Thompson on Hollywood

Never Let Me Go Opens London Film Festival

Fox Searchlight is parceling out its fall line-up across various festivals. Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan is opening Venice and will likely play Telluride as well as Toronto. Now we learn that Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go is opening the the 54th BFI London Film Festival on October 13.

By Anne Thompson
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August 5, 2010 12:08 PM
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Jews on Film: A Serious Man and An Education; Polanski, Sellers

Jews are popping up all over. The Coens based A Serious Man, which is an affectionate yet scabrous portrait of Jewish suburban family life, on their 60s Minnesota upbringing. An Education's Nick Hornby relied on Lynn Barber's two-year old memoir and faithfully included the sleazy seducer played by Peter Sarsgaard, who is Jewish. Suffice it to say, he's a money-grubbing entrepreneur with less-than-impeccable values. Even Tim Blake Nelson includes the Jewish mafia in his midwestern comedy, Leaves of Grass, which recently played Toronto. And we must not leave out Quentin Tarantino's controversial contribution to Jewish cinema, the anti-Nazi World War II movie Inglourious Basterds, which was a sleeper summer hit. UPDATE: The NYT's A.O. Scott addresses Jewish history as interpreted by Tarantino and the Coens.

By Anne Thompson
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October 5, 2009 5:15 AM
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Sony Pictures Classics Acquires The Last Station

Sony Pictures Classics has added Telluride Film Festival hit The Last Station to its burgeoning 2009 slate of possible Oscar contenders. (Here's my Telluride feature on the movie.) The studio specialty subsidiary, which acquired North And Latin American rights, will push for Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer and James McAvoy for Oscar nominations.

By Anne Thompson
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October 2, 2009 2:51 AM
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Oscar Talk 2: Bright Star, An Education, The Road, Up in the Air

In Contention's Kris Tapley and I talk 0scars again post-Telluride (Up in the Air, An Education, Bright Star and The Road) and pre-Toronto. And we disagree this time!

By Anne Thompson
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September 12, 2009 10:13 AM
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Summer Wraps, Michael Moore, Fest Clips, Brit Wit, Remakes

Catching up after the holiday weekend and travel to and from fall film fests:

By Anne Thompson
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September 10, 2009 1:14 AM
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The Road Will Open November 25

The Weinstein Co. has been moving around the release date of The Road, trying to figure out what it has. Well, post-Venice and Telluride, where the film earned mostly glowing reviews, it looks like Harvey and Bob Weinstein are going for a holiday play after all on a prime awards season spot, November 25. (The movie carries the Dimension label.) TWC was going to go wide with the movie on October 16.

By Anne Thompson
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September 9, 2009 9:36 AM
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Paranormal Activity Gets Release

Israeli emigre Oren Peli's microbudget haunted house film Paranormal Activity is one scary movie. Thanks to producer Jason Blum, Paramount picked up the $11,000 movie after some re-cutting and has set a September 25 release. Paranormal Activity scared the bejeezus out of the crowds at last weekend's Telluride Film Festival. (It's five-review ranking on Rotten Tomatoes is 100% fresh.)

By Anne Thompson
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September 8, 2009 12:08 PM
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Telluride Wrap: Oscar Buzz for An Education, Up in the Air, The Road

Festivals

It was a solid if not stellar year at Telluride. Co-directors Tom Luddy and Gary Meyer persevered through the crazy economy by cutting back their budget (due to sponsor fall-offs) without sacrificing their high programming standards. "We made a commitment to figure out how to do more with less," says Meyer. After the well-publicized Into the Wild/Juno year of 2007, festival attendance broke records in 2008 but fell off slightly this year; passes sold more slowly, and absent sponsors didn't import the usual squads of corporate clients.

By Anne Thompson
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September 8, 2009 5:17 AM
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Telluride Update: Last Day

I've been running around seeing movies, doing interviews, attending the terrific Viggo Mortensen tribute and going to various social events with filmmakers. IFC and SPC held back-to-back dinners Saturday night, while Sunday night the Steinbergs hosted their annual closing night bash.

By Anne Thompson
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September 7, 2009 4:34 AM
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Telluride Watch: Up in the Air Will Fly

Folks lined up for two hours on a rainy Telluride Saturday to get into Up in the Air. Hundreds were turned away. Writer-director Jason Reitman (and obsessive airline mile collector) played the crowd like a pro, hoping that the movie would live up to their expectations. He didn't need to worry. The director, who debuted Juno here two years ago at the same theater, delivers a winner. Loosely based on Walter Kirn's novel, Reitman's updated movie, which he started working on six years ago, has become, with the economic downturn, far more timely. It's a witty, charming and moving exploration of a world we all recognize.