Showbiz History: Oscar-nominated sequels and 'the Death of Queen Jane'

We announced on twitter that we were going to quit these history posts because of lack of return on investment -- people just dont seem that into them. And then some people complained because they love them. So, hmmm. Perhaps we'll rejigger the concept to make them much less time consuming or chalk it up to too niche even for TFE. Anyway, one last one?

4 random things that happened on this day, December 6th, in film history

1945 The Bells of St Marys premieres. Here's a trivia note you might not know about. This was the first sequel ever nominated for Best Picture...

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Links

• IndieWire offers up a guide to explaining various characters and events in Mank
• FilmSchoolRejects 20 movies to watch if you loved Mank
• Instagram Elliot Page (Juno, The Umbrella Academy, Inception) has come out as trans
• HuffPost Ariana DeBose is making her (movie) name with the musical resurgence: Hamilton Live, The Prom, and West Side Story

More after the jump including ranking the films of David Fincher, EW's Entertainers of the Year, an imaginary Ratatouille musical, new Emmy rulings, and more...

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Look back: "God's Own Country"

by Matt St Clair

The beauty in God’s Own Country, the marvelous directorial debut from Francis Lee whose newest film Ammonite has hit VOD, is not just in the luscious landscapes. It's also in the silence. The two lead actors use their facial glances and body language to confess their infatuation. Minus the ending, there’s no cathartic monologue spoken by either John (Josh O’Connor) or Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu). No 'I love you's because the words aren’t needed. Nor is this a typical “coming out” narrative present within the realm of queer cinema where the characters come to a gradual realization about their sexualities.

It’s clear when God’s Own Country begins that John is already aware of his sexuality. He engages in hedonistic hook ups for minor fulfillment.  He acts out sexually but without intimacy and definitely without kissing. When Gheorghe arrives to help John and his family on their Yorkshire farm, their bond initially starts with wrestling in the mountains...

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China submits "Leap" to the Oscars

by Nathaniel R

China has submitted the women's volleyball drama Leap to the Oscars, which is already streaming on Amazon Prime. Gong Li headlines but you'd barely recognize her she's so unglamorous this time. The 55 year old superstar has recently returned to the screen after taking a few years off, and its' going pretty well. She's the flashiest thing about Disney's Mulan and now she's headlining her seventh Oscar submission in the International category. We already discussed China's Oscar history but how about Gong Li's history starring in Oscar hopefuls? Here they are...

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Streaming: Riz Ahmed's star ascends in "Sound of Metal"

by Christopher James

Since he broke out in Nightcrawler, Riz Ahmed has been looking for his movie star moment. Sound of Metal proves he is the real deal. Director Daris Marder displays quite a bit of flair in his directorial outing. The Place Beyond the Pines screenwriter excels here specifically because of his unique use of sound design to give us greater insight to our lead character. Between Ahmed and the sound design, Sound of Metal is of major interest...

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