Almost There: Ida Lupino in 'The Hard Way'

by Cláudio Alves

Last week in the Almost There series, we took a look at Cher's performance in Robert Altman's Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. That film's part of a new Criterion Channel collection in celebration of Mother's Day. Beyond that program, the channel is bursting at the seams with enticing new offerings. So much so that we'll choose all of our May subjects from the streamer. Today we're talking Ida Lupino, whose career is featured in a selection of 13 movies spanning from 1935 to 1956. Though she was a popular Hollywood actress and even found success as a director, the British-born thespian was never nominated for an Oscar.

She got relatively close a couple of times, though. Regarding the Best Actress Academy Award, Ida Lupino's best bet was surely 1943's The Hard Way…

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"Heartstopper" and a world without Olivia Colman

by Cláudio Alves

Adapted from Alice Oseman's webcomic and graphic novel, Heartstopper is Netflix's latest hit. The story of two teen boys falling in love, this queer teen romance is an overdose of sweetness packed into eight swift episodes. There's not much conflict beyond the usual fare for this type of narrative, though a good dose of angst keeps the sentimental dessert from tipping into schmaltz. All in all, I can't call myself a fan even though I recognize how such a production would have rocked my world as a gay teen growing up. It's cute, endearing, and terminally chaste, the kind of diversion that feels bound to delight its target audience.

That's not why I felt compelled to binge it, however. So, following that train of thought, let's talk about Olivia Colman and the Oscar-y conjectures Heartstopper accidentally puts forward…

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April Foolish Pt 6 - Guesswork on 'Best Actress'

by Nathaniel R

Florence Pugh in The Wonder © Netflix

The past two years of Best Actress races have been incredible rides when uncertainty reigned about who might win. That's highly unusual which is why we prefer speculating about nominations when truly everything is up in the air... at least until precursors start arriving but that's still 8 months away. On the April Foolish top 20 BEST ACTRESS CHART you'll find 9 previous winners including Cate Blanchett and Olivia Colman, 5 (mostly) younger nominees still building momentum towards their first win including Florence Pugh and Margot Robbie, and 6 women who've never landed a nomination though one of them (Michelle Yeoh) already should have.

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

Tomorrow we'll conclude the first wave of prediction charts with Best Picture and Best Director...

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

Who was best dressed? Best Actress Edition

You know about our "fantasy doll sets" and now we have more gowns to add to that imaginery collection! So it's time to talk about Best Actress fashion again. Who wowed you? Who disappointed you? Who gets your vote?

online polls

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• All 20 Acting Clips Ranked
• Best Dressed Supporting Actress
• Humor at the Oscars: Where Was It?
• The Slap: Toxic Masculinity at the Oscars
• New Trivia via the latest Oscar race
• Complete List of Winners

Oscar Volley: Best Actress. You can sit with us.

Team Experience is discussing the various Oscar categories. Here's Nathaniel, Ben Miller, Mark Brinkerhoff and special guest Nick Davis to discuss Best Actress.

NATHANIEL: I've been thinking a lot about what the characters and not the nominated actresses would make of all the competitive hoopla around the Best Actress Oscar this year. Photographer Janis (soulfully embodied by Penélope Cruz) wouldn't quite want all the eyes on her but she'd keep busy and turn her lens on her fellow nominees. She'd stick around for all the events.  Professor Leda (Oliva Colman in all her complexity) and Princess Diana (anxiously inhabited by Kristen Stewart), who I'd never otherwise pair in thought, would both surely acknowledge the honors while eyeing the nearest exit and counting the minutes until they could escape. They would skip anything non-mandatory.  Lucille Ball (surprisingly portrayed by Nicole Kidman) would be the consummate star and pull all the focus... but what would she actually be thinking about in the glow of all the lights? Only Tammy Faye (enthusiastically reincarnated by Jessica Chastain) might truly enjoy it. She would be very extra about campaigning and thoroughly enjoy the circus of it all.

Am I stalling due to utter suspense about who might win? Sure...

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