Review: Dev Patel captivates in the legend of "The Green Knight"

by Matt St Clair

the severed head of "The Green Knight"

Normally, Arthurian legends are sword-and-sorcery fables. The latest Arthurian tale The Green Knight, which is primarily about Arthur’s nephew Gawain (Dev Patel) keeps the sorcery, yet there’s little swordplay. Unless you count a terrifying axe that keeps waiting to be swung. The Green Knight may be less action-oriented than other such tales but it's a visually stunning, cerebral dissection of the Messiah complex and its ties to monarchy. 

Despite Gawain not being religiously devout, he’s still eager to become a knight at his uncle’s Round Table...

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Gay Best Friend: Buck (Mike White) in "Chuck & Buck" (2000)

A series by Christopher James looking at the 'Gay Best Friend' trope

Before his successful career took off, Mike White wrote and starred in the indie comic-thriller "Chuck & Buck."Mike White is an incredible talent. Currently on HBO, his miniseries The White Lotus has become a must-see weekly event. Between Enlightened, School of Rock, Beatriz at Dinner and impressive seasons on Survivor and The Amazing Race, White has been a great fixture of film and TV over the past couple decades. In honor of The White Lotus success, we thought we would travel back in time to one of his earliest performances and screenplays - Chuck and Buck.

The early digital film feels like a relic of another time, especially compared to White’s more polished HBO work as of late. The advent of digital allowed more filmmakers a chance to tell their stories as they were able to do it on the cheap. Much of Chuck and Buck looks like a painfully awkward home movie. Yet, that only heightens the discomfort one feels while watching this odd, comic thriller.

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Tweetweek: How to sell a TV show and other nonsense

Please appropriately worship Sarah Schaefer's deadpan fabulous "How to sell a TV show in just 3 simple steps".

Sometimes people ask me how to get their own TV show on the air. It's really easy. Just follow these three simple steps! pic.twitter.com/TRzW5LvcXL

— Sara Schaefer (@saraschaefer1) August 1, 2021

After the jump more fun pop culture tweets we enjoyed this past week so that you don't have to be on the perpetually disorienting hellscape of twitter...

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1986: Cathy Tyson in "Mona Lisa"

We're revisiting 1986 this month leading up to the next Supporting Actress Smackdown. As always Nick Taylor will suggest a few alternates to Oscar's ballot.

It’s been a while since I wrote about someone who had actual Oscar buzz, right? We can argue how Anna Magnani and Kimberly Elise should have contended in their years, but Cathy Tyson’s cryptic and involving turn in Mona Lisa definitely appears to have landed in the sixth spot of the 1986 Supporting Actress lineup. Tyson won LAFCA (tying with Dianne Wiest for Hannah and Her Sisters) and was first runner-up with New York. She scored Globe and BAFTA nominations, as well, before missing out with Oscar. Given the strength of her performance, the degree of precursor attention she received, the way her role fits in well-worn paths for ingenue recognition, and the ... um... quality of some of the actual nominees, I’m surprised Tyson didn’t make the cut.

Tyson plays Simone, a high-class sex worker. Her shadowy employer suddenly gives her George (Bob Hoskins), a hot-tempered ex-convict fresh out of jail, as her driver/bodyguard...

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ICYMI - The Best of July

In July we were very busy offering you the MOST Cannes coverage we've ever done here -- thank you to Elisa and Cláudio for making it so special. We just kicked off the beginning of our analysis of Emmy categories (ongoing) and just wrapped posting the first Oscar charts of 2021 (all done - check 'em out). But if you weren't here every day you surely missed something. So in case you did...

10 Highlights
• Gay Best Friend: Christian in Clueless - Christopher's series arrives at a very unusual ahead-of-its-time example of this trope
• Independence Day - Cláudio had never seen it so he watched for the holiday
• It Happened One Night Nathaniel guest starred on "Little Gold Men" to talk about the classic comedy
• Toni Collette in Velvet Goldmine Nick takes on a singular prismatic performance
• The Honoraries: Danny Glover 3-part tribute to this fine actor/producer's career
• Emmy Nom Reactions Vodcast - Discussing the joys and sorrows of the day
• Au Revoir Cannes - Elisa reviewed the entire competition slate!
• 10 Best Palme d'Or Winners - Cláudio lists his all time favourites
• Yes No Maybe So Dune - Ben checks out the new trailer
• Halfway Mark "Bests" - Nathaniel's list of best performances of 2021 (thus far)

Most Discussed Articles
• Smackdown 1998 - Shakespeare in Love, Primary Colors, Gods and Monsters
• House of Gucci - the trailer leans toward camp and it sure got people talking
• The Emmy Nominations - Abe's quick take
• Scarlett sues Disney - They need to pay Black Widow up; A contract is a contract.

COMING IN AUGUST
New films like The Green Knight, Never Gonna Snow Again, Val, Respect, Finch, Reminiscence, and Coda. Tributes to Esther Williams for her Centennial and Luca Guadagnino for his 50th. Plus the first four films of Pedro Almodóvar's career and more Emmy episode submission analysis. We'll also be revisiting the cinema of 1986 (any requests?) for the next Supporting Actress Smackdown on August 26th. (You can vote between August 1st-24th). We'll obviously be covering Crimes of the Heart, The Color of Money, A Room With a View, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Children of a Lesser God but what other films would you just love to read about from that vintage?