Thompson on Hollywood

Winding Down Harry Potter's Visual Effects

One of the mysteries of the Harry Potter series is how much Hollywood--and the Academy--have underappreciated the high-level craftsmanship on display throughout. Immersed in Movies' Bill Desowitz looks at the impact the end of the series will have on its visual effects artists.There's more at stake than the most successful film franchise in history coming to a halt with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. There's also a cottage visual effects industry in London that now has to get weaned off the wizard of Hogwarts.

By Bill Desowitz
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July 18, 2011 2:07 AM
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Academy Silents Series Draws Crowds

What works in theater programming is creating events, whether it's talent Q & As (Errol Morris and Tabloid subject Joyce McKinney have been drawing crowds) or rarely-screened classics at LACMA, which drew good numbers for its French films The Earrings of Madame De last weekend followed by Saturday's double feature of Robert Bresson's Pickpocket and Jacques Demy's Bay of Angels starring a dazzling Jeanne Moreau as a bad girl gambling her way around the French Riviera. Even dusty silents can be a a draw, reports Cari Beauchamp:"The Summer of Silents," currently mid-way through its eight weeks series at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, has been an incredible success. The public programs at the Academy are always impeccably curated, but screening the Photoplay Best Film award-winners from 1920 to 1928 was risky during a summer of 3-D Transformers and the last Harry Potter. Yet every Monday, around 1,000 people have filled the Goldwyn auditorium on Wilshire to be entranced by classics accompanied by music, usually live and always elevating. (A trove of music for silents was recently unearthed.)

By Cari Beauchamp
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July 17, 2011 8:44 AM
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Master of Horror John Carpenter Answers Your Tweets

Yesterday Barack Obama, now John Carpenter (the director whose iconic horror films have likely scared you witless) will answer your questions live on Twitter, Friday from 2:00 to 3:30 PST.

By Maggie Lange
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July 8, 2011 7:07 AM
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Micro-Indie Myth of the American Sleepover Intros New Director, Actress

At last year's Cannes, I was completely engaged by rookie David Robert Mitchell’s micro-budget indie The Myth of the American Sleepover (Critics’ Week), which is a deceptively simple reworking of the American Graffiti trope: a bunch of high school kids at summer’s end seek connection.

By Anne Thompson
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July 5, 2011 5:30 AM
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Shocker: Cars 2 Early Reviews Trend Rotten as Pixar's Magic Carpet Ride Touches Down

Well folks, the worm has turned. Disney Animation and Pixar chief John Lasseter--he who can do no wrong--has finally turned out a Pixar movie (a sequel) that is earning mixed reviews. No! Say it ain't so! Pixar's magic carpet ride has finally come to earth with a thudding 44% Rotten on the Tomatometer thus far. More reviews will change the tallies; Metacritic's rating of its top-grade reviewers is now a respectable 60--still the lowest ever for a Pixar movie.

By Anne Thompson
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June 23, 2011 4:59 AM
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Hero Complex Fest: Captain America, Favreau, Downey, Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens, Avengers, Comic-Con

Geoff Boucher has a good gig. His Hero Complex print/blog combo gets first crack--along with EW and MTV Movies--at the best access to the top genre movies, including set visits and early interviews. The guy's a strong reporter--he's been at the LAT for some 20 years--and his enthusiasm for the Comic-Con universe is genuine. The LAT has been promoing his second annual Hero Complex Film Festival, which took place last weekend.

By Anne Thompson
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June 13, 2011 11:01 AM
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Summer's Nine Worst Movie Trailers: Green Lantern, Three Musketeers, Change-Up, Mr. Popper

The trailers that played in front of X-Men: First Class -- a disappointment in itself after so many strong early reviews -- were about as inspiring as January Jones' line delivery. We were, however, inspired to compile this list of trailers that have turned their films into musts-to-avoid. We can't decide which looks worse, Green Lantern (June 17) or The Three Musketeers (October 14) (you can vote in our poll below). The former is a reportedly $300 million movie that should guarantee Ryan Reynolds is never taken seriously again, with co-star/man-candy Blake Lively's over-exposure far more entertaining than the sub-par CGI aliens. As for Musketeers, the new trailer now playing at a theater new you (the old one is below) plays like soft-core porn for 15-year old girls.

By Sophia Savage
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June 13, 2011 9:00 AM
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Judy Garland Plays Lincoln Center: 31 Musicals In All, Complete with Wizard of Oz Sing-along

When it comes to celebrating Judy Garland’s birthday, the requisite song and blow-out-your-candles-now dance just doesn’t quite cut it.

By Jacob Combs
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June 12, 2011 3:40 AM
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Spielberg & Abrams: Working Together On Super 8 Was "Crazy Good," What's Next

How was it working with Steven Spielberg on Super 8? "Crazy good," says director J.J. Abrams. "Working with Steven Spielberg was a dream, and I was kind of nervous about it because he was like a hero of mine since I was a kid." Will they work together again? Given how successful Super 8 should prove to be, their already longstanding relationship should continue. Back in February we listed 7 Reasons to be Excited About Super 8. They're still true, but the movie's even better than we'd hoped.

By Sophia Savage
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June 9, 2011 8:17 AM
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Super 8 Q & A: Spielberg and Abrams Talk to EW About Growing Up, Obsessions, Their Inner Child

Writer-director J.J. Abrams was smart to pull Steven Spielberg in as a producer on PG-13 sci-fi adventure Super 8, set in 1979, which is the ultimate homage to the great Spielberg movies of the 70s and 80s, referencing Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and of course, E.T. Paramount understood that they were selling, in effect, a non-Spielberg Spielberg film. And the movie feels as comfortable as an old shirt: the second you enter this world, you know exactly what the rules are. As Abrams understood the DNA of the Star Trek universe, so he understands the kids at the core of Super 8, their relationship to their parents, their love of making movies, and each other. (Check out this six-minute MSN clip from the beginning of Super 8, and our collection of Super 8 early reviews.)