Reel Corner - March 2024

February 2024 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine

And the Nominees Are...

The 96th Annual Academy Awards Oscars
are scheduled for March 10 at 7 p.m.

For Academy Award Oscar fans the book 50 Oscar Nights by Turner Classic Movies’ Dave Karger is a must read. For nearly a century, movie fans have been riveted by the Academy Awards and the stars who have won Oscars. 50 Oscar Nights takes readers behind the scenes of Hollywood's most storied award’s show through new and exclusive interviews with dozens of A-list actors, filmmakers, and craftspeople spanning 60 years of the Oscars. These artists reflect on their winning work and recount all the details of how they got ready for the biggest night in movies, what they wore, how they felt when they heard their name called, how they got up on stage to accept their award, and how the entire experience impacted their life.

Some interviews bring to light fun stories such as why Hilary Swank decided to celebrate her Academy Award at the Astro Burger in West Hollywood, or insight into the work as Elton John explains why he was convinced he won his Best Original Song award for the wrong tune. Other interviews illuminate why for some honorees, such as Julia Roberts, John Legend, and Octavia Spencer, the day remains a life highlight to be treasured, while for Marlee Matlin, Mira Sorvino, and Barry Jenkins, complex emotions cloud what most think would be a purely celebratory moment.

Filled with more than 150 photos of red-carpet moments, emotional acceptances, and after-party-play, 50 Oscar Nights is both a stunning record of cinema glamour and a must-read for any movie lover.

Even though the writer and actor strike affected much post-production, many films made their way to audition for the big prize. As for this year’s nominated films, many can be streamed. Enjoy!

And the nominees for Best Movie of 2023 are…

AMERICAN FICTION
Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz | Director: Cord Jefferson
A novelist fed up with the establishment profiting from “black” entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy he claims to disdain.

ANATOMY OF A FALL
Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud | Director: Justine Triet
A woman is suspected of her husband’s murder, and her blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.

BARBIE
Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling | Director: Greta Gerwig | Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in colorful Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.

THE HOLDOVERS
Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa | Director: Alexander Payne
A cranky history teacher in a remote prep school is forced to remain on campus over the Christmas holidays with a troubled student and a grieving cook.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro,, Lily Gladstone | Director: Martin Scorsese
When oil is discovered in 1920s’ Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one until the FBI steps in to solve the mystery.

MAESTRO
Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan | Director: Bradley Cooper
This love story chronicles the lifelong relationship of conductor composer Leonard Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre.

OPPENHEIMER Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon | Director: Christopher Nolan
The story of the American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

PAST LIVES
Greta Lee, Teo Yoo | Director: Celine Song
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora’s family migrates to South Korea. Twenty years later they are reunited for one fateful weekend.

POOR THINGS
Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, William Dafoe | Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
The incredible fantastical tale of Bella Baxter, a young woman who is brought back to life by a brilliant and unorthodox scientist.

THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller | Director: Jonathan Glazer | Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden beside the camp.

Have fun with the OSCARS…enter contests, have a party, dress up, and enjoy the best vehicle to storytelling…The Movies!

References: www.imdb.com, www.tcm.com

Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachu-setts, where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts, especially films, she has traveled to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters, Park Plaza Theater and Northridge. To support her habit of frequent movie going, Donne is a vaccine medicine nurse consultant and also the author of 4 Interview Pillars available on Amazon. See you at the movies!