Thompson on Hollywood

Is Andrew Stanton's John Carter the Next Avatar?

The New Yorker profiles Andrew Stanton, of Finding Nemo and Toy Story Pixar fame, whose live action debut -- John Carter -- arrives via Disney March 9, 2012.

By Anne Thompson and Sophia Savage
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October 12, 2011 5:42 AM
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Trailer Watch: The Avengers Teaser Features Explosions and Egotistical Superheroes

Joss Whedon's The Avengers -- a.k.a. superheroes playing with other superheroes and congratulating each other on being masters of the universe -- is in theaters May 4, 2012. Check out what the film has in store in the teaser below. It allows everyone to talk except Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, so we are going to go out on a limb and guess that this film will be no great step for womankind.

By Sophia Savage
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October 12, 2011 4:58 AM
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The Avengers Cover EW; Their Mighty Powers Still Won't Match B.O. Power of Dark Knight Rises

On newsstands tomorrow, EW's The Avengers issue banks on the star power of not just one, but three existing Marvel superhero franchise movies. Iron Man's Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Thor's Chris Hemsworth, and Captain America's Chris Evans join up with new Hulk Mark Ruffalo to defeat uber-villain Loki (Thor's Tom Hiddleston), who told TOH his powers have increased a thousand-fold. It's the superhero franchise movie to end them all.

By Sophia Savage
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September 29, 2011 4:54 AM
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No Bridesmaids Sequel, Mick Jagger as Big Bad Media Mogul, Free Previews for Footloose

Almost as soon as runaway comedy Bridesmaids hit theaters this spring, there was talk about a sequel. At the time, director Paul Feig told New York Vulture: "When you get a group that's this deep and this good, it's a crime to not use them again." However, an Entertainment Weekly interview with Jon Hamm, who played a sleazy love interest in the comedy, put a halt to sequel rumors: "I don't think Kristen is going to do it," said Hamm. "They need to lock [Wiig] up before me."

By Maggie Lange
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September 28, 2011 6:17 AM
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Sony to Stop Funding 3-D Glasses, Pixar's Unkrich to Blog As He Directs Unknown New Film

Just when 3-D seemed to be gaining respectability, Sony has notified theater owners that it will stop paying for RealD 3-D glasses starting in May of 2012.

By Maggie Lange
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September 28, 2011 5:09 AM
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Michelle Williams Lands Best Actress Honor at Sham Hollywood Film Awards

Remember, The Hollywood Film Festival is not a respectable fall fest. It's a well-timed award season facade which honors stars, filmmakers and craftspeople and lines the pockets of founder and internet magnate Carlos de Abreu. (Read all about it here.) But Hollywood players participate because the fest supports the award cause and provides vying Oscar contenders with yet another attention-grabbing red carpet showcase.

By Anne Thompson
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September 28, 2011 4:54 AM
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Cotillard in Rust & Bone, Paltrow to Join Ruffalo, Laika Develops Decemberist's Book, Exhibitionists

Marion Cotillard will star in Rust and Bone, director Jacques Audiard's follow-up to the 2009 Cannes favorite, A Prophet. With a budget of $22 million, this will be one of the biggest films to come from France this year.

By Maggie Lange
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September 9, 2011 1:41 AM
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Trailer Watch: John Carter Teaser Lands with Leaping Taylor Kitsch, Epic Imagery

Having underwhelmed us with their teaser poster, Disney does deliver a rousing first teaser trailer for Andrew Stanton's Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation John Carter. Stanton, the writer-director of Pixar's Wall-E, moves into live-action, directing Taylor Kitsch in the title role as a lonely American soldier who is magically transported to red planet Barsoom, where he boasts gravity-boosted strength. Think Avatar, as James Cameron grew up on these novels. Carter is allied with Red Martians Ciaran Hinds, Lynn Collins, Dominic West and James Purefoy against four-armed Green Martians Willem Dafoe, Polly Walker, Thomas Haden Church and Samantha Morton in this immersive digital epic.

By Anne Thompson
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July 14, 2011 8:15 AM
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Thor Will Molest Your Eye Sockets, Plus: Something Borrowed, The Beaver, Last Night, Passion Play

Finally, as summer is nigh, moviegoers are faced with a wide range of prospects this weekend. Jodie Foster's The Beaver delivers a solid family drama with a standout performance from Mel Gibson--even if it's duller than his tabloid life. Something Borrowed tries to be more than your average rom-com--and fails. Marvel's Thor is well inside the comfort zone for folks who grew up on the comic books; its strong cast and huge budget deliver, especially the magnificent Chris Hemsworth, whose "gigantic man-boobs and superhero six-pack molested our eye sockets in all of their 3D glory," reports MCN's Heather Havrilesky.

By Anne Thompson and Sophia Savage
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May 6, 2011 4:19 AM
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Weekend Preview: Fast Five Pumps Testosterone, Prom Tween Fantasy, 13 Assassins, Cave 3-D, The Arbor

It's a weekend of extremes, with the Fast Five testosterone-fest, a Prom tween fantasy, not one but 13 Assassins and a Hoodwinked Too! that no one asked for. Several indie gems are mixed in with some less-inspiring releases: we recommend Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams in 3-D and Clio Bernard's documentary on playwright Andrea Dunbar, The Arbor, a film that turns the term 'documentary' on its head but "once you settle in, [Bernard's technique] proves enormously effective," writes ThePlaylist. "Barnard is able to expertly weave the narrative, dropping hints of the darkness early on while never quite giving the game away."