TIFF: "Empire of Light"

by Matt St Clair

The trailer for Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light promises to capture, if you will, the spirit of the Nicole Kidman AMC ad. Something that depicts the escapist power of moviegoing and 'that indescribable feeling we get when the lights dim.' As Toby Jones’ projectionist character says at one point, there is something about the experience of that beam of light bursting from the projector when the previews start, the theater darkens, and we’re all huddled together to escape into another place or time. 

In the film’s entirety, are we treated to the ode to moviegoing that the trailer promises? The answer is... somewhat. As it turns out, Empire of Light serves as a meditation on both mental illness and race as well as the power of cinema...

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Venice at Home – Day 8: Who Are We?

by Cláudio Alves

Before either film had been screened to the public or press, there was already buzz surrounding Alice Diop and Florian Zeller's newest films. Many called Saint-Omer, Diop's first narrative feature after many documentaries, a likely contender for the Golden Lion. Lo and behold, the picture has receiving glowing reviews, which is unsurprising. In contrast, this eighth day of competition at the Lido saw a shocking development with Florian Zeller's follow-up to The Father. Defying expectations The Son has received mixed reviews, some of which lambast it unsparingly. Not even the cast is above reproach to the naysayers. Even so, Hugh Jackman remains mostly unscathed, keeping those Best Actor dreams alive.  Let's not forget that Zeller directed Anthony Hopkins to his second Academy Award. So let's take a look back at The Father and Alice Diop's last documentary before Saint-Omer…

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Yes No Maybe So: "Empire of Light"

by Nathaniel R

Olivia Colman standing in front of the titular character, a movie theater named "Empire"

You know it's August when the Oscarrific trailers start hitting. Today's newbie is something we're very curious about. The film is Sam Mendes' Empire of Light starring Olivia Colman and A Movie Theater (from the looks of it). What a perfect combo that is... though the last time Colman tried to watch a movie onscreen things did NOT go well (remember that great but ferociously frustrating scene in The Lost Daughter?). In addition to being a movie about movies, Empire of Light also has racial and romantic elements in the drama.

The gorgeous trailer and a Yes No Maybe So breakdown after the jump...

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"Heartstopper" and a world without Olivia Colman

by Cláudio Alves

Adapted from Alice Oseman's webcomic and graphic novel, Heartstopper is Netflix's latest hit. The story of two teen boys falling in love, this queer teen romance is an overdose of sweetness packed into eight swift episodes. There's not much conflict beyond the usual fare for this type of narrative, though a good dose of angst keeps the sentimental dessert from tipping into schmaltz. All in all, I can't call myself a fan even though I recognize how such a production would have rocked my world as a gay teen growing up. It's cute, endearing, and terminally chaste, the kind of diversion that feels bound to delight its target audience.

That's not why I felt compelled to binge it, however. So, following that train of thought, let's talk about Olivia Colman and the Oscar-y conjectures Heartstopper accidentally puts forward…

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Podcast: Past (first Oscar nights), Present (Oscar aftermath), and Future

Nathaniel welcomes back Nick Davis to talk about making peace with Oscar night such as it was. It's the only Oscar podcast you'll hear that doesn't discuss The Incident! Instead we talk about our first Oscar nights as children as well as what we liked about Sunday's show (yes, there were a few things) and then the conversation drifts towards what's next. What do we hope to see from some of the actors and directors in the future?

You can listen to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify or download the attachment below. 

Oscar Aftermath