Smackdown '97: Joan, Minnie, Gloria, Julianne Moore, and Kim Basinger

Welcome back to the Supporting Actress Smackdown. 

In this monthly series we pick an Oscar vintage to explore through the lens of actressing at the edges. This episode takes us back 25 years to the landmark year of 1997 when Titanic and "Matt & Ben" were all rage.

THE NOMINEES  

Aside from an encore showing for comedic genius Joan Cusack, a surprise nominee in 1988 for Working Girl, the Academy went with all first-timers for 1997's Supporting Actress roster. Not that the actresses were "new" to the scene. There were two "comeback" narratives: Kim Basinger had been a leading lady for over a decade before LA Confidential but she'd taken a three year break from the movies (amidst multiple financial and legal troubles). Meanwhile Gloria Stuart who began in the early days of sound cinema was being celebrated in a way she hadn't been since 1932. The "breakthrough" nominations, were also two-fold. One went to Minnie Driver (who had two films out, In & Out  and Grosse Point Blank). The other went to ubiqutious Julianne Moore who kicked off '97 with a Sundance hit (The Myth of Fingerprints), and continued making news with a blockbuster (Lost World Jurassic Park) before her career-elevating role arrived in the fall in the unlikely package of an epic ensemble drama about the 1970s porn industry from a filmmaker barely anyone had heard of.

THE PANELISTS 

 Here to talk about these five films and performances are (in alpha order) author and entertainment jourmalist Kyle Buchanan (The New York Times, "Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road"), podcaster Chelsea Eichholz (Cinema Gals), and comedian / podcaster Louis Virtel (Keep It!, Jimmy Kimmel Live). The Smackdown is hosted by the founder and editor of The Film Experience, Nathaniel Rogers.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN + PODCAST  

LET'S BEGIN...

Click to read more ...

Podcast: Emmy Noms, Voting Systems, Breakout Newbies

by Team Experience

You already read our immediate reactions to the complete Emmy nominations, and some odes to snubs. But to put the Emmy nomination week to bed, how about a podcast? Nathaniel met with Abe, Chris, Cláudio, and Mark to discuss the nominations for the 74th Annual Emmy Awards. Somehow a lot of past TV shows and Emmy history keep cropping up like Damages, Game of Thrones, Shameless, and Parks and Recreations. 

Podcast - 70 minutes
00:01 Overabundance of noms: White Lotus
07:00 Final seasons: Killing Eve, Ozark, and This is Us
11:00 Guest categories: Hacks & Succession
14:00 Hanging episodes: Stranger Things
17:00 Standout actors: Pam & Tommy, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show
23:00 Weird categorizations and awards as industry promotion
30:00 Limited vs regular: Squid Game, Pieces of Her, White Lotus
33:00 TV Movie Category - What can be done? 
37:00 Peacock, Paramount+, CBS All Access, Starz, etc...
42:00 Severance, Abbott Elementary, Yellowjackets
46:00 Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, etc...
49:00 Fav noms: Barry, What We Do in the Shadows, The Staircase
59:00 Final thoughts: Rothaniel vs. The Closer, Sydney Sweeney in Euphoria, release dates of series


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

2022 Emmy Nominations

"Aliens" Revisited.

by Nathaniel R

How long was I out. HOW LONG? Please."

This week I had the pleasure of guesting on InSession's podcast to discuss James Cameron's sci-fi/horror classic Aliens (1986). When they asked me to guest on the show I secretly thought "What more can I say about it? I've been talking about this movie forever!" but then of course I couldn't shut up and the episode was too short for me to squeeze in everything that was inside of me. So herewith some notes and, of course, the podcast itself...

Click to read more ...

The One-Inch Barrier: The Finale

by Cláudio Alves

After covering 74 years of Best International Film winners, nominees, and other contenders, Juan Carlos Ojano has brought The One-Inch Barrier podcast to an end. The project was a fantastic opportunity to explore world cinema through the prism of Oscar history, though it often went beyond that limit, too. It featured a varied slew of guests that spanned from critics to academics, film students, filmmakers, and even an Academy member. I was lucky enough to appear five times through its course, talking 2001, 1983, 1961, 1954, and, now, this special farewell episode. You can check out our wrap-up conversation in audio format here or click on the video below:

Thank you, Juan Carlos Ojano, for this formidable podcast. Thank you to all the listeners and every world cinema lover out there.

Alternate Oscars: 1955 Edition

by Cláudio Alves 

Ever since I started following the Oscars, I've liked to come up with dream ballots. Indeed, it's become something of a hobby to write down such ideal Academy Awards, whether following eligibility rules or not. Lately, through Letterboxd and the influence of an Excel-addicted friend, those lists have graduated from notebooks to an array of overcomplicated multicolored spreadsheets with which I horrify whoever is unlucky enough to see them. All this to say that, when Gabe Guarin asked me to be part of his Alternate Oscars podcast, I was ecstatic. At long last, I've found an opportunity to make good use of those spreadsheets!

On the latest episode of Alternate Oscars, Gabe and I discuss 1955 and come up with our ideal ballots in a podcast awards ceremony full of cinephile gushing and Kenji Mizoguchi-love. Take a listen:

What do you think of our choices? Share your choices, too.