Georgia submits "Shindisi" for the Oscars

by Nathaniel R

A "Shindisi" actor getting a touch-up on set

Georgia has selected the film Shindisi for the Best International Film competition at the Oscars. The film was selected from a list of five titles by a jury of filmmakers. Dito Tsintsadze's film is a true story based on the 17 Georgian soldiers who died in the village of Shindisi during the Russia-Georgia war of 2008. The cast is a mix of real soldiers and actors...

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200 Oldest Living Screen Stars of Note

Nehemiah Persoff & Barbra Streisand in Yentl (1983)Papa can you hear me? 
Papa can you watch me... fly 🎵

Whenever I think of Yentl, which is surprisingly often since the movie doesn't stream anywhere and I haven't seen it in a billion years, I think of "Papa Can You Hear Me". Such a beautiful song. Did you know that the papa himself, actor Nehemiah Persoff, is still alive? He basically retired in the 1980s (his last live-action movie of note was the Schwarzenegger comedy Twins in 1988. He turns 100 on this very day so a Happy Centennial to Yentl's papa! 

Given this momentous birthday, we thought we should update and re-share our periodic list of the oldest living screen actors of note across film and television. We keep this list, not as a morbid countdown, but as a reminder that we should all watch movies from all eras and get to know and appreciate our elders, many of whom once made indelible contributions to popular culture. Some of the perpetually young ones still do like Cloris Leachman and Rita Moreno -- we see you, you spry nonagenarian and octogenarians!

Anyway here's the list! (Last updated on 02/06/2020) We hope you enjoy and get some screening ideas...

200 OLDEST LIVING SCREEN STARS

104 years young

 Norman Lloyd (11/08/14) 
Most recently seen in the supporting cast of Trainwreck. He started as a Hitchcock player (Saboteur, Spellbound) and later became a Hitchcock producer ("Alfred Hitchcock Presents") which led to a long producing career on TV (two Emmy nods). Other acting roles: Dead Poet's Society, The Flame and the Arrow, Wise Guy and St Elsewhere.

103 years young

 Olivia de Havilland (7/1/1916) 
This centenarian is the oldest bonafide MOVIE STAR alive and had already won Best Actress twice by the time she was 33 for To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949)...

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Once Upon a Link

• Variety Lee Pace talks about his new projects and a possible Pushing Daisies reunion
• IndieWire wait, what? Is this the 1990s again? Adriane Lyne (Fatal Attraction, Unfaithful) is making a new erotic thriller. It's called Deep Water and Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas are set to co-star
•  /Film Disney animators have "huge resentment" of the new Lion King... and with good reason, too

After the jump an Academy election, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Meryl Streep screaming, and lots of fascinating thoughts on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood...

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"1917" Teases

by Nathaniel R

Sam Mendes burst on to the movie scene 20 years ago with a surprise blockbuster and Best Picture winner American Beauty as debut. There were diminishing returns thereafter, at least in terms of public opinion. Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, and Away We Go followed, each grossing less than their predecessor. A two film detour to the 007 franchise (Skyfall and Spectre) rescued him in the eyes of big picture Hollywood, though it should probably be noted that people rarely think of James Bond movies as belonging to their directors. 

Can Mendes return to major auteur acclaim with his World War I epic, 1917 ? If this tease is indication he very well might...

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Streaming Roulette, August: Serenity, Red Sea Diving Resort, and two major 1981 classics

As is our practice we've selected a handful of titles and frozen the films at utterly random moments without cheating (whatever comes up comes up!). It's our way of previewing new titles streaming each month. So what should you queue up for AUGUST 2019 ?(★ means we recommend catching them.) Please do let us know if you're dying to discuss any of the films and maybe we'll write about one or two of 'em  You rarely tell us but we'll try if you do.

[COUGHING]

Jackie Brown (1997) ★  on Netflix
Is De Niro coughing to distract you from Once Upon a Time ...  in Hollywood for a minute? He's got a new trailer out and that would like a little attention, too. On the couch is Bridget Fonda giving what is easily one of her top two performances (the other one is in a little seen 80s movie called Scandal). We should probably see this particular Quentin Tarantino flick again. Beyond Fonda's perpetually baked surfer girl I don't personally remember much about it except for that  Rashomon inspired scene in the mall, and Pam Grier and Robert Forster being a fine match in the two central roles.

[HEAVY BREATHING]

Body Heat (1981) ★  on HBO
Nice wedding ring shot. That ain't her husband...

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