Shakespeare – This Had Oscar Buzz

In 2018, perhaps the only audience that noticed All Is True were our belove AARP Movies for Grownups awards. The film is directed by and stars Kenneth Branagh as William Shakespeare returning home to his underappreciated wife and daughters after his Globe Theatre burned to the ground mid-production, reopening wounds of unspoken family tragedy. The period drama was given an extremely quiet qualifying release that earned Judi Dench (playing Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway) a Supporting Actress win from M4GS before a May release the following year received scarsely more attention than the previous season’s.

This episode, we discuss the surprisingly compelling film, and Branagh’s career as a director of spotty and often forgotten films and his chances this season with his autobiographical film Belfast. We also take a deep look at the history of the Movies for Grownups (including their wildest, but most correct call for Supporting Actress), Ian McKellen as a possible victim of a closed Oscar window, and the growing understanding of qualifying releases.

Topics also include frontrunners for this year’s M4Gs, abandoned M4Gs categories, and what if Dench played the other Anne Hathaway.

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We’re tackling our first Shakespeare adaptation this week with Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing. After launching immediately into Oscar’s good graces with his directorial debut Henry V, Branagh returned to the Bard with this lighter and more star-studded adaptation – but couldn’t match that previous film’s favor. With a cast featuring Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, and Michael Keaton, this film instead remains as a delightful and sexy good time.

This week, we look at Branagh’s long and category spanning history with Oscar and his evolution towards a studio director of franchise films. We also dive into his affair with Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson’s double nominations in 1993, and the 1993 Golden Globe Musical/Comedy nominees.

Topics also include the recent film history of Shakespeare adaptations, Thompson’s “reveal” on the Ellen sitcom, and Imelda Staunton as beer wench.

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Tag: Shakespeare

174 – All is True

111 – Much Ado About Nothing