Thompson on Hollywood

Spielberg and Competition Jury Tell It Like It Is in Cannes

Festivals

"We're going to make this all up as we go. The good news is that I'm proud to be a part of this wonderful event," said jury president Steven Spielberg in Cannes. Introduced by the hosts of a festival-produced TV program that is broadcast throughout the Palais des Festivals as the "world's most famous film director," Spielberg along with fellow jurors (and fellow Oscar-winners) Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz and Ang Lee as well as Cristian Mungiu (Romania), Daniel Auteuil (France), Vidya Balan (India) and Lynne Ramsay (Scotland) skirted the usual questions about how they will go about selecting this year's Palme d'Or winner.

By Brian Brooks
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May 15, 2013 3:05 PM
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What's Next for Ang Lee, From FX's 'Tyrant' to Eyeing Moses and 'Cleopatra'

News

Fresh off his Oscar win as Best Director for "Life of Pi," Ang Lee is fielding a number of potential and solidified upcoming projects. News comes today that the Taiwanese-born director is being eyed to helm Warner Bros.' Moses biopic "Gods and Kings," now that Steven Spielberg has dropped out.

By Beth Hanna
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March 15, 2013 2:49 PM
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2013 Oscar Highlights: Dancing and Tripping Stars, Eloquent Acceptance Speeches and More; Show Scores 40.3 Million Viewers UPDATED

Video

The 2013 Oscars held many noteworthy moments, including the race's sixth tie in history, and the six major category wins all going to different films. It also saw plenty of song belting, some charmingly old-school dance numbers and moving speeches from award recipients. Below, video highlights from the night, updated ratings info and more.

By Beth Hanna
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February 25, 2013 12:06 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Final Oscar Thoughts

Features

During this final week leading up to Sunday's 85th Academy Awards, I was reminded of the extraordinary meta-experience that underlies several of this year's nominees. In the end, at least for me, it's not about the frantic Oscar race and ultimately who wins and who doesn't but about the joy of making and watching the movies...

By Bill Desowitz
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February 22, 2013 1:47 PM
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Why 'Life of Pi' Will Win Multiple Oscars Next Weekend

Interviews

Going into the final Oscar stretch, Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" has turned out to be a stronger contender--and box office juggernaut, at close to $600 million worldwide--than many had expected. Nominated for eleven Oscars, among the categories the movie is favored to win are best director, cinematography, visual effects and editing. Some weeks back I moderated a lively DGA panel with cinematographer Claudio Miranda (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), producer David Womark, VFX animator and supervisor Erik Jan De Boer, visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer (of beleaguered Rhythm & Hues) and Lee's long-time editor Tim Squyres.

By Anne Thompson
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February 19, 2013 1:32 PM
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Awards Watch: Christoph Waltz Kills on SNL, Jacki Weaver on NPR, Ang Lee on Nightline

News

In the final phase of the Oscar campaign, Christoph Waltz twinkled on SNL last night, in one of the best episodes of the season. Nominated for Best Supporting Actor for "Django Unchained," Waltz's best sketch of the evening was a send up of Tarantino's "revenge fantasy" with "Djesus Uncrossed." With a million dollar grin on his face, the Austrian actor teased his country a bit in the opening monologue - posted below along with "Djesus."

By Maggie Lange
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February 17, 2013 3:49 PM
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Oscar Talk: Shorts and Documentary, BAFTAs and Scripters, Spielberg vs. Lee, Lawrence vs. Riva and More

Awards

On this week's Oscar Talk Podcast, Kris Tapley and I discuss live-action and documentary shorts as well as the documentary feature race. We look at the influence of last weekend's BAFTAs and USC Scripters Awards, and talk a few too-close-to-call categories: Steven Spielberg or Ang Lee for Best Director? Jennifer Lawrence or Emmanuelle Riva for Best Actress? Supporting actor, cinematography and production design are also in the mix.

By Anne Thompson
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February 15, 2013 12:00 PM
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Trailers from Hell: Dan Ireland on Ang Lee's 'Brokeback Mountain'

Video

Valentine's Hearbreakers! week continues at Trailers from Hell with director Dan Ireland introducing Ang Lee's Oscar winner (Best Director, Score, Adapted Screenplay) "Brokeback Mountain," starring the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams.

By Trailers From Hell
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February 13, 2013 11:04 AM
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Immersed in Movies: Ang Lee Talks 'Life of Pi' VFX and 3-D

Interviews

Tuesday night, the Visual Effects Society will honor director Ang Lee with its Visionary Award at the 11th annual VES Awards at the Beverly Hilton. It's an apt tribute, given the tremendous tech accomplishments of "Life of Pi" as both a groundbreaking 3-D experience and for the riveting performance of Rhythm & Hues' CG Bengal tiger, Richard Parker.