July. It's a Wrap

We're in the dog days of summer now. Just one month of the heat left to go. July flew by. Here are a dozen of the highlights in case you missed 'em...

 

• Debbi Morgan in Eve's Bayou Nick takes on this modern classic that has a Criterion release coming
• Fire of Love Glenn on the volcanic love documentary hit
• Till Nathaniel talks to the director of this awards hopeful drama
• 28 Years 28 Films Cláudio celebrates his birthday with a film timeline
• Laura Linney Double Vision She looks EXACTLY like her mother. Uncanny
• Ranking the Men of LA Confidential Ben looks back at the men of this '97 classic
• Stage Door: The Minutes a new play from Tracy Letts 
• Mrs Harris Goes to Paris Chris reviews the frothy Lesley Manville dramedy
• James Caan (RIP) Remembering an underappreciated great
• Through Her Lens 2013 Juan Carlos series returns to look back at the work of female directors corresponding with each Oscar year, whether or not they were nominated (usually not) 
• Almost There: Pam Grier Cláudio thinks she should've won the Oscar for Jackie Brown
• Venice and TIFF lineups with photos, descriptions, and anticipation

COMING IN AUGUST
Emmy reviews of individual categories, new movies like Bullet Train, Luck, Girl Picture, They/Them, a few reader requests from the recent fundraiser, and a weeklong celebration of Cameron Diaz for her 50th birthday.

Finally, at the end of the month, the 1951 Supporting Actress Smackdown featuring the first screen adaptations of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, and Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. Since 3/5ths of the supporting actress nominees that month were from films on the obscure side (even for cinephiles), we'll fill in with celebrations of more celebrated movies of 1951, too. ANY REQUESTS?

Review: Going viral with "Not Okay"

by Matt St Clair

While social media can be an outlet for networking and connection, it’s also a place of toxicity. Quinn Shephard’s new satire Not Okay heavily emphasizes the latter. In a digital age where anyone can achieve fame with viral tweets or TikTok videos, Not Okay taps into how some people, like anti-heroine Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch), go on a demeaning search for internet clout.

Stuck with an unfulfilling photo editor job when she wants to be a writer, Danni Sanders aims to get ahead at the magazine she works for. Seeking fame and validation from everyone around her, including influencer Colin (Dylan O’Brien) who she crushes on, Danni decides to fake a trip to Paris. With just her photo skills and a change in location on her Instagram posts, Danni makes it appear she went away despite being held up in her apartment. But once a terrorist attack occurs in Paris, Danni then pretends to be one of the survivors. As you can guess, thinks get grimmer as they progress... 

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RIP 'Uhura' and 'Ursula' actresses, Nichelle Nichols and Pat Carroll

by Nathaniel R

Normally we wouldn't pair an obituary but within 24 hours we lost two actresses of the same generation who both helped create an inarguably iconic character with a three syllable name starting with U. What were the chances? After the jump, tributes to Nichelle Nichols and Pat Carroll...

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TIFF Lineup 2022 - Galas & Special Presentations

by Nathaniel R

Kelvin Harrison Jr stars in "Chevalier"

The Toronto International Film Festival runs September 8th through 18th this year. Of "the Big Five" festivals (the others being Berlinale, Cannes, Sundance, and Venice) Toronto doesn't have a traditional competition lineup with juries... though their audience award winners tend to get a lot of "Oscar-bound" style press. Like those other festivals they having very exciting lineups for cinephiles. If the titles showing at Venice (which happens just before it) and TIFF are as enticing as they sound, 2022 is going to explode in cinematic quality. What follows is a list of their Galas and Special Presentations though it's worth noting that TIFF usually has hundreds of movies so this is only the two most high profile programs that they've announced. 

GALA PRESENTATIONS

These are the high profile films, usually with movie stars, that are getting the full red carpet glitzy treatment. Usually they're either World Premieres or Canadian premieres of major titles that premiered in Europe...

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Would you rather?

A game to excuse the hours we waste looking at celebrity instagrams. So... Would you rather?

• enjoy the ocean beside Julianne Moore?
• explore Lee Pace's cave?
• go barefoot on the streets of Paris w/ Janelle Monae?
• have a self-care day a la Millie Bobby Brown?
• play on a rug w/ Ranveer Singh?
• join Daryl Hannah in her bubble bath?
• watch Sharon Stone paint?
• make popcorn w/ Kevin Bacon?
• have a cup of coffee w/ Michelle Pfeiffer?
• flip and tumble like Nope's Brandon Perea?

Pictures are after the jump to help you decide.

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