Thompson on Hollywood

Immersed in Movies: VFX Retrofitting for Abrams' Hybrid Vision of Old and New in 'Star Trek Into Darkness'

Features

Like "Skyfall," "Star Trek Into Darkness" is a hybrid of the old and the new in completing its rite of passage reboot. Except J.J. Abrams has the advantage of time travel, which he introduced in the first movie, for creating a parallel universe that allows him to break the rules of the beloved sci-fi franchise for the 21st century while still honoring its iconic spirit.

By Bill Desowitz
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May 17, 2013 2:36 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Designer Catherine Martin Talks 'Gatsby's' 3-D Glide and Lasting Appeal (TRAILER)

Features

Like him or not, there's no denying that Baz Lurhmann is a talented showman who knows how to dazzle and get under our skin. With "The Great Gatsby," he's managed to capture the poetic spirit of F. Scott Fitzgerald like no other prior movie adaptation. And the secret was 3-D. In fact, like "Avatar," "Hugo," and "Life of Pi," "The Great Gatsby" is a movie about 3-D.

By Bill Desowitz
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May 10, 2013 2:35 PM
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Clipping Del Toro's 'Pacific Rim' (VIDEO)

Video

Warner Bros. has released the WonderCon footage of "Pacific Rim" (July 12) and it’s the most exciting and extensive glimpse yet of Guillermo del Toro’s summer tentpole and VFX Oscar contender.

By Bill Desowitz
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May 3, 2013 2:40 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Shane Black and Kevin Feige Talk Going Over the Edge in 'Iron Man 3,' Stark's Demons, VFX

Features

With "Iron Man 3" already smashing box-office records internationally ahead of its domestic release Friday, grabbing more than $300 million in nine days (including the highest opening ever in China), Marvel's post-"Avengers" Phase 2 plan is off to a smashing start. The trick apparently was giving Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark an existential crisis, and no one was better suited to the task than director Shane Black, who, like Downey, knows a thing or two about confronting personal demons, which is what "Iron Man 3" is all about.

By Bill Desowitz
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May 3, 2013 2:35 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Restored 'Shane' Celebrates 60th at TCM Classic Fest, with the Right Aspect Ratio! (TRAILER)

Features

If it weren't for a recent aspect ratio brouhaha, "Shane" probably would sneak into the TCM Classic Film Festival on Saturday at the Chinese without much fanfare. Which would've been a shame considering that Technicolor has digitally revived its naturalistic sheen in honor of the 60th anniversary and an upcoming Warner Home Video Blu-ray on June 4. I asked the director's filmmaker son, George Stevens Jr., to clear up the confusion: "There's no controversy about aspect ratio," he replied by email. "We made a 1:37 transfer, color corrected and cleaned up. I also supervised a 1:66 in which we took care with every shot for optimum framing."

By Bill Desowitz
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April 26, 2013 3:23 PM
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Immersed in Movies: 'Oblivion' Director Kosinski Talks Creating Original Sci-Fi Landscape Starring Cruise

Features

With a looming summer season packed with post-apocalyptic sci-fi--from "After Earth" (June 7) and "World War Z" (June 21) to "Elysium" (August. 9)--it's a good thing that director Joseph Kosinski's "Oblivion" is first out of the gate. This Tom Cruise-starrer about a blue collar drone repairman haunted by dreams of a woman he's never met stands apart from the competition, mainly because architect and video game designer Kosinski's follow-up to "Tron: Legacy" is a passion project he's been developing for eight years that allows him to strut his visual stuff.

By Bill Desowitz
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April 19, 2013 2:25 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Recreating Iconic Ebbets Field for Jackie Robinson Biopic '42'

Features

Getting Ebbets Field just right as the legendary home of the Brooklyn Dodgers was the greatest challenge for production designer Richard Hoover on "42," the stirring biopic about Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) as Major League Baseball's first African-American. It's both an arena and a battleground for Robinson's crusade in 1947 to fight racial prejudice and prove his greatness as a baseball player. But without digital enhancement they never could've made us believe we were there.

By Bill Desowitz
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April 12, 2013 4:05 PM
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Indiewire Adds Two Stars to Blog Network: Jerry Beck and Jon Friedman

News

Welcome to two members of the Indiewire Blog Network. Animation expert Jerry Beck and co-founder of Cartoon Brew, which he left in February, will keep us posted on daily doings in the animation world via Animation Scoop, while Media Web columnist Jon Friedman, who recently left Marketwatch after 14 years, brings his inside look at players and trends in the media industry to Media Matrix.

By Anne Thompson
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April 11, 2013 5:38 PM
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Immersed in Movies: For Nolan's 'Interstellar,' Anne Hathaway to Star with Matthew McConaughey UPDATED

News

UPDATE: Per Deadline, recent Oscar winner Anne Hathaway is in final talks to star alongside Matthew McConaughey in Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar." This reunites Hathaway and Nolan following the actress' 2012 turn as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises."

By Bill Desowitz
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April 10, 2013 12:58 PM
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Immersed in Movies UPDATE: 'Elysium' Trailer Lands, Plus Previewing Blomkamp's Dystopian Sci-Fi Film

Features

At a Comic-Con-style presentation this morning at The Grove, we finally caught a glimpse of Neill Blomkamp's "Elysium," the ambitious sci-fi follow-up to his acclaimed indie hit, "District 9," which opens August 9. The trailer (watch below) and additional 10 minutes of socially-conscious, high-octane action didn't disappoint.