Beauty vs Beast: Liverpool Lovers

Happy Monday, Jason from MNPP here with this week's "Beauty vs Beast" -- we'll be wishing one of TFE's favourite actors a happy 33 this week when Jamie Bell celebrates his birthday on Thursday. We love Jamie and are hoping for good things from his turn as Elton John's right-hand-man Bernie Taupin in Rocketman this spring... and yet we can't help but feel like it's another bridesmaid role. Why won't Hollywood let Jamie shine? He was the lead in the indie crime thriller Donnybrook which came out a few weeks back -- did any of you catch that?

Anyway for this week's poll we're probably dooming his chance to shine, again, by pitting him against one of our most beloved actresses (and one who's in the biggest movie of this past weekend, to boot) -- his co-star in 2017's Film Stars Don't Die in Livepool, the queen Annette Bening. This movie got lost in the Oscar shuffle last year, which remains a damn shame -- both Bening and Bell are stunningly good as the dying actress Gloria Grahame and her late-life love Peter Turner. But now you gotta pick!

polls

PREVIOUSLY And speaking of Captain Marvel stars, Brie Larson might've crshed the box office this weekend but she got her bum handed to her in last week's Scott Pilgrim poll -- Ramona Flowers used her crazy big sledgehammer to drum up 64% of the vote. Said Bushwick:

"Can we get these two actresses together again?! Preferably in a film that garners Larson another nomination (and Winstead her first)!"

SXSW: Matthew McConaughey in "The Beach Bum"

Abe Fried-Tanzer reporting from the SXSW Festival...

You know that any movie which has its publicists passing out “scratch and sniff” cards to help audiences smell weed during select scenes is going to be a wild ride. Matthew McConaughey playing the title character in a movie called The Beach Bum should be enough of an indication, and, if still more reassurance was needed, the fact that it comes from writer-director Harmony Korine should put any doubts to rest: this is going to be one out-of-control film. 

Korine’s last film was Spring Breakers, a mostly-praised portrait of college students-turned-criminals featuring a highly memorable and indescribable performance from James Franco...

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SXSW: Shia Labeouf in "Peanut Butter Falcon"

Welcome guest contributor Tony Ruggio, reporting from SXSW...

Co-director Tyler Nilsen and Shia Labeouf on the set of "The Peanut Butter Falcon"

In a three hour festival line with five-hundred people you talk to them, you hear things. One thing I heard in a line for Jordan Peele's Us, and it’s a common refrain, is that “Shia Labeouf sucks.” Whether a product of Mutt hate out of Indy 4 or his own bad behavior, people think of the former Disney Channel star as a bad actor. They still see the Mouse House, Michael Bay, and Big Berg’s disappointment. Over the past several years he’s worked tirelessly to change that, starring in indie after indie in pursuit of artistic integrity. The Peanut Butter Falcon is the latest in said renaissance...

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Review: Captain Marvel

An abridged version of this review was previously published in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad

by Nathaniel R

Captain Marvel‘s “Vers” (Brie Larson) can’t remember a thing about her past life. She has only known this: training with her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) and fighting with her fellow Kree warriors in Starforce. 

Their mission is to wipe out the evil shape-shifting alien race known as The Skrulls. Though Vers can’t recall her origins, Marvel Studios has their origin template memorized by now, 21 films into their world-conquering juggernaut franchise. It’ll involve:

• comic sidekicks (☑️☑️☑️)
• training sequences (☑️)
• losing an early battle (☑️)
• questioning old beliefs (☑️☑️)
• forming new alliances (☑️☑️)
• and the hero/heroes finally coming into their own, more powerful than they were before (☑️)

Cue end credits. But we'll get to those in a minute...

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25th Anniversary: "Four Weddings and a Funeral"

by Deborah Lipp

Four Weddings and a Funeral turns 25 today. This is probably not also the number of times I’ve seen it, but it might be. I’m sure if you add the times Professor Spouse and I have each seen it, we exceed that number.  To say, therefore, that this is a beloved movie is a ridiculous understatement.

Here’s what we’re going to cover after the jump to celebrate its birthday...

• Four Weddings is highly quotable
• It features the best use of "fuck," and its variations, this side of Get Shorty
• Screenwriter Richard Curtis excels at movies that are kind-heartd and generous
• Four Weddings isn't perfect, but I will teach you the trick of making it perfect

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