by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Apologies for that misleading and crass headline, but it worked, right? BOOKSMART is actually Olivia Wilde’s directorial film debut from Annapurna that opens on Memorial Day, May 27. And it’s as wild as you would suppose it would be, in a good way. “From the beginning, my take on the story was that high school has extremely high stakes,” notes director Olivia Wilde. “When you’re in it, high school feels like lif...

By Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Summer is when the blood is up, so this is perfect timing for the convergent efforts of two famous daughters, Megan Ellison and Amy Redford, to bring justice to the humans behind the superhero capes. And it’s directed by a woman, Angela Robinson. What the what, you may say? PROFESSOR MARSTON & THE WONDER WOMEN, starring Luke Evans and Rebecca Hall, is the smoking hot ménage à trois, allegedly a true story, behind the Wo...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Steve Carell tells a story about working with Vanessa Redgrave in Foxcatcher, the movie for which he is Oscar nominated, and in this one scene he reveals a lot about actors. It also reveals why the Academy tapped Carell, and he has been named Performer of the Year at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. To set the mood, Steve Carell’s bad son, heir John E. Du Pont, tries to hand his matriarch, Mrs. Du Pont (Redgrave) a wrestling...

  by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent   Producer Megan Ellison turns 28 on Jan. 31. So far, her run has been exceptional in Hollywood. Before you begrudge her as second generation technology money since her father is Billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, it is important to remember all the brash brass that has come to Hollywood before and made a mess.  The first of which is second generation moneyman Howard Hughes. His life is depicted for better or worse in...