Emmy Nominations This Week. What Are You Betting On?

Every Emmy award discussion really ought to start with that familiar television montage trope "Previously On..." If you think about it the Emmy Awards really are like a longform television series with continuing plotlines... "Will Mad Men lose every acting nomination AGAIN? Will [insert underwatched critical favorite] finally win a Best Series nomination?", new character introductions, resurgent supporting characters, goodbyes to series regulars, and the like.

Homeland defends its title. But a lot of people didn't like Season 2.

So what did happen at least year's Emmys? A refresher: "Mad Men" was defending its Best Drama title in its fifth season and did not break the record (no show has ever won five consecutive drama series titles) losing to terrorist drama "Homeland" but the story was bleak for the SCDP everywhere since "Mad Men" struck out everywhere even MISSING a Best Costume Design nomination (it's never won) despite being the best costumed show in the history of ever; Jon Cryer "Two and a Half Men" won sympathy votes for putting up with Charlie Sheen all these years as Best Actor in a Comedy Series; Julia Louis-Dreyfus "Veep" won her third Emmy but what's more impressive is that she's won the prize for three different series now; Oscar Winners and frequent nominees were all the rage too with Julianne Moore, Kevin Costner, Jessica Lange, and Maggie Smith all picking up prizes; and the Emmys kept right on basically ignoring the beloved "Parks and Recreation" in major categories it's already deserved to win a few times. Seriously how has that show never managed a nomination for ANY of its supporting actors and actresses?

So where are we this year? I don't have my own predictions to share -- I don't claim to be an Emmy Awards expert but here are a few select ballots and a few things I'm curious about after the jump

Click to read more ...

Cory Monteith (RIP)

Cory Monteith's twitter profile photoWe've lost another Young Hollywood star too soon, apparently to personal demons though the cause of death is "not immediately apparent" according to news reports. Cory Monteith, aka "Finn" from Glee, died last night in a hotel room in Canada. Our hearts go out to Lea Michele and his family and friends.

He played the befuddled singing jock well, with a sweetness of spirit and refreshing modesty. And you know how The Film Experience treasures singing actors.

I had long since stopped watching Glee which proved to be one of the smartest television decisions I ever made. When I started to hate the show during Season 3 I abruptly quit and now the only memories I really have of it are good ones. So this morning I'm replaying one of my favorite TV experiences ever, the Glee pilot. Like the rest of the world when Rachel & Finn spun around each other as "Don't Stop Believin'" kept building my heart soared and I couldn't wait to fall in love with them and the series, too. Glee was one of the great debuts of television history, full of energy, heart and promise. And that's a feeling to hold on to.

RIP Cory.

A Link Odyssey

The Flick Filosopher "my back let me show you it" on the faceless objectification of women in movie posters
Pacific Standard investigates what's going on with all those shlocky monster movies on Netflix Instant Watch. One studio is just churning them out by the dozen!
Splash Page Andrew Garfield wonders why we can't have a gay Spider-Man 

Vulture does some mathematical analysis from 1989-to-Now and, nope, Hollywood just doesn't make movies about women anymore
Deep Dish (site is NSFW) picks the best (& worst) of the season. A lot of Nashville, American Horror Story, and Downton Abbey but Don & Betty win "best sex" for Mad Men. I concur.
Hollywood in this week's Truly Tasteless News, they are already planning a movie about the Boston Marathon Bombing. It might be well-written -- the guys from The Fighter are onboard -- but still... a little time to heal people. 

Finally, Jose from Movies Kick Ass never cared much for Stanley Kubrick while still respecting him (he and I are similar that way) but Jose was finally converted to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by way of this week's big screen viewing at BAM in Brooklyn as part of their Big Screen Epics series. And how!

Coincidentally I was also there and the size of the screen, the beauty of the theater (thanks BAM) and the immersion of the sound also made me a new and real convert. It was as if I'd never seen the film before. Suddenly so many movies... so many movies seem like they owe their best moments and even their existence to it. (Hi, Tree of Life!) I suddenly need to reevaluate every Kubrick on the big screen. In fact, the only film of his I've seen in the size it deserves is Eyes Wide Shut (1999)... though in that case, size didn't matter. I was unmoved. 

How Many Biopics is Liz Going To Get?

Late last year Lindsay Lohan did her best Elizabeth Taylor for Liz & Dick on Lifetime though by all accounts her best wasn't very good. Now BBC is getting in on the action with the far more respectable Helena Bonham Carter as the movie star of movie stars. This will be Helena's most challenging role in a good long while, don't you think? [More after the jump...]

Helena as Liz & Liz as Liz; she did love her caftans!

Click to read more ...

Visual Index ~ American Graffiti's Best Shot(s)

Where were you on 7/2? Hopefully watching American Graffiti (1973) to better appreciate today's edition of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", our collective series in which we invite anyone who loves movies  'round the web to select their favorite image from a pre-selected movie. [Next Wednesday we'll be discussing the brilliant and disturbing Dead Ringers (1988) so do not miss that.] This week we return to simpler times...

1962 by way of 1973, in point of fact, courtesy of George Lucas's first Best Picture nominee, the very fine nostalgia fest American Graffiti which we thought an appropriate choice for the 4th of July Holiday. more...

Click to read more ...