Thompson on Hollywood

'Les Miserables' Review Round-Up; Detractors Could Hurt Musical's Oscar Bid

Reviews

Christmas Day saw two new openings of award-season contenders, "Les Miserables" and "Django Unchained." (We will parse their box office on Thursday.) But judging from social media chatter as well as reviews, it is clear that Tom Hooper's approach to the musical may be too radical for many moviegoers.

By Anne Thompson
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December 26, 2012 4:08 PM
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Now and Then: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Reviews

Early in "Meet Me in St. Louis," Esther Smith (Judy Garland) pines for the boy next door. Lent silky grace by Garland's perfect warble, Esther describes love — and, by extension, Vincente Minnelli's 1944 classic. "I want it to be something strange and wonderful," she says. "Something I'll always remember."

By Matt Brennan
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December 24, 2012 2:51 PM
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Take Our Poll: Best Live-Action Movie Musical of the Last 75 Years

Blogs

In celebration of "Les Miserables," HitFix has listed the 20 best movie musicals of the last 50 years. Their top five? "The Sound of Music," "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut," "Mary Poppins," "Cabaret," and "Little Shop of Horrors" in first place.

By Anne Thompson
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December 24, 2012 2:20 PM
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Watch & Listen: 'Looper' Composer Nathan Johnson Discusses His Unorthodox Music-making Methods

Video

Check out these videos of "Looper" composer Nathan Johnson discussing his unorthodox approach to scoring in Rian Johnson's critically acclaimed sci-fi film...

By Beth Hanna
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November 19, 2012 12:24 PM
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NYFF Panel: Talking Landmark Jazz Doc 'The Savoy King'

Festivals

The second best thing about this week's NYFF screening of The Savoy King: Chick Webb and the Music that Changed America might have been the audience -- a fire-hazard crowd of friends, family and jazz enthusiasts ready to laugh, hoot, and more than once, sing along to the music. But the first best thing was 92-year-old Norma Miller, a delightful presence both on film and live on-stage, where she joined director Jeff Kaufman for a lively but all-too brief Q&A.

By Sheerly Avni
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October 5, 2012 11:47 AM
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Abramorama to Release 'The Zen of Bennett'

News

Indie distributor Abramorama will handle the theatrical release of "The Zen of Bennett," a portrait of singer Tony Bennett, beginning October 24 in New York.

By Sophia Savage
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September 26, 2012 6:04 PM
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Gravitas Ventures and Variance Films Acquire Brit Musical 'Hunky Dory'

News

"Hunky Dory," starring Minnie Driver and directed by Marc Evans, has gone to Gravitas Ventures and Variance Films for US distribution. They will release the film in theaters and VOD early 2013. The glam-rock UK musical debuted at the London Film Festival and stateside at SXSW. The film already had a theatrical run in the UK last March...

By Anne Thompson
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September 7, 2012 3:29 PM
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Producers Zadan and Meron Will Bring Music Back to the Oscars

Awards

Under new president Hawk Koch, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has gone with fresh blood to produce the 85th Academy Awards. Musical producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron ("Chicago") will produce the Oscar show set to air live on February 24 on ABC. Last year's show was produced by Brian Grazer and Don Mischer, who filled in after then-president Tom Sherak had to fire his controversial first choice, Brett Ratner. Host Eddie Murphy also left the show, replaced by stalwart Billy Crystal.

By Anne Thompson
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August 23, 2012 2:26 PM
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Now and Then: The Long, Slow Death of the Movie Musical

Reviews

It's been 60 years since the musical's prime — when Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, those sorcerers of sound, joined forces on "Singin' in the Rain" — so you'll forgive me if this week's theatrical screenings in honor of the anniversary feel less like a celebration than an obituary. The musical is dead at 83, from complications of creative neglect.