Nell Minow's Blog, page 76
July 2, 2016
#OSCARSlesswhite — New Additions to the Academy Bring Some Diversity
Some good news from the Motion Picture Academy -- the acceptance of a younger, more diverse group of highly qualified members, which should help with the embarrassingly narrow focus that led to the #oscarsowhite problem last year, not a single person of color nominated for an acting award. New members include actors Idris Elba, Brie Larson, John Boyega, America Ferrera, Michael B. Jordan, Emma Watson, Tina Fey, Oscar Isaac, Tom Hiddleston, Ice Cube, and directors Ryan Coogler, Julie Dash, Adam...
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July 1, 2016
Opening This Month: July 2016
Happy July! And welcome to the height of the summer movie season. Today, we kick off the 4th of July weekend with two big movies, Steven Spielberg's "The BFG," based on the book by Roald Dahl and starring Oscar-winner Mark Rylance.
And a new version of the classic story with "The Legend of Tarzan," starring Alexander Skarsgård, Christoph Waltz, and Margot Robbie.
Some of the other highlights of July 2016 at the movies:
July 8
"The Secret Life of Pets" answers the...
And a new version of the classic story with "The Legend of Tarzan," starring Alexander Skarsgård, Christoph Waltz, and Margot Robbie.
Some of the other highlights of July 2016 at the movies:
July 8
"The Secret Life of Pets" answers the...
The post Opening This Month: July 2016 appeared first on Movie Mom.
Happy 100th Birthday Olivia de Havilland!
Happy 100th birthday to one of the greatest and most versatile stars of the golden age of Hollywood, Olivia de Havilland!
She and her fellow-Oscar-winning sister, Joan Fontaine, were born in Tokyo, the daughters of British parents, a professor and an actress. The girls and their mother later moved to California, where she appeared in local theater productions as a teenager. Producer Max Reinhardt offered her an understudy role in "Midsummer Night's Dream," and when Gloria Stuart (later...
She and her fellow-Oscar-winning sister, Joan Fontaine, were born in Tokyo, the daughters of British parents, a professor and an actress. The girls and their mother later moved to California, where she appeared in local theater productions as a teenager. Producer Max Reinhardt offered her an understudy role in "Midsummer Night's Dream," and when Gloria Stuart (later...
The post Happy 100th Birthday Olivia de Havilland! appeared first on Movie Mom.
June 30, 2016
The BFG
The director who, with his partners, named their movie studio Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg, understands that movies are like a guided dream. Roald Dahl's story about a Big Friendly Giant who collects, selects, edits, and delivers dreams to make people happy and convey messages that are beyond the capacity of verbal human interaction connects with him profoundly, and it shows.
At 3 am one night in 1983, a girl named Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is the only one...
At 3 am one night in 1983, a girl named Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is the only one...
The post The BFG appeared first on Movie Mom.
The Legend of Tarzan
"The Legend of Tarzan" gets some things right. The swinging through the trees is exhilarating. Alexander Skarsgård (Tarzan/John) and Margot Robbie (Jane) are beautiful to look at, as is the African scenery. The CGI animals are pretty good. Thankfully, other than a few flashbacks, it avoids dwelling on the over-familiar origin story. And it is nice to see a shift from the colonialist perspective of some Tarzan stories to recognition of the real-life atrocities inflicted by Belgium's King...
The post The Legend of Tarzan appeared first on Movie Mom.
List: Tarzan Goes to the Movies
This week's new "Tarzan" movie should inspire families to check out the many, many earlier versions of this classic story.
In 2012, Neely Tucker of The Washington Post wrote a wonderful tribute to Tarzan in honor of the 100th anniversary of
In 2012, Neely Tucker of The Washington Post wrote a wonderful tribute to Tarzan in honor of the 100th anniversary of
The post List: Tarzan Goes to the Movies appeared first on Movie Mom.
My Visit to LAIKA for “Kubo and the Two Strings”
On my first trip to LAIKA, for "The Boxtrolls," they told me their mantra was "No straight lines, no right angles, no perfect circles." The world of that film was sooty, steampunk, Victorian. I visited again to learn about their new film, "Kubo and the Two Strings." For this...The post My Visit to LAIKA for “Kubo and the Two Strings” appeared first on Movie Mom.
June 29, 2016
Where You’ve Seen Them Before — “The BFG”
"The BFG" stands for Big Friendly Giant, and it is a new movie from Steven Spielberg, based on the book by Roald Dahl.
There are no big-name stars in the film, but there are some familiar faces, with some of the world's best character actors. After you've seen "BFG," try some of their other films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HahYm...
The cast includes Mark Rylance in the title role, and while he did win an Oscar earlier this year for his...
There are no big-name stars in the film, but there are some familiar faces, with some of the world's best character actors. After you've seen "BFG," try some of their other films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HahYm...
The cast includes Mark Rylance in the title role, and while he did win an Oscar earlier this year for his...
The post Where You’ve Seen Them Before — “The BFG” appeared first on Movie Mom.
Interview: Johnny Simmons of “The Phenom”
Johnny Simmons has the title role in The Phenom, an exceptionally intelligent and insightful film about a troubled young major league pitcher and the therapist who helps him understand the impact his abusive father has had on him. Simmons is one of my favorite young actors and it was a treat to get to talk to him about the role. The film was released in theaters and on VOD and digital June 24,...
The post Interview: Johnny Simmons of “The Phenom” appeared first on Movie Mom.
June 28, 2016
AFI Docs 2016 — Highlights
The 2016 AFI Docs festival is over and the audience award winner was "Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise," which will be featured on the PBS "American Masters" series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB27H...
This year's AFI DOCS attendees included renowned filmmakers Judd Apatow, Ramin Bahrani, Heidi Ewing, Alex Gibney, Rachel Grady, Werner Herzog (this year's AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree) and Barbara Kopple, along with documentary subjects Sharon Jones and Norman Lear. I...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB27H...
This year's AFI DOCS attendees included renowned filmmakers Judd Apatow, Ramin Bahrani, Heidi Ewing, Alex Gibney, Rachel Grady, Werner Herzog (this year's AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree) and Barbara Kopple, along with documentary subjects Sharon Jones and Norman Lear. I...
The post AFI Docs 2016 — Highlights appeared first on Movie Mom.
