25th Anniversary: "Four Weddings and a Funeral"

by Deborah Lipp

Four Weddings and a Funeral turns 25 today. This is probably not also the number of times I’ve seen it, but it might be. I’m sure if you add the times Professor Spouse and I have each seen it, we exceed that number.  To say, therefore, that this is a beloved movie is a ridiculous understatement.

Here’s what we’re going to cover after the jump to celebrate its birthday...

• Four Weddings is highly quotable
• It features the best use of "fuck," and its variations, this side of Get Shorty
• Screenwriter Richard Curtis excels at movies that are kind-heartd and generous
• Four Weddings isn't perfect, but I will teach you the trick of making it perfect

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‘The English Patient’ Wins Best of Man Booker Prize

by Murtada

The English Patient, the novel by Michael Ondaatje, has won the Golden Booker prize. The one-off award, voted for by the public, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Man Booker prize. The shortlist of five novels was selected by a panel of judges from the 51 previous winners of the Man Booker, which honors the best novels written in English and published in Britain or Ireland. The book, which I read after the film won 9 Oscars in 1996, has always been a favorite. Not only for its beautifully written lyrical romantic love story but for its exploration of the fallacy of nationalism.

The characters in The English Patient - Hungarian, Indian, Canadian and English - form artistic allegiances rather than arbitrary ones based along geographical lines. Those themes resonate even more today, as we are in the midst of a of a volatile debate about immigration...

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Year in Review: 17 Wigs From 2017

Each day a new "year in review" angle. Here's Chris Feil...

Perhaps it's the return of RuPaul's Drag Race next month or the fact that we finally have Greta Gerwig in the Oscar race, but we've got wigs on the brain. While Oscar has nailed down the potentially nominated wiggery for the Makeup and Hairstyling category, it's worth reflecting that this year gave us far more glorious wig moments than can be captured in a single Oscar category.

From Michelle Williams's subtle 70s waves in All the Money in the World, the white trash extravaganza of I, Tonya, to The Greatest Showman's candy confections, the movies had us shouting "WIG!" all year long.

Here are 17 memorable moments in wigs in 2017...

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Would you rather...?

Mondays can be such a drag so let's fantasize that we're hanging with celebrities rather than returning to the day jobs, shall we? 

Would you rather
...eat oatmeal raisin cookies with Jessica Biel?
... get a quick drink with Wolverine and Professor Xavier?
... visit the ancient pyramids with Hilary Swank?
...hit the recording studio with Ben Platt?
...doing drag with Kristin Scott Thomas?
...can fruit with Dolly Parton?
...go to yoga with Lea Michele & Jonathan Groff?
...see the last Jedi with TV genius Bryan Fuller?
...welcome the snow with Lena Headey?
...or have a spontaneous dance party with Miguel Angel Silvestre?

[Pictures are after the jump to help you decide]

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The Greatest Party Photo of Our Time

Dame Helen, Divine Emma, Irresistible KST, and Queen Kidman at TIFF 2017.

P.S. I would like to thank whichever publicist did not invite me to this party thereby saving me from spontaneous combustion; I will live to see another movie.