Almost There: Saoirse Ronan in "The Lovely Bones"

by Cláudio Alves

Oscar-wise, Saoirse Ronan is an interesting case study. The Irish actress was only thirteen when she got her first nomination for her supporting turn in 2007's Atonement. From the start, she was seen as a prodigy, a young performer of uncommon talent and even rarer maturity whose characterizations seemed wise beyond their years. Still, one could have easily believed Ronan would go the way of other Oscar-honored child actors, fading into obscurity or just falling off AMPAS' radar. As luck would have it, things turned out differently. 

Ronan shares with Jodie Foster (nominated at 14), Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood (both nominated at 17) the honor of being the only underage Oscar nominees to be nominated again in adulthood. This year, Saoirse is back in the conversation thanks to Francis Lee's introspective Ammonite, though the picture's somewhat cold reception and austere nature might repel the Academy. In the past, Ronan's been lucky, conquering nods nearly every time she was in contention – Atonement, Brooklyn, Lady Bird, Little Women. Still, no lucky streak is perfectly continuous and without bumps. Just look at 2009's The Lovely Bones…

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Yes No Maybe So: Ammonite

by Nathaniel R

Okay. NOW it feels like prestige film season is about to begin... even though it isn't, not really, at least not in its traditional way. Behold the lovely poster for Ammonite, pairing two star profiles in ethereal fashion, The trailer is even more thrilling. Let's break down the Yes No and Maybe So of it all after the jump...

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Celebrating Father's Day: Tracy Letts in "Lady Bird"

In honor of Father’s Day, Lynn Lee pays tribute to one of her favorite on-screen fathers.  

At first glance, it may seem counter-intuitive to celebrate Lady Bird on Father’s Day instead of Mother’s Day.  The loving but fraught relationship between Saoirse Ronan’s Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson and her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf, who should have won the Oscar) is, after all, the emotional center of the film.  Yet amid the sturm und drang of their clashes and reconciliations, the quiet, soothing presence of Lady Bird’s father, Larry, leaves an equally lasting imprint.  It’s an especially remarkable feat when one considers how few movies devote significant attention to father-daughter relationships unless the mother is dead or there are abuse, neglect, or communication issues.  Think about it.

Lady Bird is the exception that proves the rule...

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Jo March across time

by Cláudio Alves

19192019

Since its original publication, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women has been one of the most beloved works of American Literature. Even beyond the US, Alcott's semiautobiographical novel has had a great impact, becoming many a young girl's beloved book for over a century. Considering such success, it's no wonder that the story of the four March sisters was quick to jump from the page to the big screen. The first cinematic adaptations way back in the silent era in 1917 and 1918.

Unfortunately, those two features have been lost, though we still have four widely available talkies based on the novel. Let's look at those four features after the jump...

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I can't believe she won

by Cláudio Alves

To love the Oscars is to live in perpetual disappointment. The Academy can celebrate cinematic excellence and their choices may even serve as a gateway to a cinephile's love for the seventh art. However, more often than not, great artistry is left unrewarded while more conventional fare coasts by and triumphs. When it comes to actors, it isn't rare to find stupendous professionals whose labor was and will never be recognized by AMPAS. Perchance their filmography is too foreign, their style too outré or their directors too artsy. Whatever the reason may be, an Oscar obsessive quickly learns that a lot of their favorites will never get close to winning that little golden man.

Sometimes, though, there can be wonderful surprises. One such event took place in 2007. Quite frankly, all these years later, I still can't believe this happened…

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