Thompson on Hollywood

Toronto Wrap: Best of Fest, Oscar Boosts, Winners and Losers

The trick with the fall film festivals is to gauge expectations going in vs. what was actually achieved. Various distributors launched their fall slates, and watched with pleasure or horror at how their movies were received by audiences and critics. Oscar contenders either moved forward in the awards race, or were pushed back. Other indies hoped their films would be picked up by the right distributor in time for this year's Oscar race. Some were, some weren't. It's tough for films that have already debuted at other festivals to pick up new momentum, although the press will bank features for release. The biggest noise goes to the new players, always.

By Anne Thompson
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September 21, 2011 7:04 AM
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Oscar Talk Post-Telluride, Pre-Toronto: Descendants, Shame, Dangerous Method, Albert Nobbs

In Contention's Kris Tapley and I hit a timing snag on Oscar Talk this week, with him three hours behind in Los Angeles and me traveling to the Toronto Fest. We grabbed a shortish Oscar Talk nonetheless, and a cantankerous one, as we disagree on everything, it seems, except the exciting prospect of Eddie Murphy as Oscar host. We can promise you a longer one next week, when we will have seen even more films. We are both bullish on Alexander Payne's The Descendants, argue over Glenn Close's Albert Nobbs, Steve McQueen's Shame and David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method.

By Anne Thompson
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September 9, 2011 6:57 AM
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Venice Film Festival, Day One: George Clooney's Ides of March is a Winner, Review and Fest Preview

The Venice Biennale got off to a strong start with The Ides of March, reports London-based TOH correspondent David Gritten:How perfect a choice was George Clooney’s The Ides of March to open the Venice Film Festival today? Let us count the ways. Firstly, this political thriller fits Venice like a silk glove. It’s smart, sophisticated and politically astute, written with a shrewd intelligence and featuring stars (Clooney himself, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei) who offer Hollywood glamour while engaging in work that’s more than a cut above routine Hollywood product. The Ides of March also offers two terrific supporting performances from Grade-A character actors (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giammatti), doing the kind of work that makes European critics and audiences sit up and take notice.

By David Gritten
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August 31, 2011 2:54 AM
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Fall Fest Trailer Watch: From Hysteria and Dangerous Method to Anonymous and Scorsese's Harrison

We're collecting trailers from films coming up on the fall fest circuit. A smattering is below.

By Jacob Combs
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August 18, 2011 6:38 AM
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NYFF: Cronenberg's Dangerous Method and Almodovar's Skin I Live In Added to Galas

Auteurs David Cronenberg and Pedro Almodovar are joining the line-up of the 49th New York Film Festival line-up with two new galas. Both are edgy sexually transgressive dramas from Sony Pictures Classics, which is also releasing the opening night film Carnage. Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, starring Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley, will debut at Venice, play NYFF October 5 and open in theaters November 23. Almodovar's The Skin I Live In, starring Antonio Banderas, played to mixed reaction at Cannes and will open October 14, right after its gala on October 12.

By Anne Thompson
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August 15, 2011 4:50 AM
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On The Road: Director Walter Salles' Secret Second Road Trip with Garrett Hedlund

Jerry Cimino, founder and curator of The Beat Museum, delves into the saga that lead to finally getting Jack Kerouac's On The Road adapted to film. His article reveals that after shooting the film from August through December of 2010, director Walter Salles and star Garrett Hedlund went on the road together with the film's '48 Hudson and a crew of five in April 2011. No one else in the cast (which includes Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Steve Buscemi, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Alice Braga and Elisabeth Moss) knew about this trip, part of Salles' "quest for authenticity." Here is an excerpt from the article and this photo, courtesy of HuffPost.

By Sophia Savage
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July 14, 2011 8:23 AM
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Oscar Talk Mid-Summer Outlook: New Rules, Midnight in Paris, Streep vs. Close

Kris Tapley and I reconvened over Skype for a mid-summer Oscar Talk (below). We covered quite a bit of ground. New Academy rules affect the top ten best picture ballot, VFX, documentaries and animation, but not foreign eligibility. New members may tip the scale as well on a more mainstream selection.

By Anne Thompson
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July 8, 2011 5:08 AM
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Trailer Watch: Cronenberg's Official Dangerous Method Trailer

Sony Pictures Classics scooped up U.S. rights to David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method last week and now has released the official trailer, below. Produced by Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor), the film, which is in post-production, stars Viggo Mortenson as Sigmund Freud and Keira Knightley as the unbalanced patient of Freud’s protege, ambitious young psychiatrist Karl Jung (Michael Fassbender). Vincent Cassel co-stars as another patient who pushes the rival shrinks apart. More detail below.

By Anne Thompson
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June 21, 2011 7:58 AM
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Sony Pictures Classics Nabs Cronenberg's Dangerous Method

Ahead of an expected fall fest circuit run for David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired US rights from UK foreign sales company Hanway Films. Produced by Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor), the film, which is in post-production, stars Viggo Mortenson as Sigmund Freud and Keira Knightley as the unbalanced patient of Freud's protege, ambitious young psychiatrist Karl Jung (Michael Fassbender). Vincent Cassel co-stars as another patient who pushes the rival shrinks apart.

By Anne Thompson
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June 16, 2011 7:36 AM
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Production Watch, Part I: Rapace & Fassbender for Prometheus, Stewart & Mortensen for Snow White

- The Alien prequel now known as Ridley Scott's Prometheus is getting an early summer 2012 release: June 8. Scott is working with Damon Lindelof (Cowboys & Aliens, Lost) on revising the original script by Jon Spaihts from Scott's original concept. Much of the plot in unknown, but Scott has confirmed "Alien DNA" will be in the genome of Prometheus. Noomi Rapace will star with Michael Fassbender (sorry, Snow White and the Huntsman, you lost him).