ICYMI - The Best of July
Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 10:00PM In July we were very busy offering you the MOST Cannes coverage we've ever done here -- thank you to Elisa and Cláudio for making it so special. We just kicked off the beginning of our analysis of Emmy categories (ongoing) and just wrapped posting the first Oscar charts of 2021 (all done - check 'em out). But if you weren't here every day you surely missed something. So in case you did...
10 Highlights
• Gay Best Friend: Christian in Clueless - Christopher's series arrives at a very unusual ahead-of-its-time example of this trope
• Independence Day - Cláudio had never seen it so he watched for the holiday
• It Happened One Night Nathaniel guest starred on "Little Gold Men" to talk about the classic comedy
• Toni Collette in Velvet Goldmine Nick takes on a singular prismatic performance
• The Honoraries: Danny Glover 3-part tribute to this fine actor/producer's career
• Emmy Nom Reactions Vodcast - Discussing the joys and sorrows of the day
• Au Revoir Cannes - Elisa reviewed the entire competition slate!
• 10 Best Palme d'Or Winners - Cláudio lists his all time favourites
• Yes No Maybe So Dune - Ben checks out the new trailer
• Halfway Mark "Bests" - Nathaniel's list of best performances of 2021 (thus far)
Most Discussed Articles
• Smackdown 1998 - Shakespeare in Love, Primary Colors, Gods and Monsters
• House of Gucci - the trailer leans toward camp and it sure got people talking
• The Emmy Nominations - Abe's quick take
• Scarlett sues Disney - They need to pay Black Widow up; A contract is a contract.
COMING IN AUGUST
New films like The Green Knight, Never Gonna Snow Again, Val, Respect, Finch, Reminiscence, and Coda. Tributes to Esther Williams for her Centennial and Luca Guadagnino for his 50th. Plus the first four films of Pedro Almodóvar's career and more Emmy episode submission analysis. We'll also be revisiting the cinema of 1986 (any requests?) for the next Supporting Actress Smackdown on August 26th. (You can vote between August 1st-24th). We'll obviously be covering Crimes of the Heart, The Color of Money, A Room With a View, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Children of a Lesser God but what other films would you just love to read about from that vintage?
The Film Experience, Year in Review
Reader Comments (19)
1986 suggestions: Blue Velvet, Something Wild, Mona Lisa, Gothic, She's Gotta Have It, and Little Shop of Horrors.
1986: THE GREEN RAY and ALIENS! Not necessarily together. ;)
My vote for a look back would be for two very different coming of age films from 1986 — Stand By Me and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
That image of ScarJo and Justin Walker...
CHRISTIAN: I gotta be honest. That leather jacket you're wearing: is it James Dean, or Jason Priestley?
NATASHA: Carpe diem! I look hot in it!
From 1986, it would be interesting to take a look at "Mona Lisa", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Ruthless People", and "Heartburn" (which Mark Harris swears is a classic).
Suggestions from 1986:
I would LOVE a writting about one of my favorite all time supporting performances: Alan Ruck in Ferris Bueller's Day Off
When the Wind Blows is a nice choice to talk about but would it be fantastic read about two essential films in spanish language: Hombre Mirando al Sudeste (Man Facing Southeast) and El Viaje a Ninguna Parte (Voyage to Nowhere)
A great but obscure Greek film would be my suggestion for 1986: Nikos Papatakis' The Photograph.
For anyone in New York who wants to see it on a big screen before the Smackdown, the Paris will be showing A Room With a View on Friday the 13th. Really looking forward to this Smackdown even though it seems there can be only 1 winner.
As to non-Smackdown films Ruthless People, Legal Eagles, Big Trouble in Little China, and Back to School all feel very, very 1986, so if when it comes to a mood of the time piece, and it was such a time for time teen movies (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink, One Crazy Summer, Lucas, Solarbabies) that something in that direction could be fun.
My 1986 votes: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ruthless People, The Morning After.
For the 1986 retrospective, you need to look at the teen films, e.g. Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller, Stand by Me, River's Edge, etc., the #1 film, Top Gun, the best film, Blue Velvet, as well as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Manhunter, Luxo Jr., She's Gotta Have It, The Fly, Captain EO, and all the films based on toys (GoBots, Transformers, My Little Pony, etc.)
Seconded:
The Fly, Blue Velvet, She's Gotta Have It, Mona Lisa, Little Shop of Horrors
Also:
Labyrinth, The Name of the Rose, Sid and Nancy, Betty Blue, Caravaggio, Soul Man (!) Matador (Spain release), Extremities, Under the Cherry Moon (awful, but Kristin Scott Thomas' feature debut and Prince at his more stunning)
Oh—and Caravaggio is Tilda's screen debut...
I feel Heartburn is underrated.
It's not 1986-related, but I would love to read something on Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus. She is knocking it out of the park, but with the possible cancellation of the Globes and the long wait until the 2022 Emmy nods, I'm worried she won't get any attention for her performance.
1986 - quite a mixed year. Today probably Aliens & Top Gun would have been nominated for best picture.
I've just revisited Room With a View a few month ago - and was surprised how ... sometimes sluggish it appeared to me now and secondly how much Daniel Day Lewis seemed to play in an entirely different movie with his strange hammy performance. It is literally a finely drawn out tribute to British eccentric ... beautiful moments & lovely characters, but I'm sure I'm not gonna go there again. Loved it when it came out.
My suggestion: The Name Of The Rose (still faboulous watch - but wasn't a contender - not sure why - Italian & German co-prod ?)
Love to see your take on Children Of A Lesser God.
Back then I remember also loving: Extremities, Soul Man, 9 1/2 Weeks, Rosa Luxemburg & The Morning After - but have never seen these since !
If you're planning to a tribute to Esther Williams and her films, I'm hoping you shine a spotlight on "Dangerous When Wet" (her best) and ""Jupiter's Darling" (her most intriguing). The latter's a musical comedy set in Ancient Rome - and there aren't many of those. With Howard Keel as Hannibal, Marge & Gower Champion in top form and a couple of really excellent underwater sequences. It's Esther's only widescreen musical - and unique among the 15 or so musicals MGM built around her in that it wasn't a box office hit. I, for one, love it.
There's never been an athlete so perfectly qualified for movie stardom. Incredibly good looking but also ever so likeable. Plenty of warmth but - dialogue wise - she could handle a droll comeback or comic reaction with the best of them. I've always thought she shared a lot of the onscreen qualities that made Doris Day so popular.
The Magic Words are Esther Williams.
@Ml
The Photograph is available on the Criterion Channel, for those in Canada/USA.
Arkaan
Exactly, so they should cover it !
Hope you can give us a full review of the upcoming HughJackman film REMINISCENCE!
It seems the story belongs to several genres - being a romantic sci-fi action-thriller set in a near-future Miami, I am also intrigued by the inspiration from the myth of Orpheus searching Eurydice in the Hades underworld. Sounds like an unusual story of obsessive love!