Revisiting 'A Beautiful Mind'

by Patrick Ball

Young Patrick and his favourite (at the time)

In the winter of 2001-2002, I was a plucky 8th grade “star” of my basketball team, son of a football coach, and an emerging film fan obsessed with all things James Bond, Star Wars, and Tom Cruise. A blissful innocent, bumbling around the world in a haze of All American normalcy. It would be my final year of innocence.

That following winter I would be clutched by the gay agenda, indoctrinated into a world of actresses, wig styling, and the unending delights of the beleaguered 1950s housewife. I would be snatched out of the closet by the twin hands of The Hours and Chicago, never to return. But as much as my love of film would come to be irrevocably shaped by a Zeta jazz square and a stroll into the river Ouse, one film lingered in my memory from the before times. I carry it with me to this day as a fond curio, a faded photo from the old country; That movie was A Beautiful Mind...

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FYC: 20 People Who'd Make Great Honorary Oscar Recipients!

by Nathaniel R

Over the years The Film Experience has provided the Academy with brilliant ideas for Honorary Oscars that they've ignored until it was too late and the worthy recipient died. We're talking luminaries like movie stars Max Von Sydow, Albert Finney, and Doris Day, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, and voice artist Marni Nixon. (At least they heard us on Maureen O'Hara, Harry Belafonte, Liv Ullman, David Lynch, and Angela Lansbury in time!). So here we are again trying to sway them. They make such strange decisions. Why did Sophia Loren who was already a (deserving) Oscar winner, need an Honorary when she was only in her fifties? Why did they refuse to honor Doris Day because (the rumor is) they knew she wouldn't show but then went ahead and honored Jean Luc Godard who they also knew would never show? 

For our suggestions we're limiting ourselves to people over 70... though you could make valid cases for several late 50something or 60somethings if you wanted to like Michelle Pfeiffer, Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, Antonio Banderas, Willem Dafoe, Hugh Grant, directors Sam Raimi and Todd Haynes, producer Christine Vachon, or craftspeople like costume designer Sharen Davis or composer Marc Shaiman.

20 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE HONORARY OSCAR...

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Links

• GQ UK Simu Liu interview and why he auditioned for Greta Gerwig's Barbie
• AV Club Pixar has announced a new original for next summer. It's called Elemental and about a water and fire elemental discovering what they have in common
• Vanity Fair Bridgerton Season 3 will diverge from the book order and follow Penelope & Colin

More after the jump including the Billboard Music Award Winners, sad news about Adele Haenel, new projects for David Cronenberg, and a tribute to Jonathan Bailey...

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Weekend Box Office. What have you been watching?

by Nathaniel R

To no one's surprise Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness dominated the box office for a second weekend and has already grossed nearly $300 million domestically, making it the second most popular release of the year thus far after The Batman (which it will definitely overtake since the latter weirdly truncated its own run by moving to streaming while it was still doing well in theaters). More after the jump...

Weekend Box Office May 13th-15th 🔺 = new or expanding /  ★ = Recommended links if we've written about it
WIDE (OVER 800 SCREENS)	PLATFORM RELEASES
MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS	HAPPENING

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On Alexander Skarsgard, devilishly handsome character actor

by Matt St Clair

One factor as to what kind of roles an actor receives, or whether they’re cast as lead or supporting players, is their looks. Consequently, that’s why you often see the likes of Tom Cruise headlining an action movie rather than someone like, say, John Malkovich. The practice of traditional glamour leading to positioning for movie stardom has essentially been around since the birth of cinema.

Then again, sex appeal can also trap actors into a narrow box. This happens to beautiful stars ike Alexander Skarsgård. He said in a recent Sunday Times interview while promoting The Northman, that his sex symbol label has led to him not getting the kind of serious acting opportunities he’s craved...

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