Thompson on Hollywood

August Brings Dog Days, Celebs on Vacation

The dog days of August are upon us. Will any of the month’s upcoming movies kick ass, like The Fugitive or Pineapple Express? Or are they studio also-rans? It can go either way, writes the NYT.

By Anne Thompson
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August 5, 2009 8:29 AM
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Trailer Watch: Scorsese and DiCaprio's Shutter Island

So far, so good on movies made from the mystery novels of Boston-based Dennis Lehane: Clint Eastwood's Mystic River and Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone. Up next: Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese's latest reteaming with Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays a U.S. Marshall tracking an inmate who has escaped from an insane asylum on a remote Massachusetts island. It looks like Escape from Alcatraz meets The Shining. Paramount releases the film October 2. Check it out:

By Anne Thompson
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June 10, 2009 6:35 AM
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Time's 100 Influentials: Entertainment

This year, Time asked other "influentials" to write up their top 100 selections of the World's Most Influential People. That way we get filmmaker Peter Jackson profiling his Heavenly Creatures discovery, this year's best actress Oscar winner Kate Winslet; Roger Ebert pays tribute to documentarian Werner Herzog; best supporting actress Oscar-winner Penelope Cruz lands praise from Elegy co-star and fellow Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley; Claire Danes does the honors for Zac Efron; Alec Baldwin does his 30 Rock writer-director-co-star Tina Fey; You've Got Mail's Meg Ryan likes Tom Hanks; and Padma Lakshmi hearts Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman. Leonardo DiCaprio jumps the entertainment side to write up environmentalist Van Jones; Arnold Schwarzenegger praises Democrat and uncle-in-law Edward Kennedy; and Oprah Winfrey fusses over Michelle Obama. (My fave wrap-up of President Barack Obama's first 100 days is on Slate: his "Facebook page.")

By Anne Thompson
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April 30, 2009 6:35 AM
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Scorsese's Shutter Island Poster

Here's a teaser poster for Martin Scorsese and Laeta Kalogridis' adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo. Here's the official website. Paramount is set to open the film October 2.

By Anne Thompson
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March 28, 2009 6:47 AM
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Oscar Surprises: Dark Knight Out, Reader In

The Oscar nominations are in and The Dark Knight did not make it to best picture. The Reader landed the slot instead, also scoring noms for Stephen Daldry for best director (over The Dark Knight's Chris Nolan), David Hare for adapted screenplay and Kate Winslet (instead of Revolutionary Road). The Dark Knight was in the running though, with eight noms, including a posthumous nom for Heath Ledger, who is the frontrunner for best supporting actor.

By Anne Thompson
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January 23, 2009 2:25 AM
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Yates' Revolutionary Road: Novel to Film

Features

The guy could write. The story of Revolutionary Road author Richard Yates, told in excruciating detail in Blake Bailey's 2003 A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates, moves me, partly because he got so little encouragement, yet went back to writing every morning, hung over or not. And he insisted on drinking and smoking himself to death. But he knew he was a good writer, and that sustained him. Here's my Variety column.

By Anne Thompson
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December 8, 2008 9:11 AM
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Oscar Watch: Revolutionary Road Review

I saw Revolutionary Road over the weekend, and moderated a panel Saturday with director Sam Mendes, Leonardo DiCaprio (nominated three times), Kate Winslet (nominated five times), Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, theater actor Michael Shannon (W.), cinematographer Roger Deakins (nominated seven times) and composer Thomas Newman (nominated eight times).

By Anne Thompson
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November 18, 2008 5:51 AM
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Body of Lies: Yes, DiCaprio is a Movie Star

Body of Lies is a movie that a major studio greenlit because two stars and a star director--all proven commercial commodities--wanted to make it. Ridley Scott and Warners producer Donald DeLine corralled Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe (overweight and middle-aged, with a southern drawl) to star in this anti-CIA Middle East intrigue.

By Anne Thompson
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October 8, 2008 12:38 PM
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Oscar Watch 2008: Kate and Leo, Not Boleyn Girls

I'm so glad the Oscar season is over that the idea of professional Oscar watchers already predicting next year's awards makes me feel, well, tired. But this is their life, 24/7, while I move on to such mundane annual rituals as the ShoWest exhibitor convention in Las Vegas.

By Anne Thompson
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February 27, 2008 8:09 AM
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DiCaprio Talks, Cannes Party Hopping

It was fun taking a breather at the Hotel du Cap Saturday to interview Leo DiCaprio. Warner Independent shuttled various journos from the Palais along the Mediterranean coast to the Cap d'Antibes. We walked through the sun-dappled woods to a series of cabanas by the water, where we hung out until Leo arrived. He was wearing Prada shades, a blue shirt and jeans, but eventually took the shades off; he was smart and charming. Here's the story I filed on the web. And here's Variety's review.