Nicole Kidman Tribute: Billy Bathgate (1991)

by Cláudio Alves

In 1991, Nicole Kidman was nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the Golden Globes. Interestingly, though it marks the first time she wever scored a major precursor, the film that did it, Billy Bathgate, is a somewhat forgotten stop in the star's Hollywood journey. 

After the splashy box office results from Days of Thunder, the actress was a hot commodity, some beautiful import from Australia whose persona was still malleable for American audiences. Moreover, her true powers remained untapped, perchance untested. In that context, Robert Benton's Doctorow adaptation is a chance to test Kidman's talents, an attempt at transitioning from popcorn cinema into prestige fare. After all, haven't we seen similar projects elevate a starlet's profile? In a cast dominated by men, she's the only important woman, the linchpin of the protagonist's arc and an alluring sight that sings a silent siren song. She's the Hollywood Golden Age brought back from the dead for one more gangster movie…

Click to read more ...

Introducing the Nicole Kidman TFE Tribute

by Cláudio Alves

Nicole Kidman makes her entrance at the AFI Tribute ceremony.

You've heard of the Nicole Kidman AFI Tribute, but do you know there's also a TFE celebration in the works? Last year, the American Film Institute announced that Australian superstar Nicole Kidman would receive their Life Achievement Award in honor of her contribution to American film. The ceremony took place on April 27th, but apart from some online videos and photo-ops, little of the celebration was publicized. That will change in June when the entire Tribute will air on TNT and TCM, as is tradition with such AFI events. To mark the joyous occasion, the Team Experience will be doing a tribute of our own. 

From now until June 17th, you can expect a new daily post on Kidman, going over some of her best films and performances. Since tomorrow we'll jump straight into the 90s, this introduction shall serve as the Tribute's overview of her origins in Australian cinema…

Click to read more ...

Friday Awards Wrap-Up: BIFA, AFI, and more!

by Cláudio Alves

With the awards race heating up, there's much to discuss. Maybe too much. Da'Vine Joy Randolph is proving a sweeper in Best Supporting Actress, taking every single one of those awards so far. Her The Holdovers costar, Paul Giamatti, is also doing well for himself, somehow scoring better results than some of the supposed Oscar frontrunners. Then there's Lily Gladstone taking the lead in Best Actress, while Killers of the Flower Moon adds some more victories to go alongside its NYFCC wins. The Color Purple has struggled to make an impression, but that might be due to late screenings, while Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is making a good case for itself as a Best Picture contender. 

In any case, here's a small compendium of prizes and top ten announcements from this week, plus some additional commentary…

Click to read more ...

AFI Top Ten gives a boost to "Nope" and "She Said"

by Nathaniel R

The American Film Institute has named their top ten films and television programs of 2022, giving them all a boost in the awards conversation. And that's clearly what the prize is intended for, given their resolutely mainstream Oscar and Emmy buzz focused lists each year (in their early years they were sometimes a bit more adventurous though still mainstream). The two most "daring" choices for films, if you can call them that, are Nope and She Said, neither of which have a huge amount of Oscar buzz at the moment, though Nope has been performing well in early top ten list / precursor season.

The AFI lists in film and television and some commentary after the jump...

Click to read more ...

"Kidmania, Summer 2023 Edition" courtesy of AFI

by Nathaniel R

This just in. The goddess Nicole Kidman will receive what the AFI calls "The Highest Honor in American Cinema" next summer. That honor is the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. She'll be the first Australian so honored. Take that Cate Blanchett! She's also only the 11th actress they've ever honored in this way...

Click to read more ...