Months of Meryl: Hope Springs (2012)

John and Matthew are watching every single live-action film starring Meryl Streep. 

#44 — Kay Soames, a lonesome woman trying to revitalize her stagnant marriage

JOHN: Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep have screen personas as disparate as the parts of a taijitu. While Streep actively courts her audience with vital charisma or some captivating form of transformation, Jones seems just as satisfied to pretend that the audience isn’t there, rarely soliciting our sympathy or even our attention. What a surprise, then, to see each actor force the other to explore previously untapped potentials in this later stage of his/her career and deliver a performance as nuanced and exciting as the very best work in their respective filmographies.

In David Frankel’s Hope Springs, Streep and Jones are Kay and Arnold Soames, a couple married for 31 years who now regard each other like estranged roommates. They rarely speak to one another aside from the occasional “good morning” and “good night.” A hug a day is the extent of their intimacy; they haven’t had sex in almost four years...

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Movember is here. But everyone is already furry!

I considered growing a 'mo for "Movember," to raise money for men's health issues but in truth vanity prevailed. I look good with a beard but terrible with a moustache. I tried it just once and ewww. Not everyone can be classic Robert Redford (left) and look great with no matter what facial hair situation or lack thereof they choose. Not everyone can look so definitively like their true self with a moustache that to shave it off would be as catastrophic as biblical Samson losing his hair and power -- think Sam Elliott, Tom Selleck, Clark Gable, or Nick Offerman.

It used to be really fun to watch everyone get furrier for Movember, which raises awareness and money for men's health issues like testicular cancer, prostate cancer, and suicide prevention. But I'll admit I haven't noticed a difference these past couple of years. How does it work when just about everyone already has so much facial hair? (It's now almost shocking to see someone clean-shaven in NYC!)

Which male movie star's facial hair do you most love? Perhaps a list or beauty break is in order...

Beauty Break: Halloween Pin-ups

Apologies that TFE has been out tricking and treating instead of entertaining you. But please enjoy these Hollywood beauties getting into this highly specific autumnal mood. HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE

Paulette Goddard

Myrna Loy, Janet Leigh, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, Clara Bow and other 'it' girls from Old Hollywood are after the jump with their pumpkins, witch hats, scary books, and cats.

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Soundtracking: "The Nightmare Before Christmas"

by Chris Feil

To some degree, The Nightmare Before Christmas feels like the bastard child of Disney’s animated musicals. Granted the film was originally released under the Touchstone label due to concerns of frightened children and timid brand alignment. But in the years since, it’s grown beyond its cult following into full Mouse House acceptance, certainly one of the most merchandised of its era and most revisited thanks to inherent traditions in its duel holiday premise. So why does its music not get discussed alongside its peers?

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Podcast: The Hate U Give, Burning, Border, Suspiria

Nathaniel R and Murtada Elfadl talk four new films now in theatrical release in select cities

Index (67 minutes)
00:01 The Hate U Give is heavy handed but moving. Amandla Stenberg and Russell Hornsby are very good in it
27:19 Spoiler warning about our discussions of Burning and Border (though in truth we don't get that spoilery. We still speak vaguely but if you wanna go in completely cold, skip!)
28:12 Burning starring Steven Yeun and directed by genius Lee Chang-dong
39:30 Discussion of Oscar's foreign film hopefuls and how they routinely ignores Asian movies
47:00 Sweden's bizarre submission Border and its multiple genres
53:15 Luca Guadagnino's remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria
64:00 Running times and wrap-up.

References / Further Reading
• Nathaniel's review of Burning & Border
• Dan's Review of The Hate U Give
• Chris's review of Wildlife 
• Carey Mulligan drag Instagram cuteness 
• Best Foreign Language Film Predictions

You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you? 

The Hate U Give and more...