The Whistlers: Film Noir Romanian-Style

by Cláudio Alves

As Noirvember comes to an end, it's interesting to peruse the current Awards hopefuls in search of some examples of film noir. Lynn Lee already defended the merits of Edward Norton's Motherless Brooklyn, but my attentions were drawn, as usual, to the Best International Feature category. Amid the record-breaking 91 submissions, we can find a peculiar experiment of deconstructed noir archetypes and mechanisms. It comes from one of those countries whose historical lack of a nomination is an absurdity and reflects poorly on the Academy.

I'm talking, of course, about Romania's The Whistlers…

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AARP "Grown-Up" Nominations

by Nathaniel R

 

The Two Popes leads the nominations for the 19th annual AARP "Movies for Grown-ups" Awards . The ceremony, which will also honor Annette Bening with the Career Achievement Award will be held on January 11th in Beverly Hills with Tony Danza hosting. These awards don't get much attention but we think they're worth noting each year since a good chunk of Oscar voters are in their target demographic as a magazine...

Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups

• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
• Bombshell
• The Farewell
• The Irishman
• Little Women
• Marriage Story
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• The Two Popes

Bombshell sticks out in this crowd as 'one of these things is not like the others', doesn't it?

Best Actress

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Best of November ICYMI

One month left to go in the year. AND THE DECADE. We are not prepared. If you've been spottily visiting the site please return daily (things are picking up with great speed) but here are 12 highlights you won't want to have missed from the month we're wrapping up right now.

Highlights
• Parasite's Palme d'Or Loot it's now one of the most successful winners ever
• Mati Diop and Atlantics Murtada talks to 2019's most exciting new cinematic voice
• Soundtracking: Yentl Chris writes beautifully about Babs' 1983 triumph
• Over & Overs: Sister Act Kyndall used to sing in the choir. She loves Whoopi & co.
• Little Claudia in Interview with the Vampire Jason's 'Horror Actressing' series wants more...
• Parasite and films on economic disparity Lynn on recent Asian films that address the issue more cogently than American films have 
• Antonio Banderas, a singular sensation Nathaniel wonders where he's been.
• Frozen 2 Tim goes deep on Disney's latest blockbuster
• FYC Lulu Wang Cláudio makes a case for the director of The Farewell

Most Discussed
• Spirit Nominations Clemency, Farewell, and more...
• SAG Screenings Little Women, Bombshell, etc...
• Oscar Trivia Which films in history received the most nominations but missed Best Picture? It's a fascinating list.

COMING IN DECEMBER: Little Women, Bombshell, 1917, Marriage Story, Uncut Gems, Cats, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, more interviews with Oscar hopefuls, and Best of 2019 and Best of Decade List-Mania and Awards begin (but do not end) and run through Oscar week 2020. 

Chris Gives Thanks

Chris here. Thank you to all of you wonderful readers that keep TFE alive and well, year in, year out! This year, I am especially thankful for...

- my new spiritual guru, Baby Yoda.

- the reunion of Salvador and Federico in Pain and Glory.

- the funny and furious female ensemble of Parasite: So-dam Park, Yeo-jeong Cho, Hye-Jin Jang, Jeong-eun Lee, and Ji-so Jung.

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Mati Diop on 'Atlantics' and the most haunting scene of the year

by Murtada Elfadl

In the press notes that come with Atlantics, director Mati Diop mentions something that touched me in a deep way. She is talking with a young man named Serigne in Dakar, Senegal whose sea crossing story she featured in her short film, Atlantiques (2009). He tells her about migrating and leaving one’s country of birth

 when you decide to leave, it’s because you’re already dead

That reminded me of a quote from Tracy Chapman’s "Fast Car" that struck me at a young age and was part of my decision to leave Sudan in the late 1990s. I remember saying it to my friends at the time as a reason to leave.

leave tonight or live and die this way

People migrate for many different reasons. For economic hardship, for political persecution, or when their values no longer match the values of the places they live in. I left because I wanted to live openly as a queer person and not continue being closeted or live on the margins of society, the two choices affored me at the time. Perhaps this personal connection with a story about migration is why I have not able able to stop thinking about this film...

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