TIFF '23: Bening swims for gold in "Nyad"

by Cláudio Alves 

Amid arthouse offerings and experimental fare, daring feats of international cinema and midnight madness, the traditional Oscar movie can have a hard time standing out. Still, coexistence is possible, and there's always that beautiful occurrence, once every blue moon, when a festival's boldest piece is its most likely to succeed with awards. I wish I could say Nyad was that movie, but Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's narrative feature debut falls short of such lofty expectations. Yet, don't let this curmudgeon film critic's dissatisfaction dissuade you from predicting it in several categories. Sink or swim, Nyad is going for gold…

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Poster and Clip from "Nyad"

by Nathaniel R

Netflix has released the poster and the first clip from Nyad, the true story of open water swimmer Diana Nyad's attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida at 60 years of age. The film is the first narrative feature from Oscar-winning documentarians Elisabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin and it's based on the memoir "Find a Way". The film hits theaters on October 20th for two weeks before landing on Netflix. As for myself, I'll see it on the big screen not just for the always amazing Annette Bening but also because the cinematographer is Oscar winner Claudio Miranda so maybe there are gorgeous images of the open water? 

See the poster and the clip after the jump...

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Best Actress Predictions - First Round

by Nathaniel R

Annette Bening as "NYAD" (Netflix, 2023)

If I had any hair, I would be tearing it out every time Best Actress predictions must be made. There are so many ways it could go. It's always fun to fantasize about but also agonizing to worry about. Oscar history is wildly hit and miss with Best Actress lineups. Sometimes it's electric quintets and other times they ignore most of the best work for a set of solid but unthrilling performances. 

The contender we're most excited / anxious about is the one and only Annette Bening in Nyad...

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POWER RANKING - The Many Faces of "Death on the Nile"

By Christopher James

Which member of the "Death on the Nile" is capable of murder? Only Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) can crack the case.

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? Kenneth Branagh returns to fill the shoes (and moustache) of the legendary Agatha Christie character Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile, which opened in theaters this past weekend. Branagh’s stern detective finds himself aboard a glorious ship, S.S. Karnak, chartered to celebrate the nuptials of Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) and Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer). Their event is marred by death, and everyone is a suspect.

A murder mystery is only as good as its suspects, and Death on the Nile is bursting with persons celebrities of interest. So which suspects turned up the heat, and which others floundered about? Read for our power rankings of the cast (some spoilers ahead)...

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Showbiz History: Liza Minnelli, Broadway behemoths, and a wedding for Hollywood Royalty

7 random things that happened on this day, March 12th, in showbiz history...

1946 To Each His Own opened on this day 75 years ago. It would win Olivia de Havilland the first of her two Best Actress Oscars. 

1969 The 11th Grammy Awards are held. "Mrs Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel wins Record of the Year and "Hair" wins Original Cast Show album... 

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