Thompson on Hollywood

Variety Takes a Hatchet To Warner Bros. Movie Chief Jeff Robinov

Anne Thompson — Sat, 18 May 2013 02:07:55 GMT

It had to happen sooner or later. New Variety editor Claudia Eller has taken off the gloves and run a tough story about once rock-solid studio Warner Bros., which has been under management duress of late. Ex-L.A. Times staffer Eller is one of three editors in charge at the Penske-owned Variety; she runs film coverage, while Cynthia Littleton supervises TV and Andrew Wallenstein manages all things Digital. Eller reports that movie studio chief Jeff Robinov threw a hissy fit when he didn't get the top job that went to rival Kevin Tsujihara instead. Given that TV chief Bruce Rosenblum decided to leave the studio altogether when he didn't land the post, it is presumably in the studio's interest to hang on to Robinov at this point, who reportedly apologized to his bosses and has been on his best behavior. I've been worried about Robinov's longevity partly because he is one of the few studio chiefs who is willing to take bold risks on moviemakers. This is not a cookie cutter formula guy,...

Outfest Opens with Sedaris Adaptation 'C.O.G.,' Kimberly Peirce Gets Achievement Award

Anne Thompson — Sat, 18 May 2013 01:19:26 GMT

L.A.'s oldest film festival, Outfest, will open its 31st annual LGBT film fest on July 11 with writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s “C.O.G.,” the first film adaptation of David Sedaris’s work, which stars Jonathan Groff, Denis O'Hare, Corey Stoll, and Dean Stockwell. Outfest will be held July 11 – 21, 2013. That same night at the Orpheum Theatre, Outfest will also present its 17th annual Achievement Award to writer/director Kimberly Peirce (“Boys Don’t Cry,” “Stop-Loss,” “Carrie”). The Achievement Award is presented in recognition of a body of work that has made a significant contribution to LGBT film and media. Outfest has previously given this award to John Waters, Jane Lynch, Bill Condon, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, Don Roos, Donna Deitch, Kenneth Anger, Greg Araki, Todd Haynes, Jane Anderson, Christine Vachon, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Freidman, Gus Van Sant, Ian McKellen, John Schlesinger, and Strand Releasing. The complete lineup for Outfest 2013 will be announced...

Cannes Review: Ari Folman's Hybrid 'The Congress' Befuddles More than It Bedazzles

Tom Christie — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:43:20 GMT

Ari Folman’s “The Congress” begins well enough, with the sheer physical presence of Robin Wright center screen, tears popping from her eyes. The actress, who in real life has aged gracefully into strength – or maybe it’s just bitterness -- plays “Robin Wright,” an aging actress who has made many “lousy choices.” We know this from her agent, played with sweet understatement by Harvey Keitel, who spares nothing and no one, including the “lousy men” Wright has chosen. Is that one of the movie’s many in-jokes? Sitting in the home she shares with her two teenagers, a renovated airplane hanger located right next to an airport in the California desert, Keitel goes on to inform her that the studio, the nicely named Miramount, wants to discuss a new contract; it’s obvious something is up but he doesn’t know what exactly. The what is the crux of the film, as explained by Jeff Green (Danny Huston), an unctuous numbers-cruncher turned studio chief. You know the type, or certainly Huston does,...

Best of the Week: Cannes Begins, Interviews, Reviews, News and More

TOH! — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:24:50 GMT

The top stories of the week from TOH! Cannes: Harvey Weinstein Previews Awards Slate at Cannes Cannes Interview: David Lowery Talks 'Ain't Them Bodies Saints' (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO) Cannes Virgin Festival Diary 1: From "Gatsby" to "Heli" and Back Cannes Exclusive! Jim Mickle Talks Smart Horror Remake "We Are What We Are" Cannes Review: Coppola's "The Bling Ring" Cannes Interview: Ryan Coogler Talks Honoring Oscar Grant, Slain at "Fruitvale Station" (TRAILER) IFC Goes on Cannes Buying Spree Cannes: Scarlett Johansson to Direct Adaptation of Truman Capote's Near-Lost Novel "Summer Crossing" Spielberg and Competition Jury Tell It Like It Is in Cannes "The Great Gatsby" Launches Cannes, Luhrmann Reveals Wrangling with Warners Cannes Exclusive: Ari Folman Talks Fortnight Opener "The Congress," Which Predicts Hollywood's Chilling Future (TRAILER) Features: Immersed in Movies: VFX Retrofitting for Abrams' Hybrid Vision of Old and New in "Star Trek Into...

Cannes Interview: David Lowery Talks 'Ain't Them Bodies Saints' (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

Anne Thompson — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:07:35 GMT

Writer-director David Lowery has been putting in his 10,000 hours over the past few years, working as an editor and cinematographer on many of his friends' micro-budget projects, as part of the growing multi-tasking barter indie culture. He's helped many of the geographically disparate friends he's met on the festival circuit with their films; he helped director Shane Carruth to edit the much-talked-about "Upstream Color," now in limited release. SXSW has championed the Texas filmmaker, playing his shorts and features; "Saint Nick" showed promise on a meager $12,000 budget. His 2011 Sundance short "Pioneer" was a ramp-up to this feature film, which was picked up by IFC Films after its rapturous reception at Sundance, and is playing Saturday during the Cannes Film Festival's Critics Week. IFC will release the film in August. See my video interview with Lowery below. What's more -- the filmmaker is now attached to direct "The Old Man and the Gun," starring Robert Redford, and has...

End of an Era: Musto Leaves Voice, Is Carter On Way Out of Vanity Fair?

Anne Thompson — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:10:54 GMT

Editor Graydon Carter, 63, has been a fixture at Vanity Fair since 1992. Keith Kelly reports that he's having a bumpy time renegotiating his contract, which is up in July, with Conde Nast CEO Charles Townsend, rather than S.I. Newhouse. Carter has enjoyed his expansive lifestyle, riding the magazine through more heady times, from annual Oscar and Cannes bashes and power lists to dabbling in documentary filmmaking. But things are tighter now, and I would caution Carter to remember the post-Conde Nast career of Tina Brown. While she did well at Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, Harvey Weinstein lured her away to run Talk Magazine, which flopped; she then tried television punditry, wrote bestselling bio "The Diana Chronicles," and finally landed at The Daily Beast and Newsweek. If Carter's time has come, his replacements are lining up. Kelly cites star New York editor Adam Moss, who is probably the most gifted editor of his generation, having never failed to pursue excellence, from...

Harvey Weinstein Previews Awards Slate at Cannes

Brian Brooks — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:02:36 GMT

Harvey Weinstein took advantage of Cannes' many attendees to gather some of them together in order to tease TWC's upcoming films and get a head start on the next round of Awards season. That has been the modus operandi of The Weinstein in recent years, which had held more intimate affairs at swanky flats off the Croisette and today opted for a make-shift screening room (after obligatory cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in an adjoining room). "The last four years have been amazing with movies like 'The King's Speech,' 'Django Unchained,' 'Silver Linings Playbook,' 'The Artist' -- we've reached new heights," said Harvey Weinstein, squeezed into a dapper tux. "Last year was as good as any year at Miramax. Our international business keeps building as well." With a packed room of about a couple hundred press, festival programmers and special guests, Weinstein thanked his staff and introduced Cannes juror Nicole Kidman. But the timing was off a tad and she wasn't ready, which prompted...

Immersed in Movies: VFX Retrofitting for Abrams' Hybrid Vision of Old and New in 'Star Trek Into Darkness'

Bill Desowitz — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:36:06 GMT

Like "Skyfall," "Star Trek Into Darkness" is a hybrid of the old and the new in completing its rite of passage reboot. Except that J.J. Abrams has the advantage of time travel, which he introduced in the first movie, for creating a parallel universe that allows him to break the rules of the beloved sci-fi franchise for the 21st century while still honoring its iconic spirit. This hybrid vision rippled throughout the entire "Into Darkness" production, including VFX. Industrial Light & Magic was back on board, building on the foundation that it began in Abrams' first "Star Trek," with a harder and more believable space movie. But with half the movie shot in IMAX for the thrilling action sequences and the introduction of 3-D, the VFX obviously had to be grander and more immersive. The filmmakers got to go deeper into the tricked out Enterprise so that we could experience more with the ship's crew while making the transporter and Warp Speed effects more dynamic; and the space battles,...

In the Works: David O. Russell to Direct Leonardo DiCaprio's JFK Conspiracy Thriller 'Legacy of Secrecy,' Robert De Niro On Board

Beth Hanna — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:26:40 GMT

Long-gestating JFK assassination conspiracy film "Legacy of Secrecy" is reportedly finally coming to fruition, with director David O. Russell at the helm. First announced in 2010 by Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way banner, the film centers on FBI informant Jack Laningham and Mafia kingpin Carlos Marcello (to be played by Robert De Niro) who confided to Laningham that he ordered the hit on Kennedy. No specific word on who would play Laningham, but the Playlist understandably presumes it would be DiCaprio. The film is based on the book by Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann, and adapting it has long been a passion project for DiCaprio's father, George. November of this year marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination, and a number of JFK-oriented projects have wheels spinning. "Parkland," starring a sprawling cast including Paul Giamatti, Jacki Weaver and Billy Bob Thornton, and produced by Tom Hanks, went into production in January, and centers on the chaotic events at Dallas'...

Cannes News: Music Box Snags Competition Mikkelsen Starrer 'Michael Kohlhaas'

Anne Thompson — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:24:10 GMT

Ahead of its first Cannes market screening, Chicago-based Music Box Films has picked up all US and Canadian rights to Arnaud des Pallières' competition title "Michael Kohlhaas," starring Mads Mikkelsen and adapted from the 1811 Heinrich von Kleist classic Romantic novel. Films du Losange is selling the film, which is Des Pallières' fourth feature, at Cannes. Des Pallières describes the film as: "set in a period where an impoverished aristocracy precariously still clings to feudal privileges passed down since the Middle Ages, while in the towns, a new world is taking shape. The townspeople are educated, often wealthy, but politically almost powerless. Kohlhaas, a horse merchant, suffers an injustice at the hands of a young baron and demands his rights, but society lets him down. He reacts by suddenly, brutally declaring war on society. He chooses the path of violence, with a razor-sharp sense of justice as his only moral guideline." Produced by Les Films d'Ici ("Waltz with Bashir,"...

Weekend Preview: 'Frances Ha' Delights, 'Star Trek' Relentlessly Entertains, 'Pieta' a Bloody Must-See

Beth Hanna — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:45:57 GMT

Moviegoing prospects looks good this weekend, as J.J. Abrams' entertaining action comedy "Star Trek Into Darkness" continues its opening weekend after a Wednesday debut, and a slew of appealing limited release titles hit screens. One of these is Noah Baumbach's critical darling "Frances Ha," starring likable muse Greta Gerwig in a drifting, French New Wave Lite tale of twentysomething ennui and platonic breakups. Cesar nominee "Augustine," a formally solid if dynamically lacking debut from Alice Winocour, which stars Vincent Lindon and popstar Soko as famed French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and his favored hysteria patient, is getting praise from critics. Last year's uber-violent but stylish Venice Golden Lion winner "Pieta," Kim Ki-duk's bloody thriller about a son and his mysterious would-be mother, is also earning good reviews. Katie Aselton's feminist survival thriller "Black Rock" is sitting in bottom place with mediocre reviews, though the film, which stars Aselton, Lake...

Drink Like Don Draper and Philip Marlowe (If You Dare) with the Cocktail Chart of Film and Literature

Beth Hanna — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:41:23 GMT

Popchart Labs is highlighting a ridiculously fun bit of wall decoration: The Cocktail Chart of Film and Literature. The crisp light blue poster features the signature drinks (and recipes!) of some of our favorite literary, film and television (anti-) heroes and heroines. A few highlights include Don Draper's Old Fashioned, Philip Marlowe's Gin Gimlet, Daisy Buchanan's Mint Julep and, er, Hannibal Lechter's Chianti. Since the poster contains 49 drinks, you can view a zoomed-in version of it here.

WATCH: Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Renner in First Clip from James Gray's Cannes Competitor 'The Immigrant' (VIDEO)

Beth Hanna — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:22:43 GMT

Check out this first brief clip from James Gray's Cannes competition title "The Immigrant," starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner, which centers on a woman's turbulent immigration from her native Poland to New York City. In the clip, Renner's character offers some advice to Cotillard's troubled Ewa, who is bedecked in a 1920s embellished headband and frock. The film is Gray's first since 2008's "Two Lovers," also starring Phoenix. It premieres late next week on Friday, May 24. Here's a more detailed plot synopsis:1920. In search of a new start and the American dream, Ewa Cybulski (Marion Cotillard) and her sister Magda sail to New York from their native Poland. When they reach Ellis Island, doctors discover that Magda is ill, and the two women are separated. Ewa is released onto the mean streets of Manhattan while her sister is quarantined. Alone, with nowhere to turn and desperate to reunite with Magda, she quickly falls prey to Bruno (Joaquin ...

Casting Watch: Blunt Joins Depp, Streep, Pine and Gyllenhaal for Disney's Sondheim Musical 'Into the Woods' UPDATE

Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:51:00 GMT

UPDATE: Emily Blunt has nabbed the lead female role of the Baker's Wife in Broadway musical choreographer-turned-director Rob Marshall's ("Chicago") screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece "Into the Woods." She joins a knockout cast of Meryl Streep, who will play the Witch, Johnny Depp as the Wolf, Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Pine as two princes and James Cordon ("One Man Two Guvnors") as the Baker. In "Into the Woods," the evil witch (Streep in the film) casts a spell on an unfortunate baker and his wife; they want a child, so they venture into the woods to try and find the witch. The only danger here is for Marshall's film version is that he's a big-spender; the period movie is starting to look expensive. David Krane (“Chicago,” “Nine”) is writing original music for the film, while James Lapine has adapted his book for the musical. Marshall’s producer for “Chicago” and “Nine” will do the producing honors. Count me as a diehard musicals fan, and that includes Tim...

Trailers from Hell: Joe Dante on Peter Bogdanovich's Directorial Debut 'Targets'

Trailers From Hell — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:29:32 GMT

Bullets Don't Argue! week concludes at Trailers from Hell with director and TFH creator Joe Dante introducing Peter Bogdanovich's harrowing directorial debut, "Targets."“Targets” was made independently and sold to Paramount, becoming an effective calling card for his career in the majors. In the wake of the rash of 1968 political assassinations the studio got cold feet and slapped on a misjudged gun control card at the beginning. Bogdanovich plays a film director named Sammy Michaels in tribute to Samuel Fuller, whose middle name was Michael and who refused screen credit for his contributions to the screenplay. This reissue trailer leans heavily on the director's "The Last Picture Show" fame. The original trailer can be seen here. It could almost have been assembled right after Sandy Hook by the Brady Campaign.

Cannes Virgin Festival Diary 1: From 'Gatsby' to 'Heli' and Back

Tom Christie — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:56:04 GMT

The first indication that things at Cannes weren’t going to be quite as I imagined them to be – red carpet and champagne, rinse and repeat – was the crush trying to get on the express bus from the Nice airport. The bus was 20 minutes late in arriving from Cannes, and there was a lot of jockeying going on, which is a nice way of saying butting in line, except there were no real lines, not to mention not enough seats. As the harried driver pulled away a woman in the back began yelling for him to stop, exclaiming, “You didn’t take my husband or my bags. I need both.” The driver stopped and the woman exited to general laughter. The driver did not seem entirely amused, however, and drove the highway and then down the narrow, winding streets of Cannes as if directed by Paul Greengrass. In fact, I am inclined to believe that Mr. Greengrass is the honorary traffic coordinator in Cannes, all scooters and mini-Coopers and high-rpm downshifting along streets like the Impasse...

Weinstein Co. Green Lights 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' Sequel with Michelle Yeoh

Anne Thompson — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:56:03 GMT

Without Ang Lee or Sony, the Weinstein Company is starting production of a sequel to the Oscar-winning "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which earned six Oscar nominations including best picture and grossed $213.5 million million worldwide. Its $128 million stateside gross made it the highest grossing foreign-language film in American history. The Weinsteins have done well in the past with such Asian films as "Hero" and "Iron Monkey," which is directed by famed martial arts choreographer and director director Yuen Wo Ping, who will direct a returning Michelle Yeoh and star Donnie Yen (Silent Wolf) in the sequel. Harvey Weinstein, Yuen and Yen will be participating in a press conference on Saturday in Cannes to discuss the production. "Crouching Tiger" was a unique cross-cultural event, as American screenwriter James Schamus collaborated on the original Chinese language screenplay, helping to westernize it for the world stage, and Taiwan-born Lee --who happens to be on this year's...

Cannes Exclusive! Jim Mickle Talks Smart Horror Remake 'We Are What We Are'

Anne Thompson — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:29:27 GMT

Just three years after Jorge Michel Grau's 2010 Mexican film "We Are What We Are" played at the Cannes Festival market (see clip and original Mexican trailer below), Jim Mickle's American remake, which debuted well at Sundance, is playing in the festival proper, in the Director's Fortnight, which sometimes welcomes smart well-made horror films such as this one. EOne will open the elegantly shot, well-acted film--which deals with a small town religious family maintaining their long tradition of ritual cannibalism-- this September. Raised in rural Pennsylvania without much access to movie theaters, writer-director Mickle is a horror film fanatic who supported himself as a jack of all trades after graduating from NYU Film School, doing corporate videos and low budget films, often with rookie directors, as a electrician, grip or storyboard artist. He's yet another example of today's DIY ethic, as groups of would-be filmmakers pull together to help each other make low-end HD movies....

WATCH: New 'Pacific Rim' Trailer Gives Us More Kaiju Monsters vs. Robots

Beth Hanna — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:13:08 GMT

A new trailer for Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim" has arrived, with Charlie Hunnam grimly narrating the epic fight between the sea-emerging Kaiju monsters and the human-created Jaeger robots. "In order to fight monsters, we created monsters of our own," he says. Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day and Ron Pearlman also star in the Warner Bros. tentpole, due in theaters July 12. Watch below. Del Toro did a recent interview with the LA Times' Hero Complex blog, and also landed on IMDb's Top 10 Most Popular Cannes Competition Films list, with "Pan's Labyrinth" taking the seventh spot.

Trailer Watch: Booty-Shakin' Birdies in 'Rio 2,' Disney's Majestic 'Planes'

Beth Hanna — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:43:07 GMT

Two new trailers have landed in the world of animation: The saucy teaser for Fox's "Rio 2," which features some raucously rump-shaking birdies, and the wordless trailer for Disney's "Planes" (a takeoff from the "Cars" franchise), which highlights the contraptions of the title flying through all manner of exotic locales. Watch below. "Planes" isn't a Pixar production like its "Cars" brethren but rather from DisneyToon Studios. It was originally set to be released as a direct-to-video film, but received such positive response in the production process that it was upgraded to a Disney theatrical release for August 9. "Rio 2" isn't expected until April 2014.

Image Entertainment Snaps Up 'Winnie Mandela' Starring Jennifer Hudson; Up Against Weinsteins' 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom'

Beth Hanna — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:27:46 GMT

Image Entertainment has picked up all US rights to "Winnie Mandela," starring Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson as Nelson Mandela's long-time partner. The film, which is written and directed by Darrell J. Roodt from Anne Marie de Preez Bezdrob's biography, is slated for a fall 2013 release, which puts it up against the Justin Chadwick/William Nicholson biopic "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," starring Idris Elba in the title role and "Skyfall" star Naomie Harris as Winnie (November 29, limited). The Weinsteins are expected to preview footage for the press on May 17 in Cannes. "Winnie Mandela" also stars Terrence Howard as the former South-African president and anti-apartheid revolutionary. Here's a more detailed synopsis:"Winnie Mandela" explores the personal and political life of the wife of renowned activist and former South African President, Nelson Mandela (Terrence Howard). The film tells the compelling story of one woman’s journey as she fights for the freedom of the...

IFC Goes On Cannes Buying Spree

Anne Thompson — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:14:50 GMT

IFC Films is on a buying tear. While the company is usually scouring Cannes for new foreign titles, they're announcing various deals to acquire American independents on the Croisette as they prepare for the international debut of David Lowery's Sundance hit "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" in Critics Week on May 18. IFC obviously had been talking about acquiring U.S. rights from to Ari Posin's "The Face of Love" since its well-received SXSW debut (under the title "The Look of Love," the same title as the IFC Sundance pickup directed by Michael Winterbottom). The romantic mystery stars Annette Bening as a widow who falls hard for an art teacher (Ed Harris) who doesn't know that he happens to be a dead ringer for her late husband. Robin Williams, Jess Weixler and Amy Brenneman also star in the film produced by Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn at Mockingbird Pictures. IFC is planning a September 2013 release. Exclusive Media is handling international rights to the film. "Arie...

Cannes: Scarlett Johansson to Direct Adaptation of Truman Capote's Near-Lost Novel 'Summer Crossing'

Beth Hanna — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:42:04 GMT

Scarlett Johansson has signed on to helm an adaptation of Truman Capote's near-lost novel "Summer Crossing," which centers on a teenage debutante who falls in love with and pursues a Jewish parking attendant instead of traveling to Paris in the summer of 1945. This will be Johansson's first feature as a director. "Summer Crossing" was never published by Capote himself, who scrapped the manuscript altogether. But a janitor in his building salvaged it from the trash bins, and in 2004 the work appeared for auction and was published. Oleg Boyko ("Sin City: A Dame to Kill For") is set to produce, with Aldamisa Entertainment shopping the film at Cannes. (Johansson recently became attached to Aldamisa title "Chef," to be directed by Jon Favreau.) Johansson has previously directed short film "These Vagabond Shoes," starring Kevin Bacon, which was made available as a bonus to 2009's anthology "New York, I Love You." Watch below.

Zach Braff Nabs Millions in Traditional Funding for Kickstarter-Funded 'Wish I Was Here,' Casts Anna Kendrick UPDATE

Beth Hanna and Maggie Lange — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:52:00 GMT

UPDATE: Zach Braff's successful if controversial Kickstarter campaign for his next project "Wish I Was Here" -- which has raised over $2.6 million still with days to go -- has now helped the writer-director to land millions of dollars in traditional funding for the project, from Worldview Entertainment. The budget of the film is reportedly less than $10 million, with funds coming from Kickstarter, and gap funds from Worldview and foreign pre-sales from Wild Bunch.Braff was criticized harshly for his decision to Kickstart the film, with many claiming that crowd-funding should be for those projects without the possibility of traditional financing. Braff mentions in his Kickstarter mission statement that "financing an independent film the traditional way often means having to give away your right to 'final cut.'" This new development will no doubt fuel the fire of his critics' grievances.In other multi-millionaires-who-turn-to-crowdfunding news, reportedly Ron Howard and Howard...

Cannes Review: Coppola's 'The Bling Ring'

Matt Mueller — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:56:00 GMT

Confession: going into "The Bling Ring," opening film for this year’s Un Certain Regard, I was hopeful that I’d find the Sofia Coppola of "Marie Antoinette" rather than the Sofia Coppola of "Somewhere" parked behind the camera. Surely, a true-life Hollywood tale as fundamentally ludicrous as fame-and-celebrity-obsessed hipster teens targeting freebie-laden homes of the rich and famous cried out for the leering (but not sneering) pop-art approach Coppola brought to her portrait of the pampered French queen, rather than the deadpan, going-round-in-circles approach she applied to her tale of an alienated movie star. The fact that it is indeed the latter is disappointing, although judging from recent interviews it appears Coppola’s thorny "Marie Antoinette" experience (some boos at Cannes, etc) left her depleted, so she’s all about small and simple now. But any director who counts "The Queen Of Versailles" as one of their recent favorites surely knows what an audience would crave with a...