Latest news with #BelcourtTheatre
Style Blueprint
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Style Blueprint
Happy 100th Birthday, Belcourt Theatre!
Move over, Grand Ole Opry, you're not the only Nashville icon hitting 100 this year. The Belcourt Theatre, the city's beloved indie cinema, has officially reached the century mark, and it's celebrating the only way it knows how: by rolling film. As part of its birthday festivities, the theater is hosting a special centennial series called 'Nashville: A City on Film,' a deep dive into how our city has appeared on the silver screen over the decades. (In other words, get ready to see Nashville play itself in a bunch of movies!) It all kicks off with the most meta choice possible: Robert Altman's 1975 classic Nashville. And to sweeten the opening weekend, actor Keith Carradine, who starred in the film and even won an Academy Award for the song he wrote and performed in it, will appear at the Belcourt in person on Sunday, June 1. Carradine's presence is a film buff's dream; after the screening, he'll share stories and answer audience questions about making the film. And that's just the beginning. 'Nashville: A City On Film' features eight films throughout June, each spotlighting different eras and corners of town, with more to be added as the celebration continues all year. The lineup ranges from a 1960s country-fried curio (Girl from Tobacco Row) and a 2000s concert documentary (Neil Young: Heart of Gold) to quirky indie fare like Harmony Korine's Gummo and the outrageous local musical satire Existo. There's also the '90s charmer The Thing Called Love (about aspiring songwriters in Nashville) and even the goofy Halloween romp Ernest Scared Stupid. In short, expect a little bit of everything – drama, music, comedy, and some weirdness – unified by one common show-stealer: the city of Nashville. Half the fun of this series is scanning the screen for familiar places. Altman's Nashville alone features a treasure trove of local spots, from the long-gone Opryland amusement park and the Exit/In to a climactic political rally at The Parthenon in Centennial Park. There's even a quick airport scene shot at Berry Field (known today as Nashville International Airport), which is sure to prompt some nostalgia. (Farewell, old BNA carpet!) The Thing Called Love (1993) offers its own sightseeing, as well as a much younger Sandra Bullock. Keep an eye out for Green Hills, the old Drake Motel on Murfreesboro Road, and a romantic moment on the then-Shelby Street Bridge downtown. But don't get too caught up in whether or not the scenes at Bluebird Café are legit. They were actually recreated on a Hollywood stage! Music history buffs will love Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006), which captures an intimate performance at the Ryman Auditorium. You can practically feel the soul of the Mother Church in every frame. And for a lighter touch, Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) turns East Nashville's Five Points and Shelby Park into the backdrop for some slime-flinging, good-hearted Halloween mischief. There's nothing like seeing your neighborhood haunt pop up in a cult film to make a screening extra special. Of course, the Belcourt Theatre has plenty of its own history worth celebrating. It first opened its doors in 1925 as the Hillsboro Theatre, a silent movie house (complete with an orchestra pit for those pre-talkie flicks). In the 1930s, it even did a stint as an early stage for the Grand Ole Opry radio shows before the Opry moved on to bigger venues. Over the decades, the theater wore many hats, later hosting live plays as the Community Playhouse (home to groups like the Nashville Children's Theatre), then eventually transforming into the nonprofit art-house cinema cherished by Nashville film fans today. If those walls could talk, we have no doubt they'd have a century's worth of incredible stories. Now, at 100 years young, the Belcourt is proving that some classics never go out of style. This centennial film series isn't just a trip down memory lane; it's a chance for today's audiences to rediscover Nashville's cinematic moments and maybe learn something new about our hometown in the process. So, grab your popcorn (or perhaps a slice of birthday cake?), find a cozy seat, and enjoy the show. Happy birthday, Belcourt. See you at the movies! ********** Keep up with the best parts of life in Nashville and beyond. Subscribe to StyleBlueprint!
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I watched all the Oscar contenders so you don't have to. This one was the worst.
On Wednesday, I finally finished my annual goal of watching all the Oscar nominated movies before the Academy Awards broadcast. This year, the show is on Sunday, so I cut it relatively close, but like last year, I am offering my view on my least to most favorite films in the countdown below. And if you haven't watched any or all, I hope this is a helpful guide to persuade or dissuade you from watching them. There are 10 movies, by the way − all at two hours or longer and one surpassing three hours in length. So, you're welcome. I am not a professional film critic, but I am a cinema fan and a journalist with nearly two decades of experience as an opinion writer. After each movie, I read about the films, listened to podcasts by movie buffs and came to my own conclusions about which ones I enjoyed and which ones I abhorred. I read about controversies surrounding actors and film techniques that caused USA TODAY to call this awards season the "'most toxic,' controversial Oscar season in years," but that did not sway my opinions about the movies. USA TODAY Movie Meter: Vote for your favorite Oscar-nominated movie Below, you'll find my Top 10 ranking from worst to best, divided into three segments. At the bottom are movies that felt to me disjointed, disorienting and dismal. They seemed to be made just for the sake of art, resulting in a self-indulgent squeezing out of any enjoyment for this fan. Intellectual curiosity turned into claustrophobia. The middling list reflect films that were good, but not great, and fell short of being Oscar worthy. Finally, my top list features film that are about great storytelling combined with excellent acting ensembles whose performances were memorable, but not gratuitous. Let me know what you think. Scroll below to share your rankings of your favorite films. On Sunday, I'll have a few people over to watch the telecast and I look forward to a long night, the musical performances and the final reveal of the Best Picture. I don't expect my No. 1 to win, but I definitely recommend readers watch it. Bottom of the list Run Time: 3 hours 34 minutes How I Watched It: The Belcourt Theatre in Nashville's Hillsboro Village neighborhood Grade: C- Synopsis: A Hungarian architect (Adrien Brody) flees Europe after World War II. After enduring hard times, a tycoon discovers his genius and challenges him to design a major building in the brutalist architecture stye. Quick take: I don't mind epic films. I loved "The Godfather," "Amadeus" and "Lord of the Rings," but "The Brutalist" was over the top. A two-part story separated by an intermission, the movie dawdled and the protagonists came off as selfish and unsympathetic. Run Time: 2 hours 12 minutes Grade: C How I Watched It: Netflix at home Synopsis: A Mexican drug trafficker (Karla Sofía Gascón) fakes her death and undergoes a gender transition while trying to keep her unsuspecting wife (Selena Gomez) in her life and putting all the stress on her lawyer (Zoe Saldaña). Quick analysis: I really like musicals, but I was put off by the tone-deafness of brutal criminals breaking out into song. The lead character tried to reinvent herself as a local hero, hiding the horrors she had inflicted upon her community, which made her redemption story off-putting. Run Time: 2 hours 21 minutes How I Watched It: Prime Video at home Grade: C Synopsis: A 50-year-old TV aerobics instructor gets fired by her misogynistic boss, and then proceeds to inject herself with a secret serum called "The Substance," which creates a younger version of herself (Margaet Qualley) who emerges from her body, leading to horrible consequences for both women over time. Quick take: The NPR podcast "Pop Culture Happy Hour" aptly described this movie as "squelchy." It's a horror movie and so messy that the finale feels like a mashup of "The Elephant Man" and "Carrie." I get the message about social beauty standards, but it culminated in a gross hot mess. The middling list Run Time: 2 hour 46 minutes How I Watched It: Max at home Grade: C+/B- Synopsis: This is the second part of the classic novel hero Paul Atreides's (Timothee Chalamet) journey into finding his purpose and confronting dark forces in the universe. Quick take: This is an incredibly slow-moving film, but the character development is worth the slog, plus the sandworm riding scenes gave the movie a bit of a fun Western vibe. Run Time: 2 hours 20 minutes How I Watched It: Prime Video at home Grade: B- Synopsis: Two boys − one an idealist and the other a realist − develop a deep friendship in a juvenile detention facility in Florida during the Jim Crow era. This movie is based on Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead's novel "The Nickel Boys." Quick analysis: The first-person narrator camera angle can be jarring, but the dialogue drives a fascinating and horrifying story. My biggest complaint is the frequent jumping across time and dimensions, which made the film difficult to follow at times. Run Time: 2 hours 40 minutes How I Watched It: Regal Hollywood − Nashville near One Hundred Oaks Mall Grade: B Synopsis: This is the prequel of "Wizard of Oz," and explains how Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) aka The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda (Ariana Grande) aka The Good Witch started out as school rivals, turned into friends and finally became enemies. Quick take This movie is the most joyful of the 10 nominees, and I came away elated. Some of the themes reflect confronting repressive regimes and how official narratives can alter the perceptions we have about people and their intentions, for right or wrong. Top of the list Run Time: 2 hours 19 minutes How I Watched It: Prime Video at home Grade: B+/A- Synopsis: Exotic dancer Anora "Ani" (Mikey Madison) falls in love, or at least in lust, with a Russian oligarch's son (Mark Eydelshteyn), which severely upsets his parents who work to annul the couple's Vegas wedding. Quick take: The first half hour is frenetic and hypersexualized, but it turns into a fun caper movie and the lead actress shines as a young woman who is just trying find a better life. Run Time: 2 hours How I Watched It: Prime Video at home Grade: A- Synopsis: After the death of a fictional Pope, a Cardinal (Ralph Fiennes) must lead a papal conclave to choose the deceased pontiff's successor amidst scandal, terrorism, backstabbing and a mysterious interloper. Quick take: This is a master class in acting with incredible chemistry among the cast, including Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini. The surprise ending was incredibly satisfying. Run Time: 2 hours 21 minutes How I Watched It: Apple TV at home Grade: A-/A Synopsis: This is a biopic about folk legend and Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) from his start in the industry to his genre-bending, culture-changing electric guitar performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Quick analysis: The music is fantastic and Chalamet sings splendidly as Dylan, but he's also joined by a stellar cast including Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. Chalamet showed tremendous acting chops and depth in his portrayal of "The Bard." Run Time: 2 hours 17 minutes How I Watch It: Belcourt Theatre Grade: A Synopsis: A Brazilian family is torn apart during the 1970s dictatorship because of the father's involvement with anti-government forces. The protagonist played by Fernanda Torres tries to hold her family apart amid the chaos in this film based on a true story. Quick analysis: Torres delivers a phenomenal performance and holds the rapt attention of the audience in this Portuguese-language film. Furthermore, this movie provides a look into living in an authoritarian regime − the brutal parts and the parts that appear normal to every-day citizens. Meanwhile, viewers are gifted a roadmap for how not just to survive, but to defend one's rights to exist, to be free and to emerge stronger in such circumstances. Thank you for adding to the conversation. David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@ or find him on X at @davidplazas or BlueSky at This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Oscars 2025: Academy Award Best Picture noms ranked | Opinion
