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Entries in Ordinary People (7)

Wednesday
Mar312021

Showbiz History: Ghost in the Shell, Brian Tyree Henry, and the 1980 Oscars

6 random things that happened on this day, March 31st, in showbiz history

1930  The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America agree to accept the "Motion Picture Production Code" a self-censorship guide for Hollywood films. Still, the industry waited another four years to begin enforcing this code which is why early sound cinema is referred to as "Pre-Code" (even though the Code was actually in place already). It's agonizing to look back and wonder how progressive Hollywood might have become had they not begun to enforce the code in the mid 30s since it delayed mature conversations about sexuality and gender roles and marriage (separate beds!), psychology and reality (bad behavior must always be punished!), delayed reckoning with abusive or oppressive religious organizations (no critiques of the clergy!), and forbade sympathetic depictions of homosexuality and interracial romance...

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Sunday
Jan312021

Showbiz History: Derek Jarman, The Misfits, and Jennifer Lawrence's breakout

7 random things that happened on this day, January 31st, in showbiz history

1941 Alfred Hitchcock's comedy Mr & Mrs Smith, no not the Brangelina one, opened in theaters starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery. Yes, Hitchcock once made a screwball comedy without thriller elements. 

1961 The Misfits, the elegaic last film for both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable and one of Montgomery Clift's last pictures, has its world premiere in Reno, Nevada. It will open in movie theaters the next day...

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Saturday
Jul182020

The Donald Sutherland essentials

by Cláudio Alves

I don't know about you, but I love to find which people share the same birthday as me. That's especially true of artists who I admire. It's not like sharing a birthday means a whole lot, but it's nice to know that there's something in common between you and one of your idols. In my case, birthday twins include the cinematic genius Wong Kar-Wai, the fabulously talented Diahann Carroll, the eternal gangster James Cagney, Weekend star Tom Cullen, Best Supporting Actress nominee Barbara O'Neil, Sibyl director Justine Triet, and, of course, this piece's focus, the great Donald Sutherland. Our special day was just yesterday. 

Despite never having been nominated for a competitive Oscar (he received an honorary in 2018), Donald Sutherland can be counted among Hollywood's most respected thespians. With a career spanning from the 1960s to now, full of memorable hits and influential classics, complex performances, and scene-stealing turns, Sutherland is an actorly institution all by himself. In honor of his 85th birthday yesterday, here goes a list of some of the movies anyone must watch if they're fans of the actor… 

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Monday
Mar162020

Almost There: Donald Sutherland in "Ordinary People"

by Cláudio Alves

Donald Sutherland is one of those actors who seem to be Oscar nominees even if they're not. Like Mia Farrow or John Goodman, Sutherland has been in so many awarded productions that he feels like the sort of person who should have the words "Academy Award nominee" appear before his name in trailers. He's almost an institution of American Cinema, his filmography full of historically important titles such as MASH and Klute. To think such a respected actor is still without an Oscar nomination is slightly inconceivable, but the lack of accolades never shocked Donald Sutherland himself.

In 1980, he was the only main actor of Best Picture-winner Ordinary People to be ignored by the Academy. When asked about the snub, he said: "I'm not surprised. I know that community and I didn't expect a nomination." That doesn't mean he didn't deserve one…

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Thursday
Nov092017

Honorary Oscars: Donald Sutherland in "Ordinary People"

Lynn Lee reflects on Honorary Oscar winner Donald Sutherland's work in a former Best Picture...

The first time I saw Ordinary People, I remember thinking it was very good, very sad, and very WASPy, and that the acting was outstanding across the board.  I was most impressed, if also most frustrated, by Mary Tyler Moore for playing so convincingly against type as the chilly, brittle, allergic-to-grief Beth Jarrett; found Timothy Hutton’s guilt-racked Conrad the most relatable; and Judd Hirsch’s warm, no-BS shrink the most appealing.  Yet the character I ended up feeling the most sympathy for was Donald Sutherland’s Calvin, who’s forced to accept the disintegration of the family he fought so hard to preserve.

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