The Best Actress Oscar race now follows a clearly delineated path. First, the film festivals, with each new premiere expected to create awards buzz. Then trailers to stimulate interest and spread awareness. Finally, the hopefuls are actually seen as their pictures are presented. Whether buzz continues depends on critical acceptance, expectations and that old self-promotion, perhaps the most essential element to sustain any career. This year’s buzz began early, in August, with Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin in the Franklin family-sanctioned biopic ‘Respect’ (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code, MGM, PG-13). The reviews were mixed, box-office ho-hum. Despite having an Oscar winner as Aretha, ‘Respect’ was plagued by an earlier rival, Cynthia Erivo’s starring in the ‘Genius: Aretha Franklin’ limited series. Not only did they cover the same ground but Erivo scored despite having to lip sync Franklin’s soul-busting vocals. Does Hudson still have hopes of placing in the final 5 for Best Actress? The Blu-ray, well timed for release, offers many Bonus Features: A behind the scenes, featurettes on ‘Capturing a Legacy,’ ‘From Muscle Shoals’ and exploring the production and costume design.
Immensely gifted, an acknowledged virtuoso who immerses herself in her varied roles, Jessica Chastain, twice Oscar-nominated, is in the running for ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ (Blu-ray + Digital Code, Searchlight, PG-13), a biopic of the disgraced televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. Chastain successfully altered her appearance to span decades as the woman whose show of compassion during the early 1980s AIDS years sealed her status as a true Christian and a heroine for gays. But few 21st century moviegoers were aware of or interested in Bakker. A passion project for Chastain, ‘Eyes of Tammy Faye’ has an uphill climb for Oscar’s eye.
Are there already 3 ‘locks’ for a Best Actress nod this season? All were launched via film festival exposure. Kristen Stewart may be in a ridiculous ‘fable’ as Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Chilean Pablo Lorrain’s ‘Spencer’ but there is no denying critics love what she brings to this misbegotten effort.
Penelope Cruz already has a Supporting Oscar for her Woody Allen comedy ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ (2008). She is being hailed for a career-best performance in the Spanish language ‘Parallel Mothers.’ This reunion with writer-director Pedro Almodovar – she was a Best Actress nominee for his ‘Volver’ (2006) — has Cruz contemplating Spain’s fascist history, motherhood and personal identity. It’s not much of a movie but it’s enough to spotlight a remarkable performance – and it has the cachet of her native language.
Olivia Colman, already an Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA winner as 2 very different queens in ‘The Favourite’ and ‘The Crown,’ is also a shoo-in for her unsympathetic turn as a miserable mother in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ‘The Lost Daughter,’ an admirable adaptation of an early novel of the Italian author ‘Elena Ferrante,’ a pseudonym.
Who else is expected to enter this fray? Lady Gaga returns to the big screen for the first time since ‘A Star Is Born’ as a murderously vengeful rejected spouse in Ridley Scott’s ‘House of Gucci.’ Will this fact-based whirlwind of class conflict, love, obsession and fashion find favor with Oscar is the big question.
With several performances still unseen, question marks remain regarding the awards potential of: Nicole Kidman as Hollywood legend Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Being the Ricardos,’ Cate Blanchett as a mesmerizing psychiatrist in Guillermo del Toro’s remake of ‘Nightmare Alley,’ and Sandra Bullock in the seriously dramatic Netflix entry, ‘The Unforgivable.’ Equally unknown are 2 films where no one may even be eligible for Best Actress because they are ensembles: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Licorice Pizza’ and the starry cast – headed by Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Blanchett — of Adam McKay’s ‘Don’t Look Up.’
NEW DVDs:
SPIELBERG MEET JOAN ‘Night Gallery: Season One’ (Blu-ray,2 discs, KL Studio Classics, Not Rated ) While it’s been decades since his ‘60s heyday Rod Serling (1924-1975) remains a potent name in classic horror/sci-fi/thrillers. ‘Night Gallery’ a horror anthology series with 3 separate stories in each episode, premiered in late 1969 and lasted just 3 seasons. While it may never rival ‘The Twilight Zone’ as Serling’s career-defining accomplishment, it’s eternally engaging with first-rate actors, polished production and, mostly, Serling’s scripts. It occupies a particular place in Hollywood history for its pilot episode’s ‘Eyes’ — the debut of Steven Spielberg, then a 23-year-old directing novice. Joan Crawford, in one of her final roles as a monstrously self-centered blind heiress, had to approve the first-time director. They bonded and she presciently predicted he would rank among the greats. Special Features: Not 1, not 2 but 8 audio commentaries on various 3-part episodes. Plus: a helpful Episode Guide.
AMAZONIAN FANTASY An elaborate star-driven Amazon adventure teaming Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, ‘Disney Jungle Cruise’ (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Code, Disney, PG-13) is delectable family fun. Set in 1916 Blunt’s Dr. Lily Houghton is a Kate Hepburn-type, spunky if undervalued as a scientist because she’s a woman. She enlists shady tourist-hungry riverboat captain Jack Wolff (that would be the mighty Johnson) to take her down river to discover something called The Tree of Life. Happily along is her gay brother MacGregor (a terrific Jack Whitehall). There’s also Jesse Plemons’ demented German submarine captain who is also in pursuit of The Tree and, amid the greenery and snakes, a bandit (Edgar Ramirez). Extras: Deleted scenes, outtakes, 6 featurettes on the characters, effects. And ‘a new way to experience the adventure with Expedition Mode.’
TRUE CRIME A natural spin-off from Roberto Saviano’s bestseller and subsequent hit film version, ‘Gomorrah: The Series, Season 1’ (Blu-ray, 12 Episodes, 3 Discs, Kino Lorber, Not Rated) tells the brutal, nearly unbelievable if it weren’t true story of Naples’ ferocious criminal organization the Camorra. We watch thru the eyes and perspective of Ciro (Marco D’Amore), the able and obedient assistant to the godfather Pietro Savastano (Fortunato Cerlino). Ciro’s loyalty is tested and pushed in these 12 blood-drenched episodes. In Italian with optional English subtitles OR watch all 12 episodes in English audio.
LEGENDS LIVE ON How many series can claim that they have David Bowie, Amelia Earhart, Fidel Castro and Spartacus as recurring characters? ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Sixth Season’ (Blu-ray+ Digital Code, 15 episodes, DC-WB, Not Rated) is one wild ride with what they’re calling the Legends’ most bizarre challenge yet. Alien abductions? Here. Alien villains? Definitely here. Special Features: Unaired scenes, gag reel, VFX creature feature and ‘Never Alone: Heroes and Allies.’
THUGEES FOR KALI An unusual Merchant-Ivory entry minus any decorous London teas, the 1988 ‘The Deceivers’ (Blu-ray, Cohen Collection, PG-13) gifts Pierce Brosnan with a pre-007 showcase in an India-set adventure. It’s 1825 and Brosnan’s political officer goes underground, disguised as an Indian, to infiltrate, expose and destroy a murderous cult, the Thugees, who notoriously strangled and robbed travelers, all in the name of the goddess Kali. This is a new digital restoration of Ismail Merchant’s dream project which unfortunately became a nightmare while making it. That adventure is detailed in Merchant’s tell-all book: ‘Hullabaloo in Old Jeypore: The Making of “The Deceivers.”’
TRULY STRANGE ‘Jet Pilot’ (Blu-ray, KL Studio Classics, Not Rated) The legendary Howard Hughes may have been among the world’s richest men but he was also obsessive and paranoid. Hughes owned the RKO studio and began ‘Jet Pilot’ in 1949 as a showcase for the Air Force’s state of the art jets. Yet it was not released until 1957 when the planes were outmoded and RKO had been sold and closed! ‘Pilot’ was in trouble from the start — with 18 MONTHS, not weeks, of filming. Actually, the last shot was in May 1953 – but Hughes kept tinkering with his Americans versus Russia’s Commie Reds plot until ’57 — it was a Cold War rah-rah. John Wayne, the mightiest of American leading men in the ‘40s and ‘50s, is an Air Force colonel eager to debrief Janet Leigh’s Russian jet pilot who has defected. Rumor had Hughes fiddling, reshooting, rewriting, simply to keep Leigh nearby. This legendary ladies’ man notoriously would sign starlets to a personal contract, house them all over Hollywood in private homes, while using secretly installed electronic listening devices to keep track of their private lives. What’s really bizarre is how this Cold War artifact may be the only film whose star billing reads: John Wayne, Janet Leigh and the U.S. Air Force. Bonus: The film, reportedly Hughes’ favorite, can be screened 2 ways – the traditional box format or the ‘50s Cinemascope stretch version.
CAINE CARRIES THE DAY ‘Best Sellers’ (DVD, Screen Media, Not Rated) At 88 Michael Caine continues to surprise. Here he epitomizes the cantankerous, ornery author Harris Shaw whose last bestseller was in the last century, back in the ‘70s. Aubrey Plaza’s Lucy Standbridge has just inherited her late father’s publishing house and needs a hit novel to prevent bankruptcy. Since Shaw owes the house one final book, the 2 embark on a ‘book tour from Hell,’ where the boozy author swears, pees in public and somehow attracts a new generation of fans who approve of his self-destructive hijinks. Anthony Greico won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting Award for ‘Best Sellers.’ Bonus: Blooper reel with cast & crew.
CAGE FOR THE AGES Variety has speculated that Nicolas Cage is intentionally ‘shaping the world’s most eccentric filmography,’ using Cage’s collaboration with Japanese weirdmeister Sion Sono (‘Antiporno’) in ‘Prisoners of the Ghostland’ (Blu-ray, RLJE Films, Not Rated) as Evidence #1. ‘Prisoners’ costars Sofia Boutella and rates as a samurai Western with Cage’s simply named Hero at one point attached to exploding sensors on his neck, elbows and crotch. That’s because the leather outfit will self-destruct in 5 days if he can’t find Boutella who has (with good reason?) run away. With English, French and Japanese dialogue.
WHO DOESN’T LOVE PARIS Lily Collins IS ‘Emily in Paris: Season One’ (DVD, 2 discs, Paramount, Not Rated) and she’s a delightful tour guide thru this funny-fun-romantic-serious-fashionable escapism from the prolific Darren Starr (the soon-to-be-revived ‘Sex and the City,’ the witty-hilarious-sweet ‘Younger’). Collins’ Emily Cooper finds herself stranded in a highly demanding marketing job in the City of Lights, a Chicago native who can’t speak the language and has been dumped by her boyfriend. As Emily faces the very French ways of life, love and work, she survives and, who knows, could even be said to thrive? A 2nd season is due in January. Special Features: Deleted scenes, 40 minutes-plus never-before-seen featurettes.
BEST YET ‘CROWN’ An extraordinary series, Peter Morgan’s ‘The Crown: The Complete Fourth Season’ (Blu-ray, Sony, Not Rated) continues its fiction if almost fact behind-the-scenes history of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign with its most dramatic fireworks yet, thanks to a trio of formidable females. First, of course is Olivia Colman’s QE2, a woman brought to task for the gap between a mother whose notions of duty precede anything else and her 4 adult children. Second, in 1979 Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) becomes Prime Minister to usher in a decade-plus era that redefines Great Britain and sees the PM in opposition to her Queen. Finally, virginal Diana, Princess of Wales (the lookalike Emma Corrin, a triumph of casting and performance) marries her Prince (an utterly astounding Josh O’Connor revealing all of his character’s many contradictions) only to find not a fairy tale but a nightmare with bulimia, infidelity and the ironic juxtaposition as being the most popular Royal who is least welcome in her Palace. Expansively mounted, with each of the 10 episodes tied to a historical event that thematically reflects – or doesn’t – on the Royal family, ‘The Crown’ Special Features are 3 featurettes – on the tragedy of Diana & Charles, the 3 women who rule this season and behind the research and the costumes. Who knew that between 50 and 70 outfits are made, by hand, from scratch, for all the characters!
A 60s SINGER A biography of a folk singer admired by Bob Dylan and Nick Cave who rejected celebrity in the ‘60s, ‘Karen Dalton: In My Own Time’ (DVD, Greenwich, Not Rated) is a loving tribute to an unknown. Dalton (1937-1993) had an aversion to celebrity and promotion. There is little footage of her, so colleagues and loved ones testify to her talent as her vocals (‘A voice like Billie Holiday’ – Bob Dylan) and guitar playing is heard alongside archival performance clips and readings from her journals and poetry. In color.
"Hollywood" - Google News
November 13, 2021 at 02:49PM
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Stephen Schaefer's Hollywood & Mine - Boston Herald
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