Katie Holmes – This Had Oscar Buzz

Somehow we have yet to cover a film starring Helen Mirren, but this episode, we rectify that with 2015′s Woman in Gold. Mirren stars in the true story as Maria Altmann, a woman who fled the Nazis and later sought restitution of her very famous family paintings by Gustav Klimt. The film also stars Ryan Reynolds as Altmann’s lawyer with an unexamined relationship with his own Jewish lineage and was Simon Curtis’ directorial follow-up to My Week With Marilyn. A sizable counterprogramming hit in the spring, Woman in Gold was campaigned by the financially fledgling Weinstein Company, landing Mirren sual SAG nominations for this and the abysmal Trumbo.

This week, we take a long look at Helen Mirren before and after her Oscar, including her balance between awards fare staple and ironic action star. We also discuss Reynolds’ screen persona opposite his miscasting here, movies about paintings, and the difference between “overdue” and “this is their year” narratives.

Topics also include the power of being the season’s first screener, Olga Kurlyenko’s Black Widow cameo, and the best mode of transportation in which to seek leisure.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

Before Sam Raimi went into the Spider-Verse, he tipped a toe into prestige waters with A Simple Plan before misfiring with The Gift. The 2000 film starred Cate Blanchett as southern clairvoyant helping solving the murder of a local woman (played by an off-type Katie Holmes) and also her damaged friends Hilary Swank and Giovanni Ribisi. This was thought of as a potential nomination for Blanchett and post-Sling Blade cash-in for screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton, but ultimately was too middling to register in a year of dominating lead actress performances.

This week we look at the post-Elizabeth (but pre-Aviator) Cate Blanchett fog of indistinguishable titles that failed to return her to the Oscar stage, and also the warring factions of actress stans on Oscar message boards. We also consider Ribisi as “Ben Foster with words”, the internet’s pervy Mr. Skin days, and the 4/5 brilliance of the 2000 Best Actress lineup.

(And again apologies on the audio this episode! Next week will be a return to better sound…)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

Tag: Katie Holmes

157 – Woman in Gold

037 – The Gift