What went right and what went wrong at the 93rd Oscars.

by Nathaniel R

Which Steven Soderbergh film begins with a ton of promise before getting bogged down in the middle due to its relentless seriouness? Which of his films comes chaotically lurching back to messy life near the climax but still can't stick to the landing? I don't have an answer for this question except to say "The 93rd Academy Awards if it counts!"  And should it?

The Soderbergh produced ceremony made good on its intentions to not be like every other Oscar ceremony. Not that that was ever in doubt given the worldwide pandemic that put such a dampening slog on awards season (among other admittedly more serious effects). More satisfying than the arbitrary changes in presentation or category order -- thrilling even -- was the pre-show buzz that this would feel more like a movie which the "opening scene" bore out...

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"To Die For" on its 25th Anniversary

To Die For was released nationwide in theaters on this day in 1995. Here's Christopher James...

Is Nicole Kidman funny? Critics of the Oscar winning actress have often called her “cold,” rendering her incapable of cracking a smile, much less a laugh. Given that perception it’s funny that Nicole Kidman was first taken seriously for her comedic chops. Best known in 1995 as Mrs. Tom Cruise and Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, Kidman was in search of a vehicle that would showcase more of her considerable talents. Along came To Die For, based on the Joyce Maynard book of the same name which borrowed details from the Pamela Smart case that took the media by storm. Originally offered to Meg Ryan, Kidman eventually won the part and received a fair share of accolades, including a Golden Globe win and a BAFTA nomination.

Talking about the virtues of Nicole Kidman on The Film Experience is the very definition of “preaching to the choir.” Yet, preach away I will...

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The New Classics: The Master

By Michael Cusumano

The Master refuses to elevate the audience above Freddie Quell.  In the simplistic version of the film Joaquin Phoenix’s wastrel Freddie Quell would be The Sucker and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Lancaster Dodd would be The Fraud and there would be little ambiguity about it. No doubt this version was what many expected when they bought a ticket for Paul Thomas Anderson’s kaleidoscopic spiritual and psychological odyssey. A dynamic that would allow for them to lean back and smugly cluck that they wouldn’t be so easily taken in by such madness.

What Anderson's fictionalized take on the founding of Scientology delivered was something altogether more twisted and obscure. At no point can we be entirely sure what any of the main characters truly believe...

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Ranking this year's Oscar speeches

by Cláudio Alves

As we finish our Oscar celebrations and mourn the end of another Awards Season, let's explore this year's Academy Award speeches. Unlike past ceremonies, this one was poor in truly disastrous acceptance speeches. Perhaps people saw the mess of last year's Best Makeup winners and decided they would be prepared to step on stage and receive their little golden men with dignity and generosity towards the teams that got them to that dazzling podium. Whatever the reason, this was a good year for Oscar speeches and we honor them, from the most unmemorable to the god-tier achievements in public speaking.

We begin with the least impressive efforts of the night…

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Podcast: For our season finale, Oscar night, naturally!

with Nathaniel R, Murtada Elfadl, and Nick Davis

On this week's podcast, we three Oscarphiles unite to talk about the big night: Parasite's win, Brad's speech, Bong Joon Ho mania, Fonda's magnificence, the musical performances, our hopeful takeaways from the big night... and who we are rooting for among the nominees for a next great Oscar winning act. 

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? 

92nd Oscars in Review - Season Finale