Venice Diary #01 - Tár, White Noise, and Princess

by Elisa Giudici

Hello readers! It's Venice time again. As with previous festivals, I'll be reviewing the movies with some festival experience details on the side. I screened three and a half movies (we'll get to the half at the end) in the first Day of the Mostra. Both the official opening night film White Noise and Princess in the Orizzonti section were a bit disappointing though both are far from failures. On the bright side, Cate Blanchett really delivers in Tár.

But first something a little spooky as Venice starts off on the wrong foot. This year Sala Darsena (the main screening room for press and industry) appears to be …cursed? During the screening of White Noise a bat (a real, actual bat!) flew in front of the screen...

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April Foolish Pt 5 - Who will be our new 'Best Actor'?

by Nathaniel R

Hmmmm. Could Hugh Jackman pick up another Tony and the Oscar in the next 10 months?

Which actor will pull an Andrew Garfield this year and get the internet excited about his work with renewed passion? Which actor will pull a Benedict Cumberbatch and become the year's critical darling only to lose the statue? Which actor will pull a Will Smith and be the slam dunk winner due to a well liked performance and his entire career beforehand? We can't possibly know yet but we can speculate about it. So let's do that.

Internet Passions? My crystal ball says either Austin Butler (Elvis), Colin Farrell (Banshees of Inisherin), or Brendan Fraser (The Whale)

Critical Darling? Hmmm. Adam Driver (White Noise), Viggo Mortensen (Crimes of the Future), or Colman Domingo (Rustin)

"It's Time" Career Win Possibilities? Hugh Jackman (The Son), Colin Farrell or Brendan Gleeson (Banshees of Inisherin), Adam Driver (White Noise)

OKAY DRUMROLL PLEASE... AND THE PREDICTIVE 5 ARE... 

Oscar Charts *ALL NEW*
Prediction Index | Lead Actor | Supporting Actress | Supporting Actor | Screenplays | Visual Charts | Music Charts | Animated Feature Chart 

Almost There: Lady Gaga in "House of Gucci"

by Cláudio Alves

Last time, in the Almost There series, I asked you to vote on what performance should be explored next. Mike Faist in West Side Story was the resounding victor. However, since Spielberg's musical is still not available to stream or rent, we'll first look at the runner-up choice from that poll. She's none other than Lady Gaga in House of Gucci. After scoring nominations with all major precursors, she seemed set for her second acting Oscar nod. However, as luck would have it, her outrageous awards campaign ended in a snub from the Academy. She might still win some trophies before the season is over, but that coveted little golden man is out of reach.

While it's easy to lose oneself in the glamour of the role and those ridiculous interviews, there's plenty to admire in Gaga's star turn as Patrizia Reggiani, ex-wife to Maurizio Gucci, who she had killed after an acrimonious separation…

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Gay Best Friend: Matt (Matthew Wilkas) in "Gayby" (2012)

A series by Christopher James looking at the 'Gay Best Friend' trope

How many of us have had babies with our straight female friend?Who doesn’t love gay lunacy? 

The classic straight girl-gay best friend trope takes center stage in the hilarious 2012 microbudget comedy Gayby. Unlike other films that have tackled this relationship (think The Object of My Affection), the film is set primarily in the gay world, rather than framed through the straight world. This movie has everything: gay comic book store drama, hookups lined up for every day in the week, early cameos from Girls stars Adam Driver and Alex Karpofsky plus, finally, an impromptu dance break.

Matt (Matthew Wilkas) and Jen (Jenn Harris) have been best friends since college. Both have been through their whole adult lives together and find themselves in the same post-relationship rut. Matt feels uncomfortable having one night stands with other men after his seven year relationship ended. Meanwhile, Jen feels her biological clock ticking and wants to have a baby. How to do it though? There’s no romantic interest to speak of in her life, and Matt has been the most consistent relationship in her life. She proposes they do it… the old fashioned way. Soon, Matt also becomes excited about the idea of having a child with Jen. He can move on to this stage of fatherhood and bypass the frightening world of being single.

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Is 2021 the year of Adam Driver?

by Cláudio Alves

Leos Carax's Annette hits streaming today. You can watch this year's Cannes Best Director prize-winning feature on Amazon Prime Video and bask in all its insanity. The picture has proven pretty divisive, which is no surprise. Many of the director's anti-naturalistic choices and the Sparks' off-kilter music have been at the center of praise and pans. But, along with them, the most contested element of Annette seems to be its leading man, Adam Driver, whose performance goes to extremes of operatic grandeur intersected by American realism, aggressive anti-comedy, a guttural plunge into the depths of self-hatred. It's a big performance, maybe the biggest in the actor's career, so vast in risks and pitfalls, one can't help but admire the ambition. Annette also represents the first of three major projects the actor has coming out in 2021, marking this year as one of the potential high points in Driver's ever-growing career…

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