Thompson on Hollywood

Tarantino Promos Inglourious Basterds, Top 20 Films

First, Quentin Tarantino is one of the most entertaining people to be around, period. So put him on the campaign trail for a new movie and we get to enjoy the results. (Is he really going to do a Len Deighton movie? The Ipcress File gets my vote.)

By Anne Thompson
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August 18, 2009 7:07 AM
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Inglourious Basterds Premiere: Jolie & Pitt

Given that I'd already seen Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds twice, I blew off the L.A. premiere in favor of a family birthday dinner at El Cholo (Nora and Jake made red velvet cupcakes with white frosting). Luckily, there was plenty of other coverage. UPDATE: Here's Marc Malkin. And yes, Angelina wore black leather.

By Anne Thompson
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August 11, 2009 6:00 AM
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Inglourious Basterds: Recut, Nine Clips

Quentin Tarantino's recut of Inglourious Basterds is one minute longer than the Cannes version, and much improved. It's a gorgeous movie with a great eclectic soundtrack crammed with everything from Ennio Morricone to a brilliant use of David Bowie's "Putting Out the Fire." (Trivia question: what movie debuted that song?)

By Anne Thompson
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August 9, 2009 1:52 AM
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Risky Business: Comic-Con Comes of Age

Post-Twilight, Comic-Con comes of age. And yet, it can be risky to chase after that fan buzz. Memorable duds in Hall H include The Spirit and Zathura. When a movie isn't working, the fans sniff it out. But when it does--300 and Superman Returns are vivid examples--they turn up to see the movie in droves. How it plays in theaters is another matter. Watchmen was a hit in Hall H last year--but the good buzz didn't guarantee a wide appeal commercial movie.

By Anne Thompson
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July 21, 2009 6:45 AM
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Inglourious Basterds: Tarantino Adds One Minute, Thinks Prequel

Quentin Tarantino comes back to Michael Fleming with details on his final cut of Inglourious Basterds--one minute longer, or 2:32 including end credits--reminds that he had final cut up to 2:48, admits he listened to Universal's David Linde and TWC's Harvey Weinstein, who are both under pressure to deliver hits, but took his own course. As he told me in Cannes, he added a scene with the Brit soldiers played by Michael Fassbender and Mike Myers before the sequence at La Louisiane. He's not worried about adult films pulling audiences, and cites Public Enemies' strong opening as a positive sign. (Let's see the second weekend drop.) And Tarantino is seriously considering doing a Basterds prequel, with support from Brad Pitt. (That will require that audiences do show up to see the World War II flick, which has an unusual promo partner for a smart-house movie, Ultimate Fighting Championship.)

By Anne Thompson
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July 9, 2009 8:07 AM
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Tarantino Tweaking Basterds, Says Weinstein

My initial story was correct: Quentin Tarantino is not cutting the shit out of Inglourious Basterds. GQ grills Harvey Weinstein about the final cut:

By Anne Thompson
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June 24, 2009 6:29 AM
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Weinstein Co. Up Against the Wall

The real problem with The Weinstein Co. isn't the economy or debt restructuring issues, although that does not help. The Weinsteins are running out of time, because since they launched TWC in 2005 with plans for investor Goldman Sachs & Co. to raise $500 million in equity and $500 million in debt, they've been following an out-of-date business model. When Harvey says "we invented it," he's right. But that doesn't mean that the old Miramax model still works.

By Anne Thompson
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June 8, 2009 7:10 AM
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Cannes: Winners and Losers

Who came out ahead and behind on their Cannes jaunt this year?

By Anne Thompson
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May 31, 2009 3:02 AM
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Inglourious Basterds: Tarantino Talks

As Cannes wound down, writer-director Quentin Tarantino sat down for an interview about his long-awaited World War II opus, Inglourious Basterds. We talked about issues of structure, length and purpose:

By Anne Thompson
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May 23, 2009 7:37 AM
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Cannes Watch: Rocky Indie Terrain

There's considerable uncertainty heading toward Cannes this year. While the global theatrical market is strong, the indie sector is still fragile--and shrinking. With DVDs sinking and piracy on the rise, financeers and foreign sales agents don't know what's safe anymore. Many companies had coasted on funds they had already raised, but now reality is sinking in: new money is hard to find.