Smackdown '16: Nicole, Viola, Michelle, Naomie, Octavia

Presenting the Supporting Actresses of '16. This year's slate of nominees features a selfless adoptive mother, a doting but suddenly resentful wife, a woman whose tragic past has suddenly resurfaced, a savvvy mother hen and supervisor struggling to gain respect, and an addict who makes her sensitive son's life a nightmare of instability.

THE NOMINEES 

One long-time-coming breakthrough for an exciting actress (Get it Naomie Harris), two Oscar winners elevating their films with warmth and precision (Kidman & Spencer), and two Oscar darlings who arguably should have won already attacking tragic material (Williams and Davis). Who will be triumphant in the smackdown?

THIS MONTH'S PANELISTS

Though we usually arrange for special guests including actors, writers, and film critics, for the first Smackdown of the new season, we opted to do it all 'in house' with only TFE crew just to get the series back up and running: Nathaniel, Abstew, Chris, and Murtada (you can read about the team here) are discussing the nominees. And now it's time for the main event... 

2016
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN 

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I Just Can't Wait to be Link

/Film Donald Glover will be the voice of Simba and James Earl Jones the voice of Mufasa in the forthcoming remake of The Lion King... I notice it's being lumped in with all the other Disney 'live action remakes of animated pictures' in articles but this one is not live action, but CG and mo-cap like The Jungle Book. 
E! News Malin Akerman recalls her nude modelling shoot with Jamie Dornan
AnOther interviews John Waters. Multiple Maniacs is getting a rerelease overseas... hence the interview. What I want to know is where in the box set of his complete filmography?
TV Line Darren Criss is Andrew Cunanan and Edgar Ramirez Gianni Versace in the next American Crime Story
Awards Daily TV Best Actress in a Limited Series is already crazy competitive for the next Emmys via Feud, Big Little Lies, and more...

Links after the jump including more Viola, plus Arrival, The Lion King, Night of the Iguana, Boyd Holbrook and more...

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8 Days Until Oscar. Do "Moonlight" or "Arrival" have Oscar twins from the past?

With 8 days to go until Hollywood's High Holy Night let's compare our two pictures with 8 nominations each this year, Denis Villeneuve's thinky sci-fi drama and Barry Jenkins' ravishing memory/identity drama. While both films might come up empty handed on Oscar night they each have a reasonable shot at one or two statues -- Moonlight could theoretically win Supporting Actor and/or Adapted Screenplay and Arrival's best Oscar shot is probably in one or both of the Sound categories unless it surprises with Adapted Screenplay itself in what could arguably be a five way race if Moonlight is not as strong as pundits suspect there.

ARRIVAL	MOONLIGHT
Their 8 Nominations
Picture	Picture
Director	Director
	Supporting Actress
	Supporting Actor
Adapted Screenplay	Adapted Screenplay
Cinematography	Cinematography
Production Design
Film Editing	Film Editing
	Original Score
Sound Mixing
Sound Editing

In the categories where they're competing which film do you prefer?

For extra fun, though, let's find out if the either of these films have any exact Oscar doppelgangers from the past shall we?

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Tweetweek

In awards season, if an A- beats an A+, the A- is automatically an F

— Sam Coffey (@SamRS72) February 13, 2017

Five days left of Oscar voting. pic.twitter.com/OpJcQjGiMS

— Rebecca Keegan (@ThatRebecca) February 16, 2017

More truths and amusements and curiousities after the jump including Viola Davis, La La Land, Isabelle & Viggo, Kate McKinnon, and the perfect deployment of Tilda Swinton...

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In a previous life, Steven Soderbergh must have been a thief

Behold the first image from Lucky Logan which is Soderbergh's first post-retirement theatrical feature. It's yet another heist picture from a director who is very fond of stories about professional thieves and or elaborately planned ambitious crimes. See also Haywire, Oceans franchise, Out of Sight.

Pictured are Adam Driver and Channing Tatum in the background (why are they barely featuring a star as big as Chan in the first still?) and platinum blonde Daniel Craig in the foreground. They're doing an elaborate heist during a NASCAR race. 

Are you excited to welcome Soderbergh back to the movies?