The Single Philip Seymour Hoffman Scene That Changed My Life
It was the year 2000. We had survived Y2K. But I hadn’t yet survived high school. As both a decidedly unpopular, moderately depressed senior and an aspiring entertainment journalist, Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous hit me like a freight train. (I’ve since written at least five essays on the film… even though I never became that reporter I had wanted to be.) One scene in particular cemented my love for the film with the line: “The only currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.” That line was spoken by Philip Seymour Hoffman. I didn’t know Hoffman, but this single line from a single scene in Cameron Crowe’s only masterpiece made me love him. When people asked who may favorite actor was, Hoffman was always the answer. So here’s the scene that made that...
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The Contenders: 5 Outstanding Documentaries Competing At The 67th BAFTA Awards
The 67th BAFTA Awards arrives this year with a full list of great nominees. Only one week after the Oscar ceremony, the British capital will celebrate the big day of cinema. This edition brings us five outstanding works that will compete in the Best Documentary category. From the most horrific side of the history of Indonesia to one of the biggest media scandals in the XXI century, it won’t be easy for the jury to decide who the Bafta mask will go to. The Act of Killing It was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars 2014; however, its anonymous co-director turned the invitation down. “The Act of Killing” explores not only the impunity enjoyed by a group of small-time gangsters that killed thousands of people during the 60s in Indonesia, but it also shows the emotions...
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5 Buzzworthy Films From Sundance 2014
Twenty years ago, one of my favorite films and filmmakers got their big break, so to speak, at Sundance: Clerks and its mastermind Kevin Smith. This year, keeping up with the buzz surrounding the festival has been particularly exciting for me, with acquisitions being made for some films that seem just as odd and out-there in spirit and charm as Smith’s black and white low budget comedy about nothing had been before ever even being picked up by Miramax and the Weinsteins. Compiling this buzz I’ve been hearing (and doing a little bit of further research into the final distribution rights bought by whom and for what films), I’ve managed to pick five standout selections from Sundance 2014 that I, personally, cannot wait for, and which seem to reflect the festival’s lasting reputation, at least in my mind, as one...
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The Top Ten Performances of 2013
Just because a movie isn’t great doesn’t mean that the performances in it aren’t. Six of the performances below weren’t in movie that I put on my best of the year list. Some might receive honorable mentions but they’ll mostly be carried there by the impact of these actors. And for the great performances in great films? Well, we can only hope for classic territory. 10. Oprah Winfrey as Gloria Gaines in The Butler The Butler and Oprah are pretty much forgotten at this point, and even though I loved the film, it’s not making my Top 10 list this year. But credit where credit is due: Oprah Winfrey is phenomenal in this movie. Lee Daniels has a history of getting great performances out of his supporting female cast members, and Oprah’s here is no exception. The characters just...
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The Top Ten Movies of 2013
As is annual tradition, my best of 2013 list is about a month overdue. Life, ya know. Part of that life has been seeing more old movies in theaters than new movies now that I live in Austin, Texas. More on that some other time. For now, let’s just jump right into the top ten movies of 2013. 10. Laurence Anyways (dir. Xavier Dolan) I caught Laurence Anyways at the Cleveland International Film Festival and at the time I was sure it would be my favorite movie of the year. In many ways it still is. This rapturous, epic drama that follows a male-to-female transgender-ed person and her one-time girlfriend through a decade in their relationship is Dolan’s best film yet. Watching this film, there are shades of Scorsese, Almodovar, Tarantino and Anderson, but all the while he makes...
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Academy Awards: Who Created Oscar?
The Academy Awards are one of the biggest nights in Hollywood. All of the biggest stars and celebrities come together, the television cameras roll, and the air is electric. And all of this commotion is for the sake of just one 13.5 inch man named Oscar. For many celebrities and filmmakers, taking home one of those gold statuettes represents the ultimate in filmmaking achievement, and it is no surprise that the wins and losses of the night provoke such extreme emotions. But what is the story behind Oscar himself? The history of the Oscar statuette is long and surprising, and involves fame, humor, and mystery (this is Hollywood, after all). We will take a brief look at Oscar’s life, and how he came to be what he is today. The First Academy Awards Today, the Academy of Motion Picture...
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