Amy Madigan and Oscar Horrors Past

by Cláudio Alves

Weapons is the talk of the town and people can't stop obsessing over the movie's villainess supreme, the wicked witch of the suburbs, the pied piper of Pennsylvania – Aunt Gladys. Some have even started dreaming about Amy Madigan's potential as a Best Supporting Actress contender, a Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby for the new millennium. While such speculation seems a bit too hopeful for this horror-loving skeptic, it did remind me that Madigan is already an Oscar nominee. Indeed, she was one of the acting honorees I had yet to see before biting the bullet on Twice in a Lifetime earlier this week.

So, as part of my journey to watch all Oscar-nominated performances, here are my thoughts on Madigan. And, since horror is on the mind, let me mention a couple of the worst films ever graced with an acting Academy Award nomination, too. You better believe that there are things scarier than witches out there…

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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...

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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...

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What's Céline Dion’s best Oscar performance?

by Cláudio Alves

Céline Dion sings from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony.

After hours of badly shot kitsch, much Parisian rain, and the occasional surge of Revolutionary camp complete with flamethrowers, the 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony came to a close. Thankfully, artistic director Thomas Jolly saved the best for last, ending the festivities with Céline Dion, glorious on the Eiffel Tower, singing her take on Piaf's "Hymn to Love." For those who've followed the artist's recent health struggles or watched the documentary I Am Céline Dion, the moment had added meaning. Despite it all, the great diva fulfilled what she promised, returning to the world's stage after five years away from her public. It was beautiful beyond words.

Because Oscars are always on the mind around these parts, Dion's many Academy Award performances came to mind. She has appeared in six ceremonies to sing seven numbers, ranging from Best Original Song contenders to In Memoriam segments. That makes her one of the most invited singers in the awards' history, with every appearance an event. But what is her best Oscar performance? Time to vote on a new readers' poll…

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Nicole Kidman Tribute: The Portrait of a Lady (1996)

by Nathaniel R

Madame Merle: I'd give a good deal to be your age again; to have my life before me.
Isabel Archer: Your life is before you yet.

This article was originally intended to grace our "How Had I Never Seen?" series. Jane Campion's The Portrait  of a Lady (1996) has stubbornly remained on my "to see" list for nearly twenty years. I let it sit there, as a shamefully passive intent, not unlike the way Isabel Archer approached her own 'to experience' lists past the age of 24. That's when she marries Mr Osmond in Henry James "The Portrait of a Lady" and her idealism and ambition are utterly flatted by the limits of her imagination, courage, and self-possession. The novel first appeared in serialized form in 1880 and for the following century and a half, Isabel Archer has confounded and/or fascinated readers; Fellow artists, too, like auteur Jane Campion and actress Nicole Kidman...

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