Thompson on Hollywood

Rachel Weisz Talks 'Deep Blue Sea,' Consuming Love [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO] UPDATE

Features

Rachel Weisz is a terrific actress at the height of her beauty and power who is trying to push good roles up the hill, with varying results, from "The Whistleblower" to "Agoura." (More mainstream thriller "Dream House" yielded husband Daniel Craig, but was not a critics' picture.) UPDATE: Now she has won Best Actress from the New York Film Critics Circle for her towering powrformance in "The Deep Bliue Sea."

By Anne Thompson
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December 3, 2012 3:08 PM
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Oscar Talk: Toronto and Telluride Update, from 'The Master' and 'Cloud Atlas' to 'Silver Linings Playbook'

Awards

Kris Tapley and I go over the Oscar race post-Toronto and Telluride, from Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" and Terrence Malick's "To the Wonder" to the fate of "Anna Karenina" and "Cloud Atlas." Neither of us liked "Hyde Park on Hudson" very much.

By Anne Thompson
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September 15, 2012 4:40 PM
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TIFF 11 Acquisitions Recap: Best Gross 'Salmon' at $9 million

Box Office

As acquisitions execs tally up their buys for Toronto Film Fest 2012, they would do well to note how the movies that were acquired here last year fared in release.

By Tom Brueggemann
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September 14, 2012 12:43 PM
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TIFF: Magnolia Acquires 'The Brass Teapot,' in which Temple and Angarano Strike Deal with Dishware

News

Magnolia Pictures has picked up distribution rights for "The Brass Teapot," starring Juno Temple and Michael Angarano, following the film's debut at TIFF. The black comedy follows a broke newlywed couple who discover a magical teapot that rewards physical pain with cash.

By Beth Hanna
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September 14, 2012 12:08 PM
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TIFF: Lionsgate/Roadside Nab Fourth Hot Fest Title

News

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions are jointly acquiring North American distribution rights to Joss Whedon’s quickie adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," which played well at the Toronto Film Festival. This is the latest buy from the two companies, which have been on a spree at this festival.

By Anne Thompson
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September 11, 2012 9:49 PM
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EXCLUSIVE: Oscilloscope Proceeds Full Steam Ahead, Says Owner Dechen Yauch

Festivals

Reports of indie distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories' imminent demise are premature. Oscilloscope ("Wendy and Lucy," "The Messenger,") has a team of eight people on the ground at the Toronto Film Festival this week, led by O-Scope veterans Dan Berger and David Laub, who acquired Matteo Garrone's Italian Cannes competition entry "Reality" in May,

By Anne Thompson
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September 11, 2012 4:36 PM
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TIFF DEAL WRAP: Focus Lands 'Place Beyond the Pines,' Strand Enters 'Paradise'

Festivals

Focus Features has landed U.S. rights to one of TIFF's hot acquisition titles which played well at its world premiere: the hardboiled drama "The Place Beyond the Pines," which is dominated first by Ryan Gosling and then Bradley Cooper. It's writer-director Derek Cianfrance's follow-up to "Blue Valentine," which also starred Gosling (and Oscar-nominated Michelle Williams), and was also produced by Lynette Howell and Jamie Patricoff's Electric City Entertainment and Alex Orlovsky's Verisimilitude.

By Anne Thompson
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September 9, 2012 5:39 PM
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Mads Mikkelsen Talks 'The Hunt' and 'Royal Affair'

Interviews

Danish star Mads Mikkelsen combines a rare set of skills: the athleticism of a trained dancer, acrobat and gymnast and the sensitivity of a theater actor. After graduating from drama school at age 30 he starred in fellow Dogma believer Nicolas Winding Refn's "Pusher" films, and later in the almost silent "Valhalla Rising" (he'd like to work with the director again). He broke out in two Susanne Bier films, "Open Hearts" and "After the Wedding," which earned an Academy Award nomination.

By Anne Thompson
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September 8, 2012 6:07 PM
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TIFF REVIEW: Opening Nighter 'Looper ' Delivers Sci-Fi Thrills-- and Depth

Reviews

You can throw out the old canard that you can usually skip the opening night Canadian film in Toronto. That's because the fest has wriggled free of having to book the latest tasteful film by a respected Canadian auteur. And Rian Johnson's "Looper" is a must-see hardboiled thriller for any cinephile--let's hope the good folks in Roy Thomson Hall can handle the bone-crunching violence.

By Anne Thompson
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September 6, 2012 11:32 AM
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TIFF Adds Gala, Special Screenings, Contemporary World Cinema and Wavelengths; 'A Song for Marion' Will Close Fest

Festivals

The Toronto International Film Festival has added more than 75 new titles to its expansive 2012 smorgasbord. The festival (September 6-16) will close with a Gala presentation of Andrew Williams' "A Song For Marion," starring Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp.