Thompson on Hollywood

Venice: David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method Review and Press Conference

David Gritten reviews David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method from the Venice Film Festival. It's a rave. David Cronenberg brought his Freud-Jung movie A Dangerous Method to Venice today, and received an enthusiastic reception from a packed press screening. Stars Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley joined him on the press conference, along with his long-time collaborator, producer Jeremy Thomas and co-stars Vincent Cassel and Sarah Gadon.

By David Gritten
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September 2, 2011 6:06 AM
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In the No, Run-Up to Telluride: The Show from Swinton and Clooney to Veloso and Waters

We have several folks covering festivals this year--David Gritten and The Playlist are in Venice while Meredith Brody and I are in Telluride--along with Eugene Hernandez, who's covering for indieWIRE. Here's Meredith's first missive:Part of the appeal and the mystique of the Telluride Film Festival, aka the Show, is that you’re buying a pig in a poke. Since the Festival doesn’t release any of its program, whether new titles, tributes, or revivals, in advance, you have to trust in its distinguished reputation -- as Roger Ebert has memorably written, “[It’s] like Cannes died and went to heaven…” -- and take a leap into the void.

By Meredith Brody
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September 2, 2011 3:44 AM
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Another Trip to the Moon with Méliès: Behind the Digital Restoration of VFX Landmark

While waiting for Hugo (Nov. 23), Martin Scorsese's 3-D valentine to Georges Méliès, TOH columnist Bill Desowitz writes a fascinating account of how digital advances made possible the painstaking restoration of the first movie blockbuster from the father of special effects, A Trip to the Moon (1902). The new version of the landmark 14-minute short, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, will screen at Telluride this weekend and at the Academy's Goldwyn Theater on Tuesday. What a way to mark the 150th anniversary of Méliès's birth.

By Bill Desowitz
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September 2, 2011 3:35 AM
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Oscar Talk: Venice and Telluride, Carnage, Ides of March, W.E., Contagion, The Artist

In Contention's Kris Tapley is here in Telluride with me, while Guy Lodge is in Venice. We all got on Skype for this week's Oscar Talk, which delves into early reaction to Venice titles from George Clooney (The Ides of March), Madonna (W.E) and Roman Polanski Carnage and a movie Kris and I saw in L.A., Steven Soderbergh's Contagion, as well as Cannes title The Artist, which is showing in Telluride. Friday Kris and I should get a crack at The Descendants, Martin Scorsese's George Harrison doc and Albert Nobbs, starring Glenn Close.

By Anne Thompson
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September 2, 2011 3:00 AM
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Telluride 2011: Lineup Includes Descendants, Albert Nobbs, Dangerous Method and The Artist

Festivals

The annual LA to Montrose charter flight was packed with the usual suspects Thursday (plus first-timers Tilda Swinton and Penelope Ann Miller), who opened up their copies of The Telluride Watch, one per seat, and eagerly checked out the line-up.

By Anne Thompson
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September 1, 2011 10:38 AM
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Oscar Watch: War Horse, Ides of March, The Artist Lead Early Gurus 'O Gold Top Ten

In advance of the coming festival season, the Gurus 'O Gold have made their first picks of the ten top contenders for best picture nominations. Here's my top ten list--with many of the films sight unseen (the Gurus list is on the jump). 1. The Artist2. Jane Eyre3, Midnight in Paris4. The Tree of Life5. War Horse6. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close7. The Help 8. Moneyball9. The Ides of March10. Carnage

By Anne Thompson
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August 24, 2011 5:45 AM
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Fest Update: J. Edgar, Margaret, Marigold Hotel To Skip Fall Fests, Twixt to Deauville

Clint Eastwood's period biopic J. Edgar (November 9), starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the famed FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, is bypassing the fall fest circuit, according to the Toronto Star's Peter Howell. Eastwood and Warner Bros. decided to take the Lance Black-scripted film, which co-stars Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts and Josh Lucas, straight to the theaters and skip the two fests, which both showed Hereafter last year.

By Anne Thompson
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August 8, 2011 12:20 PM
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Moving Fest Slots For Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, J. Edgar; Young Adult Bypasses Circuit

Here's the new poster for Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which Focus Features is opening November 18 after its debut in Venice, which is timed before its European release in September. That's the reason why the film isn't in the Toronto Film Fest line-up. There's speculation that the film might turn up as a centerpiece gala or closing night offering at the New York Film Festival, along with Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio (October 21). There's still time for these potential Oscar contenders to jockey for prime fest positions at the four fall fests, Venice, Toronto, New York and Telluride, which keeps its selection a secret until the last possible minute. Angelenos who take the Charter from LAX to Montrose, Colorado at the start of the Labor Day weekend are handed the schedule as they board the plane.

By Anne Thompson
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August 1, 2011 7:02 AM
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Telluride Film Festival: Last Call for Submissions this July; Fest Runs September 2-5

The Telluride Film Festival issues its last call for 2011 submissions. The deadlines to submit to this class-act four-day festival over Labor Day weekend (September 2-5) are:SHORTS AND STUDENT FILMS DEADLINE: FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2011 FEATURES DEADLINE: FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2011

By Sophia Savage
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June 29, 2011 8:07 AM
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Telluride Film Festival Guest Director is Brazilian Singer Caetano Veloso

The guest director for the 38th Telluride Film Festival is Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso. He'll curate a special program for the four-day Labor Day weekend festival. I've seen Veloso in concert; I can't wait to see what he comes up with. Attendees at the Colorado Rocky Mountain fest won't find out the program until they arrive on opening day September 2.