Beauty Break: When Almodóvar met Alcaine

by Cláudio Alves

Starting yesterday, Strange Way of Life is streaming on Netflix. To commemorate the occasion, I thought about diving into the collaboration between Pedro Almodóvar and cinematographer José Luis Alcaine, a recurring creative partner since they filmed Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown back in the late 80s. Even though I had issues with the short film, its lensing wasn't one of them. Indeed, playing with Western iconography and Saint Laurent fashions, Strange Way of Life is as visually enchanting as one would expect from something bearing the Spanish auteur's signature. When everything else fails, Alcaine creates hyper-artificial frames, popping with bright colors and luster…

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USC Scripter Awards

by Nathaniel R

It's a big night for awards -- they just keep on coming. One of the traditions we like most is the USC Libraries Scripter Awards, now in their 33rd year. They're cool because the purpose is very specific and focused. They award screenplays based on previously published material AND that material at the same time. This double honor makes sense since some adaptations are doing heavy lifting and others are kind of doing minor tweaks to the material and it can be difficult to ascertain what was actually done. Their nominees for the year are after the jump...

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In 2020, what is a "theatrical film"?

by Juan Carlos

2020 is the year that altered the face of cinema as we know it. After cinemas closed all over the world, films were either delayed or released in modified platforms like virtual cinemas and VOD. Indoor gathering restrictions also led to a resurgence of drive-in theaters. Meanwhile, streaming became an even more vital way for films to reach audiences. Platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu all have Oscar contenders this season.

This shift in movie-watching was further validated by the Academy’s decision earlier this year to allow films released via streaming and VOD to be eligible for the Academy Awards, provided that they were previously intended for theatrical release and that they will be available in the Academy Screening Room. This amendment to the eligibility rules is major, especially given the Academy’s previous adherence to the traditional definition of what a “theatrical film” is. Pre-COVID eligibility rules state that...

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Emmy Review: Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

By Juan Carlos Ojano

Herewith a strange category in that all of the nominees have considerable hurdles to overcome to win this Emmy. As it stands, this group is an eclectic mixture of the young (Mescal, Pope), the old (Irons), and the superheroes in between (Jackman, Ruffalo). Do note that this category as well as Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie do not have episode submissions. Instead, the performance from the entire series will be considered...

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Bad Education / Great Movie

by Nathaniel R

Gael García Bernal as "Juan & Ignacio & Angel & Zahara" simultaneously.

Heads up that I had the beautiful opportunity to talk Pedro Almodóvar as the guest on this week's Water Cooler podcast over at Awards Daily. It was a true pleasure to revisit his twisty provocative melodrama Bad Education (2004). Almodóvar movies nearly always improve on revisits (and they're great the first time so that's quite a feat). My theory is that it's because they're often so novelistic and twisty with plot and layered with meaning. That's true of this trans noir in particular as it's a movie (period drama - but are they flashbacks or the fictional movie?) within a movie (scripted/filming) within a movie. Multiple actors play the same roles... only not exactly. The head spins. The pulse races (Gael García Bernal looks ...um... good... in wet underwear) Longtime readers may recall that Bernal was nominated at TFE for Best Actor that year. He's playing multiple characters in a way that's both intentionally performative and cleverly obfuscated. It's a pretty remarkable star turn and it's tragic that Pedro and Gael never worked together again! Give it a listen.