Jean Gabin: French Superstar

by Cláudio Alves

The 11th Academy Awards marked an important first in Oscar history. Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion, a French drama about class hierarchies and political strife in World War I, received a Best Picture nomination. It became the first non-English language film to ever do so. As we all know, it'd take 81 years for one such picture to win Hollywood's most coveted trophy, but we're not here to talk about Parasite's glorious victory as tempting as that is. Instead, our subject matter is one of French cinema's greatest stars, a brilliant actor that grew to be a cultural monument, the leading man of that historic '38 Best Picture nominee. Jean Gabin was a divinity of the Silver Screen, as magnetic as he was devastating…

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Over & Overs: Bringing Up Baby (1938)

by Cláudio Alves

Part of loving cinema is wanting to share its wonder with others. That's why the communal experience of watching a movie with an audience can be so rewarding, for it makes one feel as if they're not alone in their relationship with a work of art and entertainment. Perhaps because of that, I often feel compelled to watch my most beloved movies with the most beloved people in my life, sharing with them this wonderful thing that has brought me such happiness. Not every cinematic passion is easy to share with others, obviously, and more avant-garde possibilities tend to be less well-received. The same can happen with older pictures, though I've found that there are some classics whose appeal can usually transcend whatever taste barriers there are between a casual movie-goer and the cinema of the past.

In other words, I love showing people Bringing Up Baby and watching them delight in a movie that, when times are hard, always manages to cheer me up…

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1938: Judy Garland in "Love Finds Andy Hardy"

by Nick Taylor

Love Finds Andy Hardy is the fifth of sixteen films made about the life of its titular character, and one of three Andy Hardy films released in 1938. It's also first of threeto feature Judy Garland as Betsy Booth, the shy out-of-towner girl nursing a crush on Andy. This marks the first Andy Hardy movie I’ve seen, and given my severe allergy to Mickey Rooney I might leave it here for now. That being said, my dislike of Rooney pales in comparison to my adoration of Garland's lovely, roseate performance. 

Our story begins in early December. Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) has just learned from his girlfriend Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) that she’ll be visiting family for Christmas, meaning she won’t be able to attend the town’s dance. Andy is distraught, but an unexpected opportunity arises when his friend Beezy asks him to date his girlfriend Cynthia (Lana Turner) for a few weeks. He doesn’t want some other guy making the moves on his girl while he’s gone...

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1938's Best Picture Nominees Ranked

by Nathaniel R

A behind-the-scenes factoid: We've been recording the Smackdowns much earlier than we've been publishing them this year. That's because we figured with everyone social distancing or locked down at home this past summer it would be easier to corral guests for the panels. That was true. They're all recorded now and though the pace has been brutal that also gave me a personal headstart on 1938 (your votes are due by this coming Sunday morning, September 13th!) and since it was a year I was weak on I thought: why not watch ALL the Oscar nominated movies from the year since there were fewer categories? It seemed doable with a three month headstart but I'd forgotten that Oscar hadn't yet come to the conclusion that five was the perfect number and there were up to 11 nominations in some categories! Alas, I didn't complete the assignment but I did manage to watch or rewatch 21 movies. My goal is to hit 30 key films from this year before a tentative "retro film bitch awards" which we've always wanted to do for the older years for fun. Should we? Does that sound fun to you?

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES OF 1938, RANKED
All but one are available to rent at various platforms. If currently streaming for free somewhere, though, we've mentioned that...

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Best Supporting Actress 1938: Getting to know the nominees

by Cláudio Alves

The Supporting Actress Smackdown of 1938 is approaching. Unlike more recent years, when the nominees are well-known personalities to all of us, it's understandable that contemporary audiences might not be too familiar with these actresses from the 30s. Considering that, here's a little primer on each of the five women, their careers, their filmographies, and their legacies. They make up an exceedingly impressive lineup that includes Broadway stars, an opera sensation, and some of the most reliable character actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age…

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