Thompson on Hollywood

Director Watch: Woo's Killer Remake, Cameron's Battle Angel, Gatsby's Green Light, Hooper's Secrets

- John Woo (Red Cliff) and long-time producing partner Terence Chang's Lion Rock Productions is ramping up a remake of The Killer, which Woo directed in 1989. This remake will be directed for English-language audiences by South Korean director John H. Lee and stars Jung Woo-Sung in the role originally played by Chow Yun-Fat. This will be a modern take on the story about an assassin who devotes everything to protecting a singer whom he accidentally blinded.

By Sophia Savage
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February 1, 2011 9:15 AM
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Oscar Watch: Weinstein vs. Rudin, Weinstein vs. Hooper and Rush on King's Speech PG-13 Trims

Judging from the way the Writers' Panel played at Santa Barbara Saturday, the heat is with The King's Speech. Seidler proved to be an elegant and charming storyteller--and had the audience eating out of his hand as he talked about how as a stutterer he was inspired by King George VI's ability to conquer stuttering, and had to wait two decades for the Queen Mum to die before he could tell his story.

By Anne Thompson
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January 31, 2011 9:17 AM
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Awards Update: King's Speech's Hooper Wins DGA , Sundance Prizes, Santa Barbara Fest Tributes

There's a lot going on this weekend on the awards front.

By Anne Thompson
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January 30, 2011 7:34 AM
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Weekend Box Office: Hopkins' The Rite Beats Statham's The Mechanic; Oscar Pix Go Wide

Thriller The Rite, starring Anthony Hopkins in chew-the-scenery mode, topped yet another depressed weekend box office, reports Anthony D'Alessandro:Winter continued to freeze turnstiles as total domestic receipts amounted to an estimated $106 million, off 15% from the same frame last year when 2009 carry-over Avatar was still scorching the chilly season. Warner Bros./New Line’s Anthony Hopkins exorcist thriller The Rite evoked $15 million at No. 1, a number that’s in line with studio projections, but a far cry from the boffo bows of the Oscar-winner’s prior horror-thrillers. Elsewhere, Jason Statham’s remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film The Mechanic passed $11.5 million, besting CBS Films’ $7-$9 million estimate, but it went toe-to-toe with Sony holdover The Green Hornet for third place.

By Anne Thompson
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January 30, 2011 5:36 AM
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Oscar Watch Exclusive: Tom Hooper Talks Directing Style in The King's Speech

In a wide-ranging discussion about his directing approach on The King's Speech, Tom Hooper talks (in the video below) about framing star Colin Firth in wide-lens close-ups so that there was "nothing between him and the character." He mentions one of the visual themes in the film was finding "a visual analogue to stammering which became about framing Colin in relationship to negative space."

By Anne Thompson
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January 20, 2011 4:17 AM
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Golden Globes: Best Actor Drama Goes to Firth

Colin Firth is the expected winner as he continues to chalk up wins for his role as a stuttering King George VI in The King's Speech. Firth's momentum going forward toward the Oscars is probably too strong to beat.

By Anne Thompson
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January 17, 2011 3:46 AM
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At the Critics' Choice Awards: Winners Are Social Network, Inception, Firth, Portman, Leo, Bale

Paramount had a good night at the Broadcast Film Critics Associations's Critic's Choice Awards Friday night, winning three prizes for The Fighter, including best ensemble, supporting actress (Melissa Leo) and supporting actor (Christian Bale), a young actress award for Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit and doc prize for Waiting for Superman.

By Anne Thompson
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January 15, 2011 6:18 AM
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Directors Guild Reveals Five Male Front-Runners, Skips Women

If there was any doubt as to which films were the front-runners in the Oscar race, they were quelled by the Directors Guild announcement of their nominees. The DGA tends to match Oscar nominations four for five. A movie almost never wins best picture without a DGA nomination, and the DGA winner has been the Oscar winner all but six times since 1948. As expected, first-time nominees Darren Aronofsky and Tom Hooper and vets David Fincher and Chris Nolan are in the running for the DGA's top prize. If the industry still harbors any grudges against David O. Russell for his past on-set behavior, the directors, at least, recognized him with his first DGA nomination for The Fighter.

By Anne Thompson
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January 10, 2011 5:13 AM
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Oscar Race Questions: Nomination Ballots Due January 14

There are several unknowns as we hurtle toward the end of balloting for Oscar nominations January 14. (Here's the schedule.) What we do know: the race for best picture is still between The King's Speech and The Social Network, the popular heart-tugger vs. the more cerebral critics' fave (see the votes at Gurus 'o Gold). Both sides are campaigning hard: both Weinstein Co. and Paramount are throwing Oscar parties this week. (My full Oscar Predicts Chart is here.)

By Anne Thompson
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January 6, 2011 5:00 AM
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Toy Story 3 Tops Quentin Tarantino's Best of 2010

Quentin Tarantino has posted his favorite movies of 2010, all twenty of them. Unlike many critics, Tarantino has no problem with citing movies that are popular hits. And he's seen his share of obscurities as well. Tarantino is an Academy member, though not a typical one. His taste is catholic, ranging from specialty and foreign films to raunchy comedies, animated family fare and big-budget actioners. His most surprising choices are two critical and box office studio failures that are as well-directed as they were commercially misguided: James Mangold's Knight and Day and Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. Wow.