Thompson on Hollywood

Empire Magazine's Jameson Awards Honor 'Skyfall' as Best Film of 2012, Helen Mirren Makes Plea for More Women in Film

Awards

The Jameson Empire Awards for the best films of 2012 were handed out in London on March 24, with Sam Mendes taking top honors as Best Director, and 23rd Bond installment "Skyfall" receiving Best Picture as well as the Empire Award. Helen Mirren, who was honored with the Empire Legend award, noted that in Mendes' acceptance speech, none of his favorite classic film moments feature a woman behind the camera. Watch below, with a full list of winners included.

By Beth Hanna
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March 25, 2013 11:54 AM
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Weinsteins Pick Awards-Friendly December Date for Kidman-Starrer 'Grace of Monaco,' UPDATED

News

UPDATE: The Weinstein Company finally confirmed their acquisition of US distribution rights to Olivier Dahan's "Grace of Monaco," starring Nicole Kidman in the title role. The film is set for an Oscar-friendly December 27 release.

By Anne Thompson & Sophia Savage
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March 25, 2013 11:25 AM
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Weinstein Company Dates 'Salinger' Documentary for September UPDATE

News

The notoriously reclusive “Catcher in the Rye” author J.D. Salinger will finally get his cinematic dues, posthumously, in writer/director Shane Solerno’s upcoming documentary “Salinger.” UPDATE: The Weinstein Company officially announced today their acquisition of the eagerly awaited film’s worldwide distribution rights. TWC, who closed the deal on the film after screening it the morning of the Oscars, anticipates a September 6 release date following a festival run.

By Beth Hanna and Ryan Lattanzio
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March 21, 2013 7:30 PM
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Weinstein Lines Up Oscar Slate, First Reactions to 'August: Osage County,' Starring Streep

Awards

First reactions are coming in for the Weinsteins' "August: Osage County," an adaptation of Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning play with director John Wells at the helm. TWC production exec Ben Famiglietti told Harvey Weinstein that the 190-page play was "the best writing ever out of Chicago," Weinstein recalled at a Sundance panel. "It was amazing, we invested in the play, which means getting movie rights. It stars Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, is produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov."

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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March 19, 2013 4:19 PM
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Sony Stakes Awards Season on Real Stories, Books David O. Russell's Abscam Movie Starring Cooper and Lawrence for December

News

Next year's Oscar titles are lining up like planes at La Guardia. At Sony alone are a batch of movies inspired by true stories: Paul Greengrass’ Somali pirates adventure "Captain Phillips," starring Tom Hanks (October 11); producer-director-star George Clooney’s fact-based World War II art retrieval thriller "The Monuments Men," starring Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Jean Dujardin (December 18); and Bennett Miller’s still undated John DuPont murder mystery "Foxcatcher," starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Sienna Miller. Sure to be in the awards conversation, David O. Russell’s untitled Abscam movie, his follow-up to "Silver Linings Playbook," which reunites his "Silver Linings" stars Bradley Cooper and Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence as well as Christian Bale, who won a supporting actor Oscar for "The Fighter," is set to open limited on awards-friendly December 13 2013 in advance of a wide Christmas Day release.

By Anne Thompson
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March 13, 2013 3:14 PM
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2013 SXSW Film Awards: 'Short Term 12' Takes Top Narrative Honors, 'William and the Windmill' Wins Documentary Feature

Festivals

The Grand Jury and Special Award winners of the 2013 SXSW Film Festival were revealed Tuesday in Austin. Destin Cretton's "Short Term 12," starring Brie Larson and John Gallagher Jr. as foster care workers dealing with their own troubled pasts, has taken the Narrative Feature prize, while Ben Nabors' "William and the Windmill," focusing on the author and subject of "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," has been awarded the Documentary prize.

By Beth Hanna
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March 13, 2013 1:35 AM
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Watch: Adorable Clips of Cesar-Winning 'Ernest & Celestine,' Possible 2014 Oscar Animation Contender

Video

Check out these adorable clips from the Cesar-winning French animated feature "Ernest & Celestine." The film is co-directed by Belgian team Stephane Aubier and Vincent Patar, who gave us 2009's hilariously nutty "A Town Called Panic," and Benjamin Renner.

By Beth Hanna
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March 4, 2013 1:03 PM
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Tina Fey Defends Seth MacFarlane's Hosting of the Oscars: "It's the hardest job there is"

Awards

Seth MacFarlane has no plans to return to the Oscars. "No way," he tweeted. Tina Fey, for one, who hit it out of the park at the Globes with Amy Poehler, defends his performance as Oscar host. "It's the hardest job there is," she explains by phone. "It's a tough room. Seth did great."

By Anne Thompson and Sophia Savage
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February 27, 2013 1:41 PM
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Catch Up on Oscar Winners, VOD-Style

News

If you missed the theatrical runs of some of Sunday night's Oscar-winning films, Movies On Demand has a slew of titles to get you caught up. Full list of available films below...

By Beth Hanna
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February 27, 2013 1:40 PM
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Now and Then: What's the Matter with Film Critics?

Reviews

The only genuine surprise of Sunday night's Oscar telecast — varying levels of predictability, misogyny, and self-congratulations being par for the course these days — came during the "In Memoriam" montage, which by definition should be the least surprising moment of all.