Doc Corner: 'Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are)'

By Glenn Dunks

A movie called “Civil War” could really be about so many things. I immediately assumed a film about January’s insurrection had been produced, edited and released in just nine months’ time. What an achievement! It’s a surprise then to discover that Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are) is about the actual civil war. The one about the North versus the South. The one about slavery (depending on who you ask). The one they made Gone With the Wind about. It’s almost quaint in that regard.

No matter what it is or it isn’t about— the contemporary political space may not be the film's focus but its heavily on its mind --  it’s a good movie. Civil War finds interesting crevices within which to explore education and class-driven divides and the way the war's lessons are taught and absorbed by the next generations. Spoiler alert: it’s not entirely comforting...

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Monty @ 100: Friendship, Tragedy and "Raintree County"

by Cláudio Alves

Montgomery Clift's legacy is as defined by tragedy as it is by acting glory. Robert Lewis, his teacher at the famed Actors Studio, would famously describe Monty's downfall as "the longest suicide in Hollywood history". Until now, this centennial celebration has mostly avoided gossip and the dark shadow of doom clouding over the actor's biography. However, as we arrive at his ninth feature, the context of what was happening off-screen is too important to be dismissed…

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1972: Oversharing with "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie"

TFE will be periodically looking back at the 1972 film year before we hit the Supporting Actress Smackdown next Sunday. Here's Paolo. 

This is going to sound like I’m overestimating my writing power but here goes. The symbolism within Luis Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Oscar's Best Foreign Film winner of 1972, is easy to write about. Up to interpretation, as they say. What isn’t easy is writing about the feelings the movie evokes. In short, I might be explaining jokes, which slightly offends me as a fan of comedy. But I’m going to do it anyway, since the humor is the first thing that comes to mind in writing about what is arguably Buñuel’s most personal movie. 

The film is about six white bourgeois people who just want to eat but someone or something keeps interrupting them. (I have the same dream... but it's not about food.)

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Showbiz History: Dead Poets, The Crown, and Annie Potts' Debut

Happy birthday June 2nd-ers! Here's what was happening in showbiz or showbiz-related history on the day you were born...

1740 The Marquis de Sade is born. Lives on in immortal infamy and morphs into Geoffrey Rush in 2000 for the SAG & Golden Globe nominated Quills. I always forget that that movie WON Best Picture at the NBR and then wasn't even Oscar nominated for Best Picture (a thing that doesn't happen super often.)

1865 The American Civil War reaches a major turning point signalling the end (basically) when the final Confederate army ceases to exist with a surrender in Missississippi. There's a million movies on the matter (well, not that event in particular). The wounds have obviously become reinfected of late, so expect even more.

1904 Athlete and movie star Johnny Weismuller born in Austria-Hungary (in what is now Romania)...

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Yes No Maybe So: "The Beguiled"

#vengefulbitches forever

The teaser for Sofia Coppola's remake of The Beguiled (2017) is upon us and it is glorious if surprisingly faithful. In fact, if you watched the original 1971 movie with us during the last season of Hit Me With Your Best Shot you'll be hard pressed to spot many immediate differences beyond of course the new cast. Nicole Kidman takes the Geraldine Page role (we worship Kidman but good luck topping one of Page's juiciest star turns), Colin Farrell gets the Clint Eastwood wounded womanizing soldier part, Kiki steps in for Elizabeth Hartman, and Oona Laurence (who was so good opposite Gyllenhaal in Southpaw) plays the Pamela Ferdin role. 

If you haven't yet seen the trailer or would like to watch it again (I'm on round 5) it's after the jump along with a short "Yes No Maybe So"...

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