Complete the sentence(s) and luxuriate in the Isaac/Chastain vibe!

With fall festival season raging, we're curious what you're thinking out there. So let's have a comment party about the Oscar buzz by completing the following three sentences.

1. I know people at (Telluride or Venice) raved about ________  but I'm still doubtful about its awards chances because ___________.

2. I think ___________ is winning an Oscar but for  _________ the nomination will be the reward.

I wish I had words for this but I really do not pic.twitter.com/xJVzOJJCeh

— Christina Newland (@christinalefou) September 4, 2021

interesting choice to award the golden lion to that slow mo getty images clip of oscar isaac kissing jessica chastain's arm but i respect it

— hannah strong (@thethirdhan) September 4, 2021

 3. That already famous video of Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac on the red carpet made me _______________ . 

Ready? Go. 

It's Gonna Be May(Day)

by Jason Adams

Heads-up on a movie that should be on your radars if it isn't already -- I saw director Karen Cinorre's debut film Mayday at Sundance back in February, and it's a fascinating feminist spin on the War Film starring a slew of super up-and-comer actresses, including personal beloveds Grace Van Patten (so great on Nine Perfect Strangers right now) and Mia Goth (oh how we love Mia Goth). Oh and Juliette Lewis is there too? Indeed she is! Here's a little of what I said about Mayday in February:

"Mayday... is plenty aware of... the limitations in adopting masculine ideas of violence and revenge. But unlike something like Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch, which Mayday feels like an explicit rebuke of, there's no fetishization of girls play-acting tough guy roles -- their past wounds don't become level-up Barbie-costumes that wrap their sexual assaults in pleather bustier pseudo-feminist bullshit. These women's fuck-ups feel genuine, earned and experienced -- they've left more emotional marks than they have sexy thigh scars or pretty painted bruises -- while their baggy fatigues just make for a practical place to wipe off dude-gore."

Read the rest (which dives into some themes I saw percolating across several female-directed pictures at Sundance) here. Mayday is out on October 1st, and here's the trailer to get you hyped:

Nathaniel in Venice: "Official Competition" and "107 Mothers" surprise

Nathaniel reporting from Venice, a smorgasbord of days 3 through ??? ... I've lost track of days. What is time?

107 Mothers (Péter Kerekes)
A ‘tough' movie doesn’t have to be hard to watch. 107 Mothers isn’t ‘easy’ in its characters or themes, but it’s a surprisingly gripping watch, even entertaining. For a few scenes in the beginning of 107 Mothers, a new film from a Slovakian director Peter Kerekes, it feels like you’ve stumbled into an unfeeling doc about a women’s prison for violent offenders. And, indeed, this narrative feature is based on real stories about a specific prison in Odessa, Ukraine and Kerekes usually does documentaries. The establishing scenes interview several of the inmates, all pregnant, about their crimes which usually involve murdering their boyfriend/husband or his lover. It’s a curiously incongruous feeling that settles in: how could such hard-eyed numb women muster enough passion to commit a “crime of passion"?

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Category Analysis: Who Will Take Home Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series?

The Film Experience Team is looking at the episode submissions for the major Emmy categories. 

Who will win their first acting Emmy this year?By: Christopher James

Yes, we at The Film Experience are often more focused on actresses than actors. However, how can you blame us when you look at the race for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie? While the Lead Actress category is filled with juggernauts, the Lead Actor category features two Hamilton performances, two stars of poorly reviewed series and a coattails nomination from a major show. None of the actors have won an Emmy before, though a few have decades long careers on film, TV and stage. It remains to be seen what voters will reward. Will they go more for an established actor they haven’t rewarded yet, or will they go for the biggest show? Maybe Hamilton will dominate the acting categories like it did at the Tonys.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie...

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Venice Diary #04 - "Sundown" and "Last Night in Soho" disappoint, a Spanish comedy made my night

by Elisa Giudici

Penelope Cruz and cast in "Official Competition"

One of the things I like the most about the Venice Film Festival is how audience-friendly it is (aside from the maddening ticket system for this pandemic edition). It is remarkably easy and not that pricey to enjoy the most exciting movies of the competition in screenings devoted to the general audience, a lot easier and less expensive than Cannes for example. Tourists can walk by the red carpet and see major movie stars from Hollywood.

Lido (where most of the screenings take place) is a long, narrow island in front of Venice. It's a microcosm in which one might see Marco Bellocchio carrying his wife's luggage, Paolo Sorrentino eating breakfast in the cafè next to the red carpet, Luca Guadagnino riding his bike to return to Hotel Excelsior, or wind up in a queue with behind Jane Campion, who wants to see Isabelle Huppert's latest performance -- all of the above are little, precious moments I actually experienced here...

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