Thompson on Hollywood

EXCLUSIVE: Santa Barbara Film Fest Issues Call for Entries for Second Annual Acquisitions Weekend

Festivals

Santa Barbara International Film Festival executive director Roger Durling is making a Call for Entries for the fest's second annual Acquisitions Program. The weekend event providing buyers with direct access to showcased films debuted last year and resulted in a number of distribution deals...

By Anne Thompson
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October 23, 2012 2:05 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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Arthouse Audit: 'The Sessions' Opens Strong, 'Holy Motors' OK, 'Smashed' and 'Paperboy' Sag, 'Sugar Man' Heads for $2 Million

Box Office

"The Sessions" led the way among new films this week, performing as expected for this unusual drama, looking even better without a lot of other Oscar contenders opening in recent weeks. Three other review-driven films -- two documentaries and a controversial French film -- with much lower profiles found receptive audiences initially as well.

By Tom Brueggemann
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October 21, 2012 3:48 PM
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McGregor and Hudson Topline Capaldi Backstage Comedy 'Born To Be King'

News

Scottish writer-director-actor Peter Capaldi ("In the Loop") has landed Ewan McGregor and is in talks with Kate Hudson to star in his mistaken identity backstage comedy "Born to be King." The film will shoot at Pinewood Studios in January. Indomina's Stephanie Denton is handling foreign sales at the American Film Market.

By Anne Thompson
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October 18, 2012 2:50 PM
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Now and Then: At NOFF, Indie Comedies 'It's a Disaster' and 'Supporting Characters' Impress

Reviews

"It's a Disaster" is something you title your film only if you have a lot of faith in the project. The pun, for a critic disposed to go negative, is almost pathetically easy. Fortunately for writer/director Todd Berger, such confidence is well deserved. "It's a Disaster" is hilarious.

By Matt Brennan
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October 16, 2012 11:52 AM
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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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Now and Then: 'Decoding Deepak,' or What the Bleep Does He Know?

Reviews

Early in "Decoding Deepak," the titular spiritualist and his filmmaker son float languidly over Thailand's Chao Phraya river delta, on their way to the former's ordination as a Buddhist monk. "Don't try to make sense of it, just roll the cameras and try to keep up," the director sighs. Mission accomplished.

By Matt Brennan
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October 9, 2012 4:04 PM
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Louisiana Film Prize Showcases Filmmakers to Keep an Eye On

Festivals

This weekend's inaugural Louisiana Film Prize, featuring 20 short films shot entirely in and around Shreveport-Bossier City, La., offered regular folks (myself included) a chance to vote on which film would receive the $50,000 grand prize. None of my favorites came away victorious, but they left me with some names to watch for in the future.

By Matt Brennan
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October 8, 2012 3:46 PM
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Arthouse Audit: Controversial 'Paperboy' Leads Weak New Debuts

Box Office

Although improved from last week's weak openings, the new ones again fell below the strong performance of September's debuts. The controversial "The Paperboy" had the best overall performance. New York openers "Wuthering Heights" and "The House I Live In" managed to stand out among the rest, backed by strong reviews.

By Tom Brueggemann
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October 7, 2012 4:57 PM
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Case Study on Self-Releasing 'Detropia': "Filmmakers need to be better businesspeople"

Interviews

The DIY distribution model may be all the rage, but it's not as easy as it looks. As "Detropia" filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady learned the hard way, self-releasing demands a steep learning curve in the intricacies of marketing and distribution. These are skills that it takes professionals years to acquire.