Gotham Awards Revue: "Familiar Touch"

by Nick Taylor

First, let me express how happy I am that, at least from my filmgoing corner, the Gotham nominations have encouraged more people to watch some of their lower-profile selections. The number of folks I’ve seen log Familiar Touch and Lurker and East of Wall on Letterboxd this past week has been extremely heartening. Hell, I never would’ve prioritized Familiar Touch without Nick Davis’s glowing review, I finally got our own Cláudio Alves to watch it last night, and now everyone who’s going to see it after today will obviously have done so because of me, so trust the power of good word-of-mouth reception! If anything I should have had Sarah Friedland’s film on my radar after she won the Someone to Watch award at the most recent Indie Spirits. Oh, and the three prizes the film won in the Orizzonti selection of last year’s Venice Film Festival.  

Friedland’s clearly got a great pedigree even before factoring in the Best Feature and Breakthrough Director nominations from the Gothams. Luckily for those of us who’ve caught up to Familiar Touch, this adulation is fully deserved, and the crafty, intelligent film is proof enough of her talent . . . .

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TIFF 50: A star is born in "The Little Sister"

by Cláudio Alves

Like The Sun Rises on Us All in Venice, The Little Sister suffered quite a bit of backlash after its lead actress won Cannes' highest honor. And like Xin Zhilei, Nadia Melliti is an eminently deserving victor, unfairly maligned by the online badmouthing and stan nonsense that reached a boiling point as Jennifer Lawrence left the Croisette empty-handed. Indeed, hers is one of the year's most captivating performances, a complex and tender portrait that feels all the more special when one remembers this was Melliti's debut. As she did in previous efforts behind the camera, Hafsia Herzi has proven herself prodigious at directing actors, turning The Little Sister into a must-watch for anyone who values such artistry and the wonders of character-based drama…

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Oscar Predix: Which actresses will receive their first Oscar nomination this coming season?

by Nathaniel R

Rose Byrne, Ayo Edebiri, and Renata Reinsve

We're almost done with the first round predictions for the Oscar charts. Today, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress and the question most prominent on our minds is which women will have "Oscar Nominee" after their names forever more? It's hard to tell this far out but we have some inkling of the possibilities...

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Cannes Diary 05: "Die My Love" - A Tale of Two Comebacks

by Elisa Giudici

Die My Love was poised to mark two significant female comebacks, both artists seeking a powerful resurgence. One fully succeeded; the other, decidedly, did not, though pinpointing exactly what went wrong with the latter isn't straightforward.

Let's start with the winning bet: Jennifer Lawrence. After Causeway and No Hard Feelings (films that showcased good performances but had limited media impact), Lawrence has made a comeback worthy of her marquee name. Her performance here is a strong contender for festival awards and, looking ahead, could go far, especially since MUBI has acquired the film for international distribution...

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Fatal Attraction Pt 3: Who is the monster and who is the victim?

by Nathaniel R

Glenn Close at the Oscars, awaiting on the verdict yet again

Welcome back to the boiling and bloody finale of our three-part retrospective of Adrian Lyne's classic thriller Fatal Attraction (1987). In part 1, Husband and father Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas in his best performance of 1987 -- sorry Wall Street) stumbled out of the pouring rain and straight into an even wetter two-night stand with Alex Forrest (Glenn Close in her most iconic role). Things start hot but end bloody with a suicide attempt. In part 2, Dan clings hard to his wife Beth and his daughter Ellen, desperate for normalcy again. He eagerly grants them their dream gifts: a new home in the suburbs and a pet bunny rabbit, respectively. As we return to the film, Beth and Ellen are still oblivious to the family's pregnant stalker.

One more thing: I realize this retrospective would have been less out-of-the-blue obsessive and better-timed if tied to the 35th anniversary three years back or the launch of the inferior miniseries retelling exactly two years ago or even Michael Douglas's 80th birthday last year. In this way I fear I'm much like Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) himself delaying the inevitable. He kept missing perfect off ramps to avoid this dangerous liaison with Alex and even its aftermath. Where did it get him? Now he's down one car, paying two mortgages, lying to his wife, and trying to avoid a very angry stalker while angling for a life-changing promotion at work. Pass the beta blockers. Now, back to the film...

[voiceover] You're scared of me aren't you? You're fucking frightened of me -- you're afraid. You're afraid, aren't you? You gutless, heartless, spineless, fucking son-of-a-bitch.

1:21:03 Dan is still sneaking around -- albeit for less sexy reasons,,,

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