037 – The Gift

Before Sam Raimi went into the Spider-Verse, he tipped a toe into prestige waters with A Simple Plan before misfiring with The Gift. The 2000 film starred Cate Blanchett as southern clairvoyant helping solving the murder of a local woman (played by an off-type Katie Holmes) and also her damaged friends Hilary Swank and Giovanni Ribisi. This was thought of as a potential nomination for Blanchett and post-Sling Blade cash-in for screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton, but ultimately was too middling to register in a year of dominating lead actress performances. This week we look at the post-Elizabeth (but pre-Aviator) Cate Blanchett fog of indistinguishable titles that failed to return her to the Oscar stage, and also the warring factions of actress stans on Oscar message boards. We also consider  Ribisi as “Ben Foster with words”, the internet’s pervy Mr. Skin days, and the 4/5 brilliance of the 2000 Best Actress lineup. (And again apologies on the audio this episode! Next week will be a return to better sound…) Follow Us on Twitter! @Had_Oscar_Buzz Joe: @joereid Chris: @chrisvfeil