Review: "Bright" on Netflix

by Ben Miller

Will Smith misses the good ole days.  He has been trying to reclaim his blockbuster status since 2008’s Hancock.  In between, Smith has been featured in a string of weird melodramatic dramas (Seven Pounds, Collateral Beauty), traditional action genre vehicles (Men in Black 3, After Earth, Suicide Squad) and films that sink or swim on the charisma of the stars (Focus, Concussion).  None of these have worked.

Reuniting with Suicide Squad director David Ayer, Smith tries to make it work again in action/sci-fi with Netflix’s Bright.  This also doesn’t really work...

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FYC: Lucas Hedges in "Lady Bird"

By Spencer Coile 

Lucas Hedges arrived last year with his performance in Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea. His portrayal of Patrick Chandler, a 16 year-old dealing with the loss of his father, was quickly lauded and showered with awards attention -- including a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. He was only 20 at the time!

Now, Hedges is having another banner year with notable SAG nominated ensemble work in Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. While both films are prime Oscar consideration across the board, Hedges' work is being severely overlooked -- particularly his performance as Danny O'Neill in Lady Bird... 

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#GreatestShowFan Contest

by Nathaniel R

Since a huge chunk of our readership has feelings about movie musicals, I though TFE should share this contest about The Greatest Showman. [Full disclosure: I do freelance work for Show-Score, the company running the contest but I'm not working on this particular thing]

To enter you just tweet or instagram or facebook out a selfie when you're at the movie or on your way to it or whatnot (anything celebratory to show your enthusiasm) and double hashtag it #Sweepstakes and #GreatestShowFan (yes ShowFan not ShowMan). Each day until January 2nd they'll choose 10 winners who'll receive $100 Amazon gift cards. 

P.S. If you do enter make sure to watch your social media as...

Sponsor will attempt to notify the potential winner(s) via social media commenting, social media messaging... If the potential winner does not respond before January 7, 2018 at 11:59pm, the entrant will be disqualified and the prize will go unclaimed.

Revisiting "Frida"

by Ilich Mejía

Frida came out in my native Honduras towards the end of 2003, nearly a year after it was released in the United States. Back then, it wasn’t uncommon for Honduran theaters to get films much later, but it was uncommon for them to show anything that wasn’t a blockbuster—regardless of the amount of Oscars or movie stars under their belt. Despite featuring niche themes like political art and unconventional family dynamics, Frida offered Latin American audiences something else: visibility in an optimistic, familiar context. This was not a film about a Latin American drug lord knowingly putting their family’s life at risk to meet wealth or about an immigrant leaving their roots behind to see if the American dream is a real thing: it was the story of a woman trying to make her native Mexico proud, ironically funded by Hollywood to be seen by more without the condescending, stingy distribution of a foreign film.

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Why didn't Mariah Carey think of this?

Zendaya at the premiere of The Greatest Showman. Kudos.