On Gladstone and Scorsese's Mollie Kyle

by Cláudio Alves

Oscar voting opens today, and, for once, some of my favorites are poised to thrive on the nomination ballot. Because of that, it might seem overkill to write FYC pieces, those love letters by another name. Even so, as it's a time for advocacy, I shall articulate why some of the year's best cinematic achievements deserve to be recognized as such. Today, I find myself inspired to make the case for Lily Gladstone, a virtual lock for a Best Actress nomination who might win it all. And to think some said going lead would ruin her Oscar hopes. 

As Mollie Kyle in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, she breathes life into a dark chapter of American history. Gladstone illuminates the tragedy of a woman and people betrayed, forsaken by individuals who claimed to love them and systems who exploited them under the guise of protection, brutalized by greed and white supremacy…

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Review: The Afterparty Offers Up More Creative Genres in Season Two

by Christopher James

How often can one person stumble into a murder? This question plagues the comedy Only Murders In The Building, though it has the conceit of a murder podcast to justify it. Season one of The Afterparty has a similar problem to solve but it won many fans thanks to its multi-genre Rashomon style while capitalizing on the murder mystery craze of the moment between The White Lotus and Knives Out. Still, the modular design of the show - changing tone every episode - kept it from being a runaway success like its fellow murder mystery projects.

Season two presents a brand new mystery, but the same episode structure. Does it work better the second time around?

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Yes No Maybe So: "Killers of the Flower Moon"

by Cláudio Alves

Ahead of the film's Cannes premiere, Apple TV has released the teaser for Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. The historical crime drama cum Western epic has been intensely anticipated by film lovers everywhere, making itself the hottest ticket at the Croisette, where it'll screen out of competition. With an exclusive theatrical release scheduled for October before dropping on the streaming service sometime afterward, the picture is well positioned to be one of the awards season's strongest contenders, with many predicting it in early prognostications. Though, when faced with the wonder of Scorsese's cinema, awards talk feels superfluous.

Not all filmmakers slow down in their twilight years, as is the case of this auteur. Indeed, in a recent interview, Scorsese talked about his sense of mortality, how the possibilities of the seventh art keep expanding to him, and there's not enough time to explore them all. It's too late. Following the superb Silence and The Irishman, Killers of the Flower Moon looks like the work of a master who still has much to show us…

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TV Musicals: Schmigadoon (Apple TV+) & Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Paramount+)

By Christopher James

TV is embracing the musical. Just this week, two new musical series premiered on different streaming services - season two of Schmigadoon (now tackling 60s/70s darker musicals) on Apple TV+ and Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies on Paramount+. Both series use previous musical IP as a launching pad for new stories, one a parody and one an “origin story.” While the level of success varies between the shows (hell, sometimes it varies episode-to-episode), it is wonderful to see new musicals with original songs streaming on our TVs in the same week...

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AFI Fest: “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me” shows the star up close

by Eurochees

This year’s AFI Fest opened with a spotlight on pop star Selena Gomez under the direction of Alek Keshishian, who famously brought us Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991). The film kicks off promoting Gomez’s music and telling the audience her backstory, walking us through a career she began at 7 years old on the show Barney & Friends. She has been consistently working since that time, turning 30 this past summer. We learn about the physical toll lupus took on her, an emotionally exhausting period which led her to a breakdown stemming from her bipolar disease. Her decision to go public with her diagnosis ties into her statement later in the film that she is driven by her focus on what to do next when facing hurdles... 

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