The Film Experience™ was created by Nathaniel R. All material herein is written by our team. (This site is not for profit but for an expression of love for cinema & adjacent artforms.)
The day has finally arrived! Have you finished all your last minute preparations? Made your final predictions? Bought all your party gifts and decor?
Baked all your chocolate pies and other Best Picture themed foods?
If Anxiety, Excitement, Prediction Jitters, Star Lust, and Indifference were all competing in the same category for "Best Usurping Of Your Mood," which would win?
Psssst. How great is the new Brave trailer? I wish all movies were confident enough to lead with an early scene instead of the traditional 'here are all the story beats' trailer. It was just the thing I needed this week to get me excited about moving on to 2012 once we wrap up with Oscar and Oscar post mortem this week.
Will this be a Pixar bullseye at the 85th Oscars on February...?
No, Nathaniel, No. I forbid it. No Oscar 2012/13 talk until April Fool's Day!
Since the Spirit Awards fancy themselves as Off Hollywood, let's do this one a little differently. I thought we'd just share the winners a sentence from their speech and only reaction shots. Just to shake things up! We're Off Live Blogging. Tape Delayed capsule-like. But first the delightful Anna Kendrick.
Hi, I'm Anna Kendrick and I'm proud to have appeared in the only movie this year that actually cured cancer. The other nominees are great. I'm just saying."
The idea of the Spirit Awards as the anti-Oscars, held in a tent instead of a big auditorium, "California Casual" instead of gowns and tuxes, and held on the saturday afternoon before Oscar big Sunday night -- well, it would work a lot better if their nominee lists weren't so padded with actual Oscar nominees and films. One wishes they were just a wee bit more, well, independent.
Okay more than a wee bit. A lot bit. One does wish.
Salon on the reinvention of Brad Pitt. Good history piece / career overview Vulture Best Pictures as infographics Pajiba "interviews" Amanda Seyfried about her latest hacktress movie Gone. NPR Monkey See smart provocative piece on the politics of Warrior (2011) New York 100 pictures of Meryl Streep through the years. She ages backwards in this gallery IMDb a gallery of your acting nominees in and out of character
My New Plaid Pants has my favorite "which is hotter?" of all time featuring (American Psycho) Low Resolution's top ten films of 2011. Not your average top 10 list. Some Came Running objects to the frequent comparisons of Singin' in the Rain and The Artist Sunset Gun, now married to Guy Maddin -- is this the first time a film critic has married a director? trivia experts? -- explains his latest project, seances if you will to remake lost silent films. Booby Finger How To Watch The Oscars a very snarky guide if you're into that sorta thing
Film Festivals Are Infinite With Skyfall just around the corner I find myself thinking of 007 James Bond quite often and then Pierce Brosnan popped up in my inbox. Have you ever heard of Cinemagic? It's a film festival / workshop type thing for young people interested in filmmaking. (I'm reasonably confident that someone starts a new film festival every day of each year in the 21st century; they are infinite). It's Irish born but it's been expanding and Pierce Brosnan is a celebrity supporter.
Should I revisit all the Bond films this year. I'm torn on how to honor the 50th anniversary.
Our Apologies To 50% of the World's Population Between the still pervasive global problems of sexist, patriarchal and theocratic governments and cultures and religions that love to treat women like shit, and the latest hypocrisies of the ever sick-making US Republican party ("we believe in small government except when it comes to war-making and your personal morality so hold still while we insert this probe into your vagina without your consent!") women just can't catch a break lately. So why not share this video from IndieWire's Women in Hollywood blog about the female directed movies Oscar didn't love.
It's interesting how many quality female-helmed films there were this past year and I absolutely support the notion that we need more female directors. But I also think it's worth being realistic and saying that none of these films would have won Oscar attention even if their directors had penises. Not that kind of movie(s).
Sally Kirkland when Cher wins. Love ya, SallyWhat you still need more Oscarable links? Jesus! 24 Frames interesting bit about Alfre Woodard's activism within AMPAS Vulture Best Pictures as infographics In Contention Guy defends The Artist ... and has money on it. Gawker on Netflix user reviews of Best Pictures Slate Acceptance Speeches! Yes, I linked / wrote it but wheeee interactive
Finally...fourfour has a "how they lost" an animated gif wall of Oscar name-reading and the instant smiling that follows. I don't know what caused it but I kind of think nominees are better at hiding their feelings in today's Oscar world which makes it less fun.
Naturally I love this gif wall though my favorite isn't listed. So here it is again for you because it's my preferred method of self-flagellation.
I love you Kathleen!
I'm aware that this post is extremely scattered but it's the day before the Oscars. I'm all over the place with anxiety!
So busy online with Oscar speeches, final predictions, and sprucing up the Oscar charts for posterity (ongoing though now you can see results of the reader's polls -- that's you! -- in the big six categories) and so busy offline with [insert non-cinematic things here, mostly involving earning moneys to keep this cinematic blog going] that we never had a chance to talk movie event fashions in the buildup to Oscar.
So herewith, talented beauties at recent premieres, awards nights and festivals we meant to chatter about. ...presented without chatter (though maybe you'll add some).
Sibel Kekilli, Léa Seydoux (did you love her in M:I-GP? I totes did), Christina Ricci and Charlotte Gainsbourg at Berlinale.
Malin Akerman and Jennifer Aniston at the LA premiere of Wanderlust and Angelina Jolie and Michelle Williams at different premieres in France.
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Presented without chatter not in honor of a certain buzzing silent film, just for lack of time. It seemed wasteful to not share the photos after editing.
Presented without chatter but for to say, Christina Ricci!!! Post Pan Am won't someone give that career a solid role again. Also: Michelle Williams and Angelina Jolie both sure surprised with more extravagant (for them) looks. We'll see half of them again at the Oscars. Who is going to wear what?Can't wait.
P.S.Care to guess what color / style Michelle Williams wears on Oscar night? She's already burned through black, pink, blue, red, and an array of champagney off white. Though black and white paired seems to be the preferred fall back. Winner wins bragging rights and... something. She's less predictable with the palette than Rooney & Glenn & Meryl among the non-Viola Best Actress nominees.
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 2:10PM 
