R.I.P. Alice Arlen (1940-2016)

Alice Arlen

On March 29, 2016, screenwriter Alice Arlen died in New York, New York at the age of 75. She is best remembered for her work with director Nora Ephron, specifically on the Meryl Streep vehicle Silkwood, which earned Arlen an Oscar nomination. Her career spanned many decades and featured many films starring strong female protagonists. Her dramas were provocative and captured an empowering change in the societal climate. Over her career spanning 24 years, she wrote 6 screenplays that helped to shape and influence women in cinema going forward.

Check This Out: The Academy Remembers 9/11

Tom Cruise

On this date in 2001, a major tragedy struck America in which two planes flew into The Twin Towers. From there, uncertainty arose and the future didn't look as optimistic as it once did. For many, it was a question as to when we could laugh and enjoy ourselves again. For the state of New York especially, the involvement of Mayor Giuliani was crucial and the weeks and months surrounding that day was bleak. Thankfully, with his involvement on a Saturday Night Live episode, the world was able to persevere. Even The Oscars had that same question arise when it came to their 2002 ceremony: should they continue? They did, with a few surprising, moving tributes to film and the state in general.

Birthday Take: "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989)

Left to right: Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally...

Welcome to The Birthday Take, a column dedicated to celebrating Oscar nominees and winners' birthdays by paying tribute to the work that got them noticed. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive retrospective, but more of a highlight of one nominated work that makes them noteworthy. The column will run whenever there is a birthday and will hopefully give a dense exploration of the finest performances and techniques applied to film. So please join me as we blow out the candles and dig into the delicious substance.