Review: Cherry

by Christopher James

Tom Holland ditches the superhero cape for a much grittier turn in the Russo Brothers' new film, "Cherry."Cherry is five movies in one, and each one of them is bad in a different, unique way.

Joe and Anthony Russo’s ambitious new film for Apple TV+ has many different goals. Unfortunately, much like a juggler with too many balls in the air, every one of those goals falls to the ground, landing with a thud. Despite clear ambition and clearly talented people involved, nothing comes together in Cherry. What we’re left with is a misshapen, overlong mess where our lead Forrest Gumps his way through a variety of genres and ripped-from-the-headlines issues...

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Restoration @ 25: Honoring the great James Acheson

by Cláudio Alves

In 1995, Michael Hoffman's Restoration adapted the best-selling novel of Rose Tremain into a sumptuous dramatization of 17th century England. Despite some dumbfounding feats of miscasting and a disjointed structure upended by the advent of the Black Plague, the picture's quite beautiful to look at and features some of the best Baroque designs in film history. The scenography leans into the theatricality of Charles II's court, creating an airless world gilded in gold. The costumes, in turn, indulge in the absurdities of 1660s fashion, conjuring a world of radical contrasts between royal splendor and the austere rigor of Puritan charity.

Both achievements won trophies at the 68th Academy Awards. As usual, I'm more interested in the work of Oscar-winning costume design by the great James Acheson. Let's explore the man's genius, his filmography, and the Baroque stylings of the 25-year-old Restoration…

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Tweetweek Raging

Because we're not feeling super productive, here's a random collection of tweets we loved from the past couple of weeks...

im in fuckign hysterics over this pic.twitter.com/0tNypOzcnL

— SAM (@notedchampagne) December 15, 2020

LOL. BUT THAT'S TOTALLY A GOOD QUESTION. More fun tweets after the jump...

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Let Them All Link

• New York Times Agents, stars, and production companies are pissed at Warner Bros for their HBO Max same day as theatrical plans... which they apparently announced without warning any of their financial partners who will likely lose millions as a result. Ouch
• TFE in case you missed my despondency when the Warner Bros plan was announced
• Daily Beast Steven Soderbergh interview on why he's working with HBOMax and his chemistry with Meryl Streep and his new film Let Them All Talk

More after the jump including Gucci, Spider-Man 3, Oscar Producers, and Top Ten List season...

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Vintage '65

by Nathaniel R

Year of the Julies: Andrews and Christie dominated both the Oscars and the box office

The Supporting Actress Smackdown 1965 Episode arrives on October 9th, so you have until October 8th to watch the four movies and vote on them. Let's talk context...

Great Big Box Office Hits: 1)The Sound of Music 2) Doctor Zhivago 3) Thunderball 4) Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines 5) The Great Race 6) That Darn Cat 7) Cat Ballou 8) What's New Pussycat? 9) Shenandoah 10) Von Ryan's Express

Oscar's Best Pictures: The Sound of Music  and Doctor Zhivago (10 noms / 5 wins each) led by the two Julies, battled it out at the Oscars The other Best Picture nominees were Ship of Fools (8 noms / 2 wins), Darling (5 noms / 3 wins) another Julie Christie vehicle, and A Thousand Clowns (4 noms / 1 win). But what would have been nominated if the Best Picture race were 10 wide...

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