Thompson on Hollywood

Now and Then: 'Girls' Was the Season's Best New Series. When Did That Happen?

Reviews

The pilot of "Girls" was an ugly, awkward little thing, delivering its one-liners with a nervous titter. Despite its refreshingly frank appraisal of modern sexual mores, its quartet of young women came off largely as archetypes, not characters. But I stuck with the series, and it paid off.

By Matt Brennan
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June 18, 2012 4:21 PM
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Fox Searchlight and Red Flag Debut Busy Duplass Bros' 'The Do-Deca-Pentathlon' On VOD

News

Writer-directors Jay and Mark Duplass headed into SXSW with an unusual distribution deal for their long-in-the-works micro-budget brother comedy "The Do-Deca-Pentathlon." They set it up at both Fox Searchlight, which released "Cyrus," and indie Red Flag Releasing. The VOD release date is June 26, and a theatrical release follows July 6.

By Anne Thompson
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June 14, 2012 7:21 PM
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Interview: 'Your Sister's Sister' Director Lynn Shelton Talks Mark Duplass, Acting, and an Indie Model that Works (VIDEO)

Features

Slow and steady sometimes does win the race. Indie filmmakers would do well to emulate Lynn Shelton. Trained as an actress and photographer, Shelton shot documentaries and music videos and has been championed by film festivals at her home base Seattle...

By Anne Thompson
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June 12, 2012 4:28 PM
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Now and Then: Do Silent Movies Still Matter?

Reviews

In some quarters I'll be considered a heretic for even asking the question. But think about how many people you know — discounting film school types and critics, people pretty much required to do so — who have ever seen a silent, let alone watch them regularly. I'll bet the number is small. Should we care?

By Matt Brennan
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June 11, 2012 7:08 PM
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Mercurial Sacha Baron Cohen Takes on Freddie Mercury: Performance or Impersonation?

News

Trying to take the measure of Sacha Baron Cohen, who has played a Kazakh journalist visiting the US in "Borat," an Austrian fashionista voguing in "Bruno," a North African dictator demoted to ordinary US immigrant in "The Dictator." His Halloween parade of beards and costumes and accents makes it hard to tell if he’s an actor or an impersonator...

By Carrie Rickey
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May 25, 2012 1:23 PM
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In The Works: Scorsese Producing Rolls Royce Love Story; Roach, Downey Jr. & Cruise Wanted for 'El Presidente'

News

Jay Roach ("Game Change," "The Campaign") is in negotiations to direct "El Presidente," from "Parks and Recreation" writer Dan Goor. The Warner Bros. comedy follows an overzealous secret service agent who is relegated to guarding America's worst former president. The plan is to offer Tom Cruise the role of the agent, and Robert Downey Jr. the role of the sleazy ex-president. Vulture has the scoop.

By Sophia Savage
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May 14, 2012 8:02 PM
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Trailer Watch: Ferrell, Galifianakis & Sudeikis Are Uninspired in 'The Campaign'

Video

Jay Roach's political comedy "The Campaign" seeks your vote at the box office August 10. With a cast that includes Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis and Jason Sudeikis, the trailer should be funnier. So far it looks like the writers rely on familiar star power rather than pushing the envelope.

By Sophia Savage
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May 14, 2012 12:50 PM
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Funny or Die Launches iTunes Magazine 'The Occasional'

News

FunnyOrDie, the popular comedy video site, is launching a bi-monthly digital humor magazine, "The Occasional," on iTunes. "The Artist" Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin graces their first cover.

By Anne Thompson
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May 8, 2012 10:52 AM
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The War on Women is Real in 'The Dictator' Red Band Trailer

Video

Wow, they went there. The war on women is real in the new red band trailer for "The Dictator." Only Sacha Baron Cohen could be this offensively hilarious. Here's our review from CinemaCon.

By Sophia Savage
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May 7, 2012 2:37 PM
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Amazon Studios Adds TV Series to Development Slate for Instant Video Release

News

Phase Two of Amazon Studios' radical move to reinvent entertainment industry production models--turning to movie fans for direction and feedback on the process--is television.