seems to be tempting fate, finally. He earned tough reviews for his performance at the Republican National Convention (SNL's inevitable Eastwood-with-chair spoof is below) and deflects questions about his wife's reality show "Eastwood and Company" in Tom Junod's Esquire current cover profile.

By Anne Thompson
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September 17, 2012 1:26 PM
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Trailers from Hell: 'Blood Simple,' The Arrival of The Coen Brothers

Video

It's the beginning of Coen Brothers Week at Trailers from Hell and Josh Olson is starting us off with the trailer for 1984's "Blood Simple."

By Trailers From Hell
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September 17, 2012 12:45 PM
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Fest Buyer Sony Pictures Classics Heads to the Middle East (VIDEO)

News

Sony Pictures Classics has always leaned heavily on foreign acquisitions in advance of the awards season. Michael Barker and Tom Bernard are often betting on the likely submissions for the best foreign film entry, and can be counted upon to wind up with more than one in the final five. At the same time they can't handle too many movies at once, so they must pick well.

By Anne Thompson
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September 16, 2012 5:02 PM
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Arthouse Audit: Off To the Races With 'The Master' & 'Arbitrage'

Box Office

Not only did "The Master" (limited) and "Arbitrage" (wider and also available outside of theater viewing) do great business this weekend, they did so at what is usually a slow time of the year. The same weekend in 2011 saw "My Weekend With Margueritte" and "Restless" open to modest at best results. After an unusually strong specialized summer, not only does the fall start off with a bang, but earlier than usual.

By Tom Brueggemann
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September 16, 2012 4:08 PM
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Top Ten Weekend Box Office: Two Paul Andersons Rule UPDATED

Box Office

Although the weekend's top ten grosses- totaling around $65 million--were a nice boost from last weekend's disastrous $45 million, they still represent a drop of more than 25% from the same weekend last year. Much of the difference comes from this year's 3-D Disney reissue falling short of last year's, but studios and theaters have reason to wonder when business is going to return to steadier levels.

By Tom Brueggemann
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September 16, 2012 12:58 PM
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Oscar Talk: Toronto and Telluride Update, from 'The Master' and 'Cloud Atlas' to 'Silver Linings Playbook'

Awards

Kris Tapley and I go over the Oscar race post-Toronto and Telluride, from Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" and Terrence Malick's "To the Wonder" to the fate of "Anna Karenina" and "Cloud Atlas." Neither of us liked "Hyde Park on Hudson" very much.

By Anne Thompson
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September 15, 2012 4:40 PM
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HBO Documentary Films Picks Up 'Love, Marilyn,' Featuring Array of Stars Reading Monroe's Letters & Diaries

News

HBO Documentary Films has acquired the U.S. rights to Liz Garbus' Telluride and TIFF entry "Love, Marilyn." Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the iconic star's death, Garbus' doc features contemporary actresses (Viola Davis, Glenn Close and Lindsay Lohan among them) reading entries from Monroe's never-before-seen diaries and letters.

By Beth Hanna
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September 14, 2012 5:57 PM
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Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires TIFF Romantic Drama 'Still'

News

Samuel Goldwyn Films has taken U.S. rights to Michael McGowan's romantic drama "Still," starring James Cromwell and Genevieve Bujold. The film premiered on September 10 at TIFF.