Thompson on Hollywood

Meek's Cutoff: Professor Kelly Reichardt's Filmmaking 101 Primer

Kelly Reichardt teaches filmmaking at Bard College in New York, and writes and directs rigorous low-budget indie films on the side. Her latest, Meek's Cutoff, is even better than her last, Wendy and Lucy, which was better than Old Joy, which I found a tough slog. Star Michelle Williams may have made some of the difference on the last two, but perhaps in spite of herself, Reichardt's austere, thoughtful films are gaining accessibility as she goes along. In person, she's seriously charming. Herewith, Professor Reichardt's tips for making a good indie movie:

By Anne Thompson
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April 21, 2011 8:19 AM
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EW Movie Preview Shares Soundbites from Hollywood's Summer Stars

EW's Summer Movie Preview issue is out April 15. Here's just some of the buzz they share from Hollywood's stars:

By Sophia Savage
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April 14, 2011 5:53 AM
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Revivals: The Return of Schwarzenegger and the Western

Remakes and reboots are a dime a dozen these days, but roots run deeper for some more than others. Arnold Schwarzenegger, 63, is getting back to work. And having been pronounced dead, the western genre is being welcomed by a new generation in both classic and hybrid forms.

By Sophia Savage
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March 7, 2011 9:14 AM
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Rango, Adjustment Bureau, Beastly, Take Me Home Tonight, I Saw the Devil: Blockbuster Weekend?

2011 is due for its first blockbuster weekend. From Johnny Depp's animated Rango and Matt Damon and Emily Blunt's The Adjustment Bureau to teen flick Beastly, 80s throwback Take Me Home Tonight and Korean horror film I Saw the Devil, all the demographic bases are covered. We recommend Damon and Blunt's effortless on-screen chemistry, the wondrously imaginative Rango, and indie festival favorites Abel and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Film details, reviews and trailers are below.

By Sophia Savage
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March 4, 2011 8:30 AM
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Meek's Cutoff Early Reviews: "Beckettian Harshness," Williams Is "Show-Stealingly Brilliant"

Kelly Reichardt's austere western Meek's Cutoff hits theatres April 8. A roundup of early reviews is below.

By Anne Thompson
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March 3, 2011 6:25 AM
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Development Watch: Oscar Contenders at Work: Eisenberg & Leo, Brolin & Burton, Tarantino & Waltz

- With the award season wrapped, Oscar nominees and winners can get back to work. This summer, Best Actor nominee Jesse Eisenberg and Best Supporting Actress winner Melissa "F-Word" Leo will shoot Predisposed, an independent comedy about a drug-addict mom and her son, set on the day of his interview at Julliard and her enlistment in rehab, where she must arrive intoxicated in order to be admitted without health insurance. This is not a new role for Leo: a short of the same name went to Sundance in 2009. Philip Dorling and Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) wrote the script, and while Dorling directed the short, Nyswaner will direct the feature. 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan is rumored to be playing Leo's drug dealer.

By Sophia Savage
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March 1, 2011 7:00 AM
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Mark Your Ballots: Anne Thompson Predicts Oscar Winners

The Oscar polls closed on Tuesday at 5 PM. No more campaigning, lobbying or pitches for attention will make a difference now. It's all in the hands of the PriceWaterhousecooper counters, and will be revealed Sunday. Meanwhile the rest of us want to win our respective Oscar pools. This year, I must warn you, is tough to call. As Kris Tapley and I discuss in our latest Oscar Talk, there are plenty of sure-calls, but also several impossible-to-predict categories: documentary and foreign film, which are voted on by small groups who must prove that they've seen all the films, and supporting actress. The shorts are always a bit of a crap shoot too. Warning: I'm going out on a limb in a few categories, so when in doubt, choose the perceived frontrunner.

By Anne Thompson
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February 25, 2011 8:17 AM
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Trailer, Poster Watch: Williams in Meek's Cutoff, Brand vs. Mirren in Arthur, Biopic Soul Surfer

No one harbors any illusions that Kelly Reichardt's minimalist western Meek's Cutoff will be the next True Grit. And while Michelle Williams is by far the biggest name in a strong ensemble-- Bruce Greenwood, Paul Dano, Will Patton, Shirley Henderson and Zoe Kazan--she's hardly doing a showy star turn. But I admire this rigorous, dusty, austere road movie about pioneers who are lost and thirsty on their long trek west. If anything the movie reminds me of Gus Van Sant's under-appreciated desert epic Gerry. The new poster is designed by Marlene McCarty. Here's my Venice Fest review:

By Anne Thompson
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February 16, 2011 12:44 AM
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Oscar Watch: True Grit vs. Social Network, Bening vs. Portman

How quickly momentum shifts in the Oscar race after nominations reveal the lay of the land. Every single one of the Gurus 'O Gold who was voting for The Social Network to win best picture switched to The King's Speech. Wow.

By Anne Thompson
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January 28, 2011 5:50 AM
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Gender Watch: Uphill Battle for Heroines in the Marketplace, From True Grit to Sucker Punch

It's an uphill battle for teenage movie heroines these days, writes LAT's Rebecca Keegan, who argues that female protagonists traditionally "alienate" male audiences. But things are looking up with True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld and Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone. They are:"…the product of a film industry in which young women are infiltrating traditionally male genres like action films; female directors and producers are wielding increasing creative influence, and the culture is moving from a sexed-up, dumbed-down model of female adolescence to one marked by smarts, strength and scrap."