We also saw an increase in the number of animated feature films that get nominated from three to five, meaning the majority of major animated movies are nominated for an Oscar by default. Also by default, the Pixar film of the year
Hounddog is a drama film directed by Deborah Kampmeier, starring Dakota Fanning as a young girl named Lewellen who finds solace in Elvis Presley’s music while growing up in the rural South. The film delves into themes of trauma, resilience, and the transformative power of music. David Morse and Robin Wright Penn play pivotal supporting roles, contributing to the film’s exploration of complicated family dynamics and personal stren
One thing leads to another and Mr. Vuoso discovers that she found his magazines. While at first he seems to try to get through to her by asking why she was looking at them and that she shouldn’t be, the expression on his face soon changes as he looks at her closely for the first t
It remains to be seen if this is something that will plague the Oscars for the next handful of years or is merely a blip on the radar. Looking ahead to 2015’s award season (I know, bear with me…), there are offerings from filmmakers including Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, and David O. Russell among others that could prove to be more lucrative endeavors than the crop we just got. The Academy will spend the next 12 months figuring out how to retool their telecast, but the odds of a ratings boost are in their fa
King already took home an Emmy for her role in American Crime (and she deserves another for The Leftovers ), so seeing her win a Golden Globe wouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Her role wasn’t as showy as the others, but it demonstrated what a terrific actress King is and why she’s one of those performers who makes things better just by being in t
Like many films shown at Sundance this year, Towelhead combined different styles (humor and drama), but does it more successfully than most. It’s the story of a thirteen year old girl who is half Lebanese / half WASP whose physical development is quite ahead of her age. Towelhead (aka Nothing is Private) was written, directed and produced by Alan Ball , the same fellow who wrote the screenplay for the similarly themed American Beauty a few years
The film takes place just before the overthrow of Saddam Hussein when the U.S. first invaded Iraq, and I found it interesting that they wasted no time whatsoever telling us that her father (Peter) is Catho
She gets home shortly and discovers that things are quickly getting out of control due to this mysterious signal that is being broadcast everywhere, with more and more people going nuts and murderously attacking each other. Her goal becomes to meet up with Ben and somehow escape the situat
Fargo season 2 was great. Patrick Wilson was great in it. There’s not really Read Much more more that needs to be said here, but in an age where every hero seems to have a dark side, Wilson’s performance as a young Lou Solverson demonstrated there is still plenty of room for good-natured, virtuous, white-hatted her
The film kind of rambles along and we meet Lewellan’s grandmother (played by Piper Laurie), and some of the black folks in town including Charles, a (too?) wise old soul and fan of snakes, which he uses to create medicine. The very bad guy in the movie is a new milkman in his early 20’s, who comes by Lewellan’s house one day and happens to see her singing a bit of her favorite song with her trademark moves, except this time while lying on her bed. He is the one who eventually rapes Lewel
There are some interesting choices in this category. Silicon Valley is certainly deserving of its nomination, as are Veep and Orange is the New Black. Casual was probably a surprise for many, but the charming comedy/drama from Hulu managed to tap into the same emotional well as Transparent , especially in the latter half of the season. Despite the competition, this is still Transparent ‘s award to l
Hounddog takes place some time in the late 50’s or early 60’s in the rural south. Dakota Fanning plays Lewellen, a very precocious 12 year old. It seems that right from the start the goal of the film is to make viewers uncomfortable as it opens with a scene between her and a boy that looks a bit younger that is her best friend. They’re in the woods and she wants him to drop his pants and underwear for a peek in exchange for a kiss. She talks about wanting to kill her father, which led me to believe that there may have been some sexual abuse going on, but it’s never alluded to ag
Hamm won a Golden Globe for his career-making performance as Don Draper back in 2008 and has been nominated four times since (including this year). He finally took home a much-deserved and overdue Emmy earlier this year, and with 2015 bringing about the end of Mad Men (and the show’s surprising absence from the Globes in any other category), this feels like a good time to recognize the series one last t
