An AI Biopic? No, Thank You!

by Cláudio Alves

Warner has released a proof of concept image showing what the animation will look like.

With the SAG strike over and a new three-year contract in sight for actors, it felt like we could all breathe a sigh of relief over the current Hollywood AI takeover. Not forever, but a temporary reprieve nevertheless. Well, guess what? There's no rest for the cinephile, for a new nightmare is upon us. The Warner Music Group has partnered with the Edith Piaf estate to create an AI-based biopic, running for 90 minutes and mixing archival future with animation. Over it all, a feat of technological necromancy will have the legendary French singer narrate her own story or the corporate-approved facsimile of it.

The execs behind the travesty speak of authenticity, but I only see mercenary intent. It's anti-art, sickening in the worst way…

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Actor-Actress Joint Wins and Nominations: An Oscar History

by Cláudio Alves

Since it premiered in Venice, Maestro has had critics and awards pundits abuzz. After its screenings at NYFF, BFI London, and the AFI Fest, the movie's status as one of the season's major contenders only grew. Right now, some are even speculating that with their double act as Leonard and Felicia Bernstein, Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan may be about to accomplish an Oscar feat unrepeated since 1997, when Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt took home the two lead acting prizes for As Good As It Gets. Before that, the only other instances occurred in 1934, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1981, and 1991. Let's dig deeper into this history…

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Category Confusion: LEAD or SUPPORTING?

by Cláudio Alves

The Gotham nominations caused quite a stir among the Film Experience readership. Going through the comments section, the matter at hand is category fraud: who is and isn't guilty of perpetrating it going into the awards season? For instance, I would have categorized Ryan Gosling as a secondary lead in Barbie, but I've been convinced by the comments that he fits better in supporting. Other cases discussed included Binoche's Gotham-nominated work in Taste of Things, Whishaw in Passages, Hüller in Zone of Interest, and beyond. 

So, why not relocate that discussion here while having fun with polls? You get to vote, deciding on each performer's rightful placement…

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TIFF '23: Kate Winslet elevates "Lee"

by Matt St Clair

Kate Winslet as "Lee"

After winning an Emmy for Mare of Easttown, I wondered how Kate Winslet would follow up her career-best work on the acclaimed HBO miniseries. Her latest starring vehicle, Lee, looked like a worthy follow-up project on paper. Winslet collaborates with cinematographer-turned-director Ellen Kuras, who lensed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which featured Winslet’s other greatest performance. Sadly, only Winslet’s performance lives up to the promise of the reunion...

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My Helen Mirren Top Ten

by Cláudio Alves

It's hard to believe Helen Mirren hasn't been nominated for an Oscar since The Last Station, way back in 2009. The shock comes not from her fate's unfairness, mind you. Instead, it stems from how Mirren seems to be actively chasing gold, nabbing essential precursor support for projects like Hitchcock, The Hundred-Foot Journey, Woman in Gold, Trumbo, and The Leisure Seeker. This year, the actress may be going down the same road with Golda, the recently released biopic about Golda Meier, "the Iron Lady of Israel.". To mark the occasion, let's look away from the failed Oscar buzz and consider the peak of Helen Mirren's work as a big-screen legend.

As with Angela Bassett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sigourney Weaver, Marilyn Monroe, and Maggie Smith, TV performances will be set aside for another day, and so will her Academy-anointed turns. Caveats out of the way, this is my Mirren top ten…

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