Thompson on Hollywood

Sundance Deal: Sony Pictures Classics Nabs 'Kill Your Darlings,' Starring Daniel Radcliffe as Young Allen Ginsberg

News

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all U.S., Australian, New Zealand, South African, African TV and Eastern European rights to John Krokidas' debut feature "Kill Your Darlings," which stars Daniel Radcliffe as Allen Ginsberg and is a dramatic competition feature at the Sundance Film Festival.

By Beth Hanna
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January 23, 2013 12:12 PM
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Sundance Announces Jury Awards in Short Filmmaking

Festivals

The Sundance Film Festival has announced the jury prizes and honorable mentions in short filmmaking for the 2013 fest. The awards were presented at a ceremony in Park City. Full list below.

By Beth Hanna
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January 23, 2013 12:04 PM
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Sundance Deal: Magnolia and CNN Capture Killer Whale Doc 'Blackfish'

Festivals

Magnolia Pictures and new company CNN Films have confirmed the acquisition of U.S. rights to Gabriela Cowperthwaite's documentary thriller "Blackfish," about the killer whale Tilikum who killed three people including, in an eery echo of "Rust and Bone," a trainer. The movie screened Saturday night at the Temple Theatre in Park City. Several distribs were circling, including TWC-Radius, Lionsgate, eOne, HBO and Sony Pictures Classics.

By Anne Thompson and Jay Fernandez
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January 22, 2013 7:46 PM
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Sundance Review Roundup: 'Kill Your Darlings'

Reviews

Critics are praising John Krokidas' "Kill Your Darlings," starring Daniel Radcliffe as Allen Ginsberg. The film, which is edgier and more engaging than Walter Salles' faithfully literary "On the Road," is being called an unusually successful portrait of the Beat generation, "a genuine attempt to source the beginning of America's first true literary counterculture."

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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January 22, 2013 5:09 PM
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Sundance: Fox Searchlight Acquires 'Way, Way Back' For Almost $10 Million; Stars Carell, Collette, Janney, Rudolph and Rockwell

News

Fox Searchlight has picked up the rights to Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's "The Way, Way Back," which premiered at Sundance on January 21. The acquisition is a big buy, reportedly just under $10 million...

By Anne Thompson and Jay Fernandez
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January 22, 2013 1:31 PM
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Sundance Review Roundup: 'Upstream Color' Is a Gorgeous Head-Scratcher

Reviews

Critics don't mind feeling stumped when it comes to Shane Carruth's gorgeous, enigmatic Sundance entry "Upstream Color." While the film is largely receiving praise, reviews are quick to point out that the narrative, nominally about a young man and woman "consumed by a higher force," will raise plenty of questions "about what the hell is going on." Review highlights below.

By Beth Hanna
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January 22, 2013 11:58 AM
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Sundance Review Roundup: Batmanglij and Marling's 'The East' Dividing Critics

Reviews

Critics are divided on director Zal Batmanglij ("The Sound of My Voice") and co-writer-star Brit Marling's newest collaboration, "The East." While some find the film a relevant, absorbing eco-terrorist thriller, others deem it overlong and "deeply silly." Review highlights below.

By Beth Hanna
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January 22, 2013 11:56 AM
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Sundance: RADiUS-Weinstein Company Gets Buzzy 'Concussion'

News

RADiUS-The Weinstein Company has acquired North American rights to "Concussion" at the Sundance Film Festival. The film centers on Abby (Robin Weigert), a middle-aged woman who moves to Manhattan and takes on a double life as a high-end escort.

By Beth Hanna
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January 22, 2013 11:16 AM
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Sundance Review and Roundup: 'Before Midnight'

Reviews

The magic alchemy originally conjured 18 years ago by director Richard Linklater and two gifted actors--Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, who could sustain scenes across lengthy uncut takes-- finds its third iteration in "Before Midnight." It's a tour-de-force home run that will play like gangbusters in smart-house theaters all over the world and should mark a major Sundance sale orchestrated by Cinetic Media.

By Anne Thompson
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January 21, 2013 7:29 PM
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Sundance Review and Roundup: 'Ain't Them Bodies Saints'

Reviews

Writer-director David Lowery has been putting in his 10,000 hours over the past few years, working as an editor and cinematographer for hire on many micro-indie projects, as part of the growing multi-tasking barter indie culture. SXSW has championed the Texas filmmaker, playing his shorts and features; "Saint Nick" showed promise on a meager $6000 budget. His 2011 Sundance short "Pioneer" was a ramp-up to this feature film. Now he has collected all his chits and ideas in one exquisitely crafted neo-noir western, "Ain't Them Bodies Saints." The title was a misreading of an old American folk song; Lowery felt that it captured the right "classical, regional" feel, he said at the Saturday premiere press conference.