Six Damn Fine Degrees #30: Shelley Duvall in The Shining

Welcome to Six Damn Fine Degrees. These instalments will be inspired by the idea of six degrees of separation in the loosest sense. The only rule: it connects – in some way – to the previous instalment. So come join us on our weekly foray into interconnectedness!

In the inaugural awards ceremony for The Golden Raspberries back in 1980, Shelley Duvall was nominated for her performance as Wendy Torrence in The Shining. This fact is a useful reminder as to how mixed to hostile the critical reception was for the film on its initial release. And that the annual exercise in lazy trying-to-be-cool snobbery that is the Razzies really don’t know what they’re talking about.

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The Rear-View Mirror: Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Each Friday we travel back in time, one year at a time, for a look at some of the cultural goodies that may appear closer than they really are in The Rear-View Mirror. Join us on our weekly journey into the past!It must sound incredible to ears younger than mine, but there was a time when Jack Nicholson didn’t let his freak flag fly in every movie he was in. The Shining, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, The Witches of Eastwick will all make the top of any crazy poll because Jack eventually goes full Nicholson in all of them. I really don’t mind those movies, but there are other movies starring him, such as Five Easy Pieces, which use him not as a purring kitten exactly, but he brings a wonderfully layered performance to the movie.

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