Almost There: Delroy Lindo in "Da 5 Bloods"

by Cláudio Alves

Last week, in the aftermath of the Oscar nominations, I asked you, dear readers, to vote on which performance should get an "Almost There" treatment. Of the fifteen possibilities, your choice was clear – Delroy Lindo in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods. He got nearly a quarter of the votes, and so, here we are, ready to dissect an achievement that, months ago, seemed like a sure bet in the Best Actor race. The role in question is that of Paul, a war veteran who, along with his brothers in arms, returns to Vietnam in search of a lost treasure and the remains of a mentor…

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George Segal (1934-2021)

by Nathaniel R

George Segal's brilliant "stuff" in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

Enduring actor George Segal passed away yesterday at the age of 87 from complications during surgery. We'll always remember him as Nick, the young affable professor that tries in vain to resist becoming a pawn in the George & Martha wars of that bitter masterpiece Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966). Or maybe we should call Nick "stuff" since that how Martha both fetishizes and reduces him. Taylor & Burton are best remembered but the entire quartet is completely brilliant with Segal adding subtle layers to give you a peak at what "stuff" this guy is made of. Or was at least before this hellish night.

Segal's very long career both before and after Woolf make that sole Oscar nomination, feel less like the anomaly it was, and more like a career honor with great foresight. After the jump 12 other key roles to understand his career...

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Showbiz History: Hamlet vs Johnny Belinda and A Beautiful Mind vs. four brilliant films

Today, March 24th, in Oscar history only. Four ceremonies have held on this day.

1949 The 21st Academy Awards are held honoring the films of 1948. We discussed this race a handful of years ago on the Smackdown.  Johnny Belinda led the nominations with 12 but it was Laurence Olivier's Hamlet that emerged as the Best Picture winner and took home 3 other Oscars as well. It's actually a fairly interesting Oscar year given the variety of genres in the Best Picture shortlist...

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Link grab bag from Disney strategies to new Auteur projects to Sean Young speaking out

It's been approximately 1,000 years since our last link roundup. It's always tough to keep up with news during Oscar season when more important things (shiny gold statues!) are on the mind.

• Variety Disney is shifting release strategies and dates again for Black Widow, Luca, and Cruella among others. We're disappointed that Adrian Lyne's long awaited return with erotic thriller Deep Water is now a 2022 movie (that's well over a full year since it was first supposed to come out.) 
• IndieWire meanwhile Warner Bros announces that it will end the opening simultaneously on HBOMax treatment for its new movies starting in 2022 which will play in theaters for 45 days first. (We're guessing the people behind Dune are pissed that this doesn't apply to them) since none of their deals imagined a non-theatrical world.
• Towleroad Lady Gaga has already upset the woman she's playing in Ridley Scott's Gucci biopic

More after the jump including Oscar Isaac, Helen Mirren, Elliot Page, Steven Spielberg, and Clint Eastwood... 

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Behind the Scenes of "Wolfwalkers"

by Nathaniel R

Today's must read is a memoir piece from storyboard artist Iker Madigan about working on Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers.  There are all sorts of interesting tidbits including how difficult compositional choices are with the two dimensional "flat graphic style" that Cartoon Saloon is known for. Here's another interesting note. I've never heard animators described like this but it makes emotional sense:

Depending on the degree of freedom entrusted to them, story artists can exhibit qualities from both directors and writers. Truth is, they can be something like a cross between a second unit director and a script doctor. 

And the following, about artists who are part of "story teams" that most animated features employ, is the type of honesty you rarely get in such pieces...

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