July is a Wrap

Whew. That month was a swift one. It's August tomorrow, WTF? While we continue updating those Oscar charts please check out some highlights you might have missed in July... 

• Podcast is Back The Big Sick, Baby Driver, Dunkirk, and more
• Charlize Theron in Jade Scorpion an early peak at greatness in a terrible movie
• Bright Or, 'how will we define a Netflix blockbuster?'
• Soundtracking Chris revisits Young Adult
• Roundtable Drama Reese, Jessica, Oprah and more on the hunt for Emmy
• Being There (1979) unexpected essential viewing for 2017
• Okja's many delights on Netflix
• An Ode to Joan Harris for Mad Men's 10th anniversary
• An Ode to Julia TFE's first restaurant review (wait, what?)
• The Furniture  leered through Fassbinder's erotic Querelle
• Emmy Reactions our favorite nominations
• Emmy Reactions but how did they pass up ____?

COMING IN AUGUST: Robert Mitchum's Centennial, Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit, Emmy discussions as the TV Academy does their final voting, In the Heat of the Night (1967), Scarface (1983... I know I know), and much more. We haven't planned as far ahead as we usually do!

ICYMI

It occurs to me that though we did mark the year's halfway point, we did not do a "wrap" post for May or June and here we are in mid July. So let's stop to catch our breath before steaming ahead into the dog days of summer. Herewith key posts in case you're behind on your favorite blog. That's this one, right? (Rhetorical question)

17 Favorites
• A League of Their Own - a four part retrospective
• Olivia de Havilland sues Feud - don't mess w/ this centenarian
• Interview James Ivory - on Maurice's 30th anniversary
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Moonlight - revisiting the Oscar winner
• Susan Hayward Centennial - we looked back at four pictures
• mother! - the teaser poster
• Podcast Premiere - Wonder Woman, My Cousin Rachel...

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C O N S I D E R - Actresses of 2017, 2nd Qtr

With the year's second quarter over, here's a listicle of noteworthy performances we'll eventually compare to what's to come. These are my personal favorites from screenings and releases from April 1st through June 30th (if the film hasn't opened in theaters yet, it's marked with an asterisk). Herewith the 17 best from the year's second quarter, divvied up into three categories. (If you'd like to group them with the women from the first quarter, that list is here). Did these actresses speak to you with their turns?

Disclaimer: Key actress-focused films I missed that I'll have to catch up with later were Beatriz at Dinner, Manifesto, A Quiet Passion and Rough Night. If you've seen them give their MVPs a shout-out.

6 LEADING ACTRESSES

 

Gal Gadot as "Diana" in Wonder Woman

Nicole Kidman as "Miss Martha" in The Beguiled...

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C O N S I D E R - Actors of 2017, 2nd Qtr

With the year's second quarter over, we've begun listing highlights as you saw yesterday with Best Films and Technical Achievements. So here's a listicle of noteworthy male performances we'll eventually compare to what's to come and what came before (the best male performances of the first quarter are back here). These are my personal favorites from screenings and releases from April 1st through June 30th (though not all of these have opened in theaters yet - those that haven't are marked with an asterisk). Herewith the 17 best male performances from the year's second quarter, divvied up into three categories. Did these actors resonate with you? 

Disclaimer: Key male actor heavy movies I missed this quarter were Fate of the Furious, Free Fire, King Arthur, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sleight,  and Their Finest. If you've seen them give their MVPs a shout-out.

5 LEADING ACTORS

 

Jon Bernthal as "Sam" in Sweet Virginia*

Ansel Elgort as "Baby" in Baby Driver...

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C O N S I D E R - Favorites of 2017, 2nd Qtr

THE YEAR'S FIRST HALF IS OVER! But rather than wait for this "halfway mark" for year in review listicles we started at the end of the 1st quarter so you'll have to combine those lists (movies / actresses / actors) with the highlights from your host's April through June screenings for a complete "halfway mark" take. Got it? Unlike many critics orgs and the Oscars, The Film Experience believes that moviegoing is a 12 month long activity and each month can hold worthy efforts.  Here are 4 or 5 highlights of what we've seen the past three months per Oscar category in alpha order. How will they measure up to what's still to come?

Key movies I regret missing this quarter: Beatriz at Dinner, Hero, Gifted, Manifesto, and Their Finest

PICTURE and/or DIRECTOR and/or SCREENPLAY
(i couldn't decide which to cut so this first grouped selection is 6 wide)

BABY DRIVER (Edgar Wright)
THE BIG SICK (Michael Showalter)
THE LOVERS (Azazel Jacobs)
LOST CITY OF Z (James Gray)
THE WEDDING PLAN (Rama Burshtein)
WONDER WOMAN (Patty Jenkins)

Lots more after the jump...

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April Wraps

April was a little odd for your host here offscreen and onscreen... well, April was a bit of a dead month wasn't it? We're giving it a gentle shove out the door this morning though there's a full day of it left tomorrow. But we still found cinematic pleasure where we could, whether that was covering the Tribeca Film Festival or making those Foolish annual first Oscar predictions. 

A dozen highlights of April... 
Betty Buckley Interview - on Split and her new CD. She's not a nostalgist
Corporate Afterthoughts in Toni Erdmann - all those oddly "decorated" spaces
Fast and Furious Rankings - Ranking the similarly titled movies
A Star is Born - yet another version. Thoughts on the first image of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga
Jonathan Demme's Favorite Actors - an appreciation and farewell 

Cannes Lineup / Jury - excited to experience the world's most glamorous fest in May? 
Grindhouse 10 Years Later - looking back on the double feature that looked back 
Three Fittings: Fantastic Beasts - on that surprise Oscar win for costume design 
Big Little Lies / Kidmania - 7 hours of awesome / Nic retakes her throne
Marsha Mason a look back at her career for her 75th birthday 

COMING IN MAY
Cannes glamour, New seasons of Twin Peaks and Sense 8, reviews of new releases like Alien Covenant, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Baywatch, new to DVD discussions of The Red Turtle, Get Out, and Oscar wining The Salesman, anniversary celebrations of Sister Act and Ladyhawke, and a week long Pedro Almodovar Party. Plus more episodes of all your favorite series including Three Fittings, The Furniture, Pfandom, and The Smackdown. Maybe even Hit Me With Your Best Shot (we're trying to decide).