Halfway Mark 2021 - Movie Achievements of the Year (Thus Far)

Okay, sooooo... The Oscars f***ed around with their eligibility calendar but we did not for our own annual prizes. Anything released after January 1st or on its way to release at the moment was eligible for this fluid keeping track list (unless it had a qualifying release in 2020 -- confusing, yes but please go see I Carry You With Me, one of 2020's best that only just surfaced for your viewing pleasure despite an Oscar qualifying release several months ago). It's just our way of jotting things down before the film year really gets crazyso that we don't forget about early releases. Still, there's no guarantee any of these accomplishments will show up in January for the offficial awards. Generally Hollywood backloads the film year, as you know. We'll do fav performances tomorrow but for now our 'cheat sheet' for everything else from the year's first half...

TEN BEST MOVIES (thus far alpha order)

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June. It's a Wrap

And just like that 2021 is half over. WHAAAA? We'll do the "halfway mark" listicles stuff any day now but it sure feels like the year has only just started. Surely due to how long Oscar season was delayed plus movie theaters just starting to trek back to full capacity (in some cities)...

A dozen highlights from June in case you missed 'em
• "Blue" Five great scenes in film using Joni Mitchell's music
• In the Heights Nathaniel's rave for a joyful perfect-for-summer movie musical
• Almost There: Myrna Loy this classic star was never Oscar nominated!
• Moulin Rouge! 20 appropriate ways to celebrate its big anniversary
• Gay Best Friend: Artie in Cruella Disney does it (sort of just barely) again
• Cannes an index of our coverage: sections, posters, stills, buzz, juries
• Judy Holliday Centennial a too short but fascinating career
• Emmys Watch FYCs and Predictions
• Joan vs Olivia the Old Hollywood feud explained
• Hunchback of Notre Dame the first movie Cláudio ever saw!

...and the most discussed articles
• The Honorary Oscars Ullmann, Jackson, May, and Glover announced
• Yes No Maybe So: The Eyes of Tammy Faye a buzzy trailer
• The 1946 Smackdown Duel in the Sun was just one of the five crazy hysteric dated melodramatic films discussed. Like so many Smackdowns I never want them to end. Even when the field is as weak as this one was. Thanks again to the wondrous guests.

Coming in July. Things are heating up! 
A 50th anniversary tag team Klute retrospective, a trip back to the 1998 Oscars via the Supporting Actress Smackdown, the Emmy nominations for 2021, Cannes buzz and awardage, a tribute to the upcoming Jean Hersholt Humanitarian honoree Danny Glover, and a weekly retrospective series begins on Pedro Almodóvar as we approach the release of Parallel Mothers in time for the next Oscar race.

May. It's a Wrap

Well, that went quick. And yet time also isn't moving. Somehow the Oscars were only 36 days ago! Isn't that nuts? But in case you've been in and out of this joint this month when we haven't been as prolific (we're always a bit fatigued the month after the Oscars) here are some posts you might have missed...

a dozen highlights
• Toni Collette - is one Oscar nom all it will ever be?
• Back to the movies - Lynn Lee sees Gunda as her first trip back to the cinema
• Postman Rings Four Times - a quartet of The Postman Always Rings Twice films
• Jamie Bell in Billy Elliot - one of the great child performances
• Emmy Watch: Best Comedy Series - it'll be a mostly freshman competition
• On the Globes cancellation - Hollywood hypocrisy and what it could mean going forward
• Yes No Maybe So - teasing Dear Evan Hansen, Stillwater, and more...
• A Dirty Shame - we revisited 7 John Waters movies for his 75th birthday
• Erin Brockovich's Best Lines - ten juicy lines from a classic script
• Supporting Actress Smackdown 2000 - a great conversation about Frances, Julie, Marcia, Kate, and Dame Judi Dench
• Cher in Mask - she was right to shame the Academy about her snub
• Cruella Interview - the dazzling wigs and mad makeup discussed

COMING IN JUNE
More Emmy FYCs and analysis, first Oscar predictions of the year,  In the Heights, Pixar's Luca, Ellen Burstyn in Queen Bees, the release of I Carry You With Me (finally), the Provincetown film festival, the 50th anniversary of Klute (Jane Fonda's first much-deserved Oscar win), and a celebration of the films of 1946 in the run-up to the Supporting Actress Smackdown.

Our 2020/2021 season coverage is a wrap! Will the site go on? Your choice.

Our Complete Oscar Coverage
• The Ceremony Reviewed
• Best Dressed
• on Anthony Hopkins win
• on Frances McDormand's win
• Best Presenter - Rita Moreno
• New Oscar Records
• Directing Actors to Nominations & Wins - Some Statistics
• Best Picture - Black and White Edition
• Harrison Ford on Best Film Editing
• Directors aren't "official" winners in International Feature 
• What's next for our "Best Directors"?
• The Charts
• Winners List

Best of 2020
• 9th Annual Team Experience Awards -voted on by the contributors
• Nathaniel's Top 20 - from And Then We Danced to Swallow
• 21st Annual Film Bitch Awards - Our original claim to fame prizes (just wrapped up)

And Previous Highlights
from Feb '20 | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb  thru March 2021

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND. We'll start 'the new year' on Monday.

If you've ever considered subscribing (see right hand sidebar)  now would be a perfect time. You'll notice we didn't have much advertising this year and times have been tough. We'd like to keep going for at least one more year. We are building a Patreon and a shop as well because the just hoping miracles occur or lottery is won (without entering -tee hee) is no longer sustainable. 

SPECIAL EVENTS THIS SUMMER ESPECIALLY IF YOU'LL HELP US SURVIVE

✅ Final Supporting Actress Smackdown season and companion podcasts
✅  "Year of the month" parties: 2000 in May; 1946 in June; 1998 in July; 1937 in August; we like the time travelling=
✅  Klute (1971) - a tag team retrospective
✅ Emmy countdown coverage
✅ To Cher on her 75th Birthday
✅ And much randomness. You know how we do 'off season'

Film Bitch Awards finale: Best scenes & big results from small parts

by Nathaniel R

Christian Magby and Lance Reddick in "One Night in Miami"

You know where I am if you need me.

We're finally closing out our 2020 coverage. Five months into the calendar year. We'd say 'Oops' but in this one case we'll happily blame the Oscars pretending that the calendar wasn't the calendar rather than our own sometimes-lacking time management skills. Though we are excited to move on to 2021, in point of fact lists and awards are our happy place. That is not because they have inherent definitive value as arbiters of quality (as the naysayers like to remind). No, that's not it at all. Only time is the definitive tastemaker but even that is fallible since it never stops and collective opinion can shift dramatically from generation to generation just as it does from person to person. No we value and love lists and awards because they are superb documents of feelings about quality at a specific moment in time. What moved people en masse? The answer is all over awards season. What struck certain individuals in a seismic way? That can be found in personal top ten lists and personal awards for those who bother to make such things. 

So let's start with one of our favourite things to honor: smashing work in very limited screentime...

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