Thompson on Hollywood

Arthouse Audit: 'Mud' Scores Sole Strong Indie Opener Amid Specialized Market Struggles

Box Office

"Mud" nearly made the weekend box office top 10 in only 363 theaters, towering over all the other new openings this week, none of which had a PSA of even $12,000 with limited New York/Los Angeles two to four theater openings. For the third time in several weeks, and in this case already in the first one, much of the money came from a wide variety of upscale theaters.

By Tom Brueggemann
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April 28, 2013 4:16 PM
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Weekend Preview: Michael Bay's Latest a 'Pain'-Filled Experience; Jeff Nichols' 'Mud' Captivates Critics; Skip 'The Big Wedding'

News

Fans of Michael Bay and his cast of beefy cohorts will likely flock to dumb male comedy "Pain & Gain," a soulless, "low-budget" exercise in machismo that has appalled critics. Those looking for lighter fare might seek solace in "The Big Wedding," which has earned universal pans despite its top-drawer cast. They are better off RSVPing to another event, such as "Take Shelter" director Jeff Nichols' southern drama "Mud," which premiered at Cannes, starring Matthew McConaughey, or the Oscar-nominated maritime doc "Kon Tiki," which traces a Norwegian's journey in 1947 across the Pacific Ocean in a balsa wood raft.

By Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio
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April 25, 2013 3:42 PM
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'Midnight's Children,' 'Reluctant Fundamentalist' and Bollywood Come to Hollywood in 2013 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles

Festivals

The 11th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles is gearing up for its 2013 edition (April 9-14), and has a handful of special screenings decorating its lineup. Mira Nair's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," starring Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Shreiber and Keifer Sutherland, is part of the program, along with Anurag Kashyap's festival opener "Gangs of Wasseypur" and Deepa Mehta's Salman Rushdie adaptation and fest closer "Midnight's Children."

By Beth Hanna
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April 3, 2013 2:50 PM
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Trailer Watch: Riz Ahmed Stars as the 'Reluctant Fundamentalist' in Mira Nair's Tale of Post-9/11 Paranoia

Video

Check out the trailer for Mira Nair's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," which opened the 2012 Venice Film Festival and stars Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Shreiber and Keifer Sutherland. Nair ("Monsoon Wedding," "The Namesake") adapted Mohsin Hamid's international bestseller of the same title, a thriller told in flashback centering on a Pakistani man (Ahmed) whose promising Wall Street career and relationship with his girlfriend (Hudson) disintegrate following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

By Beth Hanna
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February 21, 2013 12:52 PM
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Doha Film Institute's CEO Talks Fest Growing Pains, Tribeca Connection & Arab Spring

Festivals

Only weeks into the job, the Doha Film Institute's new CEO Abdulaziz Al-Khater sat down to chat with TOH! during the Doha Tribeca Film Festival to discuss the long-term goals of the nascent festival, now in its fourth year, and DFI itself, the umbrella organization which presides over all of Qatar's film initiatives.

By Matt Mueller
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November 24, 2012 6:59 AM
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Doha Tribeca Film Festival: Mira Nair Defends 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist,' Discusses Difficult Journey from Page to Screen

Festivals

Director Mira Nair was put in the unusual position of having to defend her film, 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist', from conflicting suggestions of pro- and anti-American bias at the film's press conference as opening-night film for the 4th Doha Tribeca Film Festival. One regional journalist wanted to know why Riz Ahmed's Changez, the Pakistani protagonist who switches from successful Wall Street trader to fundamentalist Muslim professor (and possible terrorist) in a post-9/11 world, repeats the phrase, "I love America"; another questioned whether the film's mistrustful ending ultimately serves as a condemnation of the U.S.

By Matt Mueller
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November 19, 2012 4:11 AM
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Venice Review: ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ - Muscularly Charismatic, But Exasperating

Reviews

Before its unveiling, some found “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” a peculiar choice as Venice opener by new artistic director Alberto Barbera, even taking into account Mira Nair’s history here (the Indian-born, New York-based filmmaker won the Golden Lion with “Monsoon Wedding” in 2001)...

By Matt Mueller
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August 30, 2012 10:53 AM
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Venice Days' Spotlight on Female Filmmakers: 'Womens Tales' in Conversation with Nair, Bier & Cavani

Festivals

The Venice International Film Festival's Venice Days kicks off its ninth edition with "Women's Tales," featuring four short films by young female directors: Zoe Cassavetes, Lucrecia Martel, Giada Colagrande and Massy Tadjedin.

By Sophia Savage
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August 28, 2012 12:58 PM
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Mira Nair's 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' Opens 69th Venice Film Fest

Festivals

The 69th Venice International Film Festival will open on August 29th with Mira Nair's out-of-competition world premiere "The Reluctant Fundamentalist." It's her fifth showing at Venice, including the Golden Lion winner "Monsoon Wedding," "Mississippi Masala," the collective film "11'09'01," and "Vanity Fair."