Thompson on Hollywood

Watch: Spanish Teaser for Pedro Almodovar's 'I'm So Excited' with In-Flight Song and Dance

Video

A new peak at Pedro Almodovar's latest, "I'm So Excited," has arrived.

By Sophia Savage
|
February 1, 2013 1:07 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Now and Then: A 'Zero Dark Thirty' Piece That's (Mostly) Not About Torture

Reviews

We are Maya. That's the first thought that comes to mind about Jessica Chastain's tireless, obsessed CIA analyst in "Zero Dark Thirty," a "motherfucker" who's been chasing Osama bin Laden for twelve years — nearly the same length of time as this country's impossible war.

By Matt Brennan
|
January 22, 2013 1:22 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Film Independent's Directors Close-Up Series To Feature Affleck, Russell, Loktev, Zeitlin, Fleischer, Sachs and Soloway

Awards

Film Independent's 12th edition of their Directors Close-Up series will feature Ben Affleck ("Argo"), David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), director Ruben Fleischer ("Gangster Squad"), and writer/directors Ira Sachs ("Keep the Lights On"), Julia Loktev ("The Loneliest Planet")...

By Sophia Savage
|
January 15, 2013 4:35 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Best Director Oscar Nominee Benh Zeitlin Talks 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' and its New Orleans Roots [Video Interview]

Features

What a year it's been for Benh Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild." The indie has received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Actress and Addapted Screenplay. Watch my interview with Zeitlin below...

By Anne Thompson
|
January 10, 2013 12:37 PM
|
6 Comments

More:

DGA Nominees for Outstanding TV Direction in 2012 Include 'Girls,' 'Homeland,' 'Hemingway & Gelhorn,' 'Hatfields & McCoys'

Awards

The Directors Guild of America announces the nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in TV and commercials for 2012. Guild president Taylor Hackford says that TV is in "one of the most creative and fruitful periods in its history, and television directors are a critical element of that success."

By Sophia Savage
|
January 9, 2013 3:13 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Watch: Andrei Tarkovsky Tells Filmmakers that Art 'Requires Sacrificing of Yourself'

Video

Watch the great director Andrei Tarkovsky ("Solaris," "Stalker," "Nostalghia," "The Mirror") give advice to young filmmakers in this clip below from his 1983 documentary "Voyage in Time."

By Sophia Savage
|
January 3, 2013 12:50 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Berlinale: Take 'Ajami' Director Scandar Copti's Workshop on Directing Actors

Festivals

If you are attending the Berlinale, there's still time to register for Scandar Copti's two day workshop on directing actors. The intensive workshop, limited to 25 participants, takes place February 16-17 and will focus on Copti's method to elicit natural performances from actors.

By Sophia Savage
|
January 2, 2013 12:31 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Films that Should Never Be Remade - From 'The Goonies' and 'Die Hard' to 'Deer Hunter' and 'Shawshank'

Features

You'd think the great auteurs would be safe from remakes -- it's hard to imagine someone taking on a Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Terrence Malick or David Lynch film, for example. But that hasn't stopped Hollywood from remaking everything from "The Haunting" to "Psycho." Studio heads figure the lazy new generation doesn't know the classics. And marketers want to cash in on easy-sell branded titles and fan followings -- it's the way it works. But more often than not, when less-than-great movies get remade into even less great "reboots" like 2012's "Total Recall," they flop with audiences anyway. And when the great ones get remade, like Federico Fellini's "8½," even canny movie stars like Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard can't save them.

By Sophia Savage
|
December 27, 2012 5:11 PM
|
11 Comments

More:

Immersed in Movies: Cinematographer Don Burgess Talks 'Flight'

Interviews

Being reunited with director Robert Zemeckis on "Flight" was just like old times for cinematographer Don Burgess. The last time they worked together was on "The Polar Express" in 2004, Bob Z's first foray into performance capture. But in terms of live action, you have to go back to "Cast Away" in 2000...

By Bill Desowitz
|
December 24, 2012 3:08 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Now and Then: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Reviews

Early in "Meet Me in St. Louis," Esther Smith (Judy Garland) pines for the boy next door. Lent silky grace by Garland's perfect warble, Esther describes love — and, by extension, Vincente Minnelli's 1944 classic. "I want it to be something strange and wonderful," she says. "Something I'll always remember."