The new year is a time for reflection, for hope, for fresh starts and new outlooks on things. It's a moment of renewal, where people all over the world can look up with fresh eyes and resolve to do better. It's an annual second chance to get things right, and make good on the promise … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – January 2023
Hello all, and welcome to 2023! I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday, regardless of how you celebrated. Mercifully, 2022 is finally over, but that doesn't mean we're done with its cinematic slate, not by a long shot. The unofficial tally for the year, cut off at calendar's end, is 116 films viewed, but obviously … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Doc’s Orders, Part 1
"An act of female imagination" is the phrase Sarah Polley uses to describe her film, Women Talking. I don't mean in interviews or press junkets, but in actual on-screen text. It's a curious statement if you don't know the context of the story. Between 2005 and 2009, in an ultraconservative Mennonite colony in Bolivia, dozens … Continue reading Guess What it’s About – Women Talking
There comes a time in every person's life when they wonder what sort of legacy they'll leave behind when they die. This conundrum is the foundation for many an existential crisis, as we all take stock of ourselves and contemplate if we've done enough in this world to be remembered, hopefully with fondness. The world … Continue reading Get Busy – Living
If you've ever read this blog during Awards Season, there is probably one theme above all others that you could key in on, and that is the fact that I utterly despise the Golden Globe Awards. I hate the way they try to one-up the Academy even though they only care about celebrities rather than … Continue reading DownStream – Globetrotting
There are only a few days left in 2022, and I'm scrambling to see as much as possible before the year-end cutoff. It's not that I'm going to stop watching stuff once the calendar turns over, just that there's a bit of OCD in my head that I want to keep things as contained and … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Animation Nomination, Part 2
There's a moment late in Damien Chazelle's new film, Babylon, that offers what feels like the one instance of pure honesty in the entire project. Jack Conrad, played by Brad Pitt, has gone from being the biggest star in Hollywood to yesterday's news during the transition from silent pictures to talkies. After two flops in … Continue reading Cocaine’s a Hell of a Drug – Babylon
I fully admit that I have soured on the Shrek franchise ever since Shrek the Third. The first film was innovative, silly, and was a great update for big kids like me to the old "Fractured Fairy Tales" segments from reruns of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show that ran constantly on Nickelodeon in the 80s … Continue reading Avoiding Cat-astrophe – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
There are fleeting moments of brilliance in Sam Mendes' latest film, Empire of Light, in particular those that allow its chief actors, Olivia Colman and Michael Ward, to show off their talents. The combination of wistfulness in Colman and aspiration in Ward is particularly strong, as both characters represent the same desires and insecurities we … Continue reading Focus. FOCUS! – Empire of Light
Today's the semi-big day! We've reached the last major milestone before the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards are revealed. With one month to go, the official shortlists have been released for 10 specialty categories. For all intents and purposes, the pre-Blitz has begun, and it's time to plan viewing strategies for the next few … Continue reading A Little Short – 95th Academy Awards Shortlists Announced!
I Actually Paid To See This 