Review: "The Lesson"

by Matt St Clair

In his BAFTA-nominated breakthrough performance from last year’s Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Darryl McCormack dazzled viewers with his charm and dramatic depth. The fact that he held his own against Emma Thompson giving one of her finest performances made his work even more applaudable. The new slow-burn thriller The Lesson from director Alice Troughton and screenwriter Alex MacKeith, allows him to follow up that stunning turn by going toe-to-toe with another European acting goddess.

The acting goddess in question is Julie Delpy who plays Hélène, the wife of renowned author J.M. Sinclair (a sublime Richard E. Grant). Looking to provide their son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) with a tutor to prepare him for his entrance exams to Oxford, the Sinclair couple hires Liam (McCormack), an aspiring writer and avid fan of J.M. 's work...

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First & Last 016

Can you guess the movie from its first and last image?

The answer is after the jump once you scroll down...

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Emmy Predictions: Limited/Anthology Series & TV Movies

By Abe Friedtanzer

Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Eisenberg in Fleishman Is In Trouble

Maybe it’s just been a busy year, but I feel like I’m very out of the loop with this whole slate. As is my practice  I watched the first episode of just about everything, but with a few notable exceptions, like Fleishman Is In Trouble, The Patient, Ms. Marvel, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I didn’t actually make it to the end of many of this past seasons contenders for limited series. In most cases, it wasn’t lack of interest but rather time. That’s going to make for an unusually hectic summer when I’m inevitably going to try to finish up all of the eventual nominees. Fortunately, I have been paying attention to the heavy hitters in awards buzz. That doesn't help narrow down the contenders much, though, since the field feels wide open.  

The surest things across the board in the limited categories are Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Black Bird, both of which performed well at the end of last year for those awards groups that aren't quite on Emmy's timetable...

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The beauty of Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinema

by Cláudio Alves

Oppenheimer approaches on July 21st! Christopher Nolan's latest promises a great deal, from the historical examination of a man that changed the world to an ambitious test of how far the director's practical-over-digital effects philosophy can hold in the face of such a challenge. I'm more skeptical about it than some, though some things seem sure. Chief among them is that the picture will look great, another feather in the cap of Dutch-Swedish cinematographer genius Hoyte Van Hoytema. In his honor, let's revisit the Oscar nominees' biggest hits, from vampirical hauntings to 'Jean Jacket'…

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Happy Fourth of July!

The Tree of Life (2011)

Almost titled this 'god bless America' because America needs a lot of blessings right now. Anyway. Have a wonderful holiday if you celebrate. We're throwing a last minute backyard potluck chez moi. We'll be back to regular posting tomorrow with some Limited Series Emmy punditry and a celebration of the work of cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema. Later in the week and into the weekend some "halfway mark" celebrations of the best of January through June. And then the first wave of Oscar predictions (much later than usual - apologies!)