The race for Oscar gold is in full swing so a bit of advice for potential winners as Will Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicole Kidman and Jessica Chastain: Please, please prepare a speech. Something nice, moving and touching. Mentioning your family is good. Also, praising your director and co-stars is a nice touch. But please, please don’t mention every member of your team. The majority of the TV viewers don’t know who you’re talking about and don’t care to find out.
Acceptance speeches are important. Bad ones could turn into comedians’ fodder like Sally Field’s emotional “you really like me” when she received her second Best Actress Oscar for 1984’s “Places in the Heart” and controversial ones could cost actors roles such as Vanessa Redgrave’s reference to “Zionist hoodlums” when she accepted Supporting Actress for 1977’s “Julia.”
But over the past 93 years, there have been memorable moments.
Acceptance speeches are important. Bad ones could turn into comedians’ fodder like Sally Field’s emotional “you really like me” when she received her second Best Actress Oscar for 1984’s “Places in the Heart” and controversial ones could cost actors roles such as Vanessa Redgrave’s reference to “Zionist hoodlums” when she accepted Supporting Actress for 1977’s “Julia.”
But over the past 93 years, there have been memorable moments.
- 1/24/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep brought divorce to the masses with an imperfect yet sensitive portrayal of a difficult scenario
It’s hard to believe that 40 years have passed since Kramer vs Kramer was a cultural phenomenon, a conversation-starter that grossed more than any other movie in 1979 and then swept the Oscars four months later, winning best picture along with prizes for both Kramers, Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, and two awards for Robert Benton for his adapted screenplay and direction. And yet there are aspects of the film that seem older still, as if it were some artifact from a culture that’s utterly foreign and incomprehensible. The judgment rendered against Ted Kramer in divorce court – and the shockingly odious terms of his child visitation rights – is so unjust that the film could be interpreted as Men’s Rights propaganda.
Related: The Warriors at 40: the enduring appeal of...
It’s hard to believe that 40 years have passed since Kramer vs Kramer was a cultural phenomenon, a conversation-starter that grossed more than any other movie in 1979 and then swept the Oscars four months later, winning best picture along with prizes for both Kramers, Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, and two awards for Robert Benton for his adapted screenplay and direction. And yet there are aspects of the film that seem older still, as if it were some artifact from a culture that’s utterly foreign and incomprehensible. The judgment rendered against Ted Kramer in divorce court – and the shockingly odious terms of his child visitation rights – is so unjust that the film could be interpreted as Men’s Rights propaganda.
Related: The Warriors at 40: the enduring appeal of...
- 12/11/2019
- by Scott Tobias
- The Guardian - Film News
Do we choose sides when we watch “Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach’s brilliant and wrenching drama of divorce? The question, on the face of it, sounds facile in a dozen ways the movie isn’t. Rarely are there winners in divorce, and there are two sides to every breakup. “Marriage Story” is a movie that reflects that reality. It’s a dazzlingly layered and empathetic tale that delves deep into the lives of both Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), a couple who are splitting up despite the fact that they’ve never stopped loving each other. They each have their reasons, their desires and arguments and defenses. It might seem to violate the essence of a movie like this one to declare that either one of them is “right.”
Yet I’d suggest it’s woven into the dramatic fabric of “Marriage Story” that as we watch this couple,...
Yet I’d suggest it’s woven into the dramatic fabric of “Marriage Story” that as we watch this couple,...
- 11/17/2019
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Meryl Streep Unauthorized Biography Claims Dustin Hoffman Slapped Her Across the Face During Filming
Dustin Hoffman may have taken his method acting to another level when working with Meryl Streep on their award-winning 1979 film, Kramer vs. Kramer. In an excerpt from Michael Schulman's unauthorized biography, Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, in Vanity Fair, Kramer vs. Kramer director Robert Benton and producer Richard Fischoff recall a tense relationship between Streep and Hoffman during the filming of the movie. Both actors earned their first Oscars for taking on the roles of husband and wife, Ted and Joanna Kramer, who find themselves in a heated custody battle over their son, Billy Kramer (Justin Henry), after getting a divorce. Watch: Oscars Red Carpet Rewind -- '80s Oprah and Pregnant Meryl Streep! The book alleges that on the second day of shooting the opening scene of the film -- when Ted follows a crying Joanna into the hallway -- Hoffman "shocked" everyone on set when he "slapped [Streep] hard across the cheek, leaving a red mark...
- 3/29/2016
- Entertainment Tonight
We all would like to believe that we have that someone special to look up to for guidance and direction. From time to time we practice the art of worship for the mentor that appears larger than life to us. Whether our designated mentors that we choose to follow are inspirational or insidious it does not matter because that yearning to follow in their footsteps are so great that we blindly give anything to replicate that original blueprint.
Maybe if one dreams of being a famous astronaut you designate Neii Armstrong or John Glenn as your mentoring heroes? Perhaps your foray into film criticism was ignited by Judith Crist, Vincent Canby or Siskel & Ebert? How about emulating your favorite actor or singer and following their paths to success?
In Follow My Lead: Top Ten Mentors in the Movies we will look at some movie characters that served as mentors to...
Maybe if one dreams of being a famous astronaut you designate Neii Armstrong or John Glenn as your mentoring heroes? Perhaps your foray into film criticism was ignited by Judith Crist, Vincent Canby or Siskel & Ebert? How about emulating your favorite actor or singer and following their paths to success?
In Follow My Lead: Top Ten Mentors in the Movies we will look at some movie characters that served as mentors to...
- 3/6/2015
- by Frank Ochieng
- SoundOnSight
After doing the rounds on VoD for a few weeks, where many of you will have seen it, Sarah Polley's "Take This Waltz" starts to roll out in theaters from tomorrow, and we can't recommend it enough; it's a messy, sometimes frustrating film, but a deeply felt, beautifully made and wonderfully acted one, and we named it last week as one of the best of the year so far. It is not, however, recommended as a date movie, fitting into a long cinematic tradition of painful examinations of broken, decaying, collapsing or dead relationships.
After all, it's one of the more universal human experiences; unless you get very lucky, everyone who falls in love will at some point have the wrenching experience of falling out of it, or being fallen out of love with. And when done best in film, it can be bruising and borderline torturous for a filmmaker and an audience,...
After all, it's one of the more universal human experiences; unless you get very lucky, everyone who falls in love will at some point have the wrenching experience of falling out of it, or being fallen out of love with. And when done best in film, it can be bruising and borderline torturous for a filmmaker and an audience,...
- 6/28/2012
- by The Playlist Staff
- The Playlist
Father’s Day is this Sunday, so I thought it would be appropriate to talk about some fathers in movie history that stand out above the rest. I’m not a father, but as a son I can tell you that a man’s relationship with his father is one of the most important relationships in his life. It might be that reason alone that the bond between father and son is put on the big screen so often, it’s relatable and universal.
So grab a cold one with your dad this weekend, maybe even pull out one of these movies and make a memorable moment you will never forget. Use the comments below to talk about your favorite movie dads, enjoy!
Here is some relevant music to accompany you while you read.
Download audio file (Cat’s In The Cradle.mp3)
Don Vito Corleone – The Godfather (1972)
“A man...
So grab a cold one with your dad this weekend, maybe even pull out one of these movies and make a memorable moment you will never forget. Use the comments below to talk about your favorite movie dads, enjoy!
Here is some relevant music to accompany you while you read.
Download audio file (Cat’s In The Cradle.mp3)
Don Vito Corleone – The Godfather (1972)
“A man...
- 6/15/2012
- by Graham McMorrow
- City of Films
This week the highly acclaimed Beginners, inspired by writer/director Mike Milles’s own father, is out in UK cinemas.
Beginners explores the hilarity, confusion, and surprises of love through the evolving consciousness of Oliver (Ewan McGregor). Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna (Mélanie Laurent of Inglorious Bustards) only months after his father Hal Fields (Christopher Plummer) has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father, who, following the death of his wife of 45 years, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life – which included a younger boyfriend, Andy (Goran Visnjic of ER). The upheavals of Hal’s new honesty, by turns funny and moving, brought father and son closer than they’d ever been able to be. Now Oliver endeavours to love Anna with all the bravery, humour, and hope that his father taught him.
Beginners explores the hilarity, confusion, and surprises of love through the evolving consciousness of Oliver (Ewan McGregor). Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna (Mélanie Laurent of Inglorious Bustards) only months after his father Hal Fields (Christopher Plummer) has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father, who, following the death of his wife of 45 years, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life – which included a younger boyfriend, Andy (Goran Visnjic of ER). The upheavals of Hal’s new honesty, by turns funny and moving, brought father and son closer than they’d ever been able to be. Now Oliver endeavours to love Anna with all the bravery, humour, and hope that his father taught him.
- 7/27/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
In honor of fathers day and all the amazing dads out there (including my own brilliant and amazing father), we thought we'd look at some of the best dad movies of all time. Fathers are a special part of a child's life, they help kids grow and understand where they belong in the world, can be counted on to impart wisdom, and are just plain fun to hang around.
The fathers in the list of films below are just that and we want to celebrate all the good fathers out there who do their best to be there for their kids.
Happy father's day to all those amazing dads!
10. Kramer vs. Kramer (Ted Kramer)
When his wife suddenly leaves, Ted Kramer (played by Dustin Hoffman) and his son Billy learn to live on their own and rely on each other. It's not easy at first, but they soon come to...
The fathers in the list of films below are just that and we want to celebrate all the good fathers out there who do their best to be there for their kids.
Happy father's day to all those amazing dads!
10. Kramer vs. Kramer (Ted Kramer)
When his wife suddenly leaves, Ted Kramer (played by Dustin Hoffman) and his son Billy learn to live on their own and rely on each other. It's not easy at first, but they soon come to...
- 6/19/2011
- by alyssa@mediavine.com (Alyssa Caverley)
- Reel Movie News
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