Thompson on Hollywood

Tamara Drewe Breakout Isn't Arterton: It's Luke Evans

Stephen Frears' bucolic romantic romp Tamara Drewe stars fetching Clash of the Titans star Emma Arterton in short-shorts, but with Frears' leading lady stuck in America promoting Prince of Persia, the breakout star from the film at Cannes was hunky Welsh newcomer Luke Evans. He's made eight movies in the last year, including Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood and the upcoming Jason Statham actioner Blitz. Now he's set to play Aramis in Summit's The Three Musketeers as well as the title role of Vivaldi.

By Anne Thompson
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May 24, 2010 11:46 AM
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Jagger Hits Cannes with Stones in Exile Doc

Mick Jagger gave a Q & A for the new Rolling Stones doc, Stones in Exile, about the recording of the 1972 double LP Exile on Main Street. In exile from Britain for tax evasion, the Stones holed up in a Riviera villa not far from Cannes, where they reveled, noodled, created and recorded one of the great all-time albums. "We were young, handsome and stupid," Jagger, 67, told the Palais Stephanie crowd in both French and English. "Now we're just stupid."

By Anne Thompson
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May 21, 2010 11:16 AM
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SFIFF 53 Day Seven: Walter Salles, Father of My Children, Cairo Time, Domain, Soul Kitchen

On her seventh day at SFIFF53, Meredith Brody practices premature cinematic ejaculation and admires Founders Directing Award-winner Walter Salles, who talks to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and shares research from his upcoming On the Road.

By Meredith Brody
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May 5, 2010 1:18 AM
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Please Give Nicole Holofcener More Money

Please Give, writer-director Nicole Holofcener’s thoughtful, well-observed portrait of neurotic, flawed New Yorkers, stars her alter-ego Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt as husband and wife, and Rebecca Hall and a bronzed Amanda Peet as sisters caring for their aging grandmother (Ann Morgan Guilbert), who lives next door. Holofcener gets better with every film--all of which are must-sees, from Walking and Talking to Lovely and Amazing and Friends with Money. Holofcener plans to work again with Frances McDormand on a book adaptation.

By Anne Thompson
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April 27, 2010 1:29 AM
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Kick-Ass Rides Buzz for OK Opening, Reveals Critics' Divide

Controversy sells, and Lionsgate rode a swell of debate over the R-rated superhero action comedy Kick-Ass to a robust box office lead on Friday, an estimated $7.5 million in 3,065 runs. It may or may not make the $20 million opening benchmark some predicted; Date Night could wind up number one. This is the sort of movie that is banking on a core fan following--the folks that responded enthusiastically to early footage at Comic-Con last year--but needs to widen its appeal in order to really score. Lionsgate only invested $15 million to acquire it plus some $25 million in marketing, so it should come out ahead.

By Anne Thompson
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April 17, 2010 5:04 AM
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Netflix's Sarandos Talks Streaming, Recommendations, Set Top Boxes

Scott Kirsner, author of Fans, Friends and Followers and the Cinematech blog, recently interviewed Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos at his office in Beverly Hills for Kirsner's "CONVERSATION" series.

By Anne Thompson
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April 15, 2010 8:31 AM
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U.S. Army Closes Afghanistan Outpost Restrepo

The U.S. Army has finally closed the remote Afghanistan Restrepo outpost in the deadly Korangal Valley, where some 42 American service men have died. Named after a soldier who died in Afghanistan, the post was the setting for Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington's unforgettable documentary Restrepo, which debuted at Sundance and will be released in July by National Geographic Films under new president Daniel Battsek.

By Anne Thompson
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April 14, 2010 8:41 AM
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Breaking Upwards: Wein and Lister Jones Give DIY Primer

"Nothing is better than five weeks of word of mouth in a movie theater."

By Anne Thompson
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April 12, 2010 9:15 AM
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Sandra Bullock Needs to Move On

My new Career Watch column at AOL Moviefone's Inside Movies looks at Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock. Here's a taste:

By Anne Thompson
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April 8, 2010 1:00 AM
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Andreessen Talks Tech Turkey on Charlie Rose

I saved this Marc Andreessen Charlie Rose interview on TiVo because Andreessen is brilliant and loves to share his insight. Months later, as the iPad is coming out and the internet continues to dominate our lives, this Silicon Valley maverick reveals how much he knows about how start-ups and the Internet work from in front. He just gets it. He co-founded and sold Netscape to AOL for $1 billion, and more recently, created Ning and a start-up fund (Andreessen/Horowitz). As an investor and/or board member, his fingers are in many pies, from Twitter to Facebook.