Thompson on Hollywood

TIFF: Jason Reitman to Lead Live Reading of 'American Beauty,' with Adam Driver, Sarah Gadon, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Woody Harrelson UPDATED

Festivals

Jason Reitman brings his "Live Read" series to the Toronto International Film Festival with a table read of Alan Ball's screenplay for "American Beauty," the Oscar-winner that premiered at TIFF in 1999. The director of "Thank You for Smoking" and "Up in the Air" will announce the cast of the table read via his Twitter account over the next few days leading to the September 6 event. So far, Reitman has cast Adam Driver from "Girls" as Ricky Fitts (played by Wes Bentley in the film) and Sarah Gadon, from "Cosmopolis," as Angela (Mena Suvari's character). He announced that Mae Whitman will play Thora Birch's character and actor Nick Kroll from "Community," will read Peter Gallagher's part. For Lester Burnham, the lead role played by Kevin Spacey, Reitman just added Bryan Cranston. Christina Hendricks is set to play his wife (originally played by Annette Bening), and Woody Harrelson will read the part of his neighbor, Col. Frank Fitts.

By Maggie Lange
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September 5, 2012 2:02 PM
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New Stills and TV Spot for Ben Affleck's Oscar-Bound Telluride Hit 'Argo'

Video

Buzz is building around Ben Affleck's "Argo," a thriller set in 1980 based on a "declassified true story" about a CIA mission-- with a Hollywood twist.

By Maggie Lange
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September 5, 2012 1:58 PM
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WATCH: Car Chase Supercut for Launch of UK's Dedicated James Bond Channel [VIDEO]

Video

Sky Movies 007 launches in the UK on October 5th, yet another part of the ongoing James Bond 50th Anniversary celebration, from the box set to the latest Bond flick, "Skyfall." The Bond channel's video promo (below) is a free-wheeling supercut of Bond car chases, including each of the six Bonds: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and the current Daniel Craig. As the trailer puts it -- in simple shaken-not-stirred Bond style -- "All the Bonds, all in one place." In honor of the half-century of Bonds, the channel will premiere with the first-ever Bond film, 1962's "Dr. No."

By Maggie Lange
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September 5, 2012 1:43 PM
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BFI London Film Fest: Full Program Launches First Competition Plus Rolling Stones Doc "Crossfire Hurricane'

Festivals

The 56th BFI London Film Festival will screen a total of 225 fiction and documentary features, 111 live action and animated shorts, including 14 World Premieres, 15 International Premieres, and 34 European Premieres. Tim Burton's 3-D animated "Frankenweenie" will open the festival and Mike Newell's dramatic adaptation of "Great Expectations" with Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes will close the 11 day event, which runs from October 10 to the 21st.

By Maggie Lange
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September 5, 2012 1:43 PM
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New Trailer: Jacques Audiard's 'Rust & Bone' Stars Melancholy Marion Cotillard

Video

A second international trailer for Jacques Audiard's Cannes/Toronto entry "Rust and Bone" arrives with more marine life and close-ups of the lovely Marion Cotillard, who recently attended Telluride for a tribute. The first international trailer is here.

By Maggie Lange
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September 5, 2012 12:31 PM
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Venice: Polley's 'Stories We Tell' Is Revealing & Affecting

Festivals

With Toronto beckoning, I've had to bid a reluctant farewell to Venice where, as much as I liked "BAD 25", "The Iceman", "Disconnect", "Enzo Avitabile Music Life" and "The Master", my pick of the festival was undoubtedly "Stories We Tell". Sarah Polley's third feature as a writer-director – and first non-fiction film – is revelatory in multiple ways, not least as a deeply exposing journey into the heart of the actress' family and own identity.

By Matt Mueller
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September 4, 2012 7:58 PM
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Telluride Wrap: Strong Lineup Led by 'Argo,' 'Gatekeepers,' 'Amour,' and 'Stories We Tell'

Festivals

Heading into Toronto and New York, what have we learned from Telluride and Venice? Quite a good deal. The Telluride awards season movies now in play include Sony Pictures Classics' Palme d'Or-winning "Amour," starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva, which wowed audiences and journos alike and should wind up in the best picture as well as foreign film race

By Anne Thompson
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September 4, 2012 7:08 PM
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First Clip from Animated 'Hotel Transylvania' is Endearingly Gothic Family Comedy

Video

Sony Pictures Animation's upcoming 3-D animated comedy, "Hotel Transylvania," aims to make the vampire world charming. Adam Sandler voices Dracula, the father of a young teenage vampire, Selena Gomez. Dracula is the proprietor of the Hotel Translyvania, a swanky "five-stake" resort getaway for all manner of spooky monsters...

By Maggie Lange
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September 4, 2012 6:53 PM
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Harmony Korine's 'Spring Breakers' Goes to Annapurna Pictures

News

Harmony Korine's "Spring Breakers," which premieres at Venice in competition tomorrow, September 5, before heading to Toronto two days later, has been acquired by Annapurna Pictures. The film stars James Franco and a handful of girls gone wild on spring break - Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson...

By Sophia Savage
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September 4, 2012 3:59 PM
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Now and Then: The Evacuee's Guide to Movies

Reviews

Living in New Orleans sometimes means leaving it. That's why, with Hurricane Isaac bearing down on the city, I hit the highway last Monday for an extended Florida sojourn. And since a film buff's road trip is nothing without a screening schedule, here's a handy guide to movies for your next evacuation...