Thompson on Hollywood

Media Update: Jolie, Carpetbagger, THR, Hayes

Angelina Jolie tops Forbes 100 Celebrities list, replacing Oprah Winfrey as number one. I suspect they just got tired of the richer and more all-powerful, if less glam/sexy and tabloid-friendly Winfrey. Besides, Jolie is Hollywood's one and only femme action star.

By Anne Thompson
|
June 3, 2009 7:38 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Cannes: Winners and Losers

Who came out ahead and behind on their Cannes jaunt this year?

By Anne Thompson
|
May 31, 2009 3:02 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Trailer Watch: The Hurt Locker

Summit picked up Kathryn Bigelow's riveting, intense Iraq thriller The Hurt Locker out of Toronto, and has posted the latest trailer here. Jeremy Renner, who stars in the new TV series The Unusuals, could break out with this movie, which is set for June 26 release.

By Anne Thompson
|
April 15, 2009 8:35 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Julie & Julia: Women and Food

On its surface, a movie about a dowdy middle-aged woman chef--even French cooking icon Julia Child--may not seem commercial. But several elements in this mix could make Julie & Julia, which Sony opens August 7, commercial indeed.

By Anne Thompson
|
April 14, 2009 5:39 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

ShoWest: Activist Doc The Cove Is Summer Counter-Programmer

ShoWest screened the activist Sundance doc The Cove, which Roadside Attractions and Participant Media picked up after the fest and will open this July as a summer counter-programmer. National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos founded the Oceanic Preservation Society and channeled his passion for saving dolphins into making a movie that plays (somewhat like Man on Wire) like a thriller. The film focuses on dolphin activist Richard O‚ÄôBarry, who fell in love with the dolphins he wrangled on the TV show Flipper. At this point, if O'Barry or the filmmakers return to Japan they face arrest.

By Anne Thompson
|
April 2, 2009 5:50 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Cannes: Tarantino Will Deliver Inglourious Basterds

As I wrote sometime back, Quentin Tarantino is committed to delivering his World War II epic Inglourious Basterds for Cannes. The writer-director has loved going to Cannes ever since Pulp Fiction won the Palme d'Or in 1994, and had long wanted to debut Basterds there. Last year we had a blast hanging out with Marina Zenovich and Tim Robbins at the Hotel du Cap.

By Anne Thompson
|
April 1, 2009 6:12 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar Winner: Slumdog Millionaire Hits Zeitgeist

The best picture Oscar usually goes to a movie that nails the zeitgeist and hits Academy voters in just the right way. In this crazy upside-down year, when the entire world seems in free fall, that movie was Slumdog Millionaire. "We had passion and belief," said producer Christian Colson as he accepted the best picture trophy. "When you have these things anything is possible."

By Anne Thompson
|
February 22, 2009 6:29 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar Watch: Slumdog Kids Fly In, Jackman Drills for the Big Night

So yes, the Slumdog Millionaire kids are taking their first airplane to attend the Oscars. Excellent move. It will play all over the world.

By Anne Thompson
|
February 20, 2009 6:57 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar Watch: Will The Reader Debates Cost Winslet a Statue?

Obviously, enough Academy members liked The Reader, David Hare and Stephen Daldry's adaptation of Bernhard Schlink's 1995 international bestseller about post-World War II German "truth and reconciliation," to nominate it for five Oscars, including Best Picture.

By Anne Thompson
|
February 16, 2009 8:45 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Oscar Watch: Will The Reader Debates Cost Winslet a Statue?

Obviously, enough Academy members liked The Reader, David Hare and Stephen Daldry's adaptation of Bernhard Schlink's 1995 international bestseller about post-World War II German "truth and reconciliation," to nominate it for five Oscars, including Best Picture.