Doc Corner: Werner Herzog's 'Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin'

by Glenn Dunks

Is it a coincidence that I watched Werner Herzog’s Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin on the same day as Nomadland? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Maybe it was more just serendipitous that I turned my screener of Herzog’s film off just before leaving the house to go and see Chloé Zhao’s Oscar favourite. Maybe I am just feeling emotional about the very idea of being out in nature and enmeshed in a broader human existence, but both left me quite affected.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this double feature left me with the desire to walk home under the glowing blue sky with earth and tar and grass and cement under my feet...

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Best of December. It's a Wrap

Tomorrow is New Years Eve which means this cursed year is nearly up --happy 'Light at End of Tunnel Day' to you! Obviously our "year in review" festivities will continue a bit still. Plus the 2020 film year is extra long (in a way) due to the Awards Show Shenanigans of extending Oscar & Globe & so on eligibility by two months. So we won't be done with 2020 until April but at least the calendar year is concluding and the 2021 film year can also begin with Sundance in January!

Ten Highlights You Might Have Missed
• Lily James to play Pamela Anderson creative or confounding casting?
• Review: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom proved divisive amongst our readers
• Mad for Mads the Danish star gives his best performance yet in Another Round
• Riz ascends the star really delivers in Sound of Metal 
• Podcast on Mank Murtada and Nathaniel talk the Best Director race
• Ann Reinking (RIP) another loss in 2020. Superb dancer. non-prolific actor
• Gay Best Friend: Abby in Carol Christopher's new series reaches a milestone. This is how you do the gay best friend trope.
• Wonder Woman 1984 Lynn likes it more than she admits she should. Same.
• How Had I Never Seen White Christmas? Claudio confesses and rectifies
• Cartoon Saloon from The Secret of Kells through Wolfwalkers

5 Most Discussed Articles
• Review: The Prom you always love to talk Meryl!
• LAFCA goes haywire awarding their "Best Film" prize to an anthology collection
• In defense of Glenn Close Carlos says "Maw Maw" is Hillbilly's saving grace
• What's your vote for most underrate (respected) movie? This question sparked so many great answers
• The day moviegoing died Warner Bros destroys theatrical biz model for 2021

COMING IN JANUARY: One Night in Miami, Pieces of a Woman, Nathaniel's top ten list and the 2020 Film Bitch Awards, and at the end of the month, the Sundance Film Festival. Plus anniversary looks at Angels & Insects, The Music Lovers, Patricia Highsmith, and more...

If you're just rejoining us looking to catch up, previous 2020 overviews...
Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov 

Showbiz History: Rasputin, Kiss Me Kate, and Way of the Dragon

7 random things that happened on this day, December 30th, in history 

Veidt, Lee, and Rickman as "Rasputin" in various projects

1916 Russian mystic Raputin, who had great influence with the Romanov family, is assassinated in his sleep. He's been portrayed dozens of times onscreen. Some famous actors who have played him include Conradt Veidt (Rasputin, Dämon der Frauen), Lionel Barrymore (Rasputin and the Empress), Christopher Lee (Rasputin the Mad Monk), Alan Rickman (Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny - Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe wins for Best Actor in TV Movie or Miniseries), and the voice of Christopher Lloyd (Anastasia). The next actors to play him will be Rhys Ifans (The King's Man, 2021), and maybe Leonardo DiCaprio in a biopic though Leo doesn't even make a fifth of the projects he's attached to. He's currently attached to 45 titles (!!!) according to IMDb Pro... though most are only "optioned" or in some unknown stage of development.

Miley Cyrus, Daniel Sunjata, Kiss Me Kate, Way of the Dragon, "My Way" and more after the jump...

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Dead Man Walking @ 25: Susan Sarandon's long road to the Oscar

by Cláudio Alves

25 years ago, Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking opened in theatres. The film dramatizes the true story of Sister Helen Prejean, the close relationship she forged, as a spiritual adviser, with convicted murderers on death row. Here, they are made into the composite fictional figure of Matthew Poncelet. Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn take on the lead roles, delivering two of the best performances of their respective careers. He received his first Oscar nomination out of it. She was honored with her fifth nod and, presently, her last. And she finally won the Best Actress trophy. 

The actress may be a controversial figure, but I'm not here to litigate her politics or the way she chooses to express them. Instead, I'd like to look at her achievements as a performer, specifically the five works that paved the way to that triumph on the night of the 67th Academy Awards. Join me – won't you? – as we explore Susan Sarandon's long road to the Oscar… 

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Year in Review: Ten Most Memorable 2020 Screen Animals

by Nathaniel R

Over the Moon

We have a few big 2020 Year in Review pieces left to go but how about something fluffy and little tonight like "Bungee" in Over the Moon (pictured above).. or if not always that then slippery but cuddly, or dangerous and otherwordly. We polled Team Experience for their favourite critters of the year onscreen and here were the results (sort of). We'd intended to do the usual countdown thing but the results were truly all over the place with 20+ animals cited and not much in the way of consensus. So rather than attempting little blurbs and a ranking we'll let these dozen animals speak for themselves. Not that they can speak. Which was your favourite screen creature in 2020?

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