Thompson on Hollywood

Weekend Must-Sees: Despicable Me, The Kids Are All Right, Plus B-Remake Predators

It's pretty slim pickings this summer. Assuming you've seen Toy Story 3, what else is there?

By Anne Thompson
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July 9, 2010 11:41 AM
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Make Yourself a Scott Pilgrim Avatar

The link to make your own after the jump:

By Sophia Savage
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July 1, 2010 7:29 AM
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Weekend Box Office: Toy Story 3 Clobbers Newbies Grown Ups, Knight and Day

Winning the weekend box office is about want-to-see. Audiences of all ages were compelled to check out Toy Story 3, which combines the magic of Pixar with beloved characters returning in a sequel that makes grown men cry. Moviegoers could wait for Adam Sandler comedy Grown Ups and Tom Cruise's comeback bid Knight and Day, which try as they might, Twentieth Century Fox marketers could not turn into a must-see. Anthony D'Alessandro does the studio numbers, while Peter Knegt does the indies.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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June 27, 2010 3:54 AM
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Law & Order Spin-Off, Czech Tax Breaks, Hulu Seeks Subscribers, Akira Goes PG-13

The Czech Republic recently unveiled a brand new tax break. If you're developing content with a budget over $700,000 and are willing to team up with a Czech producer, get thee to Czechoslovakia. Deadline reports that the new 20% break is aimed at foreign filmmakers. Having shot such films as G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Wanted, Casino Royale, and The Chronicles of Narnia in the Czech Republic, Hollywood has long taken the Eastern European nation seriously as a shooting location. Now there will be even greater reason to cross the pond and taste the original Budweiser (not the American hallmark now owned by Belgians). Speaking of which, could Europe be trying to undermine American Business? Could be if New Jersey (see Law and Order, above) or California are any indication of how the nation treats the entertainment industry.

By Cameron Carlson
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June 25, 2010 8:29 AM
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Reitman's Elliot Allagash, Lion King in 3-D and Disney Homes

- Jason Reitman's Right of Way Films has picked up Simon Rich's excesses-of-the-rich satire Elliot Allagash, reports THR. Current SNL writer Rich will adapt his book, which follows a picked-on private school student who is taken under the wing of another student, the villainous, drunken Allagash. While Reitman does intend to produce, he may not direct. The filmmaker is currently developing Bonzai Shadowhands with The Office's Rainn Wilson starring as a once-great ninja who is leading a dull life. Right of Way Films was co-created with Indian Paintbrush, backed by billionaire Steven Rales, who will produce and finance the project.

By Sophia Savage
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June 23, 2010 5:29 AM
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Starz Seeks Next Sopranos, Shyamalan Circulates New Script, 3-D Decline, Jonah Hex Misfire

- In a bid to compete with HBO and Showtime, Starz has acquired the U.S. rights to remake the successful and critically acclaimed Aussie drama Underbelly, based on a real life '70s crime family. Former HBO chief Chris Albrecht (who launched The Sopranos) took over as Starz CEO last December. Vulture reports that Underbelly, along with UK show Torchwood and a planned Camelot saga, spearhead Starz's latest programming push. While the crime theme underlines both The Sopranos and Underbelly, it is new for Albrecht to look outside for inspiration. During his twenty-plus years at HBO, he tended to create original programming in-house. Things have changed; old content finds sizable viewership on channels like AMC, and audiences' appeal can be targeted more globally than locally.

By Sophia Savage
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June 22, 2010 3:32 AM
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Weekend Box Office: Toy Story 3 Breaks Disney/Pixar Record, Jonah Hex D.O.A.

After a rousing $41 million Friday, universally praised Pixar sequel Toy Story 3 racked up an estimated $109 million three-day weekend, a record, reports Anthony D'Alessandro. That makes Pixar's unbroken string of blockbusters 11 for 11. The western Jonah Hex was dead on arrival.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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June 20, 2010 4:06 AM
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Sony 3D Promos At-Home 3D: At Expense of Theater Experience?

"I refuse to say the sky is falling," declared Sony chairman Amy Pascal, when I asked her about the grim summer box office so far. She was observing the Sony 3D show-and-tell Wednesday on the Sony lot. Clearly, not only is the studio earmarking a number of 3D features for 2010 and beyond--including Resident Evil Afterlife in 2011 and Spider-Man 4 and Men in Black III for 2012 (Will Smith putting on his shades takes on a new meaning), but the entire corporation is moving aggressively into the 3D space both at home (PS3, 3D games, Bravia HD 3D televisions, Blu-Ray 3D devices) and in theaters (see videos below and Sony News).

By Anne Thompson
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June 10, 2010 2:10 AM
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Toy Story 3: Early Reviews and Featurette

I had lunch today with Matt Atchity, the LA-based editor-in-chief of critics aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, which Flixster acquired from Fox/IGN in January. The marriage is a happy one--Flixster's mobile phone app and other efforts are tripling RT's traffic, which is back on the rise. The film that sat atop the site's review chart for years was Toy Story 2--until Man on Wire dethroned it. When it opens in June 18, will 3D Toy Story 3 wind up in the ranks of RT's top-rated--along with Pixar's unbroken string of ten rated-fresh blockbusters?

By Anne Thompson
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June 8, 2010 9:35 AM
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Weekend Box Office: Summer Fizzle Leaves Shrek 4 On Top

Last weekend's horrific box office numbers continued into this weekend, which returned animated family film Shrek Forever After--in its third week--to the top of the fray, the only film to crack the $20-million mark! The lucrative summer season is when the studios send their surefire top guns to do battle. So far, the summer of 2010 is a fizzle. Anthony D'Alessandro reports: