Thompson on Hollywood

'Gimme the Loot' Director Adam Leon Talks His Indie Bronx Adventure, Meryl Streep and 'Barry Lyndon'

Interviews

Adam Leon's "Gimme the Loot," which took home the Best Narrative Feature award at SXSW 2012, opens in Los Angeles this weekend with a 96% Fresh rating to back it. The festival hit, which also went to Cannes, New Directors/New Films, the San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle Film Festivals, got the attention of director Jonathan Demme when the Jacob Burns Film Center (in which both Demme and Leon are active) screened it for him. He was happy to come on board as Presenter when IFC approached him. Leon tells Charlie Rose that Demme thought it was an "ego boost" to be asked, but Leon insists it was his honor.

By Sophia Savage
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March 28, 2013 4:17 PM
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Q & A: How Willimon Runs Fincher's 'House of Cards': From Smart Horror to Last-Minute Corey Stoll Rewrites

Interviews

You don't just wind up running a $60 million web series like "House of Cards" out of nowhere. Writer Beau Willimon is the guy who, day in and day out, steers and makes sense of the Netflix show that is swiftly heading toward production on Season Two. Director David Fincher pulled him in after seeing what he did with George Clooney's "Ides of March," for which Willimon earned an Oscar nomination for adapting his own nasty political play "Farragut North." Willimon knew what he was writing about. He had worked on several campaigns, brought in by his chum Jay Carson, who rose through the K-Street ranks--and now consults for "House of Cards."

By Anne Thompson
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March 26, 2013 6:54 AM
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Q & A: Matteo Garrone Follows 'Gomorra' with Fellini-esque Fable 'Reality,' Starring Imprisoned Actor Arena (TRAILER)

Interviews

Italian Matteo Garrone is a filmmaker to watch. He has chops, and range. Italy submitted his last film "Gomorra" for the Oscars, a gritty slice of the uber-violent underworld. His follow-up "Reality" is a much lighter fairy tale fable about a man, well-played by prisoner actor Aniello Arena, obsessed with getting his family on Italian reality show "Big Brother." It's a delightfully colorful comedy in the classical Fellini tradition.

By Anne Thompson
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March 20, 2013 3:40 PM
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'Dirty Wars': Glimpse Into Shadow World of U.S. Counterterrorism Via Tenacious Reporter

Features

"Dirty Wars," the riveting new documentary by journalist Jeremy Scahill and director Rick Rowley that probes the shadowy world of U.S. paramilitary operations, almost didn't get made. Or rather, it almost didn't become the film that premiered at Sundance in January to critical plaudits and was picked up two days later by IFC Sundance Selects for a late-summer release.

By Jacob Combs
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March 20, 2013 12:25 PM
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Behind Joshua Oppenheimer's Genocide Documentary 'The Act of Killing' -- Where Are the Survivors?

Festivals

When New Directors/New Films opens Wednesday night at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, it will mark another ambitious survey of fresh talent and movies, beginning with the D.C.-sniper inspired “Blue Caprice” (its catalog description begins: “The ability of innocence to embrace evil is a chillingly reality"--and yes, someone was paid to write that). Guaranteed to grab ND/NF audiences by the throat – just as it’s been doing since last year’s Telluride – is “The Act of Killing,” (TOH! review here) directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, who cast his movie with real killers who celebrate the art and craft of murder.

By John Anderson
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March 19, 2013 2:04 PM
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Vincent Cassel Breaks Genre, Gender Rules in Boyle's 'Trance,' Plays CG Monster in 'Beauty and the Beast' (TRAILER)

Interviews

I was fascinated by "Trance," Danny Boyle's smart, assaultive psychological thriller (Fox Searchlight, April 5), which resembles Darren Aronofsky's darkly violent ballet drama "Black Swan," also starring Cassel, or Steven Soderbergh's nastily twisty "Side Effects," which also pivots on a sexily manipulative femme fatale. Boyle's stylish thrill-ride breaks genre rules as it goes. At the center of the movie is an all-is-not-what-it-seems triangle between ruthless gangster Vincent Cassel, who at first tortures London fine-art auctioneer and amnesia victim James McAvoy to find out where he has stashed a stolen Goya painting, then hires a seductive hypno-therapist (Rosario Dawson) to ferret it out of him.

By Anne Thompson
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March 18, 2013 3:38 PM
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Tina Fey Talks Her Post-'30 Rock' Career, 'Admission,' and Oscar Hosting

Interviews

A few weeks ago I went to see Tina Fey's latest movie "Admission" (March 22) on the same night that I watched the last episode of her seven-year NBC sitcom "30 Rock." Fey is a fascinating example of a pioneering woman who has become hugely successful while playing inside the box of what men can handle without being threatened.

By Anne Thompson
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March 13, 2013 4:28 PM
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SXSW 2013: Destin Cretton Talks Grand Jury Winner 'Short Term 12,' Immaturity and the Mystery of Indie Film's Future

Festivals

Destin Daniel Cretton talks his "Short Term 12," from Sundance winning short to SXSW Grand Jury prize-winning feature...

By Sophia Savage
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March 13, 2013 12:57 AM
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SXSW 2013: 'Loves Her Gun' Star Trieste Kelly Dunn Talks Improv, Road-Tripping and Directors

Interviews

Geoff Marslet's "Loves Her Gun" will be talked about at SXSW, not only because it centers around violence and gun control, but because the improvised dialogue makes for a naturalistic portrait of a woman's progression from victim to aggressor. Trieste Kelly Dunn, who broke out in SXSW 2010's "Cold Weather" and went on to star in Cinemax's "Banshee." The story starts off with a random act of violence in NYC before a road-trek to Austin, Texas, where the majority of the drama unfolds, complete with hipster band, moustache and river tubing with beer.

By Sophia Savage
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March 11, 2013 7:04 AM
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SXSW 2013: 'Bellflower' Producer Grashaw Talks Directorial Debut 'Coldwater'

Festivals

Vincent Grashaw produced, edited and acted in SXSW's 2010 hit "Bellflower," written, directed and starring his fellow Coatwolf Productions pal Evan Glodell. Now he's back in Austin with "Coldwater," his feature directorial debut, which he also co-wrote. The testosterone-fueled drama centers on a teenage boy (Ryan Gosling look-a-like PJ Boudousque) sent to a privately run reform boot camp for misbehaving youth.