Friday, January 27, 2017 at 8:23PM 
By either bizarre coincidence or brilliant intuition, Greta Garbo and Rudolph Valentino began their careers in nearly the same way. Both achieved overnight success with adaptations of one Spanish novelist, a writer who has almost entirely faded from popular consciousness since then. At the time, though, he was more famous than either actor.
Friday, January 27, 2017 at 4:00PM In this weekly feature from Murtada we follow Oscar contender appearances and interviews. After taking a week off, contenders are back to the grind for Phase 2.
Supporting Actress
The warmest presence on the Oscar campaign trail is undoubtedly Octavia Spencer. She’s as delightful in interviews and appearance as her Hidden Figures character is on screen, except of course when she’s dealing with Kirsten Dunst’s racist boss. No wonder she’s so popular. On Twitter she acknowledged her nomination by mentioning not only her director and producers, but also her friends from The Help (and fellow nominees this season) Viola Davis and Emma Stone. Then she went further in by congratulating Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, Dev Patel and Denzel washington. How lovely is she?
This week she was honored as Woman of the Year by Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals group. She looked delighted throughout the parade through the streets of Cambridge, to the roast and the presentation of the traditional prize, the pudding pot. That pot, she quipped, was harder to get than an Oscar...
Friday, January 27, 2017 at 2:10PM 30 is...
...the running time of Wallace & Gromit's Oscar winning shorts A Close Shave (1995) and The Wrong Trousers (1993)
...the number of features directed by Steven Spielberg from Sugarland Express (1974) to The BFG (2016)
...the age of Bette Davis and Hilary Swank when they won their second Best Actress Oscars for Jezebel (1938) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) respectively
...the year of Best Picture winner All Quiet on the Western Front
... and the age at which you get all dressed up to be "terminated" in Logan's Run (1976). For the good of society!
Friday, January 27, 2017 at 12:36PM 
True story: I started our new "Pfandom" series specifically for two reasons. The second was to cheer myself up in these awful democracy-losing times. The first though was to welcome our pfavorite, Michelle Pfeiffer, back. The twitter debate rages on what we shall call this year ("The Pfeiffersance? Michellaisance?" any other suggestions?). The first of her pfour roles this year is the title character in Where is Kyra?, which just premiered at Sundance. I will not be reading any reviews as I'd like to experience it pfresh but my understanding is that it's Oscar nominated cinematographer Bradford Young (Arrival) and Michelle herself winning the raves while people are less jazzed about the movie itself? Regardless, TFE's official stance is that it's very unfortunate that Pfeiffer did not show to support her movie. Director Andrew Dosunmu (Mother of George) had to go it alone. If she doesn't leave home to promote her movies this year, the comeback may be rather less than glamorous and successful. But what can you do? She's an elusive creature.
If you don't have my aversion to reading reviews before you see a film, reviews are now available at Village Voice, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Screen Daily, Ion Cinema, Playlist, and Yahoo! Movies.
Friday, January 27, 2017 at 10:45AM Here are the opening lines of each Best Picture nominee. Can you guess which one belongs to which film?
A. "14....15...16... Prime."
B. "QUIET!"
C. "______ Come on, come on. Get up. Come on, quickly!"
D. "A lot of stuff he just doesn't understand about the world that I understand. That makes all my actions when I move through the world -- I do things better because I can see it all laid out like a map."
E. "Can you help me out, man?"
F. "Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting god, creator of the ends of the Earth."
G. "It's another hot sunny day today here in Southern California, temperature is 84 for downtown Los Angeles"
H. "I used to think this was the beginning of your story."
I. "____, you ought'a stop that lying."
Try to guess. Go ahead and tell us how you did once you check the answers after the jump / scroll down!
