Paul Newman @ 100: "Slap Shot"

by Cláudio Alves

From 1969 to 1977, Paul Newman and George Roy Hill collaborated on three projects. The first two are, of course, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, a pair of immortal classics that are near impossible to divorce from one's understanding of Newman as a movie star, his cultural impact, his legacy. With Robert Redford along for the ride, Hill put his stamp on both the Western genre and the heist film, appealing to convention revisited and sometimes vivisected, re-imagined for a New Hollywood. And yet, no matter how impactful those flicks are, I find myself more drawn to the third Newman-Hill joint. This time, they set their sights on the sports movie, devising a hockey comedy as funny as it is surprising – Slap Shot…

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Gold-Standard Roles: From Tony to Oscar

by Cláudio Alves

This season, Wicked hopes to translate some of its Tony glory to the Oscars, twenty years after the musical competed for Broadway’s highest honors. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, in particular, are now part of a long tradition of performers who took Tony-heralded parts and made them into Oscar success stories. Time will tell if either of them finishes the season with little golden men clasped tightly in their hands. Still, it’s already possible to contextualize them within this peculiar dynamic, this Tony-to-Oscar pipeline. Because we love lists and statistics here at The Film Experience, let’s recall every case when a Tony-nominated role earned itself AMPAS’ seal of approval…

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Paul Newman @ 100: "The Sting"

by Lynn Lee

No doubt about it, Paul Newman was at peak stardom when he signed on to The Sting.  But he needed a hit: he hadn’t had one since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and his intervening films had all underperformed.  Fortuitously, he was about to enjoy the biggest blockbuster of his career in the form of a Butch Cassidy reunion with co-star Robert Redford and director George Roy Hill...

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Indie Spirit Revue: "Good One"

by Nick Taylor

Good One is maybe my favorite film of the seven "Firsts" nominated at the Indie Spirits. India Donaldson's story of high school senior Sam (Lily Collias) going on an annual weekend camping trip in the Catskills with her dad, Chris (James LeGros), and his friend Matt (Danny McCarthy) could not be simpler to summarize. Yet, the wrinkles and intrigue she's put into this premise - both men are in their 50's, Chris is on his second marriage with a new baby at home while Matt is currently working through divorce proceedings - are thoughtfully integrated. We briefly meet friends and family of the soon-to-be-departed, and off we go…

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MONSTRO BEST ACTRESS - Vote Daily!

by Nathaniel R

THE SUBSTANCE

We’re updating all Oscar charts this weekend (if we can manage) and of course we start by spotlighting Best Actress, the category we live for as actressexuals. As is silly tradition, we like to mush all the contenders together and see what we’ve got. A unique caveat: it feels a little weird to play this game in a year where one of the nominees comes from a movie that does create a creature, “Monstro Elisasue”, by fusing women together. ANYWAY… If you stitch all of this season’s Best Actresses together your Bride of Frankenstein beauty is a 47 year old raven-haired American actress (with family ties to the UK and Brazil) enjoying her first ever nomination. Read on for more craziness...

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