jakeem

It's interesting that the movies of the Reagan era had happy endings for the most part. Maybe that reflected his image of making the American people feel better about themselves. There were exceptions, of course -- "Body Heat," "Silkwood" and "Out of Africa" immediately come to mind. The movies of the 1970s were darker, that's for sure. Maybe that was a reflection of the Nixon years.

Has anyone mentioned Scarlett Johansson as Vermeer's inspiration in "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (2003)? Vermeer was portrayed by Colin Firth in the film. \\\\\\\\

Ah, you are correct! I did overlook Cruz's nomination for "Volver." I've seen the film at least twice, too!

I also didn't find any evidence of "The Shawshank Redemption" on TCM recently. Apparently, AMC has the rights, and seems to show the movie every few months or so.

What a great question! I narrowed it down to the 2009 Best Supporting Actress race, which featured Mo'Nique (who won for her performance in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" -- Lee Daniels movies tend to have the worst titles); Penélope Cruz ("Nine"); Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick ("Up in the Air"); and Maggie Gyllenhaal ("Crazy Heart"). Cruz had won an Oscar the year before, but it was in this category. You have to go all the way back to the 1999 Best Supporting Actress race to find five nominees who had never before been nominated: Angelina Jolie (who won for "Girl, Interrupted"); Toni Collette ("The Sixth Sense"); Catherine Keener ("Being John Malkovich"); Samantha Morton ("Sweet and Lowdown"); and Chloë Sevigny ("Boys Don't Cry"). In the years since, Collette and Sevigny are the only ones who never received another nomination.

One of Streep's greatest qualities is her ability to mimic just about anybody and anything. I can remember watching a "Today" interview with Gene Shalit in which she talked about her experiences making "Out of Africa." At one point, she blew me away by imitating the sound of a hippo.

Are you sure you're not confusing it with "Sleepless in Seattle"? I looked at several Now Playing guides and didn't see a trace of "You've Got Mail."

TCM On Demand for January 16, 2015 The following features are now available on TCM On Demand for a limited time: 1. Colorado Territory (1949) -- Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone, Henry Hull, John Archer, James Mitchell, Morris Ankrum, Basil Ruysdael, Frank Puglia, Ian Wolfe, Harry Woods, Houseley Stevenson. Uncredited: Victor Kilian, Maudie Prickett, James Mitchum. Directed by Raoul Walsh, this is a Western remake of the 1941 Humphrey Bogart film "High Sierra," which was filmed by Walsh. McCrea stars as outlaw Wes McQueen, who breaks out of jail to participate in a train robbery. He begins to have second thoughts after he meets a woman (Malone) he would consider settling down with. The movie's screenwriters were Edmund H. North, who shared the 1970 Adapted Screenplay Oscar with Francis Ford Coppola for "Patton," and John Twist. Expires January 22, 2015. 2. The Great Train Robbery (1979) -- Sir Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, Lesley-Anne Down, Alan Webb, Malcolm Terris, Robert Lang, Michael Elphick, Wayne Sleep, Pamela Salem, Gabrielle Lloyd, George Downing, James Cossins, John Bett, Peter Benson, Janine Duvitski, Brian De Salvo, André Morell. Uncredited: Brooke Adams. Michael Crichton directed this caper film -- set in mid-19th-century England -- about a meticulous plan to rob a train of its gold shipment. The mastermind behind the bold heist is Edward Pierce (Connery), who assembles a top-notch team, including characters played by Sutherland and Down. The film, with a screenplay written by Crichton, was based on his 1975 novel of the same title. He modeled the tale after a real-life incident that occurred in England in 1855. This was one of the last pictures photographed by the great British cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, who died in October 1978 -- four months before the film's release in America. He was voted a posthumous 1980 Academy Award for "Tess" (shared with Ghislain Cloquet, who completed the film). Both "Superman" (1978) and this film were dedicated to Unsworth. Connery did many of his own stunts atop a moving train, and reportedly almost fell off at one point: Expires January 22, 2015. 3. Man of the West (1958) -- Gary Cooper, Julie London, Lee J. Cobb, Arthur O'Connell, Jack Lord, John Dehner, Royal Dano, Robert J. Wilke. Uncredited: Frank Ferguson, Chuck Roberson. Director Anthony Mann, known for his Western movies with James Stewart ("The Man from Laramie," "The Naked Spur"), collaborated with Cooper for the first time. In a role intended for Stewart, Cooper stars as a former outlaw-turned-respected pillar of a Western community. When he sets out by train on a special mission to hire a new schoolteacher, he runs into some of his former gang members. They pressure him to help them pull a bank robbery. This was one of the final films in Cooper's long and prestigious career. He died of cancer at the age of 60 on May 13, 1961, a month after the presentation of a special Academy Award "for his many memorable screen performances and the international recognition he, as an individual, has gained for the motion picture industry." The award was accepted for the ailing Cooper by Stewart. Expires January 22, 2015.

Broderick Crawford was in "The Candidate" (1972) with Robert Redford. Robert Redford was in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kind" (1969) with Paul Newman. Next: Alice Ghostley.

Yes. But sometimes an Oscar hopeful is better off in a supporting category. Rosalind Russell never won a competitive Academy Award despite four nominations for Best Actress. She might have won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as an aging schoolteacher in the 1955 drama "Picnic." But Russell reportedly declined the opportunity to be nominated in the category and ended up not being honored at all. Then again, you have to admire people who stick to their guns. There was some discussion that Sir Anthony Hopkins should push for a 1991 Best Supporting Actor nod for his performance as Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs." But he ended up with a Best Actor nomination -- and the award.

On the occasion of Meryl Streep's phenomenal 19th Academy Award nomination, here's an evaluation of her performances: http://www.vulture.com/2014/01/meryl-streep-and-her-many-oscar-nominations.html?mid=twitter_nymag

Seeding probably would be better for the NFL playoffs, though.

Here's an interesting online piece about how to fix the Oscars. The solution: Seeded nominations! http://www.vulture.com/2015/01/how-to-fix-the-oscars-seeded-nominations.html?mid=twitter_nymag

Aniston also has been queen of romantic comedies. It took Matthew McConaughey years to break out of that kind of mold.

Yeah, Jennifer Aniston is a member of the Academy, and she can't seem to get a break!

No. The reaction is derived from sentiment about Oprah's movie and its historical significance. And, of course, a lot of people were rooting for a Best Director nomination for Ava DuVernay, despite the controversy about inaccuracies in "Selma."

Well, the Twitterverse apparently exploded over the lack of diversity among the acting nominees: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-twitter-reacts-all-white-764030?utm_source=twitter

Here's an interesting list of snubs and surprises from TheWrap.com: http://www.thewrap.com/the-biggest-snubs-and-surprises-oscars-2015-photos/1/

I just find it interesting that neither "Wild" nor "Gone Girl" was nominated for Best Picture. In 2009, the Academy made a big deal of expanding the maximum number of Best Picture nominees from five to up to 10. And they haven't had 10 nominees since the 2010 slate of movies.

I'm happy that Reese Witherspoon was nominated for "Wild," although she probably won't win Best Actress (this appears to be Julianne Moore's year). Witherspoon produced "Wild" and "Gone Gone," but neither was nominated for Best Picture. Meanwhile, she has to compete with Rosamund Pike of "Gone Girl" in the Best Actress category. It's a good thing Witherspoon already has an Oscar.

I retrieved the Slate.com article you mentioned and have posted it below: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_movie_club/features/2014/the_movie_club_2014/worst_movies_of_2014_american_sniper_glosses_over_chris_kyle_s_lies.html

I believe he is one of the film's producers, too, making him eligible for a third Best Picture Oscar.

Maybe you are right about that. I thought it had a chance for a Best Picture nomination, but I was surprised that Clint Eastwood didn't get one for Best Director.

By the way, "Selma" received a Best Picture nomination, but no Best Director nod for Ava DuVernay. Also missing in action: Jennifer Aniston, who was not nominated for Best Actress in "Cake," and Angelina Jolie, whose second directorial effort, "Unbroken," did not place in the Best Picture and Best Director categories.

TCM On Demand for January 15, 2015 The following features are now available on TCM On Demand for a limited time: 1. Bikini Beach (1964) -- Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Keenan Wynn, Martha Hyer, Don Rickles, Harvey Lembeck, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, Candy Johnson, Danielle Aubry, Janos Prohaska, Sheila MacRae, Meredith MacRae, Delores Wells, Paul Smith, James Westerfield, Timothy Carey, Michael Nader, Donna Loren, Little Stevie Wonder, Boris Karloff. Directed and co-written by William Asher, this was the third of seven installments in the popular "Beach Party" series of films produced by American International Pictures. Avalon plays a dual role as beach regular Frankie and a British singer named Potato Bug. Asher, who helmed most of the "Beach Party" movies, directed numerous episodes of the television series "I Love Lucy" and "Bewitched." The latter show starred his wife Elizabeth Montgomery (who provides the voice of Yvonne the Lady Bug for this film). The director of photography for the movie was Academy Award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby ("Tabu," "High Noon"), the father of rock great David Crosby of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Expires January 21, 2015. 2. The Lady from Shanghai (1947) -- Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, Everett Sloane, Glenn Anders, Ted de Corsia, Erskine Sanford, Gus Schilling, Carl Frank, Louis Merrill, Evelyn Ellis, Harry Shannon. Uncredited: Errol Flynn, William Alland. Welles -- who also directed, produced and co-adapted the screenplay-- stars as Michael O'Hara, the movie's worldly protagonist and narrator. He becomes involved in a boatload of intrigue when he goes to work for a high-powered West Coast couple -- the seductive title character (Hayworth, Mrs. Welles at the time) and her husband (Sloane), an attorney with a disability. In the following scene, O'Hara finds himself enchanted by the charms of his employer's wife: The 2007 documentary "Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story," directed by Jeffrey Schwarz, reveals that producer-director Castle ("The Tingler," "House on Haunted Hill") optioned the movie rights for the 1938 novel "If I Die Before I Wake" by Sherwood King. Castle hoped to direct it at Columbia Pictures, and asked Welles to talk about it with studio chief Harry Cohn. But Cohn would only give it a green light if Welles directed it. It was retitled "The Lady from Shanghai." Although the picture did not do well at the box office in its original run, it is considered to be one of Welles' best films -- and a film noir classic. Expires January 21, 2015.