Almost There: Eddie Murphy in "Beverly Hills Cop"

by Cláudio Alves

Axel Foley's back! Thirty years after John Landis' Beverly Hills Cops III, the franchise has been revived by Netflix, and the fourth movie is already on streaming. Across its various iterations, the series about a Detroit cop solving crimes in Beverly Hills has varied in its balance between action and comedy. However, Eddie Murphy's presence is a constant, conferring a semblance of consistency in the films. Indeed, his impact is so strong that one can easily classify him as the franchise's defining auteur. No need to be in the director's chair when one's presence in front of the camera transforms the pictures, shaping them around the gravitational pull of a true movie star.

To mark the occasion, let's look back at the flick that started it all. In 1984, Martin Brest's Beverly Hills Cop confirmed Eddie Murphy as an A-lister, and might have even come close to Oscar glory…

Click to read more ...

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in 30 Perfect Shots

by Cláudio Alves

Years ago, as part of the dearly departed Hit Me With Your Best Shot series, the Film Experience hosted a celebration whose theme was the 1977 Best Cinematography Oscar nominees. Much was written about the contenders' beauty, their visual storytelling, and aesthetic vices. None was more praised than Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, whose lensing earned Vilmos Zsigmond a well-deserved Academy Award. It was the film's only victory on Oscar night, partly because another seminal work in American sci-fi stole its thunder. Even so, Spielberg's creation endures, as miraculous as it ever was.

American audiences now have the privilege of revisiting the film in a new 4K restoration. Last weekend, it played in selected theaters as a special event, and there's an encore this Wednesday. Oh, how I wish I could experience it on the big screen. In lieu of that, I re-watched the film at home and decided to write about thirty of its best shots – and there are so many perfect ones! Consider this my lengthy and much-delayed contribution to that Hit Me With Your Best Shot of years past…

Click to read more ...

Happy 100, Eva Marie Saint!

by Cláudio Alves

ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) Elia Kazan

Happy belated birthday, USA! Happy belated birthday, Caesar Salad!! And happy belated birthday, Eva Marie Saint!!!

This past Fourth of July, the Edie to Brando's Terry Malloy celebrated her one-hundredth turn 'round the sun. As a centenary, Saint is the oldest living and earliest surviving Academy Award winner, keeping our connection to Old Hollywood alive at a time when even the 1970s renegades seem to be leaving us. Reflecting on her long career, one can trace the parallel, often juxtaposed, evolution of the American film industry. And yet, Eva Marie Saint rose to stardom on a wave of innovation, revolutionary acting styles and approaches, her presence like a promise of new things to come…

Click to read more ...

Nicole Kidman Tribute: Big Little Lies (2017)

by Mark Brinkerhoff

Wow. The power of women.

 I remember Nicole Kidman's speech at the 2018 Golden Globes like it was yesterday. You certainly could sense a genuine sisterhood between the five principle stars (Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz and Laura Dern) of Big Little Lies, HBO's unexpectedly titanic, initially limited series. Amid the backdrop of #MeToo, it was quite a moment for Nicole Kidman and company.

The actress's output in the 2010s was, charitably, something of a mixed bag. For every dazzling turn in Rabbit Hole (2010), The Paperboy (2012), or Paddington (2014), there were plenty of barely released (if at all) misfires like Tresspass (2011), The Railway Man (2013), and Queen of the Desert (2015). With the notable exception of Lion (2016), things looked awfully bleak for Kidmaniacs stateside heading into a post-presidential election year...

Click to read more ...

Nicole Kidman Tribute: Lion (2016)

by Cláudio Alves

The late 2000s saw Nicole Kidman's reputation suffer under the strain of bad reviews and a perceived rejection by mainstream audiences. Jokes about plastic surgery were a dime a dozen, and not even a couple of brilliant turns could dissuade the naysaying masses. But then came Rabbit Hole and a third Oscar nomination, a new chance at proving herself. As usual, she took the opportunity and ran with it, kickstarting one of the most productive phases of her career. From 2010 to 2016, the actress amassed an astounding sixteen screen credits and appeared in the award-winning West End production of Photograph 51. It was also then, as Kidman settled into her 40s and came nearer to the half-century mark, that she started playing more supporting roles. 

Make no mistake, Kidman is a Hollywood leading lady, a confirmed A-lister to this day. But that doesn't preclude her from trying her hand at smaller parts. Coupled with revitalized prestige, a return to Oscar glory in a new category felt near inevitable. And so it was, with the star receiving her first Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, for Lion…

Click to read more ...