Late in 2019, the Academy revealed the list of films submitted for the Oscar for Animated Feature, an eclectic mix of mainstream studio fare, low-budget foreign entries, and innovative pieces of high art. I made it my mission to see as many of the submissions as possible before the nominations even came out, mostly in … Continue reading Hey Look, A Magical Cat Movie That Doesn’t Suck! – A Whisker Away
It's a rare thing when an actor gives a performance that truly feels otherworldly, as if they're so lost in a role that nothing could extricate them from the moment. It can reach deep within your own being as a viewer, even if you have no real-life connection to the character. It's transformative in a … Continue reading When Levee Breaks – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andy Samberg was born on August 18, 1978. I was born on August 18, 1982. Andy Samberg is exactly four years older than me, and ever since his days on Saturday Night Live, I've used him as a sort of measuring stick for my career. This is both unfair to him and to me, but … Continue reading I Got You, Bae – Palm Springs
Ten points if you get the headline reference. The points have no value. Leave it to Pixar to once again create a visual representation of one of the most complex and indescribable sensations of life. Just as Inside Out - my favorite film of the century to date - was able to personify emotions, personality, … Continue reading Under the Love is a Stronger Emotion – Soul
Happy Birthday to Blog! Happy Birthday to Blog! This is in the public domain now, so fuck off with royalties! I know that doesn't rhyme, but I don't care. Three years ago today, I officially posted my first entry to this lovely little blog, and in the time since, it has brought me a great … Continue reading The Magic Number
As I mentioned a couple of days ago with the review of Tenet, the reaction to the so-called "tentpole" films of 2020 was not so great once people got to actually watch the movies without a highly-coordinated marketing campaign in the months leading up. The multiple delays, lack of ad campaigns, and subsequent releases on … Continue reading I Wish for a Better Sequel – Wonder Woman 1984
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unfathomable effect on every aspect of our lives, and for one out of every 1,000 Americans, ended them entirely. In the much less significant arena of cinema, the pandemic disrupted the entire business model of the studio and theatre system, perhaps permanently. One of the biggest consequences of this … Continue reading Put My Thing Down, Flip It, and Reverse It – Tenet
The hardest love stories to tell are the ones that happen after the fall. It's so easy to show people finding one another and getting that triumphant moment of romance or familial rapport. But what happens once those relationships become routine, when one settles down and settles in for the long haul? That is the … Continue reading A Smooth Story with a Neat Relationship – On the Rocks
Much like Laika Studios, Irish animation house Cartoon Saloon has a small catalog of films, but each of them has been extraordinary in their own way, such that each of its previous products - The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, and The Breadwinner, have all been nominated for the Oscar for Animated Feature. … Continue reading Ah-hooo, Werewolves of Ireland – Wolfwalkers
A couple years ago, I worked on a game show called Mental Samurai. The basic premise of the show was to challenge the mental acuity of our contestants by asking them to solve 12 puzzles or trivia questions in the span of five minutes to win a decent chunk of money. The crux of the … Continue reading A Deadly Formula – Ava
