Thompson on Hollywood

Video: George R.R. Martin Interview on 'Game of Thrones'

Video

In this fascinating video interview, Hollywood screenwriter George R.R. Martin, born in Bayonne, New Jersey, talks about how he came to write the "Game of Thrones" books.

By Anne Thompson
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July 22, 2012 4:21 PM
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Now and Then: '360,' Another of Fernando Meirelles' Beautiful Disappointments

Reviews

Of all the sloppy descriptions in film criticism, "visceral" may be the most misleading. It's a frequent synonym for "loud," not to mention "flashy," "punishing," or "gory." What it almost never means is instinctive, earthy, and intestinal, so forthright it grabs you. Except, that is, when we're talking about Fernando Meirelles.

By Matt Brennan
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July 2, 2012 11:38 AM
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Writer-Director Nora Ephron Dies at 71 of Leukemia

News

Hollywood doesn't have enough sophisticated witty writers, much less writer-directors like Nora Ephron. She died after battling leukemia at age 71. Ephron was funny as hell. She was one of the few filmmakers who could craft believable, endearing and funny romantic comedies, a dying art.

By Anne Thompson
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June 26, 2012 9:29 PM
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INTERVIEW: Modern Gothic Master Seth Grahame-Smith Talks 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,' 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,' 'Dark Shadows'

Features

Novelist and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith is a gothic mash-up master. He broke the mold with a title that caught everyone's sensibilities hilariously off-guard: "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." On June 22nd, his adaptation of his own bestseller hits screens: producer Burton and director Timur Bekmambetov's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."

By Maggie Lange
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June 12, 2012 1:40 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Dissecting 'Prometheus' with Scripter Damon Lindelof and VFXers

Features

While it's not surprising that critics and journos are deeply divided over "Prometheus," it helps to have low expectations. In my case, I came away with more than I expected. I found Ridley Scott's return to sci-fi enthralling. He seems to have transcended the "Alien" universe by combining it with "Blade Runner."

By Bill Desowitz
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June 8, 2012 6:25 PM
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'Being John Malkovich' from Criterion: The Actor, The Geek, His Wife, and Her Lover

Reviews

Puppetry is control. So are acting, filing, and pet care. Each in its own way signals an attempt to make sense of the chaos that is lived experience, to grab hold of it and make it do what you want. And each, in "Being John Malkovich," director Spike Jonze's and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's exhilarating mind-meld, fails spectacularly.

By Matt Brennan
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May 14, 2012 12:53 PM
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EL James Does 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Promo Tour (Video)

Video

Curious about EL James, author of erotic fantasy fiction "Fifty Shades of Grey"? The Twihard, who started out writing "Twilight" fan fiction before penning her own trilogy (which has been bought for the movies, under her control, by Universal and Focus Features), has been on a promo tour as her three Vintage books have sold 3 million digital and print copies in less than a month and top the New York Times bestseller list. They are also bestsellers in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. Translated books are about to hit other countries too.

By Anne Thompson
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May 12, 2012 2:36 PM
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Trailer Watch: Pixar's 'Brave' Will Be One of the Summer's Top Performers

Video

Why isn't "Brave" showing at Cannes? Because it's set to open the Edinburgh Film Festival instead just after its June 22 stateside release. Pixar's 13th film and first fairy tale, "Brave," is sure to be yet another top box office performer by summer's end,

By Anne Thompson
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May 12, 2012 2:03 PM
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Austin Film Festival Announces 2012 Conference Panelists

Festivals

The Austin Film Festival & Conference continues its week-long exchange of ideas between industry icons and new visionaries with an impressive line-up of speakers and panelists for its 19th go-round, listed below.

By Maggie Lange
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May 2, 2012 10:09 AM
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Paul Rudnick Loves French Women

Features

You may remember Paul Rudnick from his years writing under the guise of Libby Gelman Waxner in Premiere, who wound up every piece with the line, "If you ask me." The playwright/screenwriter ("In and Out," "Addams Family Values") can be hilarious and has outdone himself in the current issue of The New Yorker...