Thompson on Hollywood

Exit Through The Gift Shop Now On VOD; DVD December 14

The mysterious Exit Through The Gift Shop--the story of how a shopkeeper-filmmaker (Thierry Guetta) tried for five years to make a documentary about street art, only to meet British stencil graffiti artist Banksy, who turned the camera on Guetta instead--has been full of surprises from the start.

By Sophia Savage
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November 24, 2010 6:21 AM
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LACMA Premieres John Woo's Complete Red Cliff

Finally. LACMA concludes its Hard Boiled Hong Kong series with the Los Angeles premiere of John Woo's full-length third-century wuxia epic Red Cliff in all its glory. The five-hour version has everything--costumes, history, drama, battles, horses, burning armadas, romance--and an ensemble of gorgeous movie stars led by Tony Leung. At $80 million, it's the most expensive movie ever made in China, and it nearly did in Woo and producer Terence Chang. Magnolia released a shortened two-and-a -half hour version in theaters stateside which did not fare as well as the full-length version did around the world. See the whole thing if you can.

By Anne Thompson
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November 23, 2010 11:10 AM
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Ronni Chasen Memorial: Friends Mourn Murdered Publicist

Talk about an Influencer.

By Anne Thompson
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November 22, 2010 1:11 AM
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Tom Christie Ends 15 Year Stint at LA Weekly

It's hard to imagine the LA Weekly without Arts Editor Tom Christie. When I first met him in the mid-80s his hair was still black and he was working for California Magazine editor Harold Hayes (Esquire) at what eventually morphed into Los Angeles Magazine.

By Anne Thompson
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November 20, 2010 12:34 AM
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Spielberg Casts Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln

Steven Spielberg has found his Lincoln. Ultra-picky Daniel Day-Lewis, 53, with two Oscars behind him, seems picture-perfect for the role of the iconic 16th president of the United States, who lead the country through the bloody Civil War. Liam Neeson was in line for the role at one point, but dropped out of the running, citing his age, 58 (Lincoln was 56 when he was assassinated). Said Spielberg:

By Anne Thompson
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November 19, 2010 6:54 AM
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Fox Signs Black Swan's Aronofsky to Overall Deal

Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment wants to be in business with Darren Aronofsky, whose heat has skyrocketed after Fox Searchlight's back-to-back Oscar contenders, The Wrestler and Black Swan, which follows up a successful fall film fest circuit with a December 3 opening.

By Anne Thompson
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November 18, 2010 9:19 AM
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KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Search Winners

Five children will serve as official KIDS FIRST! Film Critics for 2010-2011, chosen in the organization's first-ever search. It received eleven million votes via KIDS FIRST! parner site WonderWorldTV.com/kidsfirst. A panel of celebrity judges (Us Weekly film critic Thelma Adams; actress Brittany Curran, E! critic Ben Lyons; actress Kay Panabaker, reporter George Pennacchio, and actress Jane Seymour) considered 20 finalists and selected the following five: Ny’Asia Bel (7) from Decatur, GA, Anthony Aranda (8) from San Diego, CA, Lauren Boxer (12) from Los Angeles, CA, Sam Connan (12) from Santa Fe, NM, and Gabriella Chu (14) from Flushing, NY.

By Sophia Savage
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November 17, 2010 9:29 AM
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AFM News: Wall Street Thriller Margin Call, Starring Quinto and Spacey, Sells Multiple Territories

Rookie feature director J.C. Chandor's Wall Street thriller Margin Call, starring an ensemble including Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, Mary McDonnell, Simon Baker and in the lead as a risk analyst, Zachary Quinto (who also produced), closed multiple deals at the recent American Film Market. Film sales company Myriad showed a new promo of the film, which follows a group of high-flying players at an investment bank during the 24 hours leading up to the 2008 market crash. It is in post-production.

By Anne Thompson
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November 11, 2010 12:03 AM
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Hollywood Goes Bollywood: L.A. and Indian Producers Form Film Council

As India continues to make inroads in Hollywood by investing in such companies as DreamWorks and IM Global, it remains to be seen what the practical results will be of a signed cooperation pact between the city of Los Angeles and the Indian film industry. The city of L.A., the Film and Television Producers Guild of India and the Film Federation of India have agreed to:develop and strengthen motion picture production, distribution, technology, content protection and commercial cooperation between the two filmmaking communities. The two parties also support the creation of the Los Angeles-India Film Council to increase Indian film production in Los Angeles.

By Anne Thompson
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November 10, 2010 11:38 AM
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Academy Watch: Star Trek VFX Show-and-Tell

Visual effects wonks (like me) who are lucky enough to live in L.A. may want to show up on Thursday, November 18 for the Academy's Science and Technology Council program “Visualize This: Previs in the Making of Star Trek." Using clips and behind-the-scenes footage, a panel led by Star Trek writer-producer Damon Lindelof (Lost, Cowboys & Aliens) will explore the challenges and opportunities of the previsualization (previs) process at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.