Thompson on Hollywood

LAFF: 'Short Term 12,' 'Crash Reel,' Indiewire Influencers Rock the Regal

Anne Thompson — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:54:05 GMT

I'm getting used to schlepping downtown on Olympic to LAFF and laying down my 8 bucks for parking at LA Live. The theaters at Regal Cinemas were packed for two fest hits, Destin Cretton's SXSW prize-winner "Short Term 12" and Lucy Walker's Sundance entry "Crash Reel," which brought a standing ovation for snowboarder Kevin Pearce. At the "Short Term 12" dinner at Church and State, I met John Gallagher, star of "The Newsroom," who jumped on board Cretton's superb movie on the strength of the script. For the most part he and co-star Brie Larson, who breaks out in this role, stuck to Cretton's screenplay, which was expanded from his short film, although they both credit their young co-stars for keeping them on their toes. Our interview with Cretton is here. Gallagher says that during the first season on "Newsroom," there was little awareness about the way women were treated on the series. He was surprised by the strong reaction about gender roles, and believes that creator...

Obit: Documentary Filmmaker Dennis O'Rourke (1945-2013)

Anne Thompson — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:54:11 GMT

The great Australian documentary filmmaker Dennis O'Rourke has died at 67. His often controversial documentaries on the human condition include "Half Life: A Parable for the Nuclear Age" (1985) "Cannibal Tours" (1988) and "The Good Woman of Bangkok" (1991) and "Cunnamulla" (2000), see trailers below. Many of his films, often dealing with decolonization, were shown on the international festival circuit, including the Sundance Film Festival. Pat Fiske, a fellow Australian documentarian, wrote of her colleague: The friends and colleagues of Dennis O’Rourke are deeply saddened by the death of one of the greatest documentary makers of his generation. Dennis died of cancer on June 15 in his home in Cairns surrounded by his partner Tracey Spring and his five children, Bill, Davy, Celia, Xavier and Sophie. His unique cinematic style defied conventional narrative and notions of objective reality in pursuit of larger truths about the...

AFI Docs Announces Policy Engagement Program; Documentary Filmmakers Meet with Policy Makers to Maximize Impact

Beth Hanna — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:12:55 GMT

AFI Docs presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) has announced their inaugural Policy Engagement Program, where filmmakers making social-issues documentaries connect with policy makers to maximize their impact on the issues their films cover. The program will take place in Washington D.C. on June 20; panelists and full schedule below.Filmmakers have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with Congressional Members and staff from regions and committees as well as Federal agencies related to their films. The filmmakers of "Gideon's Army," "I Learned America," "Best Kept Secret," "The Crash Reel" and "Lost for Life" were selected for personalized, targeted pro bono advocacy support by leading advocates.The Bi-partisan panelists include former and current staffers from the house, senate, administration and prominent NGOs, most of whom have experience working with filmmakers.JUNE 20, 2013 SCHEDULE:10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Film and Politics Boot camp10:00 a.m. Campaigns and...

LAFF Review: Joe Burke's 'Four Dogs' Is Breezy Buddy Showbiz Comedy with Bite (TRAILER)

Ryan Lattanzio — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:01:13 GMT

While micro-budget, plotless indies about sad sack dudes and their lonely lives are old hat at a time when anyone can pick up a camera and shoot, Joe Burke's "Four Dogs," a narrative competition LAFF world premiere, stands a cut above as a portrait of two emotionally impotent man-children.A prolific director of short films for nearly a decade, Burke makes his theatrical feature debut with this easy, breezy comedy about a pair of hapless guys drifting aimlessly through existence. Moving at a leisurely, episodic pace, the film captures the meandering sway of life as an low-on-luck actor in Los Angeles. Burke funded the film via family and friends and shot it at the San Fernando Valley home of leading man Oliver Cooper (who played a pervy party animal in "Project X"). He's well-cast as adrift and astray 22-year-old Oliver, who leads a deadbeat life at his chain-smoking aunt's house, wasting his days taking care of her four yappy dogs,...

Watch: Young Natalie Portman's Original Audition Tape for Luc Besson's 'Leon: The Professional'

Beth Hanna — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:18:53 GMT

Check out Natalie Portman's original audition tape for Luc Besson's "Leon: The Professional." In the video, an 11-year-old Portman reads a number of the lines that she would eventually say in the 1994 film as Mathilda, the pre-teen taken in by assassin Leon (Jean Reno) after the murder of her family in a police raid. Watch below. Hat tip: The Playlist.

Will Movie Star James Franco Face Blowback for Seeking $500,000 in Crowdfunding to Adapt His Short Stories to Film?

Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:33:49 GMT

James Franco, ever the multi-tasker willing to try something new, has latched on to the crowdfunding trend. He's seeking $500,000 from backers on Indiegogo to adapt his own book of short stories, entitled "Palo Alto," into a trilogy of films. It's important to note that Indiegogo allows for "flexible funding" -- i.e. a project receives whatever is raised by its deadline, regardless of whether it meets its fundraising goal. Franco has enlisted several emerging filmmakers (including Nina Ljeti, Vladimir Bourdeau, Bruce Thierry Cheung and Gabriel Demestree) to turn the book of short stories into a series of films. No word on whether Franco will direct. So the question is: Will Franco receive the same negative reaction as fellow famous crowdfunder Zach Braff? The argument can be made--Emily Best of Seed and Spark made it Monday night at the Los Angeles Film Festival's Indiewire Influencers reception-- that it's not the fans who give money to these projects who are angry, but the...

Watch: First Full Episode of Showtime's New Series 'Ray Donovan,' Starring Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight

Beth Hanna — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:29:11 GMT

Showtime's new original series, "Ray Donovan," debuts on June 30 following the series finale of "Dexter." But the cabler is giving you the option of watching the first episode right now. The show stars Liev Schreiber as a fixer for L.A.'s upper class whose life is thrown into turmoil when his father (Jon Voight) is released from prison. "Southland" creator Ann Biderman is behind the new series, with Allen Coulter ("Hollywoodland," "The Sopranos") helming the pilot. Based on the first episode, does "Ray Donovan" look promising? It didn't fare so well on Entertainment Weekly's Bullseye feature in the June 21 issue ("The only thing professional fixer Ray Donovan should be repairing is his new TV show"); yet the Hollywood Reporter has given it a score of 100 on Metacritic.

LAFF: Forest Whitaker's JuntoBox Films Announces Greenlight of Fifth Feature, 'The Driver'

Beth Hanna — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:00:01 GMT

Tuesday at the Los Angeles Film Festival, JuntoBox Films, a collaborative film studio chaired by Forest Whitaker, announced the greenlight of the company's fifth feature film: "The Driver." Whitaker was recently named one of Indiewire's Influencers for his founding of JuntoBox and Significant Productions. Alex Ardenti is attached to direct. Penned by George Richards, the film centers on a down-on-his-luck boxer who agrees to be the driver for a heist. Things go wrong, and he's left with a dead partner and a bag full of cash. The boxer unwisely decides to keep half of the take for himself, but is found out by his employer, who gives him the ultimatum: Kill or be killed. The concept behind JuntoBox is for fans and filmmakers to connect and create films, merging the collobaration of a social platform with traditional in-house film production. It will be selecting its next slate of films from various genres over the coming months: comedy in August, action/sci-fi in September and...

LAFF Review: Lake Bell's 'In a World' a Hilarious Feminist Comedy About the Power of Voice

Beth Hanna — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:12:48 GMT

What’s in a voice? Power, for one thing. The power to tell people things -- anything from an update on a global crisis to the general gist of a young adult movie franchise. This idea is at the center of Lake Bell’s hilarious, sincere and boldly feminist comedy “In a World,” which she wrote, directed and stars in. Carol (Bell) is a vocal coach eking out a living in Los Angeles. She’s in the shadow of her father, Sam Soto (Fred Melamed), one of the bigwigs in the field of movie-trailer voiceovers, a profession Carol would love to break into if it weren’t so male-dominated and if Dad weren’t so offhandedly unsupportive of her ambitions. But when she wins a gig voicing the preview for a “children’s romantic comedy” (ha!), and then another and another, Carol starts to think she might have some traction in a world where those very words -- “In a World” -- are always intoned by men. Bell is a warm and winning presence in the film, and supported by a well-cast array of funny...

Review: Tragi-Comedy 'Act of Killing' Confronts the Killer Inside (TRAILER)

Tom Christie — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:43:00 GMT

With his documentary festival hit "The Act of Killing," which just screened at LAFF, Joshua Oppenheimer has reset the bar for tragi-comedy. As in, don’t even bother trying, Hollywood. Ever again. In fact, why don’t we just dispense with next year’s Oscar race right now and give both the best documentary and the best feature award to this film? It even has a musical within it, so it could take that category at the Globes, too. Drafthouse opens the movie limited on July 19. "The Act of Killing" is so disturbing on so many levels, it’s difficult to know where – and how -- to begin. It opens with one of the most beautiful images you’ll ever see, a building in the shape of a fish with a line of Indonesian women in fluorescent pink dancing out of its mouth. Two intense hours later the film ends with one of the most banal images you’ll ever see, but one preceded by a scene so harrowing, so deeply wrenching, it defies description. In between is like a ride to Hell in...

San Francisco Film Society Announces 13 Finalists for Documentary Film Fund Awards

Beth Hanna — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:39:01 GMT

The San Francisco Film Society has announced the 13 finalists for the 2013 SFFS Documentary Film Fund awards totaling $100,000, which support feature-length documentary films in post-production. Finalists were selected from more than 200 applicants; full list below. The winners will be announced in late July. More info on the film funds is here.2013 DOCUMENTARY FILM FUND FINALISTS:Above All Else — John Fiege, director/producerAbove All Else is the remarkable story of how one man’s struggle to protect his family from the Keystone XL pipeline transformed the fight against climate change in America. For more information visit aboveallelsefilm.com. Art and Craft — Jennifer Grausman and Sam Cullman, co-director/producersExamining the curious story of a prolific art forger who isn't in it for the money—but chooses instead to donate his work to museums—Art and Craft uncovers one of the most intriguing cases of deception in art history. Filmed at the moment his ruse is exposed,...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Has Scarlett Johansson Meet the Parents in New Clip for 'Don Jon' (VIDEO)

Beth Hanna — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:20:19 GMT

A first red-band clip has been released for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut, "Don Jon." In the clip, Gordon-Levitt's Jon introduces his comely new girlfriend, Barbara (Scarlett Johansson, showing off a funny Jersey accent), to his parents. Needless to say, Dad (played by Tony Danza) is impressed. Watch below. The comedy deals with the uncomfortable subject of porn addiction. Jon's the one with the dirty habit, at odds with Barbara's romantic Hollywood fantasies. Julianne Moore, Brie Larson and Rob Brown also star. Here's a more in-depth synopsis:Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a strong, handsome, good old fashioned guy. His buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to “pull” a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn’t compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography. Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson) is a bright, beautiful, good old fashioned girl. Raised on romantic Hollywood movies, she’s determined...

Indiewire Launches Its First-Ever Influencers List: The 40 Names Who Are Changing Independent Film

Beth Hanna — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:10:52 GMT

Indiewire has posted its first-ever Influencers list, dedicated to the 40 people and companies who, in the words of editor-in-chief Dana Harris, "have captured our attention as we watch them try to figure out what the independent film industry is today and, more importantly, what it will become." The list is broken down into five categories, all unranked: The Brokers, the Curators, the Creators, the Shapeshifters and the Early Adopters. The process in selecting the 40 names came from asking people across the industry who they thought were influencing business right now. Not just the individuals and companies who have proven that they can get it right, but also those bold enough to risk getting it wrong in the name of doing something new. Included on the list are names as disparate as the Weinstein Co. boutique label RADiUS, Tugg's Nicolas Gonda, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "Veronica Mars," Megan Ellison, the Alamo Drafthouse's Tim League and Ava DuVernay. Be sure to peruse the entire...

The Hitchcock 9 Kicks Off at San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Meredith Brody — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:50:35 GMT

Alfred Hitchcock, one of the first directors to establish his personality as a brand, has always been a part of the zeitgeist. The most famous director is having a very good year. It was just last August that his 1958 film "Vertigo" displaced "Citizen Kane" at the pinnacle of the every-ten-year list of the greatest movies ever made conducted by the venerable British magazine "Sight and Sound." And his personal life -- his fetish for the cool blonde whose refined appearance masks vivid sexuality -- inspired two movies, HBO's "The Girl," with Toby Jones as the master and Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren, and "Hitchcock," starring Anthony Hopkins as Hitch, Helen Mirren as a reimagined Alma Hitchcock, and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh. (At least if you believe that, as long as you spell his name right, it's good publicity. Otherwise we might not count "The Girl" and "Hitchcock" in the plus column.) Certainly the carefully-orchestrated release of his nine...

Watch: Pitt Talks 'World War Z' on Good Morning America, Says Jolie Back to "Business As Usual" Following Surgery

Beth Hanna — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:24:24 GMT

Brad Pitt appeared on "Good Morning America" today, chatting with George Stephanopoulos about his upcoming "World War Z" (June 21), and also discussing Angelina Jolie's decision earlier this year to undergo a preventative double mastectomy. Pitt says Jolie is resilient following the surgery: "Business as usual." Watch below. Pitt has been on the promo trail for the zombie apocalypse film, making surprise appearances at various pop-up screenings around the country; his tour is also international, telling Stephanopoulos that the next country he'll visit is Russia. Jolie's eloquent New York Times piece about her decision to undergo surgery is here. Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.

LACMA's 2013 Art + Film Gala to Honor Martin Scorsese and Artist David Hockney

Beth Hanna — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:21:15 GMT

LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, will honor on Saturday, November 2 director Martin Scorsese and artist David Hockney for its 2013 Art + Film Gala. Also being celebrated is the first collaboration between Scorsese's Film Foundation, LACMA and the Annenberg Foundation to preserve four films by French auteur Agnes Varda. Now in its third year, the Gala is co-chaired by Leonardo DiCaprio and LACMA trustee Eva Chow, and notables from the art, film, fashion and entertainment industries will unite for the evening. DiCaprio has starred in a number of Scorsese's films, including the upcoming "The Wolf of Wall Street," set to hit theaters in November (trailer here).

Trailers from Hell: Mick Garris on Tobe Hooper's 'Poltergeist'

Trailers From Hell — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:56:22 GMT

Mick Garris' House of Horrors kicks off this week at Trailers from Hell, with director Garris introducing Tobe Hooper's 1982 film, "Poltergeist.""They're he-eere!" Hooper's fifth feature was his biggest to date, produced on a grand scale by co-writer Steven Spielberg the same year he made ET. Its critical and boxoffice success was undercut by persistent rumors that Spielberg had co-opted the film much like Howard Hawks did with Christian Nyby (on The Thing) and shadow-directed, a claim both filmmakers denied. The untimely deaths of several people connected with the production gave rise in some quarters to the claim the franchise was somehow "cursed". Followed by Poltergest II: The Other Side and Poltergeist III, neither of which involved Spielberg or Hooper.

WATCH: First Trailer for Scorsese's 'Wolf of Wall Street,' Starring DiCaprio, McConaughey and Hill

Beth Hanna — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:38:46 GMT

The first trailer for Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" has landed. The Paramount film, set to hit theaters November 15 in time for Oscar season, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a hard-living stockbroker, along with Matthew McConaughey--on a roll these days as "Mud" kicks ass across the country--Kyle Chandler and Jonah Hill. The film is based on the memoirs by Jordan Belfort, who recounts his rise and fall in the 1980s Wall Street financial scene. The adaptation is penned by Terence Winter ("Boardwalk Empire"). The trailer is set to the raucous new Kanye West song, "Black Skinhead."

Arthouse Audit: 'Bling Ring' Continues Strong Specialized Openings; 'Before Midnight' Disappoints in Expansion

Tom Brueggemann — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:29:19 GMT

Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring" is the latest in a series of solid performers among limited specialized openings, joining "Frances Ha," "Before Midnight" and "Much Ado About Nothing" as above-average grossers. None of these have reached the initial levels that both "Spring Breakers" and "The Place Above the Pines" did, and "Before Midnight" in its early expansion is unlikely to beat those films, or what "Mud" achieved on a wider scale. Last year's successes at this time of the year -- "Moonrise Kingdom" and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" -- wound up grossing more than twice the total of any recent release. Although some of these initial grosses show promise, they have little breakout potential. Whatever the reasons -- too much competition from studio films, too many specialized films in the market at one time, films going out too quickly, or less playability -- the soft specialized market is causing serious concerns among both exhibitors and distributors in terms of overall...

'Man of Steel' Hits Its Marks; 'This Is the End' Is Counterprogramming Hit

Tom Brueggemann — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 18:12:27 GMT

Last week Steven Spielberg predicted that the movie business could soon implode-- speaking to film students at USC with George Lucas--should a handful huge-budgeted films flop at the same time. So far, among this summer's tentpoles, only Sony's "After Earth" faces a potential loss (full international returns not yet certain). The second-best opening weekend of the year (and actually since last July), at a $113 million estimate, is exactly where "Man of Steel" should be, despite low-ball estimates prior to the weekend. Films that cost over $200 million are becoming common, and they need to open at the $100 million or better level to be guaranteed hits. Thus the media ballyhoo over "Man of Steel"'s success feeds into the inexorable studio push to focus on expensive, franchise films as their raison d'etre. Box office pundits leave out the fact that "Man of Steel" HAD to reach $100 million or better or it would be a failure. No one is lavishing similar praise on...

LAFF: Destin Cretton Talks SXSW Grand Jury Winner 'Short Term 12,' Immaturity and the Mystery of Indie Film's Future (TRAILER)

Sophia Savage — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 05:11:00 GMT

I first encountered director Destin Daniel Cretton via the brilliantly titled (and very well done) "I Am Not A Hipster" when the Sundance NEXT entry played at the 2012 Seattle International Film Festival. His short film "Short Term 12" won Sundance's short filmmaking award in 2009 and was then developed into his second feature thanks in part to Cretton winning the Academy's Nicholl fellowship. The feature "Short Term 12" debuted at SXSW to rave reviews--and won the fest's Grand Jury Award. (Here are reviews from ThePlaylist and Indiewire.) Cinedigm snapped up North American and Latin American rights to the film starring Brie Larson as a troubled foster care worker. The company is releasing the film on August 23, and is planning an awards push for its breakout star. Set in a short term care facility for at-risk youths, the film approaches the micro-tales of each guest (and those of their equally unsettled adult supervisors) which sometimes seem familiar but remain fresh; the...

LAFF Review: Documentary 'Casting By' Heralds the Unsung Yet Crucial Art of the Casting Director

Beth Hanna — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 02:00:00 GMT

“More than ninety percent of directing a picture is the right casting,” says Martin Scorsese at the outset of Tom Donahue’s engrossing documentary “Casting By.” And he’s not alone in his feelings -- Woody Allen, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and a legion of others put in face time in the film to trumpet the importance of the unsung, highly intuitive art of casting. The result is a cinephile’s treat.The film is primarily a love letter to casting director Marion Dougherty, a pioneer in her field. Dougherty came to prominence in the 1950s, when the studio system was on its way out. Going against the grain of the contract player technique, Dougherty would plumb the depths of the New York theater scene for actors to take parts on live television. This eventually segued into higher-profile TV series (“Naked City,” for one), and then on to films. The documentary rightfully suggests that because of Dougherty’s interest in a different type of actor -- with distinctive if not ...

Best of the Week: LAFF Kicks Off with Almodovar, 'Man of Steel' Arrives, Death of Spec Scripts, Reviews and More

TOH! — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:19:44 GMT

The top stories of the week from TOH! Reviews: "I'm So Excited" Review: Sex, Drugs and R&B Collide at 30,000 Feet Review and Roundup: "Man of Steel" Debate Is Raging Review: Stylish "Berberian Sound Studio" a Bit of a Slog "World War Z" Zombies Reflect Pool of National Anxieties Sofia Coppola's 'Bling Ring' Features: Now and Then: Five Reasons 'Mumblecore' and 'Millennial' Don't Mean the Same Thing Tarantino Cameraman-Turned-Director Doueiri Talks Torn East/West Identity, Why 'The Attack' is Banned in Lebanon LAFF: Bernard Rose and Danny Huston Reunited for Third Tolstoy Drama "Boxing Day' Immersed in Movies: Snyder, Cavill and More Talk Unapologetic 'Man of Steel,' a Father's Day Superman Gift After Years in the Shadow, '20 Feet from Stardom' Lets Singers Take Center Stage Memo to Screenwriters: Stop Acting Like It's 1999 -- DIY and Click "Follow" "Dirty Wars": Glimpse Into Shadow World of U.S. Counterterrorism Via Tenacious Reporter News: The Death of the Spec Script: What Are...

'Man of Steel' Opens to Second Best Gross of 2013; 'Bling Ring' Debut Glitters

Tom Brueggemann — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:15:00 GMT

"Man of Steel," Warner Bros.' reboot of the "Superman" franchise, grossed a super $44 million on Friday (including midnight shows, but not Thursday evening Walmart-promotion screenings, which took in an addition $12 million). This is just under two-thirds of the opening day of "Iron Man 3," which was similarly enhanced by premium 3-D and IMAX ticket prices. "The Dark Knight Rises" last July, which confronted the Aurora tragedy its opening day, did over $75 million with no 3-D. Disney/Marvel's "Iron Man 3" boasted less competition, bigger stars, and an edge from residual momentum from blockbuster "The Avengers" and better reviews. On the other hand, "Man of Steel" was boosted by kids getting out of school in June. The result is a robust but not record-breaking stateside gross. Comparisons to the 2006 "Superman Returns" are a bit tricky -- that film grossed $16 million its first Friday, but had already taken in an additional $32 million with a Tuesday night start. Also, the...

Tarantino Cameraman-Turned-Director Doueiri Talks Torn East/West Identity, Why 'The Attack' Is Banned in Lebanon

Anne Thompson — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 01:30:51 GMT

Lebanese-American writer-director Ziad Doueiri captures, in his Tel Aviv-set terrorist drama "The Attack," what it means to be the man in the middle. The film is opening June 21 stateside after playing the festival circuit. But it is banned in Lebanon, because Doueiri shot the film in Tel Aviv, breaking the Lebanese law forbidding a citizen to go to Israel. Based on Yasmina Khadra's novel, this riveting story is about a Palestinian surgeon (Ali Suliman) working and --he thinks--accepted as a high-end professional in Tel Aviv. He comes home to his family every night and adores his doting wife (Reymonde Amsellem). When she carries out a suicide bombing, the grieving husband is utterly baffled and unable to understand how or why she --of all people--could have been secretly plotting this self-destructive and violent terrorist act. He initially denies it. But during the course of the film he tracks down the roots of her anger and zeal. Doueiri previously directed the coming-of-age drama...