Almost There: Don Cheadle in "Devil in a Blue Dress"

by Cláudio Alves

Noirvember can't end without a noir-themed write-up here at The Film Experience. It falls on the Almost There series to consider a style born in shadows, that cinema which came into its own in the aftermath of war and persists in perpetual reinvention. Though it'd be nice to look back on the origins of noir, most of the classics fell outside the Academy's radar. So it's only logical to wander into the depths of neo-noir, searching for a title that embodies the best of it all, combining classical sensibilities with a modern perspective. Thus, one arrives at Carl Franklin's Devil in a Blue Dress, a 1995 adaptation of Walter Mosley's book where a 1940s-set crime drama is reframed through the centering of a Black protagonist. 

However, it wasn't the film's hardboiled anti-hero who caught the attention of awards voters. Instead, those honors befell on a supporting player – Don Cheadle in his breakout role as a dangerous man called Mouse…

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Middleburg Day 1: Two Adam Drivers, Three for Cate Blanchett, and a Tenth Anniversary

by Nathaniel R

"Is this starting to looking familiar?," the driver asked as we neared our destination, surrounded by lush greens on every side. Yes, yes, it's all very familiar. Horse and wine country. We've been coming to the Middleburg Film Festival, for so many years now that it now has the kind of nostalgic pull that only comes from the combo of staying power and lovely memories. The festival launched back in 2012. On Thursday October 13th, opening day in 2022, sandwiched between the first screening (TÁR) and the opening night film (White Noise), the festival's founder Sheila Johnson, welcomed corporate sponsors, select press, and Virginia power players like Middleburg's Mayor at a special reception to toast the 10th Anniversary edition of the festival...

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Venice Gowns '22, Round 1

by Nathaniel R

Raffey Cassidy, Jury President Julianne Moore, Tessa Thompson, Greta & Noah

Golden Lion winner Deneuve, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cassidy again, Don Cheadle, and HIllary Clinton?

Who was best dressed on the opening night of Venezia 79? It's your choice. Just make one. Vote as often as you'd like.

online polls

Which Movie and TV people won Grammys?

by Nathaniel R

Ben Platt, Rachel Zegler, Cynthia Erivo, and Leslie Odom Jr sing "Somewhere" from West Side Story at the Grammys

The Grammys have almost 90 categories so it can get very difficult to track them all. "Complete lists of winners" around the web are usually missing several if not 2/3rds of the actual winners. The list which follows in this post is also probably not complete though we tried by pooling from different sources. We only care about the Grammys very selectively since we're focused on the actors mediums (film, tv, stage) so the "Triple Crown" has always been cooler to us than the EGOT. Neverthless, there are some venn diagram overlaps between our concerns and the Grammys since at least a few actors are nominated each year for something or another. What's more, despite the remake of West Side Story being up for several Oscars, it essentially got a better tribute at the Grammys. That came by way of a truly stirring "In Memoriam" presentation which ended, reverently, with the late great Stephen Sondheim.

So who got closer to an EGOT last night, even if they're still very far away? Find out after the jump...

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Category Analysis: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

by Juan Carlos Ojano

With no recurring guest nominee present, this should have been an exciting crop. And yet, if I am being completely honest, it's hard to get excited. Two nominations for The Mandalorian but none for its best submission (Bill Burr)?  The best "guest actor" from The Crown was not even submitted (Tom Brooke). An Emmy favorite gets in for a show already cancelled by its network on its first season. Meanwhile, Don Cheadle gets in for a cameo in a Marvel series? These are the men in this year's crop of contenders for this category.

Without further ado, the nominees and their episode submissions…

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