Barbie Prep: Letterboxd, Watchlists, Oh My!

by Cláudio Alves

We're in the home stretch, less than a week until Barbie arrives in theaters like a shock-pink supernova. The promotion has been near manic in intensity, with the cast showing off their best Mattel cosplay worldwide and Warner Bros. pulling no punches. However, it's not all red-carpet glamour and real-life dream houses, with writer-director Greta Gerwig doing much to excite the global cinephilia by hinting at her Barbie's debt to great cinema of yore. She's been very vocal about the cast and crew watch parties, studying the hyper-artifice of studio classics, and even getting on the phone with Peter Weir to get some tips relating to The Truman Show.

In a recent Letterboxd interview, Gerwig went into a personal watchlist she curated, starting with 29 titles that eventually expanded to 33 during the conversation. It's a vast collection of titles, from 1930s screwball to modern Almodóvar…

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Our Cannes Plans

by Nathaniel R

© Paramount Pictures Corporation – Jim Carrey, The Truman Show by Peter Weir / Graphic design © Hartland Villa

Look! The official Cannes poster is out (see above) which uses a moment from The Truman Show (1998). About which the festival says:

The decisive scene urges viewers to not only experience the border between reality and its reprsentation but to ponder the power of fiction, between manipulation and catharsis. Just as Truman escapes falsehood as he rises, the Festival, with its famous ascending red carpet, offers viewers the truth of the artists when they enter the theater

Last year we had our most Cannes coverage ever with our favourite Italian Elisa Giudici at the festival covering the Competition lineup. Simultaneously Cláudio was doing a 'Cannes at Home' series to highlight older films by directors with new pictures at the festival. Since you liked both we're doing it again! The 75th edition of the festival runs May 17th- May 28th this year. We'll also be celebrating Cannes with an episode of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" covering Wong Kar Wai's Happy Together on May 12th. That moody gay drama took the Cannes Best Director prize 25 years ago from a jury led by the great French movie star Isabelle Adjani.

P.S. The Cannes lineup post has been updated to reflect the week later additions to the official selection.

Tweetweek

We're usually fans of spreading the wealth, but we can't disagree on this one...

Kirsten Dunst could be cast in every movie and still not be in nearly enough movies pic.twitter.com/1gJe6lgwDo

— It's Turkey Time, Gobble Gobble (@Nico_Lang) December 5, 2021

The most relatable part in WEST SIDE STORY is during the Quintet when Anita sings about how excited she is to get absolutely railed that night

— Jorge Molina (@colormejorge) December 4, 2021

Imagine seeing critics group winners and getting upset that it doesn’t push an Oscar narrative.

— Brian Formo (@BrianFormo) December 3, 2021

We're going to be seeing a lot of the latter probably! It's such a weird part of the awards circus.

More curated tweets for amusement and discussion after the jump including a killer Rami Malek impression, Adam Driver ubiquity, and Thomasin McKenzie's voice...

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Almost There: Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show"

After a two-week hiatus, the Almost There series is back!

by Cláudio Alves

Blessed with an elastic face that can as easily twist into a clownish visage or a mask of tragedy, Jim Carrey is an actor prone to exaggeration. His maximalist tendencies don't always work, but they're sure to leave a lasting impression, whether playing up his funnyman routine or trying another register. While his legacy is built on comedies, awards bodies have responded better to Carrey when he's stretching himself as a dramatic performer. After his star rose with vertiginous speed in the mid-90s, the actor's first real foray into the Oscar race happened in 1998. It was then that, working with director Peter Weir, Carrey found the point where sitcom disintegrates into existential crisis, using his comedic skills to trace an odyssey of self-discovery. Despite AMPAS' marked disinterest, The Truman Show is one of Jim Carrey's greatest achievements…

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Vintage '98

The Smackdown of '98 (with special guests) arrives in just one week. Before we get to the main event let's just soak in that year a bit. Were you old enough to be conscious of pop culture in that year? If so, nostalgia warning. If not, here's what people were talking about before your time.

Great Big Box Office Hits: Titanic (1997) reigned long into 1998 as the then the biggest hit of all time. In fact it didn't fully cede the #1 of the weekend placement from Christmas '97 through Easter of '98. What's more it didn't leave the top ten box office chart until JUNE. That kind of run is unthinkable now. But the biggest hits released in the actual calendar year of 1998 were...

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