Sunday, June 8, 2014 at 9:49AM 
My day is jam-packed full: podcast recording, possible movie outing, Tony Awards and such so there's no time to write just yet. But this morning I kept thinking about Hattie McDaniel (random!) and how she must have had just one costume in her dressing room for years: the maid's uniform. We so need a biopic!
What's on your cinematic mind?
Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 9:00PM This review originally appeared in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad
Shailene Woodley is everywhere. Which... well, I hope you like looking at her face. Not content to be the face of the post-Hunger Games YA dystopia fever (Divergent), she's also continuing that other everygirl thread in her career. She reads more like a girl next door, someone you know, than a STAR!; pretty but not intimidatingly gorgeous, relatable not charismatically mysterious. She's specalized in earnest portrayals of ordinary teens getting their first taste of the tough stuff in life: death and desertion (The Descendants), disease and disappointment (The Spectacular Now). Hazel Grace Lancaster, her character in The Fault in Our Stars, doubles down and has to deal with all of it.
Hazel is a 16 year old with thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs. She needs an oxygen tank to breathe, which she drags behind her like a depressing carry-on she wishes she could check. Though she's outlived the initial prognosis she's acutely aware that she'll never grow old. Inbetween flashes of well earned self-pity and sarcasm, she worries about her parents (the well cast Sam Trammell and Laura Dern, who is reliably excellent) and how they'll survive her death. She attends a cancer support group for teenagers, at her mother's prodding. Mrs Lancaster hopes it will lift Hazel's depression and help her make friends.
Enter the Dreamboat Boyfriend...
Friday, June 6, 2014 at 8:32PM 
To your left you'll see Meryl Streep speaking about Jane Fonda at the AFI ceremony in her honor which will be broacast on television next Saturday night. (A post birthday weekend treat!)
It's funny because I strike this exact same pose of joyous reverie and 'I can't even believe this exists' prayer-eyes enthusiasm when I speak about Jane Fonda's best work! (In fact, maybe we should do Fonda once we're done with Seasons of Bette?)
Meryl Streep is one of many stars that showed up and there are already several articles floating around about the highlights but I shan't read them because I like to watch these things like a virgin and pretend it's live television and we're all experiencing it together for the first time. But it's true I cheated a little to watch this sneak peek of Meryl talking about her first onscreen appearance in Julia (1977), a debut I've written about previously.
But here's one more Streep photo with the best caption lolz.
The Tribute special will air Saturday June 14th at 9 PM ET/PT on TNT with encores on TCM.
AFI, Jane Fonda, Julia, Meryl Streep Friday, June 6, 2014 at 1:03PM Presented in the order they appeared without self-censorship...
Audrey Hepburn in Green Mansions (but better dressed which is weird to say about anything Audrey)
That neck purse looks very uncomfortable
Oh how cute, all three stars are Golden Globe winners.
I hate when Cate Blanchett chops Samantha Morton's head off in 'Elizabeth: Full Throttle'
That's a pretty wide stance... is she running? Doesn't the whole play take place in a kitchen? The posters already panicking "open it up. open it up"
Period frizz is the enemy: See also La Pfeiff in that age that was innocent.
Liv Ullman is flawless in Bergman movies. I did see her last directorial gig Faithless (2000) and I liked it as an actor's showcase but not more than that.
Green is my favorite co-- no, second favorite color. Purple.
I wish this were directed by Jane Campion but then she's always the first choice with ladies in bulky dresses out in the elements
This is the French poster to your left. Which to prefer?
Redheads are so hot right now. If Ariel were alive and still had her legs she'd probably compete for Isla Fisher and Amy Adams's parts. But not for Jess's.
I saw a play with Sienna Miller once called After Miss Julie which is just basically Miss Julie for Brits instead of Swedes with some politics. So I've never understood why there's another one. But then I've never seen Miss Julie performed and am no expert on it. And this has Jessica Chastain so level up.
I forgot to say anything about Colin Farrell.
Friday, June 6, 2014 at 10:30AM For my birthday, Netflix gave me a whole new season of Orange is the New Black to binge-watch. Such a thoughtful gift! And you are all the beneficiaries.
yeah, obviously i can't do the laverne cox one
A reminder that, since there's no fighting the dominance of OITNB this week -- I felt so left out during House of Cards binge-watch week but that show is just not for me. I am Spacey Intolerant in large doses -- we'll be covering it on a one-off episode of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" on Tuesday night. You're watching anyway, so pick a shot and write about it!
I'm burying the lede...
What are you giving me for my birthday?*
ME! ME! ME! This is the last time I'll ask for prezzies for at least a few months but please know that it's a full time job to offer you all this content each and every day 365 days a year and the occasional movie advertisements, particularly during Oscar season, only go so far towards expensives and a living wage. I realize that perhaps you think me greedy to ask for a cup of coffee per month and I remember in high school and college (the age of many readers as far as I can tell) sometimes it's hard to find two dimes to rub together so perhaps $1 a month is a better compromise? I'd only need 600 more of you to pay rent. New York City is a demanding bitch, sometimes.
If you don't want to be locked in to a monthly donation, consider a one time gift - like, oh, a penny for every time you looked at an Oscar chart over the past five years? If you are so poor that filmmakers would salivate over the opportunity to make a poverty porn Oscar bait biopic of your life, I expect no pennies. But please share and comment and tweet your love for your favorite articles which is another way to keep the site strong.
MWAH!
The Fundraising Plea has come to an end. This is that moment on NPR when it's safe to start listening again without guilt! We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
