September. It's a Wrap

With September closing we're entering the final quarter, the last gasp of 2013! Before the leaves fall and Oscar madness hits (wait, it hasn't yet?), here's one last look back at a dozen Best of the Month posts in case you missed any of the awesomeness... which was mostly TIFF centered or 1980s retro.

Brie Larson Interview on Short Term 12, United States of Tara and Celebrity
Boogie Nights as Radio Show? What I learned/remembered about the classic film at TIFF
Nicole+Naomi JA hilariously imagines an evening in with the besties and best actresses 
Half Nelson's amazing classroom scenes - so many movies connect to these history lessons 
Agents of SHIELD the TV return of Joss Whedon... first impressions
Map to the Stars image doubles up on mysterious actressing 

Nicole Kidman is Indescructible  a collision with the paparazzi
'This Comment Thread Is Not Going to Be Ignored' I ♥ TFE readers. I really do.
Whither Pixar? Tim worries for the future of the once great production house 
Blonde Bombshells vs. Character Actors on the supporting actress race 
Meryl The Witch our first glimpse of Into the Woods 
FYC Ulysses ginger haters beware

Coming in October:
Dallas Buyers Club, ocean terror with Captain Phillips, a trip back to Gravity, 12 Years a Slave's Sarah Paulson & Alfre Woodard, a look back at the 1968 film year (any requests?) plus it's Supporting Actress contenders. And the greatest horror movies of all time via Team Experience!

Interview: Actress Dánae Reynaud on "Club Sandwich"

Dánae ReynaudThe 51st New York Film Festival continues with Jose's interview with Dánae Reynaud, co-star of Club Sandwich

In a relatively short time, the young director Fernando Eimbcke has become one of the most original voices in Latin American cinema. With a mere three movies to his name, he's one of the few auteurs working outside the standard subjects of drug trafficking, crime and magical realism. His movies tend to focus on young people living ordinary lives and coming to terms with impending adulthood. To call them coming-of-age films wouldn't do justice to the larger truths they carry. His latest, Club Sandwich, is no exception; it deals with a single mother (María Renée Prudencio) who takes her son Hector (Lucio Giménez Cacho) to a resort during the low season.

The first part of the movie finds them bonding over sunscreen application, discussing Prince's sexiness and ordering the title meal. Things change when more guests arrive to the hotel, one of them being Jazmín (Dánae Reynaud), a sixteen year old who catches Hector's eye. Suddenly he doesn't want to be with his mom for long, he starts noticing he's growing a tiny mustache and secretly washes his underwear so that his mother won't notice the accidents he's been having at night. The film is a delight made even more special by the naturalistic performances of the three lead actors. Reynaud in particular brings a sense of mischief to a character that could've been villainized by a lesser actress. I asked the charming Dánae about working with Eimbcke and when she realized she wanted to act. You'll relate to her profound love of movies (after the jump). 

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Yup, He Totally Broke Bad

JA from MNPP here - we all know, to varying degrees of consternation, that Nathaniel's not a viewer of Breaking Bad. But guess what - I am! Very much so. I've spent all morning reading recaps and opinion pieces on it. And I know there are a lot of you who are with me, and I'd love to hear y'all's opinions on last night's series ender. Tell me your thoughts in the comments! Since nobody's clicking on The Film Experience expecting spoilers for Breaking Bad I'm not going to write up any extensive thoughts here out in the open where anybody could have it ruined, I'd feel awful. I'll just say that I personally found the finale pretty much entirely satisfying, and we can get into the nitty gritties of that "pretty much" in the comments, if you so desire...

Supporting Actress Smackdown '80: Eileen, Eva, Diana, Cathy, and Mary

It's the return of "Stinky Lulu's Supporting Actress Smackdown" now in its new home at The Film Experience. The year is... [cue: time travelling music] 1980.  That year's Oscar roster was a semi-surprising mix of silly comedy and warm drama with a preference for fresh as dew faces. Oscar ignored notable performances that found favor at the Globes in various ways (Beverly D’Angelo in Coal Miner’s Daughter, Lucy Arnaz in The Jazz Singer, Dolly Parton in Nine to Five and Debra Winger in Urban Cowboy) and instead honored these five...

THE NOMINEES

Eileen Brennan, Eva La Galliene, Cathy Moriarty, Diana Scarwid, and Mary Steenburgen. For each actress it was their first and only Oscar nomination... which is quite rare (as TFE readers have researched/noted. That statistic could theoretically change since Moriarty and Steenburgen still act regularly. Steenburgen was recently even seen in a Best Picture nominee (The Help, 2010) for which she shared in the SAG Best Ensemble win.)

Will Mary Steenburgen win the Smackdown like she won the Oscar? Read on!

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Podcast: Prisoners, Don Jon, and Enough Said

In this week's podcast Nathaniel, Katey, Joe and Nick discuss three current releases: the dramatic thriller Prisoners (spoilers ahead) and the surprising romantic comedies/character studies Don Jon and Enough Said (spoilers...though it's not really a "plot" movie and the central surprise is given away in the trailers)

Topics include: Scarlett Johansson's career renaissance, James Gandolfini and posthumous performances, Catherine Keener's "statement hair", and various plot machinations in all three films. Are their screenplay contrivances deal breakers or the things keeping them distinctive within their genres? 

You can listen at the bottom of the post or download it on iTunes. Join in the conversation in the comments.

Prisoners, Enough Said, Don Jon