Thompson on Hollywood

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Gibney Talks Manning and Assange, Stars of his 'WikiLeaks' Expose

Interviews

Until recently, nobody knew who Bradley Manning was. Now he's all over the media, having pleaded guilty to ten charges (and not guilty to 12 others) before a Maryland military judge (see his leaked testimony here) for “misusing classified data,” the unlawful possession of classified material, exposing a cache of files, including videos, military logs and 250,000 State Department cables, and the transfer of this material to WikiLeaks. These charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail. “The more I read the cables, the more I came to the conclusion that this was the type of information that should become public,” he told the judge.

By Anne Thompson
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May 31, 2013 12:14 PM
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Meet Andrea Riseborough: Rising Star of 'W.E.,' 'Oblivion,' 'Shadow Dancer,' 'Birdman' (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

Interviews

I like meeting actors for the first time, when their careers are starting to take off, before they've erected that protective coating that movie stars often need to survive. I was curious to check out Andrea Riseborough, especially, because she's one of those actresses--much like Meryl Streep-- who vanishes into every role. She's a chameleon, utterly unrecognizable from one movie to the next. She explains why in our flip cam interview below.

By Anne Thompson
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May 24, 2013 3:17 PM
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'Before Midnight' Interview with Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy and Richard Linklater (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

Interviews

Well, you've been reading about "Before Midnight," the third film in Richard Linklater's trilogy about Celine and Jesse's ongoing romance, since Sundance, and now you finally get to see one of the most delightful and insightful movies of the year. The movie opens Friday. The trio, who could earn a second Oscar nomination for original screenplay, describe their unusual process in our interview below.

By Anne Thompson
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May 22, 2013 2:22 PM
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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: 'Kill List' Director Ben Wheatley Talks IFC's 'Sightseers'

Interviews

Brit filmmaker Ben Wheatley had brought his prior two low-budget features, "Down Terrace" and "Kill List," to the Cannes market. Then he made his proper Cannes debut with "Sightseers" in the Director's Fortnight, an unexpected breakout during an unexceptional year. Then the film played the fest circuit, including Toronto. IFC opens the dark relationship comedy in New York and L.A.on May 10. See my flipcam interview with Wheatley below.

By Anne Thompson
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May 2, 2013 1:39 PM
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Nicole Kidman Talks Surprise 'The Paperboy' Nominations from Set of 'Grace of Monaco,' EXCLUSIVE SKYPE VIDEO

Interviews

Nicole Kidman was shocked when she learned that her boldly brazen performance in Lee Daniels' outrageous southern gothic "The Paperboy" had earned both SAG and Golden Globe supporting actress nominations. While the indie film debuted in Cannes to mixed reaction and hardly set critics or audiences on fire, Kidman earned rave reviews.

By Anne Thompson
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December 19, 2012 3:13 PM
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Eddie Redmayne Talks Live-Singing 'Les Miserables,' What's Next?

Interviews

Redmayne, who is 30, landed the role of Marius despite not having sung since school. And he delivers a breakout performance. He borrowed something he learned from De Niro in order to better match the intensity of one take of the song to the other--he'd shoot three times in a row. He sang his "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" song 21 times.

By Anne Thompson
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December 18, 2012 7:51 PM
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'Zero Dark Thirty' CIA Duo Chastain and Clarke Talk Torture Controversy & Bigelow (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

Video

Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal's ripped-from-the-headlines "Zero Dark Thirty" (December 19) has been wowing the critics, who are raving about best actress Jessica Chastain, who plays the hard-swearing tough-as-nails CIA agent who doggedly pursues Osama bin Laden.

By Anne Thompson
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December 12, 2012 6:26 AM
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Oscar Watch: 'Argo' Director Affleck & Editor Goldenberg Talk Reality vs. Comedy (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

Interviews

"I maybe have matured," Affleck says of his pursuit of smart quality modest-budget movies--he calls $44-million Mideast thriller "Argo" "a labor of love"-- designed to stand the test of time like the 70s classics he reveres.

By Anne Thompson
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October 15, 2012 2:27 PM
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Richard Gere Talks Indie Filmmaking, 'Arbitrage' and VOD (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

Interviews

At 63, Richard Gere is still a bankable global film star. But that means his presence in a project helps to get it made--not that he'll make serious dough. Those days are over, as they have been for most movie actors for some time.