Thompson on Hollywood

'Anna Karenina' Early Review: Visually Splendid, Audacious, Swoony Epic Romance Heads for Oscars

Reviews

The startling new adaptation of Tolstoy’s great novel "Anna Karenina," with Keira Knightley in the title role, is . as visually splendid as any studio epic, even if it plays with audience expectations of what lavish looks like. It’s a respectable adaptation of a huge story, encompassing a wealth of ideas; yet it also has the direct, heartfelt appeal of what Hollywood once called ‘a women’s picture.’

By David Gritten
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September 2, 2012 7:00 PM
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Venice: 'To The Wonder' Press Conference - Kurylenko Feels Telepathic Connection to Malick

Festivals

In the absence of Terrence Malick (naturally…), Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem and Rachel McAdams, it was left to Olga Kurylenko to fly the flag for "To The Wonder" at the film's Venice press conference, alongside producers Sarah Green and Nicolas Gonda and Italian co-star Romina Mondello.

By Matt Mueller
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September 2, 2012 6:32 PM
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VENICE: 'The Master' Press Conference; Cruise & Anderson Still Friends

Festivals

Despite an enthusiastic reception as he entered the room, Paul Thomas Anderson held up his reputation as elusive prey at "The Master" press conference in Venice, and his two stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix were happy to fall in step behind him. In fact, Phoenix barely said a word, dragging on a cigarette, offering a couple of mumbling replies and even leaving the room for a spell. But there were still nuggets to be gleaned.

By Matt Mueller
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September 2, 2012 10:56 AM
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VENICE REVIEW: Anderson's 'The Master' Impresses and Befuddles; Phoenix & Hoffman Both Outstanding

Reviews

What has Paul Thomas Anderson wrought with “The Master”? A film that’s majestic and masterly if not a masterpiece, which draws sustenance from masters of the past, filmic, literary and artistic, and is pinioned by two colossal characters as it recounts the early, stuttering formation of a Scientology-style self-help belief system.

By Matt Mueller
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September 1, 2012 11:16 AM
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Venice Film Festival: Spike Lee Rocks the Biennale with 'BAD25'

Reviews

Venice is buzzing this year with superb documentaries from high-profile film figures. Jonathan Demme’s “Enzo Avitabile Music Life” was a spirited portrait of the Neopolitan singer-songwriter who may not be widely known but whose zeal, talent and exhilarating performances with other figures in his field had me reappraising my assumptions about that woollily defined genre called world music; and more on Sarah Polley’s revelatory “Stories We Tell” later. But it was Spike Lee who rocked the Lido today with his rousing, passionate, breathlessly paced and frequently moving paean to Michael Jackson, which focuses intently on the creative process that went into generating the songs and videos for his third album, BAD – an album which spawned some of the greatest pop hits of all time, including its title track, ‘Man In The Mirror’ and ‘Smooth Criminal’.

By Matt Mueller
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August 31, 2012 1:44 PM
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Venice Trailer: 'The Iceman' Stars Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, and Many Gunshots

Video

"The Iceman" stars Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road," "Boardwalk Empire") as a notorious hit man - responsible for the death of 100 men associated with different crime rings around New York. While his career provides the action, his split from his family life provides the drama: the devoted father and husband managed to keep his career a secret from his wife (Winona Ryder) and children over the decades he acted as a brutal mercenary.

By Maggie Lange
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August 30, 2012 7:46 PM
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Venice Review: ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ - Muscularly Charismatic, But Exasperating

Reviews

Before its unveiling, some found “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” a peculiar choice as Venice opener by new artistic director Alberto Barbera, even taking into account Mira Nair’s history here (the Indian-born, New York-based filmmaker won the Golden Lion with “Monsoon Wedding” in 2001)...

By Matt Mueller
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August 30, 2012 10:53 AM
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Venice Days' Spotlight on Female Filmmakers: 'Womens Tales' in Conversation with Nair, Bier & Cavani

Festivals

The Venice International Film Festival's Venice Days kicks off its ninth edition with "Women's Tales," featuring four short films by young female directors: Zoe Cassavetes, Lucrecia Martel, Giada Colagrande and Massy Tadjedin.

By Sophia Savage
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August 28, 2012 12:58 PM
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Sony Pictures Classics Takes Redford's Venice & Toronto Bound 'The Company You Keep'

News

Sony Pictures Classics has taken U.S. rights to Robert Redford's upcoming Weather Underground drama "The Company You Keep." The movie boasts an impressive cast: Redford, Shia LeBeouf, Julie Christie, Brendan Gleeson, Terence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Brit Marling, Stanley Tucci, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, and Susan Sarandon.

By Sophia Savage
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August 24, 2012 12:56 PM
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Visit the Lido Without Spending the Big Bucks: Ten Venice Features to Stream Online

Festivals

For the first time in the history of the Venice Film Festival (August 29-September 8), 10 features films and 13 short films from the Orizzonti section of the fest will be available for streaming all over the world, concurrent with the films' debuts on the Lido.