Thompson on Hollywood

American Cinematheque Ball: Downey Asks Industry to Forgive Gibson His Trespasses

Robert Downey, Jr. and a posse of pals celebrated his American Cinematheque achievement award Friday night at the Beverly Hilton. Downey took advantage of the occasion to plead with the crowd on behalf of his surprise presenter, Mel Gibson (video below), who sat during the show at a table with Iron Man director Jon Favreau, Justin Theroux, Gary Shandling and Jodie Foster, to "forgive my friend his trespasses" as they had forgiven Downey his. "Allow him to continue his great and ongoing contribution to our collective art without shame, he has hugged the cactus long enough." The two men, visibly moved, hugged.

By Anne Thompson
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October 15, 2011 12:35 PM
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ILM Talks Cowboys & Aliens Visual Effects

Jon Favreau has long been a practical effects-oriented director, but with Cowboys & Aliens, he had to embrace the digital side, with the help of George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic. Bill Desowitz talks to the famed VFX house about how they created those pesky aliens. There's nothing more daunting, it seems, than designing a great alien, especially in this ubiquitous post- 9/11 climate for invader movies. You can apply all the latest photoreal tech advancements you like, but if your creature isn't cool and captivating, forget it.

By Bill Desowitz
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August 3, 2011 8:24 AM
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Weekend Box Office Showdown: Cowboys & Aliens Edges Out Smurfs; Crazy, Stupid, Love Scores UPDATED

Star-studded sci-fi western Cowboys & Aliens was expected to handily win the weekend box office, but had to scuffle with family-friendly The Smurfs for the top spot. Anthony D'Alessandro reports:In a shootout at the cinema corral, Sony’s The Smurfs ambushed Universal’s co-production Cowboys & Aliens for the No. 1 spot, with both studios splitting their gold nuggets at an estimated $36.2 million apiece. Family films kicking fanboys in the pants is nothing new: back in March, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules pulled the rug out from under Sucker Punch.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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July 31, 2011 4:47 AM
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Cowboys & Aliens, Crazy, Stupid, Love & Indies The Future, The Guard, Interrupters, Life in a Day

Cowboys & Aliens gets the prize for most literal title, if nothing else. While Andrew O'Hehir writes: "The movie never makes much of a case for its own existence; it's a mediocre western clumsily welded to a mediocre alien shoot-'em-up," and Roger Moore concludes: "A perfectly serviceable B-movie in the modern mold -- lots of money, lots of stars, lots of explosions and lots of credited screenwriters," TOH!'s review was somewhere in the middle, considering both the good (Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig), the bad (Olivia Wilde) and the ugly (the aliens).

By Sophia Savage
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July 28, 2011 4:48 AM
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Cowboys & Aliens Early Review Roundup: Favreau, Writers Talk Genre Clash

In the days leading up to the Cowboys & Aliens world premiere July 23 at Comic-Con in San Diego, director Jon Favreau was anxious. He was telling anyone who would listen just how brave this mash-up of the sci-fi and western genres really is. In his Thursday Q & A with Guillermo Del Toro in Hall H, Favreau said, "Everyone agrees it's either going to be terrible or awesome... This movie was not the safe move. I was in a position to do something different. As movie budgets get higher they all become the same. If you take risks, when it pays off it's wonderful. If you can take failure it's ok." Favreau also refused to make the movie in 3-D, thankfully.

By Anne Thompson
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July 27, 2011 6:29 AM
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EW Cover Sells When Bond Met Indy, Not Cowboys & Aliens

"When Bond Met Indy" is a headline to woo any fan of movies, Hollywood icons, or handsome men. That's what EW's cover story sells with a joint profile of Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig.

By Anne Thompson and Maggie Lange
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July 21, 2011 7:20 AM
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Favreau Teases Stories from Cowboys & Aliens Producers Spielberg, Howard and Grazer

Cowboys & Aliens director Jon Favreau interviews his producers, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. Below, Spielberg recalls meeting John Ford. Here are more videos of the conversation.

By Sophia Savage
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July 8, 2011 1:15 AM
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Long-Running Ron Meyer Wins Universal Game of Survivor; More Changes in Store?

As I predicted, Ron Meyer has won the NBC Universal game of survival. The wily ex-CAA partner has successfully run Universal Pictures as president and COO through three owners over 16 years. While former NBC Universal president and CEO Jeff Zucker is gone, Meyer remains. Hollywood's longest-running studio chief has signed a new contract to continue as President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios. He will remain with the company at least through through 2015 and he will continue to report to Comcast CEO Steve Burke. He joined Universal in August 1995.

By Anne Thompson
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June 27, 2011 9:00 AM
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Jon Favreau Talks Genre-Mash Cowboys & Aliens: The Science of Sincerity

In an interview with TOH's Anthony D'Alessandro last week at the National Italian American Federation Gala, where Jon Favreau was lauded with the org’s Special Entertainment Achievement Award, the actor-director gave up some nuggets of intel on his upcoming summer genre-mash Cowboys & Aliens, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.Kitschy high-concept vehicles can be a turnoff on their title alone. Before moviegoers even approached the ticket booth, they could smell the stench of the ridiculous in polyester pics such as 1996’s Mars Attacks! ($37.8 million), 2006’s Snakes on a Plane ($34 million) or 2007’s Grindhouse ($25 million) – all of which crashed at the domestic B.O., despite having credible talent attached. However, with Cowboys & Aliens, Favreau and Universal are hoping to best such Z-movie stigma by selling the summer tentpole as a straight-up, serious X-Files western, evident in the first trailer (see below) they released back in November.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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May 27, 2011 12:18 PM
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Robert Downey, Jr. Lands American Cinematheque Award: Should Be Fun Fete

Congratulations to Robert Downey, Jr. The 25th American Cinematheque Award will be his. Downey Jr. will be honored at the annual benefit gala on October 14 at the Beverly Hilton. This event could be one of the more entertaining of these award shows, as Downey will lure some of the funniest talent in town to pay him tribute, as Matt Damon did last year: his was more of a roast. Ben Stiller, Jon Favreau, Jaime Foxx, Jude Law, Zach Galifianakis, Steve Coogan, Jeremy Renner, and recent award-winner Samuel Jackson come to mind. Any other likely cronies?