Co-Star Chemistry, The "Make or Break" Secret Ingredient

Year in Review. Each day another different angled wrap-up.

Last year during our year in review roundup we did our first list of "best co-star chemistry" and it was such a fun way to pinpoint the intangible and often uncategorizable spark that ignites greatness in movies that we're doing it again. Want to capture lightning in a bottle in your movie? Hire the right casting director who will pair the right actors together. No special effect, setpiece, or plot twist can or will ever rival the amount of movie-long electricity that can be generated when actors are really sparking off each other and nailing whatever the roles their characters play in each other's lives simultaneously.

The list is presented without much commentary... unless we couldn't escape it. Chime in in the comments, won't you?

16 Chris Pine & Ben Foster, Hell or High Water (Brothers)

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Modern musicals and the supporting actresses we give Oscars to

by Jorge Molina

During the 85th Academy Awards, there was a somewhat arbitrary musical tribute to three modern musicals in between Seth MacFarlane's sexist monologue and Jennifer Lawrence's fall: Chicago, Dreamgirls, and Les Misérables. Besides being the soundtrack of my college experience, I noticed that all three had one thing in common: they had all won Oscars for their Supporting Actresses.

This threw me into a rabbit hole of IMDb pages, Wikipedia charts, and showtune playlists to look into the historic relation between movie musicals, supporting actresses, and the Academy Awards. If I’d put this much effort into my thesis, I might have graduated in time...

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Beauty Break: Jude Law

Jude Law is 44 years old today and what better way to shake off the blues than to appreciate extremely vivid talent that's still very much with us and has always comes in such delicious wrapping? Next up for Jude Law is the intriguing but-who-knows HBO series The Young Pope.

But until then we gawk at the beauty for with Jude Law the beauty never ends, no matter what phase of life he's hit or what character he's lurking within. He began as callow twinks, moved into suave young guns, aced the sexually promiscuous twenty-something swingers and wounded thirtysomething romantic. And now he charms whether purposefully going to seed or cleaning up real nice in middle age.

We've loved him since his film breakthrough in 1997 (Wilde, Gattaca, Bent). Twenty years later after offering up many great performances and generous eye candy to his fans, he has yet to give us a reason to stop. Much beauty to gawk at after the jump...

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Good Morning, Get Happy

It's been a devastating week in mourning so let's take Carrie Fisher's cue and prescribe some cookies to one another in the form of cinematic treats. I'm sure we could all use a little lift. Which movie moment cheers you up the most when you're feeling blue?

Debbie Reynolds, 'America's Sweetheart' (RIP)

So many heartbreaking goodbyes this holiday season. Today, the brilliant showgirl Debbie Reynolds, "Unsinkable Molly Brown" herself, America's Sweetheart (1950s/1960s edition), charitable icon, Hollywood memorabilia queen, and mother of Carrie Fisher...

She left us just one day after her famous daughter's death...

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