March was busy busy busy once we wrapped up Oscar. Three series returned: Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Ask Nathaniel, and Posterized. Anne Marie spent a month w/ Ida Lupino, Manuel and Nathaniel said goodbye to Looking, the TCM festival and Mad Men premiere, and the finale of the Film Bitch Awards 2014. Whew.
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Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella met plenty of silly outrage criticism for its actually thoughtful gender politics, but the handsome and well-reviewed production made a lot of money, continuing both Disney's fairy tale hot streak and Downton Abbey's star-making power. And FWIW, Kenneth Branagh probably needed this. The Sound of Music was also on the world's mind as it hit its 50th, prompting events, handprint ceremonies, and our own favorite things... by which we mean "shots".
Oscar Watching
Cinderella started the race for Costume & Production Design competitions but the talk this month was whether the Academy would go back to 5 Best Pictures.
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The phenomenon that is "Empire" concluded its first season and got everyone talking Emmy for Best Actress. Madonna made her best record in 10 years with "Rebel Heart" inspiring us to imagine a video album crafted by favorite auteurs. Three final hot tracks for the March play list: The "Firefly Theme Song" as interpreted by the cast of "The Flash," an all male version of Chicago's "Cell Block Tango," and Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You" feat. Tom Hanks.
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We Can't Wait - Our 15 Most Anticipated Movies of 2015
The Rise and The Fall - of Dreamworks Animation, a retrospective investigation
Pretty Woman at 25 - an ode to Julia Roberts' infectious laughter
Run All Night - away from Liam Neeson's increasingly tired ass-kickery?
Richard Glatzer RIP - the co-director of Still Alice passes away
Posterized: Judi Dench - a true late bloomer, becoming a star in her 60s
Hot Piece(s) o' the Month
Sophia Loren in Yesterday Today and Tomorrow (1963) and Jake Gyllenhaal in the Southpaw (2015) trailer
Coming in April
Ex-Machina and artificial intelligence, The Woman in Gold, Tony Awards talk, the films of Jane Campion, Daredevil on Netflix, the return of 'Mad Men @ the Movies', Clouds of Sils Maria, and a celebration of Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca.