Thompson on Hollywood

Oscar Watch: Why Actor-Directors Have the Advantage at the Oscars

Awards

What’s been overlooked amid all the wringing of hands, gnashing of teeth and what-were-they-thinking hysteria surrounding Ben Affleck’s alleged “snub” as a Best Director nominee, is the degree to which the director’s branch has defied Oscar history. “Argo” is a fine, sturdy entertainment, a movie everyone should be proud of.

By John Anderson
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February 21, 2013 1:22 PM
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American Cinematheque Ball: Downey Asks Industry to Forgive Gibson His Trespasses

Robert Downey, Jr. and a posse of pals celebrated his American Cinematheque achievement award Friday night at the Beverly Hilton. Downey took advantage of the occasion to plead with the crowd on behalf of his surprise presenter, Mel Gibson (video below), who sat during the show at a table with Iron Man director Jon Favreau, Justin Theroux, Gary Shandling and Jodie Foster, to "forgive my friend his trespasses" as they had forgiven Downey his. "Allow him to continue his great and ongoing contribution to our collective art without shame, he has hugged the cactus long enough." The two men, visibly moved, hugged.

By Anne Thompson
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October 15, 2011 12:35 PM
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Oscar Talk at Cannes: Von Trier Scandal, Tree of Life, Palme d'Or Contenders

As promised, Kris Tapley and I break our post-Oscar silence with a special Cannes edition of Oscar Talk with In Contention's London correspondent Guy Lodge. We cover the films in contention for the Palme d'Or, from Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt, and censured filmmaker Lars von Trier's Melancholia, starring Kirsten Dunst, to Pedro Almodovar's divisive The Skin I Live In, starring Antonio Banderas. We also debate the Oscar chances of these films as well as Weinstein Co.'s The Artist, starring Jean Dujardin, and We Need to Talk About Kevin, starring Tilda Swinton. (IndieWIRE interviews von Trier --who says, “I will never do a press conference again.” So does A.P.)

By Anne Thompson
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May 20, 2011 3:59 AM
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Cannes Video: Gibson Talks Foster's The Beaver, Acting, Directing, But Not His "three-ring circus"

Mel Gibson walked the red carpet at Cannes, shunned the press conference, but sat down for his only U.S. Cannes interview with a friendly interlocutor, Variety editor Tim Gray (on video below).

By Anne Thompson
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May 19, 2011 11:30 AM
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Cannes Pattern: Skip Press Conference, Show for Movie; Gibson Walks Beaver Red Carpet

One has to hope that Cannes director Thierry Fremaux nips this trend in the bud.

By Anne Thompson
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May 17, 2011 4:20 AM
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Summer Preview: Must-Sees on Big Screen, Skippable, Must-to-Avoid

The summer is upon us, with a plethora of viewing choices, many of them utterly avoidable. I lay out the summer movie landscape.

By Anne Thompson
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April 28, 2011 9:46 AM
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EW Movie Preview Shares Soundbites from Hollywood's Summer Stars

EW's Summer Movie Preview issue is out April 15. Here's just some of the buzz they share from Hollywood's stars:

By Sophia Savage
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April 14, 2011 5:53 AM
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SXSW Video: Jodie Foster Talks Beaver Stars Gibson and Lawrence's Pain, Her Own Split Personality

Jodie Foster had a problem. After completing production on her third feature film, The Beaver, her old pal Mel Gibson, who she had adored since they first worked together in 1994's Maverick, was in terrible trouble. At the end of reshoots on the film, she watched helplessly as he suffered through a career-destroying tabloid crisis of leaked phone tapes during his break-up battle with model Oksana Grigorieva.

By Anne Thompson
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March 18, 2011 9:15 AM
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SXSW: Jodie Foster Intros The Beaver, Starring "Beloved" Mel Gibson, to Upbeat Response; See Clips

Jodie Foster took Austin's Paramount stage for the Wednesday night premiere of The Beaver, a dark, moving family drama centered on Mel Gibson, who is well-cast as a tortured man in crisis. (See indieWIRE's review; here's Hollywood Wiretap's round-up).

By Anne Thompson
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March 17, 2011 4:24 AM
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Behind the Mel Gibson Extortion Case: Will Gibson Follow The Beaver to SXSW?

In the breathless viral tabloid culture we live in, there is much to be said for the not-yet-lost art of the carefully reported story-of-record. Mel Gibson's lawyers cooperated with the LATimes on this exhaustively researched front-page story about how his lengthy negotiations with model Oksana Grigorieva, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his youngest child, broke down and led to the release of the rant tapes that dealt further setbacks to Gibson's standing in Hollywood.