Park City was eerily peaceful early this morning with nobody around and last night’s dusting of snow on the ground. Soon enough – by this afternoon, or this evening, or certainly tonight – that will all change as filmmakers, press and industry folks roll in and the dreaded promoters (“leveragers,” Sundance founder Robert Redford called them in his inaugural address today) pimp out this snowy mountain town like a toddler in a tiara. Appropriately, Redford pointed to the current hardships for filmmakers, and the world at large. “Times are hard and grim,” he acknowledged, later offering optimism. “Independent film is healthy. That doesn’t mean it’s easy.”
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Valentine's Day is a little less than a month away, and much like you trawling the supermarket for last-minute goodies to romantically rain down on your perennially disappointed significant other, Hollywood has cobbled together not one but two faintly savory last-minute options for the lovers out there.
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The conservative "watchdog" group Judicial Watch has sued the CIA and the Defense Department, alleging a failure to comply with requests to know what was discussed in consultations with Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal about the Hurt Locker duo's follow-up charting the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Great.
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Considering how unabashedly Quentin Tarantino wears his cinephilia on his sleeve, it's always fascinating to get a peek inside that movie geek brain of his to see what's swimming around. And thanks to The Quentin Tarantino Archives, the world now knows which 11 films of last year topped QT's best-of list, which just missed the cut, and which movies, interestingly enough, earned his "Nice Try" award.
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Today in the NY Times, David Carr has an intriguing look at the notorious 28-minute "documentary" When Mitt Romney Came to Town, a piece of presidential-campaign propaganda so slick and evocative that it brings to mind the work of contemporary Hollywood pros. Perhaps most notably, Carr writes, the film implicates Romney in a kind of "vampire capitalism" -- which calls for some perspective from the Oscar-winning director of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Bill Condon. Naturally.
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BREAKING: TMZ is reporting that Oscar-winner Gene Hackman was injured earlier today when a car hit him as he was bicycling in Key West, Florida. Details are very sketchy at this point, with the extent of Hackman's injuries unknown; the report claims said injuries are "serious" but also that the 81-year-old Hackman is currently in stable condition at a local hospital. Developing... [TMZ]
The enduring saga of Margaret -- three years in the making, six years in the editing, one week in the theatrical showing, and finally rescued from oblivion by a cabal of devotees best known by their #TeamMargaret brand -- presses on this week with news that Kenneth Lonergan's embattled epic is finally returning to theaters in Los Angeles. Great! But perhaps just as interesting as how this complements the film's ongoing revival in New York City is how it shores up a better-late-than-never awards campaign by distributor Fox Searchlight.
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“I think that we have an opportunity with the third Iron Man to make the best of the three, and maybe one of the better superhero movies that’s ever been made. But I think we have to remember what made the first one good. It was very character-driven. It was very odd. It was kind of outrageous. And so I think we have to have the courage to trust that the audience is really kind of cool, and smart.” Ah yes, Robert Downey Jr., "cool audiences" -- the elusive fifth quadrant. Here's to hoping Iron Man 3 doesn't repeat the series sophomore slump. [Omelete via Collider]
Candidates campaigning for the Presidential ticket usually opt for safe campaign songs carefully chosen to align themselves consciously and subconsciously with certain sets of values, but last night, Ron Paul went a different route: He and his supporters celebrated their second-place victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary to the sounds of "The Imperial March" from Star Wars. Yes, Darth Vader's theme song.
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In between all the trenchant dog interviews and Taiwanese Star Wars news animations you're likely to find at Movieline on any given day, a nagging question no doubt persists: Where can I find the most up-to-the-minute entertainment news videos on the Web? I've got not only your answer, but at least one shiny, highly desirable reason to check it out.
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Looker proprietor and all-around swell guy Lawrence Levi braved last night's New York Film Critic's Circle Awards so you (read: I) didn't have to, submitting to Twitter one of the juicier exchanges overheard on a night when anecdotal blips rained down like thumbs at an Adam Sandler flick.
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“Smokin’” Joe Carnahan (Narc, Smokin' Aces, The A-Team) has endured his fair share of ill-fated projects and setbacks, but his passion project Killing Pablo remains a priority. And while the fate of White Jazz remains opaque, Carnahan shared optimism for his long-gestating Pablo Escobar biopic while promoting his existential survival pic The Grey last weekend in Los Angeles. If all goes well and the Liam Neeson-led The Grey takes off upon release later this month, he says he hopes to make Pablo his next project.
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This just in from Nikki Finke: Paramount's cheap wannabe found footage hit The Devil Inside -- which drew reports of audible grumbles and boos as the credits rolled at sneak screenings in Los Angeles and New York last night -- has already made back double its acquisition costs. "The Devil Inside acquired for $1M opened with $2M midnights from 1,400 theaters. It goes wide into 2,300 theaters today," Finke writes at Deadline, adding that "the genre film plays very young and very ethnic so it will probably be frontloaded." Nice. Very young and very ethnic. If the pic turns into a Paranormal Activity-esque hit, you know who to blame. [Deadline, @STYDnews, Moviefone]
After their not-so-dextrous handling of The Road throttled director John Hillcoat's film into cultural oblivion, let's be honest: There's something bittersweet about watching the Weinsteins suffocate Hillcoat's anticipated follow-up Wettest County for old times' sake.
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Oscar nominated director David O. Russell (The Fighter) has had his share of controversial moments in the public eye, but this takes the cake, and then some: According to a police report filed with the Broward County Police Department in Florida, Russell inappropriately groped his 19-year-old adoptive pre-op transgender niece while they were working out last week. Hit the jump for details if you dare, because this reaches a level of bizarre that can be a wee bit difficult to wrap your head around.
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