Almost There: Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz"

by Cláudio Alves

On a stressful day such as this, cinema can be a comfort. The movies are often prized for their escapist properties, so why not escape into their celluloid dreams once one's civil duty's done? I propose a trip to Oz before the first Wicked movie redefines what future generations will picture when they think of that magical land with emerald cities and yellow brick roads. But we're not here to talk fairytale architecture, good or bad witches. Instead, our focus shall be on the little girl who adventures into that world, swept by a Kansas tornado, from sepia-toned monochrome into three-strip Technicolor. It's time to talk about Judy Garland's Dorothy, a performance on the cusp of an Oscar nomination once upon a time. She was almost there…

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Judy Garland @ 100: “The Wizard of Oz”

Team Experience is revisiting a dozen Judy Garland movies for her Centennial. Here’s Brent Calderwood to kick us off...

The Wizard of Oz is more than an insanely watchable film—it’s a gateway to a lifelong appreciation of Judy Garland.

“It was a place. And you and you and you and you were there.” Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale took us along with her to Oz, and we believed. It was more than the glorious art direction—head-high hibiscus, an acre of artificial poppies, and real birds in the forest including cranes and a peacock. It was Judy Garland’s performance. No, not her performance—it was Garland inhabiting Dorothy. The then sixteen-year-old became a nine-year-old girl. This woman-child made us feel her vulnerability, and revealed a heart as big as a farmhouse. (One of my personal favorite moments is when Dorothy is trapped in the Wicked Witch’s castle, trembling with fear, and Toto escapes. “He got away! He got away!” she cries, with real tears of joy and empathy for her terrier streaming down her cheeks amid the terror.) ...

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Don't Worry Darlings, It's just another link roundup!

Dont Worry Darling © Warner Bros Pictures

• AV Club Don't Worry Darling has released its first promo still (above). The film stars Harry Styles and Florence Pugh is said to be inspired by alternate reality mind-benders like Inception and The Truman Show 
• Vanity Fair Olivia Wilde was served with custody papers from Jason Sudeikis onstage at CinemaCon of all pages while previewing it. Wild.

After the jump Dorothy Gale's dress, Penelope Cruz's best films, Bad Bunny's foray into movies, Kate Hudson's foray into music and more... 

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Tweetweek

tweets curated by Nathaniel R for your momentary amusement...

A story that ends with a corpse on the floor is a tragedy. A story that begins with a corpse on the floor is a mystery. A story that begins with a floor on a corpse is The Wizard of Oz.

— Sandra Newman (@sannewman) July 27, 2020

I know its a weird year for movies and the Oscar will be a mess so I was thinking what if - and hear me out - what if - and I’m just spitballing here - but what if we gave Julia Roberts another Oscar for Erin Brokovich

— Chris Murphy (@christress) August 8, 2020

After the jump unexpected Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Young Girls of Rochefort, and Still Alice jokes, and great casting ideas for anything...

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Halfway Mark Links

A Must Read
• Tom & Lorenzo "One Iconic Costume" a fascinating funny and poignant piece on Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz

More Links
• Paper terrific piece on the new generation of queer comedy: Matt Rogers, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Alex English, Cole Escola, and many more. 
• Cartoon Brew despite Academy efforts toward gender parity the animation and visual fx industries are still struggling with inclusion of women. (Only 1 in 8 people invited to join the visual effects Academy branch are women this year.)

More after the jump including Hamilton, Netflix hit 365 Days, best of the first haf of the year and more...

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