Thompson on Hollywood

Public Enemies' Marion Cotillard Ramps Up

It's rare for a European actress to carve out a career in Hollywood. But honing her English with rounds of Berlitz and winning both the best actress Oscar and Cesar awards for La Vie en Rose have spun Marion Cotillard into a whirlwind of film roles. First, she went to Chicago to shoot Michael Mann's Public Enemies, playing moll Billie Frechette to Johnny Depp's gangster John Dillinger (July 1).

By Anne Thompson
|
March 31, 2009 6:31 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Monsters vs. Aliens Brings 3-D Invasion

One of the surprises of the year so far is how well Henry Selick‚Äôs 3-D animated gothic fairy tale Coraline lasted at the b.o.; this weekend brings DreamWorks Animation's Monsters vs. Aliens and a spate of 3-D offerings are on the way. Even the venerable Cannes Film Festival, which has made an annual tradition of unveiling the latest animated fare, will for the first time open the 62nd fest on May 13 with not only an animated movie but Disney/Pixar‚Äôs 3-D balloon adventure Up, which opens May 29.

By Anne Thompson
|
March 24, 2009 7:11 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Weekend Update: Watchmen Opening Not So Big; Kubrick's Tenth; Obama Gives Brown DVDs

While Watchmen delivered a robust opening of about $55.7 million in North America, it came in lower than expectations--and much lower than Snyder's last film, the blockbuster 300--both domestically and overseas. Finally, Watchmen works best as the narratively complex, visually dazzling comics series from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Originally published in 1986, the graphic novel is flying off the shelves. I hope people do read the book, which instantly draws you in with its compelling, never confusing storytelling, deepening and peeling new layers as it goes. The movie, on the other hand, is hard to fathom, boasts too many characters, and doesn't add up to much. Set in the 80s, Zack Snyder's film deals with the Vietnam and Cold War, and the end of the world via nuclear attack, but supplies a new ending with strange shades of 9/11. Moore always did insist that his comics were unfilmable.

By Anne Thompson
|
March 8, 2009 5:26 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Recession Boxoffice Surge

Well, the movie industry doesn't mind that audiences are returning to theaters in droves during a recession. It's obviously good news all around. But David Poland debunks the NYT's recession "hype." While the studios may have been smart enough to not only give the audiences what they want but market the hell out of Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Taken, there's no question that these movies are doing better than they would ordinarily do. And the NYT stat that admissions are up by almost 16% is staggering.

By Anne Thompson
|
March 2, 2009 5:55 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Why Australia is a Dud

Well, Australia's second-weekend drop indicates that it isn't doing well enough with adult audiences to ever make it into a success here.

By Anne Thompson
|
December 7, 2008 9:03 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Holiday Boxoffice: Four Christmases, Twilight, Australia

For once, women are dominating movie theaters. That's because there's more than enough for them to see. (OK, they're not going to see Transporter 3.) Usually, though, they're starved and I hope Hollywood takes the lessons of 2008 to heart, from Sex and the City and Mamma Mia! to Twilight and Australia, all movies designed to appeal to women. Lots of women.

By Anne Thompson
|
November 26, 2008 8:30 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Tell No One Tops 2008 Foreign Imports at U.S. Box Office

Guillaume Canet's unexpected French hit Tell No One, a twisty thriller that was overlooked by bigger stateside distribs and released by upstart Music Box Films, has now grossed over $6.2 million in the US, which makes it the highest-grossing foreign-language film of the year so far.

By Anne Thompson
|
November 17, 2008 5:43 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Hail Fredonia! Hollywood Depression Economics

"We're in the money," sang Ginger Rogers in the escapist musical Gold Diggers of 1933. Luxurious Busby Berkeley musical comedies were big hits during the Depression.

By Anne Thompson
|
October 12, 2008 12:40 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

W Poised to Hit Zeitgeist, But Will It?

Lionsgate threw a party at the Landmark in Westwood Monday night for Oliver Stone's W, which was basically an intimate L.A. premiere for Stone and his cast; the movie will also premiere in New York and the Austin Film Fest. Josh Brolin soaked up the applause, flanked by his father and uncle; everyone agreed that he did a helluva job as George W. Bush, from Yale frat-party boy to reformed drunk and born-again Christian and one of the worst presidents in United States history. James Cromwell also scored big as Bush, Sr. in the father-son drama. Cast members Richard Dreyfuss, Scott Glenn, Ioan Gruffudd, and Noah Wyle were also on hand, along with producers Bill Block and Moritz Borman.

By Anne Thompson
|
October 7, 2008 12:31 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Weekend Viewing: Appaloosa, Nick and Norah, Religulous

The younger generation--even smart cinephiles--doesn't like westerns anymore. The period is just too far away for them, they don't relate. It's a genre that isn't surviving. It had its place in American history: basically, western tropes have been absorbed into other genres like action adventures and sci-fi fantasy.