TV Review: "Ripley" is a Gorgeous, but Disappointing, Remake

by Christopher James

Andrew Scott takes on the titular role of Tom Ripley in Steve Zaillian's latest rendition, "Ripley," on Netflix.

There’s something sacred about a favorite movie. Anthony Minghella’s 1999 masterpiece The Talented Mr. Ripley is a seminal film, burned into my brain as canon. Thus, there’s a certain amount of bias that is hard to overcome when judging a remake. It runs the risk of being so close to the original that it is redundant, or swings far enough away that it pales from the original.

The new Netflix limited series Ripley wisely distances itself from other renditions of the Patricia Highsmith novel, primarily through its gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and new approaches to casting. Writer-director Steve Zaillian has a clear, distinct vision of the tale that feels distinct. However, it prioritizes style over substance. Though filled with haunting beauty, this Ripley lacks personality and tension - sexual or otherwise...

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Almost There: Barry Keoghan in "Saltburn" & Andrew Scott in "All of Us Strangers"

by Cláudio Alves

Earlier this week, the Almost There series returned with a look at Penélope Cruz's failed bid for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Now, it's time to move on to Lead Actor, where the season's most prominent contender without a nomination was Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon. But since you're probably tired of reading my defense of Scorsese's latest, I decided to focus on two others instead. The first victim is Barry Keoghan in Saltburn, for which he was nominated at the Golden Globes, BAFTAS, and Critics Choice Awards. Our second sacrifice is Andrew Scott, whose campaign for All of Us Strangers was full of passion but few actual plaudits. There were nominations at the Globes, Spirit and British Independent Film Awards, little else...

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Last Minute FYCs from Team Experience

by Nathaniel R

Rachel McAdams in "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret."

Oscar nomination voting began yesterday morning and will continue through Tuesday, January 16th at 5 PM. Word has it that the bulk of Academy members vote early in the time frame. For those holdouts who are still thinking about their ballots and screening a couple more films just to be sure, we asked members of Team Experience to share what they hope will be considered...

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Memorable Moments and Oscar Takeways from this year's Golden Globes

by Nathaniel R

Oppenheimer emerges as the big winner at the Globes (Photo by Rich Polk via Getty Images)

If you’re looking for a complete list of winners, that’s at the end of this post! 

Hello readers. Though I have been largely absent from writing, I am still me, therefore love movies and watch awards shows. The hilarious thing about my “notes” from awards shows (and also movies come to think of it) is that I always get so caught up in them that the notes ultimately end long before they should. The better the thing… the sooner the notes trail off! So herewith 8 expanded notes from the Globes, inspired by mostly indecipherable scribbles, and probably weighted towards earlier moments in the show...

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Oscar Volley - Best Actor

For today's Oscar volley, Lynn Lee and Glenn Dunks discuss the Best Actor race.

LYNN: Glenn, it’s been a while since I’ve felt this strongly about the Best Actor race, so I’ll just lay my cards on the table: I really, really want both Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) to be nominated, would love Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers) to join them --though I think he’s a long shot-- and really DON’T want Leonardo DiCaprio to get in for Killers of the Flower Moon.

It’s extra personal for me because I saw American Fiction, All of Us Strangers, and The Holdovers back to back at the Middleburg Film Festival earlier this year and loved all of them. More to the point, while all three films have their flaws, each one worked like gangbusters largely because of the fantastic acting --especially the outstanding male lead performance...

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