Cláudio's Best Shot Pick: Yentl (1983)

The next episode of our series, 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot,' arrives Thursday night. This week's film is Barbra Streisand's directorial debut, Yentl. In 1983, she was infamously snubbed for a Best Director Oscar nomination after winning the Golden Globe. You still have time to participate! Here's Cláudio's entry:

This isn't the first or second time I've explored the wonderful world of Yentl on The Film Experience. First, when writing about two instances when the same performance got nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie, I defended Amy Irving's work, concluding she deserved the former rather than the latter. Then, when revisiting all of Babs' work as a director, Yentl emerged as her most passionate project as well as the best showcase for the star's behind-the-camera talents. Check out those other articles if you're interested.

My positive feelings about Yentl haven't changed with this Hit Me With Your Best Shot-prompted revisit. In other words, I'm still a fan…

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What did you see over the holiday weekend?

by Nathaniel R

The long holiday weekend proved to be an old school "movie star" weekend. Tom Cruise managed his best opening weekend ever (not adjusted for inflation) as Top Gun Maverick finally opened after a long long COVID delay. Mysteriously, Sandra Bullock's 10 week old adventure romcom The Lost City was up 29% despite losing theaters as if everyone suddenly remembered that they'd meant to see it all along...

Memorial Day Weekend Box Office May 27th-30th 🔺 = new or expanding /  ★ = Recommended links if we've written about it
WIDE (OVER 800 SCREENS)	PLATFORM RELEASES
TOP GUN MAVERICK	THE ROUNDUP

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Judy Garland @ 100: “The Wizard of Oz”

Team Experience is revisiting a dozen Judy Garland movies for her Centennial. Here’s Brent Calderwood to kick us off...

The Wizard of Oz is more than an insanely watchable film—it’s a gateway to a lifelong appreciation of Judy Garland.

“It was a place. And you and you and you and you were there.” Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale took us along with her to Oz, and we believed. It was more than the glorious art direction—head-high hibiscus, an acre of artificial poppies, and real birds in the forest including cranes and a peacock. It was Judy Garland’s performance. No, not her performance—it was Garland inhabiting Dorothy. The then sixteen-year-old became a nine-year-old girl. This woman-child made us feel her vulnerability, and revealed a heart as big as a farmhouse. (One of my personal favorite moments is when Dorothy is trapped in the Wicked Witch’s castle, trembling with fear, and Toto escapes. “He got away! He got away!” she cries, with real tears of joy and empathy for her terrier streaming down her cheeks amid the terror.) ...

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Almost There: Christian McKay in "Me and Orson Welles"

by Cláudio Alves

The Almost There series' month-long celebration of the Criterion Channel's May offerings draws to a close with a highlight from their Richard Linklater collection. In 2008, the Austin auteur made his most Oscar-ready project yet, complete with a dazzling supporting turn that seemed poised for a nomination. Me and Orson Welles is the well-researched and studiously put-together account of a teenager cast in the director's famous 1937 staging of Julius Caesar. The Academy usually loves these real-life tales, mainly when they include a good amount of celebrity mimicry, making the film an apparent shoo-in for Oscar glory.

And yet, Christian McKay's critically acclaimed take on young Orson Welles failed to secure a nomination. Considering precursor honors, he must have come close…

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ICYMI - Best of May

The multiverse fever of May breaks very soon and in its place, whatever June brings. But what will that be... beside birthday gifts for me (haha) But let's look back quickly at May in case you missed these highlights. You've been quiet as mice in the comments but we hope you're still enjoying. We do take requests if you have any. (May was very light outside of Cannes coverage we're aware but June will be jam-packed. Gird your loins)

A Dozen May Highlights
• FYC Honorary Oscars - 20 suggestions
• Anthony Hopkins full casting circle - from CS Lewis to Sigmund Freud
• Best Shot: Happy Together - what a ravishment to revisit
• Nostalgia via The Breakfast Club - Baby Clyde revisited from a British kid-at-the-time perspective
• On Alexander Skarsgård - Matt says he's a character actor in hunk body
• Multiverse of Madness - Raves for The Scarlet Witch, otherwise... eh
• Returning Show Bottleneck - Chris wondered what will happen at the Emmys since they like to repeat themselves but ALL of their favs are returning (so they won't be able to to)
• Support Everything Everywhere All At Once - Eurocheese argued it's a cant-miss big screen event. Lots of people agreed to leggy box office results 

and of course our Cannes coverage with 1 of us (Elisa) in the South of France and 2 of us (Nathaniel and Cláudio) typing away from our homes...

• Cannes Winners - with links to all of Elisa's reviews
• Cannes at Home: The Square and 4 Month 3 Weeks and 2 Days - It's hard to pick just one of Cláudio's retros to share but both of these films are so fascinating so it was great to revisit mentally if not by actual screenings
• Cannes Fashion - Your last chance to vote on these 11 rounds of Cannes gowns. Who were the greatest actress fashionistas this edition?

COMING IN JUNE

New films: Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, Joel Kim Booster in Fire Island, David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future, Pixar prequel Lightyear, Fabulous Emma Thompson in Good Luck to you Leo Grande, and tiny Marcel the Shell with Shoes On; Retro celebrations: Judy Garland Centennial, Eleanor Parker Centennial, and the last episodes of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" including Titanic, Yentl, and Klute; And More: Emmy FYCs, new interviews, Tony Awards coverage, and at the end of the month the "Halfway Mark" lists for Best Cinematic Achievements Thus Far in 2022. Plus the new SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN schedule.