Chaplin vs. Keaton vs. Lloyd

by Cláudio Alves

Today marks a century since Harold Lloyd delivered his most legendary work to movie theaters. Safety Last! is a silent comedy classic, featuring such riveting stunts as the famous climax that finds our hero hanging from a clock. Though no other Lloyd picture has a comparable legacy, the man's filmography is a treasure trove for slapstick lovers with an inclination for bespectacled hunks. If you have any doubts, jump over to the Criterion Channel, where a new 42-title collection showcases the man's work from the late 1910s to the advent of sound and 1936's Milky Way. If you're not entertained, see a doctor, stat.

But of course, maybe Lloyd's not your preferred flavor of silent comedy. Amid the classic loving community, it seems everyone has a favorite from the three big names that defined Hollywood slapstick and continue to live in the public imagination. So, because this is a day for foolishness, why not indulge in pot-stirring drama and futile competition? Between Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd, who's your pick? Maybe it's…

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Reader's Choice - Let's watch _____ together

We'll be discussing the comedy Dick (1999) this weekend. But how about next weekend (April 7th/8th)? We're starting the voting earlier so you have more time to decide. Voting closes this Sunday. So which film, hitting a major streaming service on April 1st, will it be? 

UPDATE: Marnie won in a squeaker over Bound with 39% versus 38% of the vote respectively.

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Reader's Choice - Let's watch _____ together

Thank you for egging me on to finally watch Babette's Feast. T'was yummy. On April 14th we'll be discussing Fatal Attraction (1987) as there's a television adaptation coming up AND I owe a reader a piece on that and he's not going to be ignored, Dan! But until then you can pick our film of the week collectively. What should we watch next week and discuss by Friday, March 31st? 

This time we'll do an early star vehicle from one of our recent Oscar players. To make it more unexpected the requirement is that the movie came out in the 1990s and have zero Oscar nods. So which will it be? 

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Reader's Choice - Let's watch ____ together

Hey readers. Now that the Oscar coverage is wrapping let's return to our great love of RANDOMNESS. Let's watch something together and discuss. I want to see something I've never seen before so I looked at the current streaming crop and picked four I should catch up with. Decide which I have to write about by next Thursday March 23rd

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Your choices are Denmark's first Oscar winner and foodie favourite Babette's Feast (1987), the Jayne Mansfield rom-com Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957), the sleeper hit action flick John Wick (2014) starring Keanu Reeves, and Robert Altman's infamous Popeye (1980)... and yes, I too, think it's strange that I haven't seen any of these particular films which all have pockets of devout admirers. 

Which one of this season's Oscar nominees will return soonest?

by Nathaniel R

We just recorded the Oscar post-mortem podcast and we ended by asking the participants which of the 20 acting nominees from the 95th Academy Awards would be back shortly. Everyone picked someone different. This Oscar season was record-breaking in terms of first-time nominees for acting -- 16 of 20 is insane (and wonderful)! We can't expect it will happen again at the 96th Oscars since it's so unusual. So which one of the nominees Hollywood just celebrated will be back next season... or the season after that if none of them repeat in a year's time. Who comes back first? Would love to hear your theories on this in the comments!

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