Thompson on Hollywood

Oscar Watch: Hear 'Paul Williams Still Alive' Original Song (TRAILER)

Interviews

Paul Williams' original song "Still Alive" from Stephen Kessler's new documentary "Paul Williams Still Alive" will touch any artist, especially someone past their prime. The movie and the song address Williams' past glories, which are gone, and the fantasy of chasing your dreams vs. the reality of living with day-to-day happiness.

By Anne Thompson
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November 19, 2012 1:25 PM
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Oscar Dark Horse: Jake Gyllenhaal Talks Must-See 'End of Watch'

Awards

Of all the dark horse Oscar hopefuls this year, none deserves more consideration than Jake Gyllenhaal for his role as an LA cop in David Ayer's "End of Watch." It's such a competitive year for leading actors that I hope this performance in an admittedly small but well-reviewed indie film will be seen. Critics groups may give it some attention.

By Anne Thompson
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November 19, 2012 12:21 PM
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Joe Wright Talks Liberating 'Anna Karenina,' from Stoppard and Knightley to Dior, Supertramp and 'The Leopard'

Interviews

The decision not to shoot "Anna Karenina" on location in Russia liberated director Joe Wright. Without changing the Tom Stoppard adaptation of Tolstoy's classic--which threw out all sorts of things anyway--Wright used an old London theater as a way to completely free himself from the constrictions of period costume drama. "Anna Karenina" is a swirling, mad, exuberant, joyful, passionate celebration of the novel.

By Anne Thompson
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November 19, 2012 7:08 AM
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Oscar Watch: Spielberg, Snider and Kushner Talk Finding 'Lincoln'

Interviews

The thing that hits you on first viewing "Lincoln" is how unconventional it is. It's organic, grown from the seeds in Doris Kearns Goodwin's 800-page Lincoln tome "Team of Rivals," nurtured over five years by playwright Tony Kushner, and shaped by Steven Spielberg and actor Daniel Day-Lewis into something we've never seen before. This alchemy of a torrent of words, well-researched history, and the powerful personality of the world's most popular American president has yielded a magical biopic that is the current front-runner in the Oscar race.

By Anne Thompson
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November 16, 2012 4:20 PM
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'Skyfall' Director Mendes and Actresses Marlohe and Harris Talk Updating Bond, from Adele to Bardem

Interviews

Whenever any movie, even yet another James Bond sequel, gets the kind of rave reviews and business earned by "Skyfall," the inevitable awards speculation occurs. Will it get Oscar nominations? After all, right out of the gate Brit theater director Sam Mendes' "American Beauty" swept five Oscars including director and picture.

By Anne Thompson
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November 15, 2012 8:00 AM
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'West of Memphis' Director Amy Berg Talks New Evidence in Arkansas Case UPDATE: New Trailer

Interviews

"It's a living, breathing thing," says director Amy Berg of The Sony Pictures Classics film "West of Memphis" (December 25), backed by producer-financeers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, which revisits the 18-year imprisonment of the innocent “West Memphis 3”: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. The documentary presents new witnesses and forensic evidence that exonerates the three men and points to others as responsible for the murder of Stevie Branch, Chris Byers and Michael Moore. It reveals a gross miscarriage of justice by the Arkansas justice system.

By Anne Thompson
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November 13, 2012 6:27 AM
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Naomi Watts Talks 'The Impossible,' 'Diana,' 'Mulholland Dr.' & Her Favorite Films [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]

Interviews

Naomi Watts is busy again after a few years of staying under the radar. Yes, she took some time off, after some films that didn't turn out as well as she'd like. Her upcoming roles suggest that she's insisting on quality. Watts earned one Oscar nomination for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 2004 "21 Grams" (that year Charlize Theron won for "Monster) and her intensely dramatic role as a woman fighting for survival in "The Impossible" just may be number two.

By Sophia Savage
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November 12, 2012 12:40 PM
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Daniel Day-Lewis On Giving 'Lincoln' Voice (NEW VIDEO CLIPS)

Interviews

Uncanny is the word NPR uses to describe Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of the 16th president in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln." In this All Things Considered interview, Day-Lewis describes how he found a high register for Honest Abe's distinctive voice that carried across many well-remembered speeches, and reveals his favorites. The actor wanted to show the lighter side of Lincoln, who used humor to battle back the darkness. Here's Day-Lewis on Lincoln as an entertainer:

By Maggie Lange
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November 10, 2012 10:00 AM
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Paul Thomas Anderson, American Cinematheque's Young Master, on Acting, Film vs. Digital, 'Die Hard' & More

Interviews

Paul Thomas Anderson - the American Cinematheque's Young Master who is enjoying a retrospective at their Aero Theater on November 10, 11 and 13 -- recently spoke with MovieHole about his "Boogie Nights" characters, the film vs. digital divide, writing "The Master," working with actors and "glazing over," as well as the film he'd have liked a chance to direct: "Die Hard." Check out some highlights below.

By Sophia Savage
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November 8, 2012 3:13 PM
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Oscar Watch: Spanish Sleeper 'The Impossible,' McGregor Talks True Survival Saga

Interviews

Guillermo del Toro, who knows how to spot talent, helped to push J.A. Bayona's 2007 smart horror Spanish Oscar entry "The Orphanage" into an international smash hit ($79.6 million). The same trio behind that movie, Bayona, NYU-educated screenwriter Sergio Sanchez and producer Belen Atienza, became fascinated by the true story of a Spanish family who survived the 2004 tsunami that swept over the coast of Thailand, causing some 5000 deaths. Atienza was so moved by a radio interview with Maria Belon, who fought to live for the sake of her young son, that she arranged a meeting.