Drama
-
Thompson on Hollywood1 commentlike0tweet0
Now and Then: Obituary for 'The Big C,' Starring Luminous Laura Linney
Cathy Jamison was a brave bitch. Through four seasons of Showtime's "The Big C," which ended its run Monday, she suffered the indignities of metastatic melanoma, chemotherapy, brain tumors, hospice, and bad insurance, yet remained steadfast in her belief that "surviving" and "living" do not necessar...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike0tweet0
Now and Then: In Two 'Steel Magnolias,' the Times Are Not A-Changin'
The first thing one notices about "Steel Magnolias" (Herbert Ross, 1989) is the hair. Truvy's Beauty Shop overflows with tight-rolled pastel curlers and foot-high teases, held in place by enough hairspray to commit arson -- a style so far out of fashion it seems historical, as rococo as Marie Antoin...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike0tweet0
Now and Then: Olivier and the Bard
"I can smile, and murder while I smile," confides that notorious noble, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Laurence Olivier), "and frame my face to all occasions." For Olivier, pronouncing "frame" like "feign," it's an auspicious beginning. In Shakespeare's words, he finds his performer's credo.
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood3 commentslike11tweet10
Now and Then: Hitchcock's Bad-Ass '40s Brunettes Were the Lead-Up to Those '50s Icy Blondes
My favorite words in the movies come from the dusky, sultry opening minutes of "Rear Window" (1954), as Grace Kelly's New York socialite glides through L.B. Jefferies' (James Stewart) dim apartment, switching on the lights. "From top to bottom," she announces herself. "Lisa." Flick. "Carol." Flick. ...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood1 commentlike7tweet10
Trailer Watch: Phillip Noyce's Malaria Drama 'Mary and Martha,' Starring Hilary Swank and Brenda Blethyn UPDATE
UPDATE: A new teaser trailer has landed for Australian director Phillip Noyce's "Mary and Martha," starring Hilary Swank and Brenda Blethyn as mothers who form a bond over the loss of their sons to malaria. Watch below.
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike2tweet6
Now and Then: In 'For Ellen,' the Many Faces of Paul Dano
Put a quarter in the jukebox and the rocker Joby Taylor (Paul Dano) transforms. His loping gait diffuses into trance, a manic, writhing riff on his stage persona. It's a conversion experience of sorts, fittingly enough: "For Ellen" is a tale of many metamorphoses.
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike3tweet5
Now and Then: The Dardenne Brothers' Lost Boys
From the first minutes of "The Kid with a Bike," marked by an energetic shot of its young protagonist, Cyril, careening through a field and climbing over a fence, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's latest is an exercise in kinesis. It's not just that Cyril's always running: he's running away.
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike2tweet10
Now and Then: The Soul of Netflix's New Series? The BBC's 'House of Cards'
"Lilyhammer," Netflix's first foray into original programming, failed to generate sustained attention when it premiered last year. One suspects this won't be true of its star-studded second attempt, "House of Cards," debuting Friday. Except Netflix's latest isn't so novel after all: its animating fo...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike6tweet5
WikiLeaks Drama 'The Fifth Estate' Kicks off with Director Bill Condon and Benedict Cumberbatch
Production of "The Fifth Estate" has kicked off with director Bill Condon at the helm. The material is certainly heavier than Condon's "Twilight" films, as it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange and Daniel Brühl as Daniel Domscheit-Berg in the controversial story of Wikileaks' early days...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike7tweet7
Now and Then: A 'Zero Dark Thirty' Piece That's (Mostly) Not About Torture
We are Maya. That's the first thought that comes to mind about Jessica Chastain's tireless, obsessed CIA analyst in "Zero Dark Thirty," a "motherfucker" who's been chasing Osama bin Laden for twelve years — nearly the same length of time as this country's impossible war.
Read More »
fresh from the blogs
-
Guys, 'Fast & Furious' is Now the Densest, Most Complicated ...Criticwire
-
Cannes Review: Droll, Louche & Languidly Playful 'Only ...The Playlist
-
Holiday Weekend Treat: Will & Jaden Smith Rap, Jazzy ...Shadow and Act
-
Cannes Deal: Sony Pictures Classics Picks Up Jarmusch's ...Thompson on Hollywood
-
Weekly Update May 24: Women Centric, Directed and Written ...Women and Hollywood
-
CANNES 2013: James Gray's THE IMMIGRANTPress Play
-
Good Night, Lost Boy(s)The Lost Boys
-
The Hangover Part IIILeonard Maltin
on 
