Year in Review: Best Onscreen Chemistry of 2020

by Team Experience

Chemistry may be something you can predict in a lab but in showbiz it's always been volatile, elevating some projects to unpredictable heights and dooming others with its absence or withholding or misdirections. Strong onscreen chemistry may be far less rare than capturing lightning in a bottle but it can feel just as miraculous. In the studio system they'd seize on any great example and repurpose it by ordering additional pairings of the stars involved. Modern Hollywood executive (and the stars themselves to some degree) have been notoriously dumb about capitalizing on incredible partnerships. This has made great onscreen chemistry basically a one & done phenomenon for the most part for decades... and thus all the more ephemeral and precious. So let's celebrate it.

We polled Team Experience on "best screen chemistry of 2020" and pooled the results. Sound off with your own in the comments... 

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Which Limited Series Will Dominate Year-End Awards?

By Abe Friedtanzer

There are more limited series than ever before on the air, though that classification is in itself complicated because of all the anthology series that introduce new characters and storylines each season. As we approach year-end awards that will, unlikee the Emmys, pull from both halves of 2020, which of the buzzy shows we talked about around Emmy time will still be in the running? What other offerings from the last few months will zoom ahead of them?

It’s worth remembering that the overall Emmy nominations leader this past season was a limited series, albeit not one that was considered as such at the end of 2019. Before its staggering 26-nomination haul at the Emmys, Watchmen competed as a drama series, landing four bids and two wins from the Critics Choice Association, a stunt ensemble nod from SAG, and absolutely nothing at the Golden Globes...

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Abe Gives Thanks 2020

A few volunteer members of Team Experience will be giving thanks this holiday week. Here's Abe Friedtanzer

This year has had its share of disappointments, but there’s plenty to celebrate personally and cinematically. I’m fortunate to have great weather in Los Angeles where I can spend time outdoors on a regular basis. It’s also been exciting to write much more frequently for The Film Experience and to interact with contributors and readers who were mostly willing to forgive my lukewarm attitude towards Schitt’s Creek. Here are ten movie/TV-related reasons I’d like to give thanks:

• Parasite winning Best Picture. I predicted 1917 but couldn’t have been more thrilled to see a stat-busting international triumph. It’s also the first time since The Departed that my #1 film of the year was also chosen by Oscar.

• The Sundance Film Festival happened completely as normal. For my seventh time in Park City, Utah, I got to see 41 films and enjoy sitting in the front row in crowded theaters for five movies in a row per day for a week straight. Little did I know that January would be my last visit to a movie theater...

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Emmy Review: Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

By Juan Carlos Ojano

Herewith a strange category in that all of the nominees have considerable hurdles to overcome to win this Emmy. As it stands, this group is an eclectic mixture of the young (Mescal, Pope), the old (Irons), and the superheroes in between (Jackman, Ruffalo). Do note that this category as well as Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie do not have episode submissions. Instead, the performance from the entire series will be considered...

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Podcast: Emmy Nods & Oscar Worries

with Nathaniel R and Murtada Elfadl

Hey, it's a wee break from our smackdowning for an old school podcast of rambling conversation!

Index (68 minutes)
00:01 We're back talking about what we've been watching
08:13 Emmy nomination theories and viewing habits. The Mandalorian and more
19:13 Comedy series nominees: Insecure, What We Do in the Shadows, etc...
27:20 Limited Series is what we're both most invested in: Little Fires Everywhere, Unorthodox, Normal People, Mrs America and various acting categories
49:00 Emmy's "creative arts" - why not televised? 
53:00 What kind of an awards season and Oscar race are we heading into? Fall festivals are announcing but not really happening. The movie calendar is in disarray
01:05:00 Critics groups will also postpone their awards

You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you? 

Emmy Reactions and Oscar Worries