Lunchtime Poll: So, you're turning into an alien...

by Nathaniel R

Today marks the 10th anniversary of District 9 (2009), a major sleeper hit and Oscar success in its year. Remember that year when it seemed like anything was possible for the sudden extra Best Picture slots ... before the awards strategists and specialty distributors conquered the new system to make it more like the old system again in terms of what got a Best Picture nod. 

District 9 was totally snubbed in Best Makeup which was insane. What does the makeup branch have against body horror anyway? Which brings us to today's lunchtime poll. You've become infected and are turning into an alien. Choose which movie alien you'd like to become and why. Here are some of movie aliens for inspiration and to get the conversation started...

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What's eligible for "Outstanding Main Title Design" at the Emmys this Year?

by Nathaniel R

105 shows, that's what. This is a peculiar obsession of ours because, apart from the handsome site Art of the Title, it gets precious little attention, interest, or coverage online. The awards aren't given out on air and sometimes they make terrible mistakes as to what's nominated or excluded (same as it ever was, in any category). Nevertheless we'd argue that title design is important, not just in the soulless connotations of "branding" but in its soulful counterpart "identity". A show's title sequence gives you just that (if it's good), setting the tone. We curse Netflix for letting you skip past opening titles if you're bingeing. To our way of thinking if you won't sit through the opening titles, you don't deserve the show...

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Blueprints: "Black Mirror: U.S.S. Callister"

Jorge continues to look into the Emmy nominees before the show on September 17th.

WARNING! Spoilers below for the Black Mirror episode "U.S.S. Callister"!

Black Mirror has to operate as an individual, stand-alone story in every episode. As an anthology series, there’s no cast of characters to follow through long arcs, no stories to pick up from, no built-in mythology or tone. In a way, this is incredibly freeing, as they can experiment as much as possible since he only thing that ties the episodes together is a theme. But being basically TV movies (which is what they submit themselves as with the Emmys), they also have to to the groundwork for the audience every time.

And it’s not simple groundwork. Black Mirror revolves around the dangers, consequences, benefits and untapped potential of technology. Elaborate worlds, complex gadgets, and characters living in somewhat alternate universes are built into its fabric. It’s always part of the journey to discover what terrifying side of our screen devices they’ll explore...

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Linking With Yourself

Vulture A fine appreciation of Jonathan Demme's stellar crime comedy Married to the Mob
Deadline Hilary Swank to play a "seductive female police detective" in a new film called Fatale.  Hmmm, not sure this is in her range. Remember Black Dahlia?
Slate What's fact and what's fiction in BlacKkKlansman?
AV Club Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth are playing hardball with Paramount over their Star Trek paychecks

Awards Daily Sasha has quite a different take on the Oscar's new decision to include some kind of "popular achievement" award. (One thing I think we can all agree on: since we actually know nothing about the Academy's plans with their extremely vague announcement, it's really hard to say anything about what it might be or look like or mean.
Salon Casey Affleck breaks his silence on his behavior on the set of I'm Still Here
Boy Culture Cher's ABBA album now available for pre-orders
/Film Japanese film Mirai getting a US release from GKids in the fall. Oscar possibility?
Gothamist oh dear. Sean Young is in trouble again. The Blade Runner actress is wanted for questioning about a burglarly in Queens.
Coming Soon Paul Rudd to co-star with himself in philosophical Netflix comedy Living With Yourself
Coming Soon Ava DuVernay has cast her Central Park Five. It's mostly unknowns but Jharrel Jerome (Moonlight) and Jovan Adepo (Fences) are in there, too. 

link to the feeling

• Film Doctor UK good interview with a action film storyboard artist
• IndieWire David Ehrlich makes a great case that Oscar needs to change their rules about Original Song. "Cut to the Feeling" from Leap is not eligible (incidentally for the same reason "Come What May" wasn't eligible... originally written for something else and then unused for that something else)
• Variety Morgan Freeman will be this year's SAG Lifetime Achievement Recipient
• NYT and LAT remember the career of movie & television star Jerry Lewis (RIP)

• AV Club more drama for that Han Solo movie. Michael K Williams, currently Emmy nominated for The Night Of, has had his entire part cut out.
• Deadline another new role for Roland Møller (in the action film Skyscraper). The Danish actor is hot hot hot after Land of Mine. You'll understand if you've seen that Oscar nominated picture
• The Guardian we're promised a definitive victor in the forthcoming action film Godzilla vs Kong. But either way audiences probably lose.

TV
• Variety the annual survey of who makes what per episode of hit TV shows. Casts of Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones, Modern Family, and Robert DeNiro (in a new series) are swimming in money. Cast of This is Us will surely eventually be but not quite yet.
• Out RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 3 is a go... and already filming!
• Variety Peak TV still hasn't peaked. At least in terms of quantity. One executive predicts 534 new series next year so you're not just imagining that it's impossible to keep up
• Coming Soon 'everything we know about Star Trek Discovery'... though can someone explain to me the deal with this. I keep hearing that it'll be on Netflix and that Netflix is distributing. Yet often times and sometimes even in the same single paragraph in various articles it will say "exclusively on CBS All Access" so I'm confused. Anyone?

Off-Screen
Comic Book Resources fun article on that time that the Incredible Hulk could fly in the comics