Thompson on Hollywood

No Bridesmaids Sequel, Mick Jagger as Big Bad Media Mogul, Free Previews for Footloose

Almost as soon as runaway comedy Bridesmaids hit theaters this spring, there was talk about a sequel. At the time, director Paul Feig told New York Vulture: "When you get a group that's this deep and this good, it's a crime to not use them again." However, an Entertainment Weekly interview with Jon Hamm, who played a sleazy love interest in the comedy, put a halt to sequel rumors: "I don't think Kristen is going to do it," said Hamm. "They need to lock [Wiig] up before me."

By Maggie Lange
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September 28, 2011 6:17 AM
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Michelle Williams Lands Best Actress Honor at Sham Hollywood Film Awards

Remember, The Hollywood Film Festival is not a respectable fall fest. It's a well-timed award season facade which honors stars, filmmakers and craftspeople and lines the pockets of founder and internet magnate Carlos de Abreu. (Read all about it here.) But Hollywood players participate because the fest supports the award cause and provides vying Oscar contenders with yet another attention-grabbing red carpet showcase.

By Anne Thompson
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September 28, 2011 4:54 AM
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Box Office: What Went Wrong with Critic Faves Drive and Warrior

Aren't rave reviews supposed to push indie films into crossover success? Anthony D'Alessandro investigates what went wrong with Drive and Warrior at the fall box office.While critics did boost ticket sales for such wide appeal films as The Help (74% fresh Tomatometer and $155 million domestic B.O.) and Contagion (84% fresh, $56 million), they weren't able to turn things around for Lionsgate’s Warrior ($12.3 million, 84% fresh) or FilmDistrict’s Drive ($21.9 million, 93%). Why? It's complicated, but one thing's for sure: the films fell short because both distribs took their films out too fast to fine-tune their roll-out for their real audience. And while both films played well for women once they saw them, neither distrib was able to lure them in significant numbers.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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September 28, 2011 4:22 AM
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Brad Pitt's Movie Eating: Moneyball the Latest Evidence in Vulture's Theory

Vulture put together a list of food that Brad Pitt has eaten in movies to prove their "Brad Pitt Eating in Movies Theory." Yes, really. Moneyball is the latest piece of evidence, and if you've seen the film you know that in between throwing inanimate objects, the man does like to eat. He sucks blood in Interview with a Vampire, devours peanut butter in Meet Joe Black, and in Moneyball savors a Twinkie. Oh, and here's the "Brad Pitt eating in every scene of all his movies" Facebook page.

By Sophia Savage
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September 27, 2011 3:59 AM
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How Did Moneyball Director Bennett Miller Make a Smart Studio Movie? Brad Pitt.

Bennett Miller is not the first name that would come to mind as the director of Moneyball, which two years ago was a problem-plagued project stalled at Sony with $10 million in costs stacked against it from past writers Stan Chervin, Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin and departed directors David Frankel and Steven Soderbergh. And yet, for many reasons, Miller was just the right fit for this Sony adaptation of the 2003 Michael Lewis bestseller about Oakland As general manager Billy Beane. The movie launched to raves at Toronto and beyond and opened well this weekend. Now Oscars are in its sights.

By Anne Thompson
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September 26, 2011 8:25 AM
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Video Interview: Michael Shannon Talks Festival Favorite Take Shelter, General Zod in Man of Steel

With Michael Shannon and director Jeff Nichols' second collaboration, Take Shelter (the first was Shotgun Stories), the pair have hit the zeitgeist of personal and national identity crises. The film kicked off its healthy festival life at Sundance (SPC grabbed it before its premiere, and is releasing the film in NY and LA September 30), where the stellar reviews began (currently 100% on Tomatometer). Despite its track record (including the Critic's Week Grand Prix and Fipresci prizes at Cannes), the film has yet to receive the attention it deserves.

By Sophia Savage
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September 26, 2011 5:22 AM
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Box Office: Lion King Steals Home Run from Moneyball During Crowded Weekend

It was such a crowded weekend at the box office that Sunday estimates are unclear. Clearly, too many movies were aimed at men. Anthony D'Alessandro reports. If you asked distribution executives on Thursday what was going to be No. 1 at the weekend box office, they would have pointed at the other guy. Sony, Warner Bros. and Disney all had strong prospects, but knew they could easily lose to each other. And this had nothing to do with the usual fall award contenders.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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September 25, 2011 4:56 AM
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Weekly Wrap: Oscar Talk, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Moneyball, Gordon-Levitt Interviewed on 50/50

WEEKEND PREVIEW:

By Maggie Lange
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September 23, 2011 10:29 AM
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Taylor Lautner: What Happens If Abduction Fails?

Taylor Lautner, the Twilight teen idol, has been poised for movie stardom. But what if his first solo attempt, the upcoming action film Abduction, fails? Lautner's agents at William Morris have posed the ripped 19-year old at a big star, lining up multi-million dollar roles (he will receive $5 million for Abduction), but what if he can't move past Twilight? (Neither Kristen Stewart nor Rob Pattinson has scored in a big way on their own outside the Twilight franchise.)

By Maggie Lange
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September 23, 2011 8:19 AM
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Weekend Preview: Testosterone Rules Box Office with Moneyball, Killer Elite, Machine Gun Preacher

There's a lot of testosterone at the box office this weekend. The subtle kind: Brad Pitt's heartfelt sports drama Moneyball. The less subtle kind: Killer Elite and The Badass Gerard Butler Show (aka Machine Gun Preacher). The subversive kind: Andrew Haigh's exceptionally reviewed gay romance Weekend. Add to that list Chris Evans' I-Can-Be-Edgy-Like-Ryan-Gosling-Too Puncture, in which he plays a drug addict lawyer amidst a true-story pharmaceutical conspiracy, and Cameron Crowe's love letter to rock stars, Pearl Jam Twenty. Details, reviews and trailers on these films and more below: