Every era of the James Bond franchise has its own unique qualities and characteristics, both for good and ill. The Sean Connery years framed the Cold War against the backdrop of a suave and sophisticated super spy. The Roger Moore era leaned heavily into camp value. Pierce Brosnan's run relied heavily on grandiose spectacle. George … Continue reading Junk Bond – No Time to Die
Ah February, such a wonderful time of the year. A season of love, a time of reflection on racial history, and also, horror movies... somehow. Yeah, I don't know if you've ever noticed, but the second month on the calendar tends to be the testing ground for the year in cinematic terror. Even though October … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – February 2022
We're just over a week away from Oscar nominations, and I have exciting news. For the first time ever, I will complete the International Feature shortlist! Okay fine, maybe it's only exciting to me, but it is something of an achievement. I've now seen 12 of the 15 films, and with the announcement of Austria's … Continue reading Full (of it) House – Plaza Catedral
After the success of Belle, the announcement by Funimation of a new anime film also prominently featuring music instantly piqued my interest. Through a special, three-day engagement, the newest film from Yasuhiro Yoshiura (director of the acclaimed Pale Cocoon and Time of Eve), Sing a Bit of Harmony (original Japanese: Let Me Hear You Sing … Continue reading AI School Musical – Sing a Bit of Harmony
The Screen Actors Guild had their say a couple weeks ago when they announced their slate of nominees. Next week our friends across the Pond will get their turn when the BAFTA Award nominees come out. Today, we have the meat of this Awards Season undercard sandwich, as the other three major American production unions … Continue reading An Invitation from THE GUILD! – DGA, PGA, WGA Nominees
The journey through the probable Netflix Oscar nominees continues with a film I was really looking forward to seeing when it was first announced, but that sadly fell by the wayside as my free time became coopted by other projects and obligations. As a fan of musical theatre, I was quite excited for tick, tick... … Continue reading Sheer Heart Attack – tick, tick… BOOM!
We're but a few weeks away from Oscar nominations, and since the shortlists were released last month, I haven't been able to make any further progress on the 15 semifinalists for International Feature. I saw 10 of the films before the announcements were made, but nothing since. That ends today, as the first of three … Continue reading Bovine Intervention – Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
It's amazing to me that it's been 12 years since the acclaimed Jane Campion has directed a film. Until now, her most recent work was the well-received but barely seen Bright Star, about poet John Keats. It's been nearly 20 years since her last mainstream film, the underwhelming In the Cut. While her output has … Continue reading The Sheep’s Clothing – The Power of the Dog
I'd wager that most people know the concept of the Uncanny Valley, where the brain triggers a negative response to something artificial that's made to look human but comes up short somewhere in the middle. It played over and over in my mind while watching Mamoru Hosoda's latest film, Belle (originally titled The Dragon and … Continue reading Lend Me Your Voice – Belle
While the Oscars are the main event of Awards Season, there's still a good deal of information to gather along the way for those trying to win their office pools. Just about every major production branch has its own union that votes on internal awards, but the big four in this regard are the unions … Continue reading Acting! Genius! – 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Nominees
I Actually Paid To See This 