June. It's a Wrap
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 4:05PM We're about to start a week long "halfway mark" review of 2015. But first let's wrap up June itself. My birthday month is over *sniffle* so if you've been offline and out in the sun this summer, here are a baker's dozen highlights from the month that was, in case you missed 'em.
Kate, Corseted - Winslet's best period piece performances
The Many Tears of Pixar - Inside Out is here to remind us that the great studio loves to make us cry
The Red Shoes - A theatrically audacious masterpiece
Bold Giddy Pop Art - Dick Tracy's 25th Anniversary
The Gleaners and I - Anne Marie looked back at one of the greatest and most personal films of Agnes Varda's fascinating career. I hope you all will seek it out.
'Gobbledygook' - Michael had words for Cameron Crowe's ill conceived Aloha. Loved this bit:
Bradley Cooper is escorted on his mission by Emma Stone. The pairing generates all the romantic sparks of a guy babysitting his rambunctious younger cousin on a weekend road trip.
1979 Discussion - Discussing the most hand-wringing battle of the sexes movie year
Gia - Revisiting Angelina Jolie's white hot HBO breakthrough
Sense8 - Tim reviewed this odd Wachowski Siblings experiment in global trans sci-fi psychic cluster connection
Best of TV in 2015 (Series) - We shared our favorites and discussed well over a dozen series
Sing Along - Best movie songs of the 1990s - this list got you talking!
Rising Like a Phoenix - Glenn checked out the recently reedited and reonfigured flop '54 and found it a much better film 17 tears later (I concur. I was able to see it recently and it's so much more focused and enjoyable than it was back then with studio-mandated reshoots lopped off and original material reinserted.)
P.S. And one more round of applause for this month's very special in-house guests!
Cara Seymour talked The Knick, American Psycho and her favorite films
Ann Dowd talked The Leftovers and how she fell for acting
COMING IN JULY
Tangerine, Trainwreck, Ant-Man, the films of Kathryn Bigelow in Anne Marie's "Women's Pictures", and looks back at Angels in America and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Reminder: 1995 is our "year of the month" as we prep for another Smackdown on July 26th.
Reader Comments (6)
I know that the box office flop and race controversy is what's memorable about Aloha. But come on, can't we also talk about matching male stars with age-appropriate scene partners? That bit you quoted is perfect and this isn't the first time I've gotten that vibe from screen pairings.
Hayden, see here (scroll down).
I've really enjoyed the double Smackdown and the journey through 1948. A lot of fascinating posts. Since we were journeying into the past I was hoping that maybe the month would be wrapping up with a birthday post for one of the big stars the 40's & 50's, Susan Hayward whose birthday happens to be today.
joel - we should really do a week on her or something.
Ooooohhhhhhhh! I would love that!! Hayward is such an under-appreciated performer. She stepped right in and took on the roles that Davis, Stanwyck and Crawford had been playing the decade before. I think part of her unfamiliarity has to do with her early death caused by the radiation that killed so many of the cast and crew of The Conqueror.
You missed Gena's birthday :(
But June was much fun anyway. Loved the smackdown, one more time.