Thompson On Hollywood

Thompson on Hollywood's New Address

2009-08-02T16:48:05-07:00

If you're looking for new TOH posts, you can find them here.

Thompson on Hollywood Moves to IndieWIRE

2009-07-30T22:22:28-07:00

This is my last post at Variety.com. I loved my stint here, but I'm moving on, taking Thompson on Hollywood to its new home.

I'm going independent in more ways than one. Sunday night I'm launching a new Thompson on Hollywood, housed at IndieWIRE, the web-savvy, thriving online indie trade founded by Eugene Hernandez 13 years ago. The site has continued to grow since it was acquired by Ted Leonsis and Rick Allen's innovative documentary site SnagFilms last year.

We will be a good fit. I'm based in L.A, IndieWIRE is in New York. I range over an eclectic mix of reporting and commentary about Hollywood, film fests, business, tech and media. They cover the independents like a blanket. We both believe in writing accurate and fair daily journalism. They're nimble with their news alerts, quick, smart and sharp about the ways of the Internet. I look forward to learning from them as I pursue the indie, improved entrepreneurial Thompson on Hollywood.

I can't wait to exercise my editorial freedom.

And I hope you will follow--whether it's at Thompsononhollywood or the social network of your choice. We're all part of a big global film community that is constantly communicating. I love being part of that stream.

Smith Out at Reed Business Information

2009-07-30T10:26:51-07:00

The economy is a ruthless master. Tad Smith is out at Variety parent Reed Business Information, which was put up for sale and then taken off the market due to the unforgiving economy.

Daily Read: Soderbergh Heads Down Under; A Serious Man Trailer

2009-07-30T00:16:25-07:00

Soderbergh provides more details about his planned stint directing a play at Cate Blanchett's theatre in Sydney.

And Focus posts a trailer for the Coens' Toronto-bound A Serious Man.

Comic-Con: Costume Parade Reveals Twilight Backlash

2009-07-29T22:42:00-07:00

The annual Comic-Con costume parade last weekend revealed a sizable Twilight backlash. Basically, many comics fans are using Twilight as an example of the studio exploitation of The Con for marketing purposes. What really irked people was that many movie fans missed the panels in Hall H Thursday because the Twilight: New Moon fans staked out the line, forcing other less intensely dedicated folks to miss other panels. Twilight also brings in women, not necessarily the dominant demo at Comic-Con, though certainly well-represented there.

Check out full costume photo gallery on the jump. Here's my (noisy) flip-cam survey of the costume paraders:

Find more videos like this on AnneCam

Twilight: Eclipse Recasts Victoria

2009-07-28T19:00:37-07:00

The Twilight franchise has a new Victoria. Summit is announcing that in the third Twilight film, Eclipse, Bryce Dallas Howard (Terminator Salvation) will replace Rachelle Lefevre.

UPDATE: When Lefevre protested that a ten day overlap with another project should have been possible for the production to accommodate, Summit sent out a statement Wednesday describing why that was impossible.

Press release and statement on the jump.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA ADDS ACTRESS

BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD TO FILM FRANCHISE

Actress Rachelle Lefevre Will Be Replaced By Howard In The Role Of Victoria

Los Angeles – July 28, 2009 – Summit Entertainment announced today that Bryce Dallas Howard will take over the role of “Victoria” in the studio’s upcoming production of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE. Actress, Rachelle Lefevre, who portrayed the character in TWILIGHT as well as the upcoming release of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, will not continue in the role due to scheduling conflicts with another commitment the actor has made. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE will start filming in Vancouver this coming August.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, the third film in the studio’s TWILIGHT film franchise based on Stephenie Meyer’s blockbuster book series, will be directed by David Slade from a screenplay written by Melissa Rosenberg. The film will be released theatrically in North America on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.

“We are incredibly happy that Bryce has agreed to come into the franchise,” said Erik Feig, Summit’s President of Worldwide Production and Acquisitions. “Rachelle brought “Victoria” to great screen life and Bryce will bring a new dimension to the character. The franchise is lucky to have such a talented actress as Bryce coming in to fill the role.”

Howard most recently starred in TERMINATOR SALVATION as Kate Connor and has been seen in SPIDER-MAN 3, LADY IN THE WATER, and THE VILLAGE. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her leading performance as an actress in the HBO film AS YOU LIKE IT.

In THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.

Howard is represented by ICM and Management 360.

About the TWILIGHT film series

The TWILIGHT film series stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, and becomes drawn to Edward Cullen, a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. But neither can deny the attraction that pulls them together…even when Edward confides that he and his family are vampires.

The action-packed, modern day vampire love story and blockbuster success the first film in the series titled TWILIGHT was released in theatres on November 21, 2008. The second installment of the film franchise, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, will be released November 20, 2009.

Melissa Rosenberg wrote the scripts for all three films in The TWILIGHT film series.

About Summit Entertainment LLC

Summit Entertainment is a worldwide theatrical motion picture development, financing, production and distribution studio. The studio handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its own internally developed motion pictures as well as acquired pictures. Summit Entertainment, LLC also represents international sales for both its own slate and third party product. Summit Entertainment, LLC plans to release 10 to 12 films annually.

# # #

We at Summit Entertainment are disappointed by Rachelle Lefevre’s recent comments which attempt to make her career choices the fault of the Studio. Her decision to discuss her version of the scheduling challenges publicly has forced the Studio to set the record straight and correct the facts.

Ms. Lefevre's representatives were advised as early as April that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE was expected to start shooting in early August.

If Ms. Lefevre was, as she describes “passionate,” about being part of THE TWILIGHT SAGA, we feel that she and her representatives would have included us in her decision to work on another film that would conflict with the shooting schedule of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE.

It was not until July 20^th that
Summit
was first informed of Ms. Lefevre’s commitment to BARNEY’S VERSION, a commitment we have since been advised she accepted in early June.
Summit
had acted in good faith that she would be available to fulfill her obligations both in terms of rehearsals and shooting availability for THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE. We feel that her choice to withhold her scheduling conflict information from us can be viewed as a lack of cooperative spirit which affected the entire production.

Furthermore Ms. Lefevre took a role in the other film that places her in
Europe
during the required rehearsal time, and at least ten days of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE’s principal photography. This period is essential for both rehearsal time with the cast, and for filming at key locations that are only available during the initial part of production.

Contrary to Ms. Lefevre’s statement, it is simply untrue that the Studio dismissed her over a ten day overlap. It is not about a ten day overlap, but instead about the fact that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE is an ensemble production that has to accommodate the schedules of numerous actors while respecting the established creative vision of the filmmaker and most importantly the story.

The fact remains that Ms. Lefevre’s commitment to the other project - which she chose to withhold from Summit until the last possible moment - makes her unfortunately unavailable to perform the role of Victoria in THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE.

Recession Red: LACMA Shuts Down Film Program

2009-07-28T16:33:12-07:00

The cash crunch is hitting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which has quietly been letting go of many of its curators. It is now canceling its weekend film program, reports the LA Times. Head programmer Ian Birnie will be shifted to part-time consultant status. LACMA said the program lost $1 million over the last ten years and had failed to build an audience. Sorry, I thought the room was usually packed when I attended. I loved the programming, but it was arcane and eclectic, as a museum's should be, not designed to "build an audience."

For four decades, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has fed film aficionados a steady diet of movie masterpieces -- retrospectives that included works from Roman Polanski, Cary Grant, Ernst Lubitsch and, in a current series, James Mason. But after the museum's weekend film program lost $1 million over the last 10 years and failed to build an audience, LACMA said Tuesday that it was pulling the plug on its cinematic centerpiece.

Before there were local film festivals nearly every week, and mass merchants such as Target stocked art-house hits like "A Room With a View" and "Gosford Park" on their DVD shelves, LACMA's film series was one of the few places area movie lovers could find Hollywood classics and foreign-language standouts.

The museum said that it was not abandoning its commitment to films and filmmakers but wanted to rethink its approach to the art form and would look for potential donors to underwrite an unspecified future film program that is curated like any other part of the museum's exhibits.

BTW, the scrappy survivor in the LA exhibition scene is the American Cinematheque, led by executive director Barbara Smith, recent recipient of a French knighthood. She knows how to woo film fans to two very different locations, Hollywood's Egyptian and Santa Monica's Aero. They work hard to market and get the word out to their fanbase. So does UCLA's Film & Television Archive, now relocated at the Billy Wilder Theatre at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.

UPDATE: Statement from LACMA on the jump.

Dear Friends of the Film department,

Please find below a statement from Michael Govan, LACMA's CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, in regards to Film's restructuring:

As of this fall, LACMA will be changing its overall approach to film programming, ending itsweekend film program by November in order to reconsider the nature, scale, and scope of our film programs. My hope is to engage in a full discussion among the staff and the Board about developing and increasing our commitment to film as central to our curatorial programming.

As part of that, and for the present, we will certainly place greater emphasis on artist-created films reflecting the museum's growing relationship with contemporary artists and the contemporary art world. We will also continue to plan art exhibition-oriented festivals that will be presented in the context of the museum's overall curatorial program. These films will be presented in the Bing Theater occasionally throughout the year. Additionally, the museum will continue its weekly Tuesday matinee program, which presents Hollywood film classics at a discounted price for seniors.

As a result of this programmatic change and the reduction of program hours, Ian Birnie's responsibilities at LACMA have been restructured: he will become a consulting curator, charged with advancing LACMA's ongoing discussion about the type of film program the museum should envision in the future. He will also be pursuing other professional opportunities. Ian has done a marvelous job on ever-smaller budgets to produce respected film programs for LACMA.

Curators from Contemporary Art, Modern Art, and Photography will take an expanded role in many of the upcoming programming decisions, and in the selection of artist-created films. And we will continue exhibition-related film programs across disciplines and presented in conjunction with LACMA's special exhibition offerings.

As we scale back our budgets, this is a good time to slow programs and spend more time thinking about how to build a more sustainable long-term foundation for the presentation of film at LACMA. My hope is to reemerge with a major commitment to film that helps define LACMA's curatorial mission.

Fantastic Fest Screens Inglourious Basterds

2009-07-28T11:31:26-07:00

The Austin Film Society and Fantastic Fest's August 15 dusk-til-dawn Cinemapocalypse marathon in Austin, Texas will screen Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, which played well during Comic-Con last weekend. The writer-director will introduce the film as well his chosen double feature. Clearly, the Weinsteins are chasing the young male demo. The full release is on the jump.

QT Brings INGLORIOUS BASTERDS to Cinemapocalypse!

AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY and FANTASTIC FEST are excited to present Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, starring Brad Pitt, on August 15 at 9 PM at The Alamo Drafthouse Downtown (320 E 6th Street). Tarantino will be on hand for Q&A after the film.

In the first year of the German occupation of France, Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish American soldiers to perform swift, shocking acts of retribution. Later known to their enemy as "the basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of the Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquis, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own... Employing pulp and propaganda in equal measure, Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS weaves together the infamous, oppressed, real and larger-than-life stories of WWII.

Red carpet arrivals will begin at 8:45 PM. Press wishing to cover the red carpet MUST obtain credentials by emailing Agnes Varnum at agnes@austinfilm.org. No admittance to the red carpet area without credentials.

The screening will kick off Cinemapocalyse, a dusk-til dawn movie marathon. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS will be followed by a double feature of repertory films programmed by Quentin Tarantino. Both films are influences for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is the only film that will be announced prior to the event, the "influences" double feature and the rest of the program will be announced just before they hit screen. Tickets for Cinemapocalypse will be available to Austin Film Society members and 2009 Fantastic Fest badge holders only from Thursday, July 30 at noon CST to Friday, July 31 at noon CST. Here's where you get 'em!

Tickets for a simultaneous VIP screening of the film will be available to Austin Film Society members on Wednesday, July 29 at 10 AM. The $100 ticket will include dinner, the screening and simulcast of the Q&A. Tickets will be on sale at austinfilm.org and all proceeds benefit the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund, which received a record number of grant requests for 2009.

Fantastic Fest was founded in 2005 by Tim League (founder of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) and Harry Knowles (founder of Ain't It Cool News). The Alamo Drafthouse was named "Best Theater in America" by Entertainment Weekly and Ain't It Cool News is one of the most popular internet movie sites in the world. Now in its fifth year, Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., and has hosted a large number of world premieres over the years, including THERE WILL BE BLOOD, APOCAPLYTO, HOSTEL, CITY OF EMBER and many more. Fantastic Fest was named by Variety president Charlie Koones as "one of the 10 festivals we love," alongside industry heavy-hitters Cannes, Telluride and Toronto and was also named by MovieMaker Magazine this year as "one of the 25 coolest film festivals." For more information, visit www.fantasticfest.com.

Austin Film Society promotes the appreciation of film and supports creative filmmaking by screening rarely seen films, giving grants and other support to emerging filmmakers, and providing access and education about film to youth and the public. Through Austin Studios, which AFS opened in 2000 in partnership with the City of Austin, AFS helps attract film development and production to Austin and Texas. Gala film premieres and the annual Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards raise funds as well as awareness of the impact of film on economy and community. The Austin Film Society is ranked among the top film centers in the country and recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and Directors Guild of America. For more information on Austin Film Society, visit www.austinfilm.org.

Sony Pictures Classics Buys Yimou's Blood Simple Remake

2009-07-28T11:03:03-07:00

Sony Pictures Classics continues its long tradition of releasing the films of Chinese director Zhang Yimou by acquiring his latest film, a remake of the Coen brothers' 1984 comedy thriller Blood Simple, this time set in a Chinese noodle shop. It will be the 11th Yimou film released by SPC. The official release is on the jump.

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ACQUIRES

ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR ZHANG YIMOU’S LATEST FILM

Yimou To Remake Coen Brothers’ Classic ‘Blood Simple’

LOS ANGELES, CA, JULY 28, 2009 - Sony Pictures Classics announces its production partnership and the acquisition of rights in North America, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand to Zhang Yimou’s currently untitled film, a remake of the Coen Brothers’1984 debut feature, BLOOD SIMPLE. The film will be produced by Bill Kong.

The film will mark the eleventh collaboration between Zhang Yimou and the Sony Pictures Classics team, dating back to 1991’s RAISE THE RED LANTERN. The relationship includes such films as THE STORY OF QIU JU, SHANGHAI TRIAD, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and Zhang’s most recent film, the 2006 martial arts epic CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER starring Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat. Sony Pictures Classics also owns the rights to Zhang’s first film, 1987’s RED SORGHUM.

Sony Pictures Classics Co-Presidents and Co-Founders, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard jointly stated: “The idea of a remake of BLOOD SIMPLE as seen through the eyes of Zhang Yimou’s masterful visual elegance and clever narrative twists is genius. Our continued partnership over the years with both Zhang Yimou and Bill Kong has always been so fruitful. We are excited to be back in business with them.”

The film will also be SPC’s fifth collaboration with producer Bill Kong which began in 2000 with Ang Lee’s Academy Award winning CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, the highest grossing foreign language film in U.S. box office history, and includes HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER.

Zhang Yimou stated, "I am very happy working with Sony Pictures Classics again, they have always done a great job and I am looking forward to be with them again."

"I am so excited to be with Tom and Michael again, especially as this is the first film from Zhang Yimou after his 2008 Olympic Opening Event," added Kong.

Zhang’s film will be a thriller-comedy remake of Joel & Ethan Coen’s BLOOD SIMPLE , set in a Chinese noodle shop in a sand dune-specked desert, rather than a bar in an unnamed Texas town. The owner of the noodle shop’s seemingly simple plan to murder his adulterous wife and her lover quickly spins out of control after the introduction of a gun into the lives of characters more accustomed to knives and swords.

Known for films with gorgeous cinematography and sumptuous settings, Zhang Yimou was chosen to create the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, the most elaborate and complicated ceremonies ever. This film marks his return to filmmaking.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992, which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world.

Barker and Bernard’s films are among the most prestigious films of all time. They have produced 24 Academy Award^® winners (21 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered over 100 Academy Award^® nominations (72 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for Capote, Howards End, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Over the years, Barker and Bernard fostered relationships with many of the world's finest independent filmmakers including Robert Altman, Ang Lee, Richard Linklater, Guillermo del Toro, Francois Truffaut, David Cronenberg, Jonathan Demme, Woody Allen, Walter Salles, Todd Haynes, Nicole Holofcener, Errol Morris, Zhang Yimou, Wong Kar Wai, Ingmar Bergman, Neil Jordan, Francis Ford Coppola, and David Mamet.

Additional honors include “The Honors Award” from the Director's Guild of America, the “Chevalier Order of Arts and Letters” from the French government, the Gotham Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (IFP), the FINDIE Award (IFP/West Spirit Awards), and the GLAAD Media Award. At Sony Corporation’s global management conference, SPC received the “Distinguished Special Recognition” award two years in a row for their successful business operation.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services, and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 100 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found at http://www.sonypictures.com.

TIFF: Galas and Specials Include Coens, Barrymore, Moore

2009-07-28T10:51:48-07:00

Toronto International Film Fest announcements are coming fast. Here are the latest galas and special presentations, including Joel and Ethan Coen's A Serious Man, Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, and Drew Barrymore's directing debut, Whip It. Full release on the jump:

July 28, 2009

NEWS RELEASE #12

GALAS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS ADDED TO FESTIVAL LINEUP

Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival is pleased to announce the addition of two Gala Presentations and eight Special Presentations to the programming lineup for this year’s Festival, running September 10 to 19. Included are works from critically acclaimed filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, Werner Herzog, Rebecca Miller, Michael Moore and Oliver Parker, and featuring on-screen performances by Drew Barrymore (in her directorial debut), Jim Broadbent, Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Colin Farrell, Colin Firth, Rebecca Hall, Val Kilmer, Christopher Lee, Juliette Lewis, Blake Lively, Eva Mendes, Julianne Moore, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Robin Wright Penn and Keanu Reeves.

Ticket packages for the Festival are now available for purchase by cash, debit or Visa^†. Purchase online attiff.net/thefestival, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM (10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, closed weekends and holidays) or in person at the Festival Box Office at Nathan Phillips Square (10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week), located at 100 Queen Street West, in the white tent, west of the square.

GALAS

Dorian Gray Oliver Parker, United Kingdom

World Premiere

In Victorian London, the handsome Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes) is swept into a social whirlwind by the charismatic and cunning Lord Wotton (Colin Firth). Immersed in the hedonistic pleasures of the city, Dorian vows he would give anything to keep his youth and beauty – even his soul. Based on the Oscar Wilde novel,Dorian Gray examines the destructive power of beauty, the blind pursuit of pleasure and the darkness that can result from both.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Rebecca Miller, USA

North American Premiere

From all outward appearances, Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn) leads a charmed existence. An anchor of feminine serenity, she is the devoted wife of an accomplished publisher (Alan Arkin) 30 years her senior, the proud mother of two grown children, a trusted friend and confidant. But as Pippa dutifully follows her husband to a new life in a staid Connecticut retirement community, her idyllic world and the persona she has built over the course of her marriage will be put to the ultimate test. Adapted from writer-director Rebecca Miller’s novel of the same name, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee presents the complex portrait of the many lives behind a single name.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Werner Herzog, USA

North American Premiere

Terence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage), a homicide detective with the New Orleans Police Department, is promoted to Lieutenant after he saves a prisoner from drowning in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. However, during his heroic act, he severely injures his back and is put on prescription pain medication. A year later, Terence – struggling with his addictions to sex, Vicodin and cocaine – finds himself in the battle to bring down drug dealer Big Fate, who is suspected of massacring an entire family of African immigrants.

Capitalism: A Love Story Michael Moore, USA

North American Premiere

On the 20-year anniversary of his groundbreaking masterpiece Roger & Me, Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story comes home to the issue he’s been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world). But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene far wider than Flint, Michigan. From Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington, to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan, Michael Moore will once again take film-goers into uncharted territory.

Harry Brown Daniel Barber, United Kingdom

World Premiere

Harry Brown is a provocative and thought-provoking modern urban western featuring a tour-de-force lead performance from two-time Academy Award^®-winner Michael Caine. Harry Brown has lived to see his community descend into crime and violence, and ruled over by a gang of teenage thugs. After his best friend is brutally murdered and the gang leader responsible walks free, Harry reaches a breaking point and revenge becomes his only aim.

Perrier’s Bounty Ian Fitzgibbon, Ireland/United Kingdom

World Premiere

When Michael’s (Cillian Murphy) debt to Dublin kingpin Darren Perrier (Brendan Gleeson) is called in and one of Perrier’s goons accidentally ends up dead, Michael escapes to the mountains with his father Jim (Jim Broadbent) and best friend, Brenda. Flat broke, on the run and with only 24 hours to pay up, Michael is forced to confront his true feelings for Brenda and make amends with his father. However, with Perrier and his gang in hot pursuit, time is running out for Michael and only fate, a bit of luck and possibly a gang of savage dogs will save him, in this cracking gangster comedy.

A Serious Man Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, USA

World Premiere

Imaginatively exploring questions of faith, familial responsibility, delinquent behaviour, dental phenomena, academia, mortality and Judaism – and intersections thereof – A Serious Man is the new film from Academy Award^®-winning writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen.

Triage Danis Tanovic, Ireland/Spain

World Premiere

Mark (Colin Farrell), a war photographer, returns home from Kurdistan without his friend and colleague David (Jamie Sives). As time goes on, it becomes clear that Mark holds the key to the truth of David’s disappearance.

Whip It Drew Barrymore, USA

World Premiere

Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut stars Ellen Page (Juno) as Bliss, a rebellious Texas teen who throws in her small-town beauty pageant crown for the rowdy world of roller-derby. Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River, Pollock) plays Bliss’s disapproving mother, while Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live) and Juliette Lewis (Old School) play roller-derby stars. Whip It also stars Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern, Alia Shawkat, Ari Graynor, Andrew Wilson, Zoe Bell and singer-songwriter Landon Pigg.

Women Without Men Shirin Neshat, Germany/France/Austria

North American Premiere

Shirin Neshat’s first feature-length film is based on a magic-realist novel written by Iranian author Sharnush Parsipur. The narrative interweaves the lives of four Iranian women during the summer of 1953, a pivotal moment in Iranian history when an American led coup d’état brought down the democratically elected prime minister Mohammed Mossadegh and reinstalled the Shah to power. The film chronicles each woman’s quest for change and their mysterious encounter in a magical orchard.

The Special Presentations programme is made possible through the generous

sponsorship of American Movie Classics Company LLC.

About Bell Lightbox: Currently under construction, Bell Lightbox, a breathtaking five-storey complex located in downtown Toronto, will provide a permanent home for film lovers to celebrate cinema from around the world and will propel TIFF forward as an international leader in film culture. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, Bell Lightbox’s fluid structure encourages exploration, movement and play. The campaign to build Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell, the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario, the King and John Festival Corporation – consisting of the Reitman family and the Daniels Corporation – RBC as major sponsor and official bank, Visa^†, the Copyright Collective of Canada, NBC Universal Canada, the Allan Slaight Family, the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation and CIBC. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals and corporations have also contributed to the campaign. For more information on the Bell Lightbox campaign, visit belllightbox.ca.

Nikki Finke: Moving Target

2009-07-27T14:46:57-07:00

Everybody's talking about Nikki Finke.

She's a compelling, charismatic, threatening figure. Walter Winchell is a good comparison. (The mighty gossip columnist inspired Burt Lancaster in Sweet Smell of Success.) That's because until now, at least, no one told her what to do. Here's her latest, on not getting the Ben Silverman scoop.

Finke's getting shot at because she has power and because she has done, by herself, what few can do in journalism today: make money. People are taking her seriously because she lured huge traffic to her blog and sold it for unspecified millions. The question remains: will changing her indie maverick status change the factors key to her success? Can you mainstream Deadline Hollywood Daily?

We will soon see how she moves with the changes as she starts her new gig as a cog in Jay Penske's online machine. He was smart to use her as a driving traffic generator for Movieline and Bonnie Fuller's new iteration of Hollywood Life. Finke helped to put Penske's media empire on the map. Now we'll see if she can keep the momentum going on Deadline Hollywood Daily.

Weekend Read: DGA Names Prexy; Online Content Solution

2009-07-26T22:56:00-07:00

Taylor Hackford takes the reins at the DGA.

Attributor has a solution to online content stealing.