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What a wild week it has been, ancillarily, for a certain New Zealand filmmaker. The presumed—and deserved—frontrunner for Best Director at this month’s Academy Awards, Jane Campion had her latest masterpiece unexpectedly shut out at the SAG Awards and herself inexplicably drawn into a ridiculous imbroglio stirred by none other than an apparently sexist and homophobic Sam Elliott. (Bronco Henry could never, y’all.)
But for those less keen on reading too much into Oscar-adjacent developments or unnecessary, boneheaded statements that go viral, we find ourselves at the glorious height of a hopeful culmination of a brilliant, one-of-a-kind director’s justly lauded year. So what makes Campion such an enduring, singular international filmmaking force?
Today's Must Read "I am Diane Keaton's Crisp White Shirt" an imagined monologue by Charlotte Barnett. I can't even describe how much I love this, guys. I love it as hard as Diane Keaton's crying jag in Somethings Gotta Give is long.
I am immaculate, woven by gods from fibers of cotton and Nancy Meyers’ discarded screenplays...
Movies EW talks to Cate Blanchett about Manifesto but works in a Carol bit, too, bless them. Interview talks to Tracy Letts of The Lovers about his dual career as acclaimed actor and award winning playwright
Go Fug Yourself Elle Fanning on the cover of Vogue Tracking Board Jeff Goldblum's career is busiers than ever. Now he's signed on for a thriller called Hotel Artemis with Jodie Foster and Sofia Boutella EW Anya Taylor-Joy and Maise Williams will play Magik and Wolfsbane in the New Mutants movie. (But it's still so diappointing that the rumor is that the movie is leaving out the Asian member of the original comic book group, Karma. Who also happened to be an LGBT character. Hollywood just loooooves gay erasure and whitewashing. They cannot get enough.) Variety Thom Yorke, of Radiohead fame, hired to score the remake of Suspiria from director Luca Guadagnino NYT Michael Parks, Tarantino favorite and prolific character ever, dies at 77 THR Kenny Miller, B movie actor of 1950s drive-in classics dies at 85 Variety talks to the costume designer of Snatched, dressing for laughs The Playlist remember that Michelle Williams movie Suite Francaise that had Oscar buzz but then sat on a shelf for years? It's now going to Lifetime TV
TV BuzzFeed is thankfully keeping this handy list of cancellations and renewals on TV up to date. I'm so sad about The Real O'Neals. I expected American Crime but anthology cancellations hurt less since they come to a natural end each year anyway. Vulture 13 shows that defined dystopian TV before The Handmaid's Tale VF Hollywood Scandal probably ending next season. But will ABC shift their drama strategy away from wealth porn?
And the teaser FINALLY for Top of the Lake Season 2 starring Elisabeth Moss and Nicole Kidman. We couldn't be more excited about it. If you missed season 1 with Elisabeth Moss investigating the disappearance of a young girl and finding a much larger crime that she wasn't expecting you really must catch up with it. Jane Campion's still got it and she still makes riveting human drama rife with feminist implications.
Stage WAMC Will Swenson talks about Waitress Theater Mania Tina Fey on her new Mean Girls musical Playbill Glenn Close remembers her Broadway debut, going from understudy to star Playbill Lin-Manuel Miranda to fund O'Neill Theater Center Scholarship for artists of color
While we've been pounding the drum for our Emmy hopefuls in the past week, we got some new television casting news to obsess over: Nicole Kidman has signed onfor the second season of Top of the Lake.
The previously rumored casting is most exciting for the reuniting of our beloved star with her The Portrait of a Lady director Jane Campion at long last! This coming season will jump forward in time with Elizabeth Moss's detective returning for a brand new case, so it's fair game on what role Kidman will play in the investigation. But a lack of details is the tiniest of complaints when you are reuniting a pair that collaborated on what is some of the most underrated work for them both.
Game of Thrones's Gwendoline Christie is also joining this season, but this won't be Kidman's first actress heavy dive into long form television. Next year, she also has HBO's Big Little Lies coming with both Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. That's hours of Kidman to soak up, not to mention her upcoming films How to Talk to Girls at Parties and Lion (and Genius out now), so rejoice away!
This second season of Lake has been longing gestating since the miniseries first debuted in 2013, winning Moss a Golden Globe and becoming a Netflix staple. If you haven't caught up to it, now's the time for a binge watch before one of our favorites signs up.
Here's Murtada speculating very early on the 2017 Oscar race.
There’s usually a real life person in the best actress lineup. It’s not as prevalent as it is in best actor - 4 this year. But we do have Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence). Last year there were Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones) and Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon). Recently we got everyone from Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) to Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) and Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard) and most famously The Queen (Helen Mirren) and her 80s nemesis Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep). Now we have two more possible candidates for the 2017 Oscar race as two interesting biopics were announced this week with two actresses well known to the Academy. French writer Colette (to be played by Keira Knightley) and Jesus disciple Mary Magdalene (Rooney Mara).
Colette in 1920s
Colette is the more intriguing figure, at least to this non-believer. Born in 1873 she was a journalist, an actress, a mime and of course most famously the writer of the novel Gigi which became an Oscar winning film and a stage musical. Colette and her first husband Willy Gauthier-Villars, also a writer, were pivotal figures in the salons of the turn of the century Paris and collaborated on several novels. The rumour is that the writing was all Colette’s - shades of Big Eyes. Colette also had sexual and romantic relationships with women. And based on the people behind this film, we know they won’t shy away from telling that story.
The film is written by Wash Westmoreland and the late Richard Glatzer (Quinceañera, Still Alice), with Westmoreland directing. It will be produced by Christine Vachon and Elizabeth Karlsen who most recently produced Carol. With lukewarm reviews for her Broadway debut in Therese Requin and a small forgettable part in Everest being her only 2015 credits, this looks like a juicy part that Knightley can sink her teeth into and possibly get her career back on the upturn it was on with 2014’s double bill of Begin Again and The Imitation Game.
While I’m not into religious movies, actresses are my religion and after Carol I would follow Rooney Mara anywhere she wants to go. She’s choosing to collaborate with Garth Davis (Top of the Lake) to tell the story of Mary Magdalene. The actress - director combo is exciting especially when it’s noted that they have recently worked together on Lion (2016) - with Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel. They must have really enjoyed working together to choose to do it again so soon. Wonder who will be cast as Jesus? It’ll have to be someone fantastic if they are to replicate the explosive chemistry Mara had with her Carol co-star Cate Blanchett. This tweet says it best.
Hollywood Reporter: "Rooney Mara is in talks to play Mary Magdalene." Me: "Jesus will NEVER love her like Carol did!"
Popwatch Julianne Moore tribute coming in January at the Museum of the Moving Image - let the coronation mark begin In Contention Pedro Pascal for Ben-Hur and portrayals of Pontius Pilate on the screen Salon what Gone Girl and Amazon's Transparent have in common Interview talks to David Cronenberg iTunes You can buy Norte: The End of History, The four hour acclaimed Philippines Oscar submission on iTunes now if you'd like. Vulture talks to Kim Dickens from Gone Girl on claims that the movie is misogynist
Awards Daily new trailer for Unbroken. I feel like there've been a lot of these i09 compares Battlestar Galactica to Outlander given that they're from the same series creator Ron Moore Criterion is releasing the classic The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant on blu-ray. Rainer Werner Fassbinder's movies are not available enough so this is great news The Hollywood Reporter Clowns of America International (that's a real thing) is pissed about AHS: Freakshow's Twisty the Clown. In related news how come y'all didn't comment on the last AHS post. You led me to believe you were watching it! Screen Daily Jane Campion developing a second season of Top of the Lake Latino Review Actress Elizabeth Peña (Jacobs Ladder, La Bamba, Modern Family) has passed away at 55 Towleroad Ezra Miller feels like surprise casting to me as The Flash in DC/WB''s superhero universe (unrelated: I'm enjoying the CW TV show of the same name thus far. It isn't great but it's light & fun, unlike Arrow which bored me silly) Towleroad gays on television from ABC's hypersexual connivers & neutered comics to the wider queerness of premium and cable channels Playbill that stage musical version of American Psycho is still happening and is now looking at fall 2015 on Broadway
Awwww... Times one thousand.
It's a teaser for the new Disney short Feast. This short apparently tells the life story of a Boston Terrier solely through his meals. It'll play before Big Hero 6 and we may be looking at a serious Best Animated Short Oscar contender.
The Divas... It's way too early to be thinking about Christmas but if you're an early shopper please know that Glen Hanson, an illustrator I just love, has designed a Liza Minnelli holiday ornament. Thanks to Boy Culture for the heads up. The proceeds go to Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS. If you want one you purchase here.
In other Broadway news, a special tribute to Elaine Stritch is coming on November 17th with performances by (are you sitting down) Patti Lupone, Betty Buckley, Christine Ebersole, Michael Feinstein, and my personal favorite of the theatrical divas of a certain age, Bernadette Peters
So who is singing what? They're keeping that a secret naturally.
Monday, March 7, 2022 at 10:41AM 
