Review: The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)

by Christopher James 

How can a remarkable life lead to an unremarkable film? On paper, The United States vs. Billie Holiday has so much going for it. Oscar nominee Lee Daniels is an inspired, live wire choice for director and Andra Day makes a fantastic acting debut. She more than rises to the inimitable challenge of playing a legend like Billie Holiday. Unfortunately, The United States vs. Billie Holiday falls into a common biopic trap. All of the information feels a mile wide and a foot deep. We breeze through so much of Billie’s life, but we never get a moment to digest what we’re seeing or piece together a central character. The movie moves quickly through all events in Holiday’s life, leaving the audience behind in the process...

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Showbiz History: With a Song in My Heart instead of 'in the Rain'. Plus a shocking Oscar moment.

5 random things that happened on this day, February 26th, in showbiz history...

Somehow both the Oscars and the Globes preferred With a Song in My Heart to masterpiece Singin' in the Rain.

1953 The 10th annual Golden Globes are held with The Greatest Show on Earth (Drama) and With a Song in My Heart (Comedy/Musical) winning Best Picture. In today's world, With a Song in My Heart would not be eligible as it was a biopic of a musician, which the HFPA almost always places in Drama now. It's a pity because it's a dull movie and it was up against... wait for it... Singin' in the Rain...

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How Olivia Colman broke my heart in "The Father"

by Cláudio Alves

We always carry part of ourselves into the films we watch. Memories, past events, half-forgotten trauma and half-remembered dreams, inform how we perceive art, how it affects us and persists in our mind long after the screen fades to black. When dealing with a work about a universal experience like aging, we can only assume each viewer will see a slightly different picture. The Father I saw isn't The Father you'll see, or even The Father its makers intended to create. Many came out of the film raving about Sir Anthony Hopkins' tour-de-force as an old man suffering from dementia, his reality warped into a nightmare of perpetual disorientation. While I appreciate him a great deal, it's the work of another thespian that most affected me.

Ever since I watched the film weeks ago, I can't stop thinking about Olivia Colman's performance, how I saw myself in her, how I saw my parents in the character she portrays, how she broke my heart…

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Let's do Globe Predictions! Why not, right?

You guys. We know we're not supposed to take them seriously and people get offended when anyone dares to admit that they totally love them. BUT the Golden Globes are enjoyable -- it's a fact. So this year we pour one out for the continually scandal-laden problematic HFPA and what might have been in a non-pandemic-cursed world. The Globes shindig is easily one of the best showbiz nites of each year but it can't possibly hold its usual excitements without all those stars of screen and television milling around drunk both during and inbetween commercial breaks. We wish Amy Poehler and Tina Fey luck at trying to make it lively without a crowd to laugh along with them. It won't be the same without the open bar (on television that is. We're stocking ours up for  sad pandemic home viewing)

Christopher already handled the TV predictions so it's my turn for the movies. After the jump, foolish predictions in all categories for this Sunday night's virtual ceremony...

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Art Director's Guild Nods: Mank, Mulan, Palm Springs, and more...

by Nathaniel R

Mank (in color on the actual set)

The Art Director's Guild have announced their nominations for the 2020 film year and 2021 ceremony which will be virtual on April 10th this year. As per usual the guild awards usually do a better job of showing us what the industry is actually watching and what's leading for Best Picture rather than what's happening in their own fields. Like Chicago 7 as one of the five very best Production designed Period films? Er okay Hollywood, but have you seen... Emma? Personal History of David Copperfield? First Cow? Shirley? Ammonite? This is not a knock on the talented designer but there just isn't as much to work with when you're doing courtrooms and offices.

But enough griping. Here are the nominees in their four categories after the jump and if Daniel has written a piece on this particular achievement in his column "The Furniture" it's linked...

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