Thompson on Hollywood

DVD Review: 'The Words' Has A Serious Case of Writer's Block

Reviews

It would be easy to come away from "The Words" with the impression that writing is a stiff, musty line of work — all grand ballrooms, solemn readings, and blue-blooded accents, a veritable Titanic of pretensions. This would be a mistake. The only sinking ship here is the film itself.

By Matt Brennan
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December 26, 2012 6:11 AM
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Rachel Weisz Talks 'Deep Blue Sea,' Consuming Love [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO] UPDATE

Features

Rachel Weisz is a terrific actress at the height of her beauty and power who is trying to push good roles up the hill, with varying results, from "The Whistleblower" to "Agoura." (More mainstream thriller "Dream House" yielded husband Daniel Craig, but was not a critics' picture.) UPDATE: Now she has won Best Actress from the New York Film Critics Circle for her towering powrformance in "The Deep Bliue Sea."

By Anne Thompson
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December 3, 2012 3:08 PM
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Now and Then: 'Lincoln,' the Movies, and Historical Accuracy

Reviews

"Lincoln" is no dour disquisition, no romance of an imagined past, but a heroic, even thrilling drama of compromise and chicanery in the midst of the Civil War. Indeed, it resolves one of the medium's oldest conundrums: "Lincoln" is that rare thing, good history and great cinema at once.

By Matt Brennan
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November 13, 2012 1:28 PM
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Now and Then: 'Your Sister's Sister,' Lost in the Oscar Shuffle

Reviews

As much as I enjoy awards chatter, this time of year can be frustrating. Spring, summer, even early fall releases that merit attention melt away before the campaigns of the heavy hitters. Lynn Shelton's lovely character study "Your Sister's Sister" won't factor in the Oscar race, and maybe it doesn't deserve to. But it surely deserves your eyes.

By Matt Brennan
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November 6, 2012 3:52 PM
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Now and Then: 'Four,' Moving Portrait of Love and Sex in the Time of Craigslist

Reviews

"Four," director Joshua Sanchez's remarkably honest, empathic adaptation of Christopher Shinn's play about a quartet of lovelorn folks in a modern age, works on you slowly. It's taken me about a week since seeing it at the New Orleans Film Festival to suss out just how complex and world weary it is, and how surprisingly beautiful.

By Matt Brennan
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October 23, 2012 12:47 PM
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NOFF Review: Weinstein Oscar-Fodder 'Quartet' Stars Maggie Smith

Reviews

Like "The King's Speech," "Quartet" is musty and middlebrow, set in an imagined Britain of high class and low jokes. What it lacks in period pedigree it makes up for in a steady diet of quips from the form's reigning dowager, Maggie Smith. In The Weinstein Company's hands, it will likely earn solid box office and awards attention.

By Matt Brennan
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October 15, 2012 4:27 PM
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New Orleans Film Festival Review: Melissa Leo Amazes in 'Francine'

Reviews

Strange and unsettling, "Francine" begins as a miniature, a doll's house of life's loose ends. Subtly, though, it blooms. On the strength of Melissa Leo's astounding performance, it pushes outward into a troubled society of haves and have-nots — becoming, quietly but forcefully, one of the best films of the year.

By Matt Brennan
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October 14, 2012 4:46 PM
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Why Everyone Should Be Watching 'Homeland'

Television

Showtime's Emmy winner for Best Drama returns Sunday for its second season. Fans can spend a few days pondering last season's stunning finale, but for newcomers it's time to play catch up. Because everyone should be watching "Homeland": it's the most astute piece of film or television to come out of the War on Terror.

By Matt Brennan
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September 26, 2012 4:21 PM
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Now and Then: 'The Master' and Paul Thomas Anderson's American Quadrilogy

Reviews

"The Master" is challenging, gorgeous, and forcefully weird, a critical darling and early Oscar contender, but you already knew that. It's also the fourth film in a great, daring, ambitious project to depict the shadow side of our national life over the course of a century — what might be called Paul Thomas Anderson's "American Quadrilogy."

By Matt Brennan
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September 25, 2012 1:14 PM
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Exclusive First Look at Poster & Clip for Swedish WWII Epic 'Simon and the Oaks'

Features

Check out our exclusive first look at the poster and a clip for Sweden's "Simon and the Oaks." Swedish director Lisa Ohlin's "Simon and the Oaks," based on Marianne Fredriksson's bestselling novel and recipient of thirteen nominations for Sweden's Guldbagge Awards, will hit US theaters on October 12...