Thompson on Hollywood

Avatar's VFX Master: Weta Digital's Joe Letteri

People in Hollywood tend to put film directors up on pedestals, and as far as Avatar is concerned, Jim Cameron deserves to be up there. I'm calling nine Oscar nominations for Avatar. But its one sure-shot win will be Peter Jackson and Joe Letteri's Weta Digital team for Avatar's visual effects. What they accomplished in the The Lords of the Rings trilogy and King Kong changed the way movies are made. And so does Avatar, which will have a huge impact on movie FX to come, from Tintin to Gemini Man. Nothing, it seems, will be impossible to put on film anymore.

By Anne Thompson
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December 23, 2009 11:16 AM
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Trailer Watch: Sex and the City Meets Road to Morocco

In Sex and the City 2, set for May 28 release, Michael Patrick King takes the girls on the road to Morocco. Here's the trailer.

By Anne Thompson
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December 23, 2009 5:56 AM
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Fassbender Talks Fish Tank, Inglourious Basterds, Jane Eyre, Centurion, Jonah Hex

The second I saw Michael Fassbender's performance in Steve McQueen's Hunger, in which he starred as an IRA fighter on hunger strike, I knew the Irish actor would be a star.

By Anne Thompson
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December 23, 2009 12:26 AM
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Trailer Watch: District 13: Ultimatum Goes Parkour

In this sequel to District 13, police officer Damien Tomasso (Cyril Raffaell) reteams with ex-vigilante Leito (parkour master David Belle) to protect D13 from a group of corrupt officials looking to raze and redevelop the deteriorating area. Check out the hi-def trailer.

By Anne Thompson
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December 22, 2009 8:49 AM
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Bob Dylan Sings Christmas in the Heart

I like Bob Dylan's straight-ahead approach to holiday classics on his new album, Christmas in the Heart. Here's a Yahoo review, complete with recommendation for another Dylan approach to Christmas music:

By Anne Thompson
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December 22, 2009 8:21 AM
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Clip Watch: (500) Days of Summer

(500) Days of Summer's Joseph Gordon-Levitt (almost) dances up a storm in this music clip:

By Anne Thompson
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December 21, 2009 10:31 AM
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Year-End Tribute to 2009

By Anne Thompson
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December 18, 2009 7:23 AM
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Trailer Watch: Sundance-Bound The Runaways Stars Stewart and Fanning

The trailer is up for Sundance-bound rocker The Runaways starring New Moon co-stars Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie. The advance interest in this edgy indie at Sundance is huge.

By Anne Thompson
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December 17, 2009 9:03 AM
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Trailer Watch: Burton's Alice in Wonderland Stars Depp as the Mad Hatter

Tim Burton was born to direct Alice in Wonderland, and Johnny Depp in Tammy Faye makeup isn't bad casting as the Mad Hatter either. Here's the latest trailer. Yes, I know another studio is shamelessly exploiting a brand name. But this "package" I want to see. Burton took elements from both the Lewis Carroll classic and Through the Looking Glass, including lines and imagery from The Jabberwocky. Mia Wasikowska plays Alice, Stephen Fry voices the Cheshire Cat, Anne Hathaway is the White Queen and Michael Sheen is the White Rabbit. On this film, Burton is handling more CG effects and green screen than ever before. He doesn't do much mo-cap, mostly pure animation. Disney releases the film on March 5.