Thompson on Hollywood

Sundance: 18 Titles to Watch

Now that all the 2010 Sundance films have been announced (all are listed on IndieWIRE) which films are the ones to see this January? Most of the films in the lineup are unknown quantities that will need to be checked out first-hand. Some of the new films below (I am not including films from other fests) will be hot acquisition titles, and some may actually make it into theaters.

By Anne Thompson
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December 3, 2009 9:18 AM
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Oscar Watch: Documentary Branch Snubs Capitalism: A Love Story

The Academy documentary branch has named their short list of fifteen films (full list on jump), which will be narrowed down to five on Oscar nominations morning February 2.

By Anne Thompson
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November 19, 2009 12:14 AM
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AMC Select Seeks Filmmakers

With a lack of available distributors to handle the spate of indie films seeking theatrical release, some filmmakers are taking matters into their own hands. Doc director Mary Mazzio went directly to a theater chain. Now her movie is playing in eight cities.

By Anne Thompson
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November 16, 2009 7:26 AM
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Gibney Talks Casino Jack and Three More Docs for 2010

When documentarian Alex Gibney (who won an Oscar for Taxi to the Dark Side) learned via his Jack Abramoff "Google Alert" that director George Hickenlooper (Factory Girl) had decided to name his fiction film starring Kevin Spacey as corrupt Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff Casino Jack, Gibney had his lawyer send a legal letter (dated November 10) asking Hickenlooper not to use the title, to which Gibney states he had prior claim, citing "violations of federal and state unfair competition laws":

By Anne Thompson
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November 15, 2009 9:42 AM
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Oscar Talk Episode Ten: Avatar, Tyson, Animation

In this week's podcast, In Contention's Kris Tapley and I talk animation (20 submissions), supporting actor and actress, 2012, Mike Tyson's LAX brawl and the four Oscar heavyweights yet to be screened, including likely last contender out of the gate, James Cameron's big-budget Avatar.

By Anne Thompson
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November 14, 2009 2:27 AM
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Sheffield Docs: How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin, Disco and Atomic War

Critic Karina Longworth posts again from Sheffield Doc/Fest on two features and a short dealing with the impact of Western pop culture on the fall of the USSR.

By Karina Longworth
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November 9, 2009 5:44 AM
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Sheffield Rock Docs: The Beat is the Law, Taqwacore

Critic Karina Longworth continues her coverage of Doc/Fest in Sheffield with reviews of music docs The Beat is the Law Part One and Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam.

By Karina Longworth
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November 8, 2009 1:14 AM
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Festival Report: Cinema Eye Rolls With Docs

Critic Karina Longworth reports on the Cinema Eye nominations from the Doc/Fest in Sheffield, England:

By Karina Longworth
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November 7, 2009 2:53 AM
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Things I Learned at Digital Hollywood

A Digital Hollywood conference seems to comes around every few months, as folks like me trek out to Santa Monica to see if there's anything new to be gleaned about the digital future which seems to be trashing livelihoods all around us. Just this week cuts were announced at the LA Times, NY Times, and Conde Nast. Even online indie Spoutblog is letting critic Karina Longworth go. No more original content, warns the site.

By Anne Thompson
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October 21, 2009 11:55 AM
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Michael Jackson's This is It Leads Ticket Pre-Sales; Watch for Twilight Saga: New Moon

Two weeks before its October 28 release, Michael Jackson’s This Is It now ranks at number 23 on MovieTickets.com’s list of the top-25 advance ticket sellers of all time. It moves ahead of Quantum of Solace and The Departed. So far MovieTickets.com is reporting 603 sold-out shows during the movie's planned two-week run.