Thompson on Hollywood

Review: Pre-'Les Mis,' Minnie Driver & Gang Sing Live in Welsh High School Musical 'Hunky Dory'

Reviews

Welsh filmmaker Marc Evans' elegiac, semi-autobiographical high school musical "Hunky Dory," which played at SXSW last year after its UK release, is finally opening in NY and LA theaters and on VOD March 22 via distrib Variance. The delightful comedy written by Laurence Coriat, set in the sweltering hot summer of 1976, stars a winning Minnie Driver as a drama teacher who mounts a glam rock version of Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

By Anne Thompson
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March 21, 2013 4:02 PM
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America Gets the Dystopic Treatment in New Animated Indie 'Silver Circle'

Reviews

It's 2019, and runaway inflation has sunk the American economy into a cesspool of sky-high prices and rampant unemployment. A loaf of bread costs $50; bars advertise bargain deals on $90 beer Tuesdays.

By Jacob Combs
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March 18, 2013 4:07 PM
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Film Independent Chiefs McManus and Welsh Preview Indie Spirits, Take Stock of LACMA and LAFF

Interviews

Just a year ago, long-time Film Independent staffers Sean McManus and Josh Welsh took on new roles as co-presidents of Film Independent, which runs many vital programs for the West Coast independent film community, as well as the Independent Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival. They replaced Dawn Hudson, who left FIND to become the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I talked to the two men on the phone about where they are and where they're going--and the upcoming Indie Spirits, my favorite awards event.

By Anne Thompson
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February 20, 2013 5:46 PM
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Now and Then: In 'For Ellen,' the Many Faces of Paul Dano

Reviews

Put a quarter in the jukebox and the rocker Joby Taylor (Paul Dano) transforms. His loping gait diffuses into trance, a manic, writhing riff on his stage persona. It's a conversion experience of sorts, fittingly enough: "For Ellen" is a tale of many metamorphoses.

By Matt Brennan
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February 19, 2013 1:34 PM
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Arthouse Audit: Smart Audiences Give 'No' a 'Yes'

Box Office

While it's been a spotty 2013 so far for new specialized openings, Sony Pictures Classics' Chilean-election drama (and Oscar nominee) "No" was a winner over the four-day holiday weekend in limited initial release, proving itself the strongest new art-house performer since "Quartet" last month, and falling only slightly below the first weekend of its fellow subtitled contender "Amour."

By Tom Brueggemann
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February 18, 2013 9:12 PM
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Arthouse Audit: 'Lore' and 'Charles Swan' Modest Openers, Holdovers Stay Strong

Box Office

With few significant new openings these days and competition for multiple adult-appealing Oscar contenders still significant, "Lore" and "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III" both posted just average opening grosses. The snow in New York likely had some impact on box office there (both films opened only in NYC and Los Angeles), but the reality is 2013 is starting off slowly in terms of debuting releases.

By Tom Brueggemann
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February 10, 2013 4:09 PM
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Bob Berney Launches Picturehouse 2.0 with Netflix Output Deal

News

The indie film community has been waiting for the unveiling of indie distributor Bob Berney's latest incarnation. Finally, after his short-lived stint at FilmDistrict, Berney is rebooting the Picturehouse label that he co-founded in 2005, which was later shuttered by partners New Line Cinema and HBO Films.

By Anne Thompson
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January 15, 2013 4:46 PM
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Cinedigm Names Tom Hassell V-P of Theatrical Distribution

News

Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. has named veteran Tom Hassell Vice-President of Theatrical Distribution. He'll handle all aspects of theatrical distribution for the indie distributor.

By Anne Thompson
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January 9, 2013 5:15 PM
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Arthouse Audit: 'Zero Dark Thirty,' 'Amour' Lead Limited Releases

Box Office

With the Top Ten continuing to skew to adult-oriented, critically acclaimed films, specialized theaters playing more limited releases continue to scuffle, often at levels below previous holiday seasons. "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Amour" stood out again in their two-city platforms, although both declined in their second weeks, while multi-city openings of "Promised Land" were modest at best. The increase for "The Impossible" in its second stanza would be more promising if it weren't quickly headed for wide release.

By Tom Brueggemann
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December 30, 2012 4:20 PM
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Ted Hope Names the Really Bad Things in Indie Film 2012

News

Ted Hope sees that there is a a lot wrong with our culture and that it has a damaging effect on the filmmaking business. He lays out the 24 Really Bad Things In The Indie Film Biz 2012.