75th Anniversary: The Wolf Man

by Tim Brayton

This weekend marks the 75th anniversary of one of the most special of all horror classics: it was on December 9, 1941 that Universal Pictures released The Wolf Man. And in so doing, the studio that did so much to invent American horror cinema made one of its most lasting contributions to popular culture.

The Wolf Man was not the first werewolf movie (though it can be easily argued that, at the time it was released, it was the best), but its success did more to pave the way for future werewolves in film and literature than any other individual work of art...

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Interview: Oscar-Winner Asghar Farhadi Returns with "The Salesman"

by Nathaniel R

Two award winners: Asghar Farhadi with his star Shahab Hosseni

Asghar Farhadi's fame is finally catching up to his talent. After his international breakthrough with A Separation (2011) which won the Oscar and the Globe Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and became a significant arthouse hit internationally, the Iranian auteur has had three other movies travel to cinemas abroad. The acclaimed About Elly (2009) found renewed life and finally a US release, and his two follow up pictures The Past (2013) and The Salesman (2016) both took home coveted acting prizes from Cannes.

The Salesman, which will begin its US release in January after an Oscar-qualifying week recently in Los Angeles, is Farhadi's fourth consecutive film to be chosen by Iran to represent the country at the Academy Awards. Like A Separation, it's a stunner which begins simply before a fraught incident sends out large ripples complicating the story and the characterizations. We talked to Farhadi about the pressure of representing Iran, his Oscar night journey, and his creative process. The interview is after the jump...

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Beauty Break: Ruth Negga For Vogue

Chris here with some leading lady gorgeousness. We're big fans of Ruth Negga's Loving performance here at The Film Experience, and hopeful for her Oscar chances in a crowded Best Actress year. Regardless of whether or not she is one of the eventual five nominees, you can bet on Ruth continuing to serve a fantastic fashion game all season long.

And wouldn't you know, she's on the January cover of Vogue! In the interview (after a stunning spread with costar Joel Edgerton in the November issue) the actress describes Loving as a "before and after" role for her, still a bit reserved to her newfound attention. But how can we not be in awe of her with a performance like this and her laidback charm - not to mention her fashion prowess! Check out the photoshoot after the jump...

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The Oscar Week in Four Quotes and a Video

by Murtada

In this new weekly feature we will follow the Oscar contenders and examine how their many interviews and appearances impact their chances.

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone

As Silence continues to screen and Hacksaw Ridge continues to do well with award bodies, Garfield is making the rounds including the Hollywood Reporter Roundtable. When asked which actor he’d have with him if he was stranded on a desert island, he said:

Emma Stone. I love Emma. She's all right. She can come.

This comes after Emma casually mentioned in her Vogue 73 questions video that the best gift she received was a hand-made rocking chair. Guess what Andrew told THR in that roundtable? Yes you guessed it. He learned how to make a rocking chair as part of his preparation for Silence. Oh these two and their amicable breakup.

Meanwhile Emma is everywhere.

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Golden Globe Ballots Due. (And Other Celebratory Reminders)

The members of the HFPA (The Golden Globes) have to turn in their ballots today with nominations announced on Monday. In the less celebrated corner of Precursor World the BFCA Critics Choice ballots are also due for the winners. My own votes are all over the place as I don't do lazy sweep voting but judge each category separately as one should. The Critics Choice Awards are this Sunday evening -- watch it live -- and the Golden Globe nominations are announced Monday morning. But movies, as events to celebrate, are more than just temporal things. You can celebrate anything you'd like across the time continuum via the happy things known as anniversaries and birthdays...

On this day in history as it relates to showbiz

1854 Alfred Tennyson published his famous war poem "Charge of the Light Brigade" - it would be made into a movie three times, most famously with Olivia de Havilland and Erroll Flynn in the Thirties.
1902 Margaret Hamilton, The Wicked Witch of the West herself, was born in Cleveland Ohio. She really should've been nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, don'cha think?...

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