Independents
-
Thompson on Hollywood1 commentlike0tweet0
Cannes 2012 Box Office Led by 'Moonrise Kingdom,' Will Strong Fest Sales Repeat in 2013?
Led by a recent year (and possibly all time) record of 21 of 22 official competition films gaining U.S. distribution (including some yet to play), 2012's Cannes line-up (from all sections) shows 58 total -- much above average -- out of 100 titles that were presented ending up with domestic rights ac...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike0tweet0
Arthouse Audit: 'Stories We Tell' Shows Initial Strength, Sole Successful Opening
So far the 2013 indie box office is running far behind last year--nothing comes close to 2012's booming "Best Exotic Marigold" or "Bernie," which were both standout performers far above this weekend's group of small-grossing releases, typical for this time of year. Few recent releases -- even those ...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood5 commentslike0tweet0
Zach Braff Responds to Kickstarter Campaign Vitriol: 'It's Not Like I Lobbied Congress'
Though he hasn't directed a feature since 2004's "Garden State," Zach Braff has been the talk of the town in recent weeks. With over 35,000 backers and nearly $2.5 million in funds with two weeks to go, his Kickstarter campaign has critics puzzled. Braff sat down with the LA Times in response.
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike0tweet0
Arthouse Audit: 'Mud' Scores Sole Strong Indie Opener Amid Specialized Market Struggles
"Mud" nearly made the weekend box office top 10 in only 363 theaters, towering over all the other new openings this week, none of which had a PSA of even $12,000 with limited New York/Los Angeles two to four theater openings. For the third time in several weeks, and in this case already in the first...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood6 commentslike0tweet0
WATCH EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Ira Deutchman's Sundance Art House Convergence Keynote on Independent Marketing
Anyone wondering about the future of the film industry should pay heed to Ira Deutchman's warnings about sticking to the same old ways. They aren't going to work much longer. Think local and consider appointment cinema, he suggests wisely. "There's too little commercial product chasing too many scre...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike0tweet0
Review: Urban Poverty and Youthful Pluck Coexist in Ken Loach's 'The Angels' Share'
Just four days after the death of Margaret Thatcher, the divisive British prime minister who transformed the United Kingdom during the 1980s, Ken Loach's new film "The Angels' Share" opened last Friday at the the IFC Center in Manhattan's West Village. The timing, although of course coincidental, wa...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood2 commentslike2tweet3
Review: Antonio Campos Returns with Sexy, Disturbing 'Simon Killer,' Q & A
"Simon Killer" marks the second feature by Antonio Campos, who previously wrote and directed the Cannes Un Certain Regard selection "Afterschool" (2008). "Simon Killer" is an icy exercise in troubled masculinity, and a bold pronouncement of cinematic style that's as strong an American indie as any i...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike0tweet0
Band OK Go Challenges Filmmakers to Make a Music Video for New Song 'I'm Not Through'
Band OK Go and company Saatchi and Saatchi are challenging emerging filmmakers to create a music video for "I'm Not Through," a brand-new song from the band's upcoming fourth album. Lead singer Damian Kulash has offered interested filmmakers a bit of inspiration, creating a montage of Instagram...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood4 commentslike3tweet4
Now and Then: Quentin Dupieux's 'Wrong' Exposes the Limits of Surrealism
Drafthouse Films, the distributor of Quentin Dupieux's bizarre new film, "Wrong," describes the French director and electronic musician (stage name: Mr. Oizo) as "one of the world’s most fearless cinematic surrealists." The surreal does indeed seem to be Dupieux's preferred register, but this leads ...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike4tweet10
Arthouse Audit: 'Gimme the Loot' Delivers; Two New Comedies Flounder
With A24 taking last week's limited smash "Spring Breakers" wide quickly to mainly non-arthouses, this week's new films offer only modest promise for future bookings. IFC's "Gimme the Loot" had a standout New York opening, but the company, which thrives with appropriate Video on Demand placement, is...
Read More »
fresh from the blogs
-
Guys, 'Fast & Furious' is Now the Densest, Most Complicated ...Criticwire
-
Cannes Review: J.C. Chandor Puts Robert Redford Through ...The Playlist
-
Shemar Moore Takes To Kickstarter To Raise $1.5 Million ...Shadow and Act
-
Best of the Week: Cannes Continues, Talking 'Before ...Thompson on Hollywood
-
Weekly Update May 24: Women Centric, Directed and Written ...Women and Hollywood
-
CANNES 2013: Nicholas Winding Refn's ONLY GOD FORG ...Press Play
-
Good Night, Lost Boy(s)The Lost Boys
-
The Hangover Part IIILeonard Maltin
on 
