Thompson on Hollywood

Manly Movie Stars: Rodrigue Talks the Evolution of Masculinity in Film

Almost two years ago, Anne Thompson asked "Where have the manly movie stars gone?," and investigated the entertainment industry's ongoing search for traditional male leads that aren't borrowed from the UK, Australia or Europe to commandeer Hollywood's most testosterone-needy films. While America lays claim to the boy-men niche with the likes of Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Jake Gyllenhaal and any male in a Judd Apatow film, Hollywood's most- masculine male leads are more often than not played by foreigners; Christian Bale (a Brit) and Heath Ledger (an Aussie) were case-in-point as the stars of 2008's highest grossing film, The Dark Knight.

By Sophia Savage
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August 12, 2010 8:28 AM
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21 Comments

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Reviews Are Middling; Wright Talks

Most of the time, when I look at a movie--whether or not I'm inside the target demo-- I know what I'm looking at, I can understand its language, which tends to be fairly universal. Rarely have I felt more in a world that I do not comprehend, than at Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. But I knew when watching it that I was in the hands of a authoritative filmmaker who knew exactly what he was trying to achieve.

By Anne Thompson
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August 11, 2010 10:58 AM
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Vincent Cassel Talks Mesrine, Black Swan, Soderbergh and Cronenberg's Next

The winner of three César Awards including best actor for Vincent Cassel in the title role, Jean-Francois Richet's gangster biopic Mesrine: Killer Instinct, Part One played the Toronto Film festival two years ago. At the time, doomed distrib Senator was set to release the film as well as Part Two, Public Enemy Number 1. Now Music Box is finally releasing the two French hits, adapted by Richet and A Prophet writer Abdel Raouf Dafri from Jacques Mesrine's autobiography, stateside on August 27 and September 3, respectively. (UPDATE: Anthony Lane writes a lovely review.)

By Anne Thompson
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August 9, 2010 8:01 AM
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Get Low Producer Zanuck: Confessions of a Hollywood Scion

Get Low producer Dean Zanuck was raised by top Hollywood producer Richard Zanuck (Alice in Wonderland, Driving Miss Daisy), who was in turn the son of mighty Twentieth Century Fox mogul Darryl F. Zanuck. So it's not a huge surprise that young Zanuck should wind up in the family business. Happily, so far his genes and upbringing seem to be yielding good taste, from Road to Perdition to Get Low, which took eight long years to get made--even with the great Robert Duvall attached. Sony Pictures Classics acquired the $7-million indie at last year's Toronto Film Festival.

By Anne Thompson
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August 9, 2010 6:49 AM
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Cameron Talks Avatar Redux

Avatar is coming back on August 27 with nine minutes of new footage, mostly set on Pandora. Hell, I'd see it again in a nano-second. Has anything you've seen since you saw Avatar been nearly as good? The extra footage includes the death of the Na'vi warrior Tsu'tey, Cameron told MTV News (audio on jump), among several outlets he did phoners with late Friday afternoon:

By Anne Thompson
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August 7, 2010 12:45 PM
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Rourke Talks Expendables on Tonight Show

Mickey Rourke is doing great work in movies these days--he and Sam Rockwell saved Iron Man 2--but the 57-year-old actor is looking stranger than ever, as this bizarre makeup job on his appearance Thursday night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno attests.

By Anne Thompson
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August 6, 2010 6:49 AM
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Trailer Watch: Burlesque Stars Cher, Tucci, Aguilera

Never underestimate Screen Gems topper Clint Culpepper. More than most studio execs, he gets to put together an eclectic range of projects under Sony's low-budget Screen Gems label because he's got that magic gut instinct for what audiences want and how to sell it to them. Since 1999, Culpepper has figured out which pictures to make without stepping on the toes of big Columbia and little Sony Pictures Classics: horror, urban and teen flicks like the Underworld, Hostel and Resident Evil franchises and Dear John.

By Anne Thompson
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August 6, 2010 4:51 AM
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Congrats Diablo Cody: New Baby, Red Band Trailer, Reitman Reunion

Attention-starved screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno, The U.S. of Tara) has plenty of good news. She delivered baby Marcello Daniel Maurio on July 27. And her new traveling talk-show Red Band Trailer, recorded in her Airstream, is playing on YouTube. Her first three shows are below.

By Anne Thompson
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August 3, 2010 1:27 AM
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Pegg and Frost Talk Universal Road Comedy Paul and Tintin

Working Title co-chief Eric Fellner looked anxious before Universal's Comic-Con panel for Paul, an alien road-trip comedy reteaming Simon Pegg and his Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz co-star Nick Frost, as co-writers and co-stars. Seth Rogen voices the friendly alien that the two sci-fi geeks encounter after they leave Comic-Con for a road tour through Area 51. Sigourney Weaver, Jeffrey Tambor, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman and Jon Hader lend support. Director Greg Mottolla (Superbad) grabbed some exterior shots at the Con last year, but largely restaged the mammoth San Diego event with extras in Albuquerque. (According to Frost, when they asked if they could shoot inside the real Con, the fire marshall said, "no fucking way.")

By Anne Thompson
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August 2, 2010 7:15 AM
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Robert Duvall, Due for Another Oscar, Talks Get Low

Get Low opens Friday, almost a year after its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was one of the few movies to pop out as a winner. Sure enough, Sony Pictures Classics scooped up the unpretentious rural drama, which showcases veteran actor's actor Robert Duvall in a finely-tuned performance as a taciturn bearded recluse who has been punishing himself for decades for what happened one mysterious night long ago.