TIFF 51: Who were the best lead actresses at the fest?

Cláudio Alves and Eurocheese pause the current onslaught of TIFF reviews to discuss a topic near and dear to their hearts – actressing! 

Julianne Moore might just fake-smoke her way to a second Oscar with THE DEBUT.

CLÁUDIO: For years, I dreamed of attending TIFF, always following coverage of the festival by my favorite critics and pundits. The Film Experience was my favorite haunt in that regard, and I can still recall how much I yearned to be part of the conversation when Nathaniel, Nick Davis, Joe Reid and Katey Rich would congregate for a very special podcast episode. And yet, coming to my fourth year of actually attending and covering the festival, that youthful excitement started to fade into a half-forgotten memory. Well, the feeling blossomed again when I finally got to meet you in person, dear Eurocheese, and read your perspective on the event, still full of the old excitement I suddenly felt coming back to life within my jaded, withered heart. For that, you have my eternal gratitude.

But we're not here to be sentimental - though that's often my role around these parts - so we might as well get to it. Let's talk Best Actress at TIFF...

Click to read more ...

TIFF 51: “The Debut” Explodes off the screen and into the Oscar race!

by Eurocheese

In Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut, heltered housewife Mona Friedman (Julianne Moore) is the only person who applies for a small role in her local community theater musical other than perennial starlet Serena Cherry (a lovely cameo from Bernadette Peters). When the diva drops out for a better part in Annie Get Your Gun, the grouchy director, Jerry (Paul Giamatti), is forced to cast Mona, much to his chagrin. The film’s trailer suggests a straightforward premise, and the audience assumes we know where it is headed. When Jerry decides to push Mona to test her limits to draw a better performance out of her, though, he breaks something in her. And then, the film is off to the races...

Click to read more ...

First Predictions: Best Actress is a Mystery!

by Nathaniel R

Will Julianne Moore finally be back in the mix via THE DEBUT

While it took me uncomfortably long to complete the first round of Oscar predictions of the year, I've finally done so ending with Best Actress, Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Director and Best Casting as the final charts to go up. But what I want to talk about is, naturally Best Actress. Quelle surprise!  There are film years where one or two titans feel all but certain this early. There are years where it looks like an abundance of riches coming. And then there are years like 2026 that feel totally mysterious. In short I'm not at all confident about a single one of the women in this first wave of Oscar punditry. I tried many combinations and finally realized it's hardly a preordained year and anything might happen...

Click to read more ...

Robert Altman @100: "Short Cuts" The Actresses

part 2 of a piece on Short Cuts (1993) to relaunch our Robert Altman tribute. (or start with part 1 if you missed it)

Julianne Moore & Anne Archer in "Short Cuts"

by Eric Blume

Inspired by Juan Carlos’ very fun and smart examination of the actresses in Nashville, I thought it might be fun to do the same for the many actresses in Short Cuts.  Here’s a report of my favorites from least to most…with the caveat that even the “least” are beautifully played by these super talented ladies.

10 Lili Taylor as Honey Bush
Taylor has possibly the least to do of any of the actresses, but it was joyful to see her again and be reminded of that fresh, weird, thrilling energy she brought to cinema in the 1990s.  Hollywood never figured out what to do with her, even though she’s worked continuously.  Here she’s yearning and touching, and she and Robert Downey Jr (before he got so self-conscious) find a quirky comic spark...

Click to read more ...

Robert Altman @ 100: "Short Cuts" The Film

a two part piece on Short Cuts (1993) to relaunch our Robert Altman tribute

by Eric Blume 

It’s a joy to rewatch Robert Altman’s 1993 masterpiece Short Cuts over thirty years later.  I hadn’t seen the film since seeing it in theaters, back in the sweet days where Fine Line Features was the “arthouse” division of New Line Features, a mini-studio from which so many fine films sprung.  

Upon revisit, it’s easy to see how this film is a perfect illustration of Lightning in a Bottle.  Among its incredible cast of actors are future Oscar winners (Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr., Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore), past and future nominees (Bruce Davison, Anne Archer, Lily Tomlin, Jennifer Jason Leigh), plus some other terrific actors who are always rapturous to watch (Fred Ward, Lili Taylor, Madeleine Stowe, Peter Gallagher, Matthew Modine).  And then pepper in Tom Waits and Huey Lewis!  The talent in this movie is off-the-charts and each actor feels individually inspired.  I’m not sure what Altman did to get them so invested in their small, individual stories but together they truly pack a wallop...

Click to read more ...