Thompson on Hollywood

Berlin Dealbook: EFM's Satisfied Buyers, Headshot, Blind Bastard Club, Stake Land, Happy (UPDATE)

Berlin market dealmaking continues, while reaction to the quality of the fest pics is mixed.

By Sophia Savage
|
February 17, 2011 6:29 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar Watch: Documentary Noms Shockers Explained

One of the great subjects of debate this Oscar season is what happened with the documentary branch's voting for the final five nominations. Two hits from Oscar-winners were left off the list: Davis Guggenheim's Waiting for Superman and Alex Gibney's Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, while outsider Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop came through.

By Anne Thompson
|
February 3, 2011 11:45 AM
|
1 Comment

More:

Sundance Video: Alex Gibney Talks Ken Kesey and Neal Cassady on Magic Trip

With Magic Trip, Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side) and his longtime editor Alison Ellwood have cut together a rich piece of 60s history using archive video and audio of the iconic literary figures on the famous cross-country Magic Bus trip recounted by Tom Wolfe in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Gibney talks (our video interview is below) about how Ken Kesey created the original footage that he uses in Magic Trip. "It's archival cinema verite," Gibney says. "I wanted more of an immersion experience... it's like the origin story of the 60s."

By Anne Thompson
|
February 1, 2011 7:20 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

All Good Things Early Reviews: "Fascinating," "Scrambled," "Uncompelling Psychological Portraiture"

Andrew Jarecki's All Good Things, inspired by the true story of New York's infamous Durst family, finally found distribution with Magnolia Pictures back in August, and opens with a limited released December 3. Starring Ryan Gosling, who is generating more complimentary buzz for popular and controversial Blue Valentine (opening December 31), and Kirsten Dunst, in her first outing in two years, All Good Things is decidedly flawed while still riveting for some. Early reviews are below:

By Sophia Savage
|
November 30, 2010 7:25 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Tim League Talks Alamo, Four Lions, Badass Digest, Fantastic Fest

Austin exhibitor Tim League came to Los Angeles to promote the November 5 release of rookie director Chris Morris's fest hit Four Lions, the first film to be released by his expanding dinner-theater chain, The Alamo Drafthouse. We talked about the success of the Alamo theaters, the Austin film scene, hiring CHUD's Devin Faraci to create Alamo's new blog, Badass Digest, and why League felt compelled to launch indie distributor Drafthouse Films with a British terrorist comedy.

By Anne Thompson
|
November 2, 2010 8:48 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar Watch: Considering Tilda Swinton for I Am Love

Thanks to Jeff Wells for asking me to address where Tilda Swinton stands in relation to the Best Actress Oscar race for the Italian import I Am Love. The only way for Swinton--who is admired by critics and art house audiences alike-- to make the best actress Oscar grade this year for I Am Love (which played the fest circuit before opening in June), is for critics to make a fuss over her in their year-end wraps and ten-best lists, and for critics groups and the Golden Globes to reward her with prizes and nominations and thus turn the screener into a must-see for SAG and Academy actors. Swinton has been nominated once (and won, for Tony Gilroy's Michael Clayton).

By Anne Thompson
|
October 26, 2010 8:56 AM
|
3 Comments

More:

Magnolia/Magnet Add Fest Fave 13 Assassins to Asian Roster

Continuing to show their ownership of Asian action fare, Magnolia's genre label Magnet Releasing scooped up U.S. rights to Takashi Miike’s 19th century samurai action flick 13 Assassins, which recently played the Venice and Toronto fests, will screen at the London fest and closes Fantastic Fest in Austin.

By Anne Thompson
|
September 23, 2010 6:01 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

TIFF: Genre Films Sell in Toronto Buying Spree

As TIFF wound down, the weekend sale of Will Ferrell's $6 million dark comedy Everything Must Go to Lionsgate/Roadside marked a more frenetic Toronto sales market than last year, when many sales took months to close. Horror film Insidious also sold, to Sony Worldwide Acquisitions Group, probably for 2011 Screen Gems release. "It's a genre distributor's wet dream," says IM Global's Stuart Ford, who wasn't worried about landing North American distribs for these and two more titles at Toronto this year--all were modestly-budgeted and pre-sold in foreign territories. "The market is still challenging, but healthier than it was a year ago. There's more supply and demand. While you're not seeing many movies sell on the spot, the stronger material is likely to find the right distribution home."

By Anne Thompson
|
September 19, 2010 5:16 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

TIFF Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer Review, and Alex Gibney Talks

Alex Gibney's hugely entertaining Eliot Spitzer doc, Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer, is a leading contender for this year's doc Oscar. The movie is full of surprises. In my flip cam interview with Gibney (below) he explains how the story he tells turned out far different from what he thought it would be, and why Wall Street Masters of the Universe were so eager to go on camera to chortle over Spitzer's dramatic comedown: "They wanted to stamp on Spitzer's grave," Gibney admits. 'It's not stretching the truth to say they hated this man."

By Anne Thompson
|
September 17, 2010 12:43 PM
|
1 Comment

More:

Affleck Admits That I'm Still Here is a Stunt

Of course Casey Affleck finally comes clean in the NYT--just before I'm Still Here goes into wider release. Joaquin Phoenix was acting. “It’s a terrific performance, it’s the performance of his career,” he says.