The heist movie is a subgenre that's basically out of gas at this point, at least from a plot perspective. Pretty much every film follows a fairly standard pattern of a big idea, complications that could be easily foreseen with a bit of logical thinking, at least two betrayals, and an ultimate victor when it … Continue reading Stacking the Deck – No Sudden Move
Japanese anime films usually succeed or fail based on two key factors. The first is the sense of wonder. Even if a film doesn't have a fantastical or magical angle to it, the best anime works spark the imagination in unique ways, forcing the audience to think outside their normal parameters and paradigms as to … Continue reading The Coy and the Kawaii – Josee, the Tiger, and the Fish
Part of my major problem with this year's Oscar-winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher, was that it was in large part a vanity project, a form of self-therapy for the film's creator. I'm happy for the emotional breakthroughs he made, and the footage of the titular octopus was gorgeous, but it felt like watching something that … Continue reading A Cry in the Dark – The Loneliest Whale
Director Carlos López Estrada has three feature films under his belt so far, with a fourth coming later this year. He made his debut with Blindspotting, which was my favorite film of 2018. This year, he followed up with Raya and the Last Dragon, and later this year he'll put out his second Disney animated … Continue reading Poetic Social Justice – Summertime
Natasha Romanoff was always an underserved character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Introduced in Iron Man 2 purely as an object of hotness before pulling some decent martial arts, the majority of Scarlett Johansson's screen time as an Avenger has focused much more on her sex appeal than her utility as a superhero. It's still … Continue reading Too Little, Too Late – Black Widow
I love a good concert film. When music is celebrated in tandem with the people and history of a given moment, it's often sublime. I remember feeling that way with the Aretha Franklin Amazing Grace film and Bruce Springsteen's Western Stars over the last few years. Well, thanks to Ahmir Thompson, better known to audiences … Continue reading Hot Fun in the Summertime! – Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
This is the part of the program where I admit to something that, based on references I've made for the last few years, might come as a shock. I've never seen either of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musicals. It's not that I'm not interested, just that opportunities are few and far between. The last time I went … Continue reading These Are The People In Your Neighborhood – In The Heights
I've been thinking about doing this for a while, and over the holiday weekend, I got my chance to devote the necessary uninterrupted hours and see it through. After a year of incorporating YouTube videos into the blog via TFINYW (not to mention my annual coverage of the Oscar Original Song category), as well as … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – I Did a Thing
As I mentioned in the July edition of TFINYW, this has been a relatively weak year for animation so far. We've got one genuine hit in The Mitchells vs. the Machines and a passable-to-decent Disney outing in Raya and the Last Dragon, which has gorgeous artwork but a very subpar script. Meanwhile, we've had to … Continue reading Sleeping with the Fishes – Luca
Something amazing happened the other day. Over the last three years that I've been doing this blog, I've been wowed and humbled when I've gotten positive feedback. I love it when I get comments on the posts to respond to, or when a production company retweets or likes the links I put out on Twitter. … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – July 2021
I Actually Paid To See This 