Friday, August 7, 2020 at 10:33AM Apologies for the lack of a morning post. Rearranging our schedules a bit at TFE HQ. More soon. In the meantime, what movie are you thinking about RIGHT NOW?
Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 3:00PM 
Despite some dubious victors, the 78th Academy Awards honoring the films of 2005 had many great lineups filled with splendorous movies. Later this month, Nathaniel and his guest panelists will take a look at the Best Supporting Actress category. Before that, however, I invite you to bask in the beauty of that year's Cinematography nominees. Specifically, we'll be taking a look at each of the five nominated cinematographers, their filmographies, and characteristic style. First up, we have that year's winner, Dion Beebe (Memoirs of a Geisha). The Australian filmmaker is a master of color, always up to play with wild palettes and shadow games which make bright pigments look even bolder. His best achievements tend to avoid naturalism in search of something more unreal, be it the metallic sharpness of a Californian thriller or the spectacle of Cinecittá.
Here are ten highlights from his filmography…
Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 9:46AM by Nick Taylor
The five nominees of the 2005 Supporting Actress lineup represent some of the best performances of an exceptional year for adult drama. Their films range from intimate character studies to politically and morally charged biopics, some with considerable studio backing and some running hot on the indie circuit. Each performer wrangles memorably with their roles, and provide their own distinct examples of what great screen acting looks like. You might pine for some generic diversity between Oscar’s selections (or, y’know, actual diversity), but each of them represents entirely different notions of how an actress and their character can properly support a film. To push against such a lineup seems almost churlish, and yet, we must. For all the credible sixth spots in this category, from Maria Bello in A History of Violence to Shirley MacLaine in In Her Shoes (both of whom you can still vote for on Cláudio's "Almost There: Reader' Choice" poll!), I'm kicking this cycle off with an actress who never quite made the headway they did but, for my money, is equally deserving of the attention they earned.
Let's talk about Taraji P. Henson's radiant breakthrough performance in Hustle & Flow...
Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 11:00PM with Nathaniel R and Murtada Elfadl
Hey, it's a wee break from our smackdowning for an old school podcast of rambling conversation!
Index (68 minutes)
00:01 We're back talking about what we've been watching
08:13 Emmy nomination theories and viewing habits. The Mandalorian and more
19:13 Comedy series nominees: Insecure, What We Do in the Shadows, etc...
27:20 Limited Series is what we're both most invested in: Little Fires Everywhere, Unorthodox, Normal People, Mrs America and various acting categories
49:00 Emmy's "creative arts" - why not televised?
53:00 What kind of an awards season and Oscar race are we heading into? Fall festivals are announcing but not really happening. The movie calendar is in disarray
01:05:00 Critics groups will also postpone their awards
You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you?
Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 7:10PM by Nathaniel R
Mo: He came slammin' into my shop...
Freddie: Who struck the first blow?
Whitey: The first blow -- what are you kidding? -- there was only one blow.
Do you enjoy against-type casting? I couldn't stop thinking of this practice while watching Boys Town (1938) the other night to fill in a notable Best Actor gap (Spencer Tracy won the Oscar as do-gooder Father Flanagan who started the titular home for abandoned / delinquent boys). In the film Mickey Rooney's "Whitey" tests Father Flanagan's theory that 'there are no bad boys' and his tough guy shtick feels very over the top especially coming from a teen star who was then best known for boisterous enthusiasm in comedy and song and dance. But then a funny thing happened. Halfway through the picture, while still bristling against this relentless posturing, it suddenly worked for the movie; OF COURSE Father Flanagan is right and Whitey's tough guy callousness is a performance. This little jerk acts tough but he's actually a softie beneath the sneering.
Do you like watching actors playing the opposite of their typical persona, whether or not they succeed? What's your go to example of this sort of thing.
1938, Boys Town, Mickey Rooney, casting 