Movie Calendar - March & April

Welcome to March the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar but basically the last month of the year in our calendar, since each year ends on Oscar night our New Year's Eve. Nomination morning is our Christmas, don'cha know. March has lots of awards ceremonies and not enough new movies with all the studios steering clear of The Batman...

March 1st
The Batman (IMAX Theaters)

March 2nd
Against the Ice (Netflix)
Drive My Car (HBOMax)
West Side Story (Disney+)...

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The frontrunners for Best Picture went-home empty-handed at SAG. What does it mean?

We'll talk more about the SAG ceremony and actual winners soon but first let's talk about what happened to Belfast and The Power of the Dog. While Kenneth Branagh's memoir and Jane Campion's instant classic have long been considered Best Picture frontrunners neither of them won a single prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Does this mean anything? Well,  yes and no...

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February. It's a Wrap

Eeeeeeeeeehhhhaaaargwhoohoo. We're about to enter final month of the 2021 film year with SAG tonight (foolish predictions here!) and Oscar night looming. We hope you're voting daily on the Oscar charts and investigating all the trivia and 'how'd they get nominated?' theorizing. Here are a dozen highlights from the month that was in case you missed 'em...

• Why can't the Oscars love themselves? -The Academy self-sabotages yet again
• Why can't we have Jonathan Bailey in the movies? - An appreciation of the Olivier winning Bridgerton star
• Almost There: House of Gucci Cláudio talks Lady Gaga's star turn
• Best Shot: Nightmare Alley - our once-signature series returns for a reboot season. Thank you for attending, especially those who played or commented!
• Film Bitch Nominations - Nathaniel's awards ballots revealed
• Kristen Stewart can still win -Despite a rocky precursor season a Best Actress win might happen
• Oscar and LGBTQ actors -Evolution of (slow) acceptance
• Death on the Nile- a power ranking of the suspects
• One for them One for Me: Nicole Kidman - remembering the goddess' 2004
• Nathaniel's Top 10 List - from Petite Maman to Power of the Dog
• Martha Plimpton interview - thank you to Abe for speaking to one of our favs
• LGBTQ Representation on TV - GLAAD's annual report
• 12 Takeaways from the Oscar Noms - What stood out?
• Oscar Nom Reaction - the team shares their highs and lows

COMING IN MARCH
Obviously there will be much Oscar hoopla including Honorary Oscar miniseries on Samuel L Jackson and Liv Ullmann and the first episode of the new season of Supporting Actress Smackdown. You can also expect discussions of new films The Batman, After Yang, Turning Red, and The Lost City. As far as older films to check out to maximize your reading pleasure here: queue up Romancing the Stone (1984), The Godfather (1972), and The Conversation (1974). ANY REQUESTS?

Maggie Gyllenhaal wins the Scripter for 'The Lost Daughter'

by Nathaniel R

Gyllenhaal at a screeing for The Lost Daughter in December

The USC Scripter Awards are an annual event that is a gala fundraiser for the USC Libraries. This year Maggie Gyllenhaal was the big winner in what some might regard as an upset over Jane Campion. We think it's less than surprising though since the Scripters also recognize the author of the source material and Elena Ferrante would hold much more appeal to current voters than Thomas Savage for a book that isn't as famous as its cinematic counterpoint. Whether Gyllenhaal can upset at the Oscars is a different story...

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Almost There: Lady Gaga in "House of Gucci"

by Cláudio Alves

Last time, in the Almost There series, I asked you to vote on what performance should be explored next. Mike Faist in West Side Story was the resounding victor. However, since Spielberg's musical is still not available to stream or rent, we'll first look at the runner-up choice from that poll. She's none other than Lady Gaga in House of Gucci. After scoring nominations with all major precursors, she seemed set for her second acting Oscar nod. However, as luck would have it, her outrageous awards campaign ended in a snub from the Academy. She might still win some trophies before the season is over, but that coveted little golden man is out of reach.

While it's easy to lose oneself in the glamour of the role and those ridiculous interviews, there's plenty to admire in Gaga's star turn as Patrizia Reggiani, ex-wife to Maurizio Gucci, who she had killed after an acrimonious separation…

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