George Segal (1934-2021)

by Nathaniel R

George Segal's brilliant "stuff" in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

Enduring actor George Segal passed away yesterday at the age of 87 from complications during surgery. We'll always remember him as Nick, the young affable professor that tries in vain to resist becoming a pawn in the George & Martha wars of that bitter masterpiece Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966). Or maybe we should call Nick "stuff" since that how Martha both fetishizes and reduces him. Taylor & Burton are best remembered but the entire quartet is completely brilliant with Segal adding subtle layers to give you a peak at what "stuff" this guy is made of. Or was at least before this hellish night.

Segal's very long career both before and after Woolf make that sole Oscar nomination, feel less like the anomaly it was, and more like a career honor with great foresight. After the jump 12 other key roles to understand his career...

Click to read more ...

Gay Best Friend: Oliver T'Sien in "Crazy Rich Asians" (2018)

 a series by Christopher James looking at the 'Gay Best Friend' trope 

Nico Santos does what every gay best friend does in a romantic comedy, stage a makeover montage.After a few retro episodes, we've made it back to modern examples of the Gay Best Friend trope. Crazy Rich Asians employs so many classic romantic comedy moments. When Nick Young (Henry Goulding) asks Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) to meet his family in Singapore, some nearby people overhear and set off a chain of texts that break the news to the entire Young family circle. Bright animated colors pop around the screen to demonstrate word spreading, recalling classic Doris Day title sequences of the 50s and 60s. This pastiche blends well with the grand opulence of the Young’s Singapore compound that feels in line with the worlds of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and the recent Sex and the City movies. 

Any love letter to the romantic comedy has to employ one of the character mainstays of the genre: the gay best friend. This comes in the form of Oliver (Nico Santos), the rainbow sheep of the family...

Click to read more ...

Streaming Revisit: Pauline Collins in "Shirley Valentine"

by Baby Clyde

These days Driving Miss Daisy’s multiple wins for the 1989 film year are seen as a low point in Oscar history. Not only that the film itself is often criticised for its naïve take on race relations, but especially because 32 years later movie goddess Michelle Pfeiffer is still without a Best Actress award. Whilst no one critizes Jessica Tandy’s performance the win is viewed as a career award for someone who’s film career didn’t warrant one. Combine this with Pfeiffer losing for what is probably her most legendary part and no one’s happy. Especially me as I don’t sign up to either of those interpretations!

In my eyes there is only one possible winner in this contentious race...

Click to read more ...

Showbiz History: The biggest Oscar nomination shock ever + the "Before" trilogy begins

5 random things that happened on this day, January 27th, in showbiz history

1939 Idiots Delight starring Norma Shearer and Clark Gable opens in theaters. It was their final picture together but Mr Gable had in fact become a star IN a Norma Shearer picture: A Free Soul (1931). Jesse James starring Tyrone Power was also released on this day during "Hollywood's Greatest Year"...

Click to read more ...

Joan Micklin Silver (1935-2020)

by Nathaniel R

A appreciative goodbye to the writer/director Joan Micklin Silver who died on New Years Eve at 85 years of age of vascular dementia. Long before elevating female directors was a thing for the media or the industry, she was out there doing her thing. Imagine the lift for female directors in the 20th century to get not one but several films made with little media attention or social justice support. The NY Times has a fine overview of the type of obstacles she faced.

Silver's directorial debut came in the 1970s with the Jewish drama Hester Street which earned a well deserved Best Actress nomination for Carol Kane and a WGA nomination for Micklin herself for Comedy writing -- though what an odd classification that was for the immigrant drama...

Click to read more ...