Thompson on Hollywood

Summer Movies: What Can Top Iron Man 2?

It's starting to look a lot like summer.

By Anne Thompson
|
April 20, 2010 4:01 AM
|
13 Comments

How to Train Your Dragon Unseats 3D Rival Alice in Wonderland

How to Train Your Dragon (Metascore 73 %) finally unseats holdover Alice in Wonderland at the weekend box office, reports TOH's Anthony D'Alessandro, with Hot Tub Time Machine (Tomatometer 63%) coming in third:

By Anthony D'Alessandro
|
March 28, 2010 4:09 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar-Winning Animated Short: Logorama

I got all the shorts wrong. And I know why: I under-estimated the Academy, and second-guessed them. If I had voted for my favorite in each category, I'd have picked right. Except maybe for doc Music by Prudence. What I should have recognized in that case was that the movie haunted me after I saw it.

By Anne Thompson
|
March 8, 2010 8:47 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar Watch: Giacchino Talks Up

Michael Giacchino, who won for his score of Up, was standing outside taking a break on another movie when someone told him the story of Up. "It's about life and death and moving on," Giacchino said. "I knew immediately that I had to do it, so badly." He says that he treats cartoon characters as real people. "It was about being quiet and simple and letting it grow from there."

By Anne Thompson
|
March 8, 2010 4:12 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar Backstage: Short Subjects

The three short films, animated, live action and doc, did not go the way I expected. I thought Logorama--a must-see clever short made up entirely of commercial logos-- would be too hip for the Academy, which would go for Nick Park for the second time, but they must have gotten tired of Wallace & Gromit being nominated five times before. The live action short The New Tenants was my favorite and I shouldn't have listened to the people telling me why it couldn't win! So much for winning any Oscar pools. The five films vying for doc short were all strong, but I admit that HBO's Music by Prudence, about a disabled South African singer, haunted me for days.

By Anne Thompson
|
March 8, 2010 2:28 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Avatar vs. Pocahontas: Trailer Mash

While the similarities between Avatar and Pocahontas are not news, this inevitable mash-up is entertaining. The only question is, did Harvey Weinstein have anything to do with it?

By Anne Thompson
|
February 26, 2010 10:11 AM
|
3 Comments

More:

Review: Oscar Animated and Live-Action Shorts

Seattle critic Tim Appelo reviews the Oscar Nominated Short Films 2010; Shorts International and Magnolia Pictures will release the five animated and five live-action shorts in selected theaters Friday and more on March 5. (I'll lay out my Oscar-short picks later on.)

By Tim Appelo
|
February 19, 2010 3:01 AM
|
2 Comments

More:

Trailer Watch: Toy Story 3 Intros Barbie and Ken

In the second trailer for Toy Story 3, when Andy takes off for college, his toys--even Woody and Buzz--wind up in the hands of the toddlers at Sunnyside Daycare. We also meet Barbie and Ken. The 3-D Pixar/Disney pic opens June 18.

By Anne Thompson
|
February 11, 2010 5:09 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar Watch: Tomm Moore Talks The Secret of Kells

It was a ten-year journey for animator Tomm Moore, who was as shocked as anyone when, after submitting his first feature The Secret of Kells at the last possible minute, the 95% hand-drawn film earned an Annie nomination (the only indie film to do so) followed by an Oscar nomination for best animated feature (beating out movies from Disney, Fox, Sony and DreamWorks).

By Anne Thompson
|
February 8, 2010 4:28 AM
|
1 Comment

More:

Oscar Watch: Animated Surprise is 2-D The Secret of Kells

I checked out this The Secret of Kells trailer when the Annies nominated this little 2-D movie I had never heard of (Disney International has it in some territories). It's Irish. And it was nominated today instead of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Monsters vs. Aliens, Mary & Max, or Ponyo. Who knew?