Now and Then
-
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 Hollywood0 commentslike0tweet0
Now and Then: 'Veep' and Why We Need Satire Right Now
Satire and solemnity are tense bedfellows, and in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings -- after the flags of nations stiffened in the white smoke of the blast, after the dead began to be named, the wounded tallied, the innumerable stories of bravery recounted -- you might say the latter is ...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood3 commentslike0tweet0
Now and Then: Cary Grant, The Man from Dream City, Revisited (CLIPS)
My own fever dream of Cary Grant takes place between cities, sitting down for a Gibson with Eva Marie Saint on a moving train somewhere in Middle America. Headed "North by Northwest," he's at his sexiest then, temples just flecked with gray, tanned and almost ageless. He's not just the recipient of ...
Read More » -
Thompson on Hollywood0 commentslike0tweet0
Now and Then: Why We Love GIFs, from Taylor Swift to Goats (VIDEO)
Disclaimer: this will not be your usual romance. It involves Taylor Swift, a goat, and a lemon among its cast of thousands. It has no clear "meet cute," and may not reach a happy ending. In one sense at least, it has no beginning or ending at all. But somewhere along the way we fell in love with the...
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 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 Hollywood6 commentslike11tweet18
Now and Then: What's the Matter with Film Critics?
The only genuine surprise of Sunday night's Oscar telecast — varying levels of predictability, misogyny, and self-congratulations being par for the course these days — came during the "In Memoriam" montage, which by definition should be the least surprising moment of all.
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 »
fresh from the blogs
-
Hollywood: Let There Be Light (Please?)Criticwire
-
Gareth Evans Is Action Director On 'The Night Comes ...The Playlist
-
IFP No Borders International Co-Production Market Application ...Shadow and Act
-
Casting Watch: Angelina Jolie May Play Her Late Mother, ...Thompson on Hollywood
-
Ellen Destroys Abercrombie & Fitch CEO's Comments on ...Women and Hollywood
-
CANNES 2013: Images: Part 2Press Play
-
Good Night, Lost Boy(s)The Lost Boys
-
In Search Of ‘The Searchers’Leonard Maltin
on 
