Links
Saturday, December 5, 2020 at 11:00PM • IndieWire offers up a guide to explaining various characters and events in Mank
• FilmSchoolRejects 20 movies to watch if you loved Mank
• Instagram Elliot Page (Juno, The Umbrella Academy, Inception) has come out as trans
• HuffPost Ariana DeBose is making her (movie) name with the musical resurgence: Hamilton Live, The Prom, and West Side Story
More after the jump including ranking the films of David Fincher, EW's Entertainers of the Year, an imaginary Ratatouille musical, new Emmy rulings, and more...
• The Guardian names their 50 best films of 2020
• Slant ranks the films of David Fincher from Alien³ to Mank.
• Cartoon Brew various artists on tiktok are writing their own Ratatouille musical including The Prom's Kevin Chamberlin doing a Gusteau number called "Anyone Can Cook"
• EW offers up multiple covers for their "Entertainers of the Year" issue (Pedro Pascal, Dan & Eugene Levy, Chadwick Boseman, Kerry Washington, Sacha Baron Cohen)
• Screen Daily Nomadland, Finland's Helene, and Italy's Pinnocchio won the gold, silver, and bronze prizes at a recent festival for cinematography in Poland
• IndieWire new rulings for the Emmys - Oscar nominated docs are no longer eligible for Emmys and anthology series are getting pulled out of the regular series categories and more...
• Deadline Black Panther star Letitia Wright cancelled her social media accounts after basically coming out as an anti-vaxxer. Oops. I fear we're going to get more of this as the COVID vaccines arrive.
RIP
• AV Club David L Lander, Laverne & Shirley's "Squiggy", dies at 73
• Deadline Actress Pamela Tiffin (One Two Three, Summer and Smoke) dies at 78
• BBC News Dave Prowse, the man inside the Darth Vader suit, dies at age 85
Belated Links: Discussion prompts we shoulda discussed earlier...
• Slate co-sign this incisive take on what's happening to moviegoing in the current streaming culture without the differentiation of theatrical runs
• Indica Medium "I Lived Through a Stupid Coup" Funny, astute,worrying.
• New York Times chooses the "25 best actors of the 21st century". A truly bizarre list. Some great choices and others that are mystifying. Listen, I loooove and nominated Alfre Woodard for both of those performances they cite at my own awards but one leading role plus a cameo shouldn't put you on a list of the 25 greatest of a 20 year time span from 100s of countries! Same goes for the brilliant Sonia Braga and Catherine Deneuve (like Alfre, indisputably great screen talents). It seems they were judging entire careers rather than the time frame that they stated they were judging. Which, that's fine, but then don't say you're basing it on work after the year 2000 ! But anyway, these lists never please anyone all the way through which is fine and kind of the clickable point and the write-ups are beautiful. From the time frame cited I was especially happy to see Gael García Bernal, Tilda Swinton, Viola Davis, and Nicole Kidman listed who have all been slaying it with abandon for precisely the stretch of time that the list purports to be about. This list also reminded me that one of the most rewarding writing projects for me personally ever at TFE was "100 Favorite Actors of the Aughts" so we should do that again for the 2010s.
Reader Comments (25)
I'd hear about David Lander,-so sad, but not about Pamela Tiffin! She had a short career but I liked her in everything I've ever seen her in. A lovely presence and what a stunner! :-(
Any list of 'best of's are bound to be idiosyncratic and controversial and the one released by AO Scott and Manohla Dargis is no exception. I like the international flavor they brought to the table and especially the choices for Isabelle Huppert, Zhao Tao, Gael Garcia Bernal, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton and Oscar Isaac but I also wonder if my delight in their inclusion might have been because I admire them as artists, period. I like left-of-field choices a lot and I wish both Dargis and Scott did not have to write a follow-up piece in NYT why they did not include Streep and others in their list. In my world, if I make a list, that's my subjective take, take it or leave it, stand by it, no apologies, or don't bother making one to appease everyone.
Everyday I am not seeing films I wanted to see -- Nomadland, Dear Comrades, Apples, Gaza Mon Amour -- I die a little (sorry Cole Porter).
So if you question things and don't conform to popular thought, you get canceled and have to remove your accounts due to backlash... when will people wake up and realize that's not free speech. And the saddest part is that energy usually comes from people who identify as "liberal" (in my observations) who are the main people claiming to be about free speech, free thinking, and democracy. That's why this political system is so wack. It's all about "this or that" thought--if you say "I don't agree with this," people automatically lump you into another category and thus cancel you. Human beings are way too complex to pretend we all fit into one category or another, and just because someone thinks one thing doesn't mean they check any of the other boxes people like to say they do by association.
I woke up from this way of thinking recently (after being "liberal" for the past decade since I was in high school) and when I expressed my opinions on what I feel to be scary things going on in our government, society, Hollywood, and the world at large, I also received negative energy, even though I said nothing hateful or violent. I am merely questioning things and not agreeing with popular thought. I'm not supporting Trump, I never have, but I think Biden is also an absolutely terrible human/choice. Trust is earned... not just given bc we've been worn down. We have to stop behaving like this and engaging in cancel culture if we want to move forward as a society that's actually inclusive and loving. Even if you don't agree with someone, stop trying to stifle their voice. All perspectives are valid. No one is on a pedestal above others.
I wouldn't take a vaccine either--and if you want to, that's fine, I respect that, but why should Letitia Wright be "canceled" and shunned with hateful energy thrown her way just for speaking up on her perspective? That's sick and scary. People should be able to hear all sides to things before they make their decision. That's real democracy. What's going on right now in our country is not.
"I Lived Through a Stupid Coup" is a must read. thanks for including it
Fuck cancel culture. This is part of the reasons why I am so disappointed with the 21st Century so far... people just complain and complain and complain all of the time about "oh this is offensive. Oh, this offends that group of people. Blah, blah, blah. Oh, you're not with what is popular, we should cancel you."
These people need to shut the fuck up. Thank you Philip H. for telling it like it is. I no longer consider myself a liberal. I'm not a conservative either. I'm just me, whoever the hell that person is.
BTW, hello Elliot Page. Nice to meet you and hope to see you in new projects soon.
thevoid -- Don't fret, though. There is a MASSIVE shift happening in the spiritual world as we speak and that's why all this evil, mass manipulation, and divisive energy is more apparent than ever before. There's evil everywhere, and a lot of it is from Hollywood... why should we trust humans we don't know just because they're wearing blue? Especially when we know the abuse that Hollywood has been built on. "Don't drink the kool-aid!" But it's currently being purged out and we're moving into a more loving, light-filled, collective conscious state of being. Everyone has to wake up on their own time, but I hope people soon realize that the cancellations and all that are not good energy and don't serve anyone. Lots of craziness going on, but within the next handful of years, things will be more beautiful than ever before. I truly believe that.
Amen on forgoing labels and just being you. We know that we're operating from a space of love, good-intentions, and honesty--and with that, we can't go wrong. Thank you for being you. <3
I loved your 100 Favorite Actors from the Aughts series. I'd be more than happy to have you do it for the 2010s!
Owl -- i loved the international flavor. I'm just saying they shouldn't have labelled it 21st century if they weren't basing it on the past 20 years. They could have just labeled it "greatest living actors" and it would have been a fine list ;)
Philip & The Void -- you guys there's freedom of thought and then there's being an irresponsible citizen. It doesn't just hurt you if you choose not to believe science. Anti-vaxxers are a threat to the health of other people they come in contact with, whether or not they feel like they're good people inside. It's not responsible to disbelieve in science. We all need to get back to a place where we all share the same facts. And in the field of opinons, sure, freedom of thought and freedom of expression. have at it.
and i'm sorry but America is a two-party country... whether or not any one any of us fit neatly into "democrat" or "republican" hardly matters after primary voting is over. Being a responsible citizen can also mean making a difficult choice where either option isn't your preference but if you dont want democracy to disappear and be replaced by fascism you only had one choice this election: Biden. A vote for Trump was a vote for fascism, as was an abstain or a third party vote. Fascism eventually kills people and destroys countries and freedom and erodes public trust.. You can't let it take hold ,no matter how bad you think your other options are. \
We bought ourselves time but Trump and his ilk will be back and I hope you'll come around to the big picture again before them. I agree with you on some particulars (like cancellation is bad energy) and vehemently disagree with you on others (no, all perspectives are not equally valid. A lot of perspectives these days are based on absolute falsehoods, purposeful propaganda, ignorance or bigotry. These are not equal to people who just want freedom and civil rights and to be left alone to do their thing whether thats queer people, people of color, or people of minority religions. They're just not. The media both-sidesing everything to try to be "fair and balanced" is how we ended up with extreme right-wing views becoming "mainstream" )
They imply that the choice of Keanu Reeves was because of his 21st century work: "In middle age, he has risen to a new level of achievement." Now, whatever issues I might have had with the list up to the point, it lost all credibility when his name showed up at #4 (!) "Can you name one film that has not been improved by his presence?" I could name several, but let's start with Much Ado About Nothing and Dracula. I mean, seriously. I used to be dismissive of the "acting" of Reeves and Brad Bitt, another hunk who made his big-screen debut in the late '80s. But I would have welcomed Pitt's name on a list like this because, unlike the perpetually wooden Reeves, Brad's work has actually improved from film to film, in particular in the 21st century.
#4?!?!? And no sign of Blanchett, Cotillard or Bale. Oh, Manohla...
I second the thought of you listing your favorite actors of the 00’s!
... we need to talk about MANK ...
I'm very puzzled - one of the view films where I don't really know if I liked it in the end - and there is so so much to like about .... everything is exquisite ...
You are placing labels on me that don't apply (i.e. never said I don't believe in science... I definitely do. But I do not trust the people administering the vaccines, and thus do not trust the vaccines either). This idea that some viewpoints are more valid than others is false and toxic. At the end of the day, your beliefs are just that...beliefs. They're not "right." Just as mine aren't "right" either. I'm willing to admit that though. It's funny that you're talking about all these novel concepts of freedom and ignorance/bigotry, but you're putting yourself and your views on a pedestal by saying those that don't agree are wrong and "irresponsible."
"A lot of perspectives these days are based on absolute falsehoods, purposeful propaganda" ... yes, and some of that is from the left too. We will not move forward until people wake up and see this instead of blaming everything on the "other side." In 1983, 90% of American media was owned by 50 companies. In 2011, that same 90% became controlled by 6 companies (Disney, Viacom, etc). Why does everyone just trust this information we're told when it ALL comes from the media which is controlled by ONLY SIX corporations controlled (hello, that's mighty questionable). I'm not saying fuck it all immediately, but questioning it should come into play which most of us have never done (I hadn't either until recently). It makes sense because we want to believe in the good of the system and the people running shit and maybe it's scary for some to realize that maybe these people don't have our best interest in mind, but for our own interest, we need to be more cognizant than that.
You say I'm not seeing the big picture, but I'd argue that I am. That's honestly not for you to decide. Again, you can disagree, I don't expect people to share the same views as myself, but it seems that you do expect that, which isn't how the world works. I should be allowed to express my thoughts without being labeled an "irresponsible citizen" like you're the morality police. If you can't see how calling someone disparaging things like that for expressing their opinion (which is neither hateful nor violent) is low vibrations, I don't know what to tell you. You're not immune to toxic behavior just because you identify as a "liberal" or someone who believes in good ideas.
I know it's not my job to try to wake anyone up because I truly can't, and I probably "shouldn't" have said anything at all, but I will voice my thoughts without being stifled. Other people need to understand that if they don't agree with popular opinion, it's okay. To say people are "dangerous" or "irresponsible" when they don't go along with popular opinion is part of liberal brainwash. That stuff doesn't only happen on the right. Letitia Wright did nothing wrong. Just because CNN or NBC said so doesn't make it fact and I would hope you can think more critically than that. Sheep think benefits no one.
I say this out of love, because I think you have a beautiful spirit and you're a wonderful writer (duh, you're successful for both of these reasons). This is my favorite film site and I've been coming on since I was 16 (and I'm 27 now), but I feel I must step back at this point as you have sent that kind of energy my way recently. It's divisive to say these things and I hope you can see that one of these days. I'm sending you love and light, and I mean that sincerely, not sarcastically. <3
Remember that we're all humans. I am and so are you. No one is better than anyone else, and if you truly believed that you would never invalidate someone's perspective. Just saying.
This energy is what the government/media feeds on to keep us divided. Red and blue work together for that purpose. Don't forget that. We have to rise above. I love you, man.
I encourage everyone to consume less media, read more books, and find a spiritual practice if you don't have one. Also, take care of your health. Eat clean, exercise, get fresh air/vitamin D, and meditate. You've got this.
Mank is bad
Nicole Kidman only does stinker but sure
Letitia Wright is free to believe in what she wants. But as a huge public person she should try to avoid divisive topics. Came as an anti-vax is irresponsible and wrong especially these days.
About the Slant ranking of Fincher’s films, I am really pleased by the top 2 choices. In fact, none of his films are bad. Just watched Mank and I can’t wait to read what the TFE folks have to say about it.
I like Ariana DeBose, but she is (and looks) way older than a high schooler she is supposed to play in The Prom
"They imply that the choice of Keanu Reeves was because of his 21st century work: "In middle age, he has risen to a new level of achievement." Now, whatever issues I might have had with the list up to the point, it lost all credibility when his name showed up at #4."
Right. And then they admit in the follow-up interview that they put Keanu at #4 because they wanted to make a statement!
The list just seemed designed to troll people. My impression of this was reinforced by Scott and Dargis's endless jokey gif responses to criticisms on twitter, rather than any attempt to engage with critics in good faith. They would have been better off not responding at all if they wanted to be taken seriously. I don't object to that many names on the list, but I did lose some respect for them both in the process.
(What did Kerry Washington do this year that merited an "entertainer of the year" title?)
Re: Letitia Wright - the original video that she linked was also disgustingly transphobic. I think it's fair to be a little suspicious of a vaccine developed this quickly, but the video had a lot of other things in it.
I have a question about Mank and the SAG Awards... In the opening credits the cast is listed in groups of 4, which is not “single-card main title billing”. Does this mean Gary Oldman and Charles Dance would be the only cast nominated for the cast? Or does the fact that the names are scrolled across the screen still indicate a single-card because they appear one at a time?
Julian -- i believe this means the scrolling names will all be nominated. But if i remember correctly there is a division at some point which is i think where they'll cut it off.
Just in case, Letitia Wrigh isn't just an anti-hacen, she's a nutjob Christian wanabee. Her prior posts call about being threating by the Anti-Christ and how Trump will save us of the Devil's workshop. Also, in the link about anti-hacen video, there are some TERF conspiracy theories.
It's anti-vaxen. Damn autocorrector.
I'm just here to chime in that the 100 Actors/Actresses of the Aughts was one of my favorite-ever features on the blog, so I'd be THRILLED for another one of those.