Review: "Fancy Dance" is a showcase for Lily Gladstone

by Cláudio Alves

Four years ago, Erica Tremblay's Little Chief provided a fascinating sketch in little more than ten minutes. Through smart writing and direction, not to mention Lily Gladstone's performance in the lead, the short conveys a complex sociopolitical milieu while also insinuating a whole lot about its characters' situation. Their lives stretch beyond the narrative frame, and we can grasp them even if their particularities elude the viewer. As a cineaste's calling card, Little Chief is a tremendous little thing, far from innovative yet promising great features in its maker's future. And so it is, and so has happened, with Fancy Dance fulfilling that pledge.

Not that this feature debut is exclusively a proof of Tremblay's potential. It's much more, including one hell of a showcase for Lily Gladstone...

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Cannes 2024: Lily Gladstone joins Greta Gerwig's Jury

by Cláudio Alves

Lily Gladstone is one of the eight jurors who have just been announced for the Cannes Main Competition. After success at last year's festival with Killers of the Flower Moon, the Oscar nominee feels like a logical choice. Indeed, most of the jury comprises artists who have found acclaim at the Croisette. There's a former Palme winner, a Jury Prize victor, the co-writer of a Palme d'Or recipient, stars of various pictures that have screened there, and more. All things considered, Greta Gerwig is probably the least familiar with Cannes red carpets and the screen of the Lumière. But after three solo directorial credits of such cultural prominence, it's easy to see why she's this year's Jury President.

Here's the complete Main Competition Jury for the 74th Cannes Film Festival...

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Lily Gladstone is Still a Winner

by Ginny O'Keefe

Lily Gladstone at the Oscars . Screenshot from ABC

The Oscar hangover is in full effect as I write this on Monday afternoon. Endless thoughts and reflections from the night before keep circling the drain of my movie brain in a never-ending swirl. Thoughts on Cillian Murphy’s humility, Ryan Gosling’s unwavering commitment to the bit, Johnathan Glazer’s courageous words, and even John Cena’s nudity. But one giant thought seems to spin around in my mind the loudest; the thought of Lily. 

Like many this year, I had huge hopes for Lily Gladstone when it came to awards season. Back in May, when Killers of the Flower Moon had its premiere at the Cannes Film festival, it had received a formidable 9-minute standing ovation. And as the festival camera did its traditional audience coverage during the rolling credits to showcase the film’s stars, it was the lingering shot of Gladstone wiping away tears while sporting a glowing smile that had me absolutely certain of one thing; this is her year...

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Hello, Gorgeous: Best Actress of 2023

A new series by Juan Carlos Ojano

Hello, dear readers! It’s been a while since the last time I posted an entry to this series. I was busy completing my theater class, resulting in a final showcase open to the public. Let me start with that because our current nominees for Best Actress have all done theater in different points of their respective careers, something we do not always get to say about most groups of acting nominees in a category. Truth is that’s the only connective tissue I could find with these nominees because their character introductions are vastly different from each other.

Are you ready? The year is 2023...

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Split Decision: "Killers of the Flower Moon"

No two people feel the exact same way about any film. Thus, Team Experience is pairing up to debate the merits of this year’s Oscar movies. Here's Juan Carlos Ojano and Nathaniel Rogers on Killers of the Flower Moon...

CARLOS: Hi, Nathaniel! So excited to talk to you about this film. Confession time: this is the first time I've seen a Martin Scorsese film on the big screen, even though his works (Taxi Driver, Casino, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence, The Irishman) usually end up in my favorite films of their respective years. Maybe he is one of my favorite directors? But my respect for him goes beyond 'favorite'. This is also my first time seeing Leonardo DiCaprio (one of my favorite actors) on the big screen, with my "relationship" with him now spanning from Titanic to this. And my gosh, after months of buzz after its Cannes premiere, I can say I was floored and destroyed. Just in awe. I think it is one of the most powerful films I've seen from last year… 

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