Prime/Hulu in July: Breakfast on Mulholland Dr with a Manchurian

Time to play Streaming Roulette. Each month, to survey new streaming titles, we freeze frame the films at random places with the scroll bar and whatever comes up first, that's what we share -- no cheating!  

Which of these films will you be streaming this month for the first time or as a rewatch? Do tell us in the comments. Ready for our game? Okay let's  go...

Everyone thought he was dotty the way he gorged himself on peanut butter. But he wasn't dotty. Just sweet and vague and terribly slow. Poor Fred. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) only on Prime
Everyone knows that Audrey Hepburn is wonderful/funny/elegant in this picture... though some think she's miscast. Less often noted but worthy of careful inspection: the smoking hotness of George Peppard as her conflicted gigolo neighbor. [5 Oscar nominations and 2 wins, both for Henry Mancini's music]

[no dialogue]

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Smackdown '94 Finale: "Pulp Fiction" and "Bullets Over Broadway"

THE SMACKDOWN IN THREE PARTS
• Written Blurbs & Reader Votes
• Podcast Pt 1: Tom & Viv and The Madness of King George
...and now the finale!

FINALE (40 MINUTES)
The group discusses Jennifer Tilly's outrageous comic triumph in Bullets Over Broadway and why the Broadway musical adaptation didn't work. We also revisit the cultural impact of Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and Uma's place in its success. Other films briefly discussed: Three Colors: Red and Natural Born Killers. Nathaniel thanks this month's terrific panel: Erik Anderson, Nick Davis, Itamar Moses, and Alfred Soto!

You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you? 

Bullets Over Broadway, Pulp Fiction

Smackdown '94: Uma, Dianne, Jennifer, Helen, and Rosemary

Presenting Oscar's Chosen Supporting Actresses of the Films of 1994.

THE NOMINEES: The Academy wrapped up their love affair with a previous winner (Dianne Wiest) while starting a new one with a future winner (Helen Mirren). Two fresh-faced delights (Uma Thurman, Jennifer Tilly) and an esteemed veteran (Rosemary Harris) were along for the ride.

In a rare turn of events the shortlist leaned far away from tears and dove headfirst into stylized fun or outright belly laughs (Rosemary Harris was the only player in a traditional drama). A quick list of the roles sounds like a joke set-up or at least a wild party: A fertile queen, a pompous diva, a wealthy society matriarch, and not but one but two trouble-maker gangster molls who moonlight in acting. 

THIS MONTH'S PANELISTS   

Here to talk about these five nominated turns are, in alpha order: Erik Anderson (Awards Pundit), Nick Davis (Professor),  Itamar Moses (Tony-winning Playwright), Alfred Soto (Editor/Critic), and your host Nathaniel R from The Film Experience. [Apologies but the sixth announced panelist Sheila O'Malley -- who previously provided brilliant insight in our 1984 discussion -- had to attend to a last minute emergency so we'll have to catch up with her again down the road.]

Readers form the collective panelist each month (though there were weirdly fewer votes this round for such a recent year!). You broke the panel tie to determine the winner this time around. Now it's time for the main event... 

1994
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN  

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Surprise "Bound" reunion (and a little Sense8, too)

Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly on the beach together this week (courtesy of Tilly's twitter feed)

Then Joe Pantoliano piped in...

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Noirvember: "Bound" (1996)

by Chris Feil

It's worth remembering that while the Wachowski's career has been defined by The Matrix and to a lesser extent their following sci-fi films, they actually started their careers in another genre entirely. Bound, their 1996 queer crime thriller starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly, launched them onto the scene as audacious visual stylists and smart thrillmakers. If noir has basically died in our current film landscape, this film represents one of its great final moments.

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