NYFF: "Night of Kings"

Our coverage of the New York Film Festival -- you can buy virtual tickets to most of these films -- continues.

by Nathaniel R

The prison movie is its own specific subgenre, holding close to its own tropes, structural familiarity, and character types. Though we've never been imprisoned, we imagined these are culled from reality as much as imagined from collective nightmare. As a general rule, we long for escape from well worn genres, but in some cases it's useful shorthand. Such it is with Philippe LaCôte's Night of Kings, the buzzy Ivory Coast Oscar submission which we suspect might have been too confusing to resonate for Western audiences, were if not for these familiar, even universal, elements...

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Monty Clift Centennial Maxi-Series

by Nathaniel R

We've been wanting to do this for years and the perfect occasion finally presents itself. Team Experience will be celebrating the late great Montgomery Clift every evening in the first half of October for what would have been his 100th birthday on October 17th, 2020...

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Shira Haas up for another Ophir Award!

by Nathaniel R

Alena Yiv and Shira Haas as mother and daughter in ASIA

Our current actress obsession Shira Haas may have lost the Emmy she deserved to win a week ago for Unorthodox but she has another shot at an acting trophy this year. The 25 year-old actress is once again up for the highest film honor in her home country, the Ophir Award. She's nominated for Best Supporting Actress for a mother/daughter Israeli drama called Asia. The drama won three prizes early this year as NY's Tribeca Film Festival, including Best Actress for Shira (though she's nominated for Supporting at home). This is Haas' fifth Ophir nod, two of which have been for lead actress and three for supporting. She won this same category just two years ago for a film called Pere Atzil.

Due to the COVID pandemic there's no date for the Ophir ceremony yet (which is usually held right about now). As you may recall, the annual winner for their Feature Film category automatically becomes Israel's Oscar submission (unless there's some reason it can't be the submission). UPDATE:  You can see all the nominees and some of the winners (details are hard to come by so far) after the jump. IMDb doesn't even have all of them and most articles only list the "top" categories. But we're always trying to keep you informed...

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Vintage '65

by Nathaniel R

Year of the Julies: Andrews and Christie dominated both the Oscars and the box office

The Supporting Actress Smackdown 1965 Episode arrives on October 9th, so you have until October 8th to watch the four movies and vote on them. Let's talk context...

Great Big Box Office Hits: 1)The Sound of Music 2) Doctor Zhivago 3) Thunderball 4) Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines 5) The Great Race 6) That Darn Cat 7) Cat Ballou 8) What's New Pussycat? 9) Shenandoah 10) Von Ryan's Express

Oscar's Best Pictures: The Sound of Music  and Doctor Zhivago (10 noms / 5 wins each) led by the two Julies, battled it out at the Oscars The other Best Picture nominees were Ship of Fools (8 noms / 2 wins), Darling (5 noms / 3 wins) another Julie Christie vehicle, and A Thousand Clowns (4 noms / 1 win). But what would have been nominated if the Best Picture race were 10 wide...

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Showbiz History: Oliver!, K.I.T.T., and Linda Hamilton

6 random things that happened on this day, September 26th, in film history

1949 the Hollywoodland is sign torn down for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new shorter "Hollywood" sign.

1955 "America's Sweetheart" Debbie Reynolds (23) marries the hugely popular singer Eddie Fisher (27). They quickly have two children, Carrie and Todd Fisher. Their marriage will last only three and a half years and end in one of the biggest showbiz scandals of the 20th century when Eddie leaves her for her BFF Elizabeth Taylor...

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