The task is complete. After a few more days and three more viewings, I have finished all the feature length films that have gotten at least one Oscar nomination this year. All that remains are the Shorts, which will be released theatrically and online this coming Friday, April 2. Each of our final three films … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Blitz Catch-Up, Part 3
The leitmotif of middle-aged actors becoming action film stars is always a fascinating one, because you can never quite tell which ones will work and which ones won't. Yeah, there are fairly safe guesses like Liam Neeson, who was always a badass, and Keanu Reeves, who had action chops as part of his repertoire beforehand. … Continue reading Better Call a Pall Bearer – Nobody
The distinction between a lead actor and a supporting actor is a precise art. It takes a careful examination of things like line count, screen time, overall importance to the plot, and many other criteria that are parsed with surgical precision to-- Nah, I'm just kidding. It's basically made up. The entire process by which … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Supporting Actor
If you've ever met me in person or seen me on YouTube, you'd probably agree that I'm not exactly a looker. As the popular slang goes, I'm a solid 5, maybe a 6, and a 7 on my absolute best days, but I am definitely not "Hollywood pretty." I'm overweight, I've got a chubby face, … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Makeup & Hairstyling
As a writer, the Screenplay categories are among my favorites. They're also the only categories where I even have a calculable chance of ever getting nominated myself. Currently, those chances stand at 0.000000873%. It's the three that's most important. Last year it was 0.000000871%. Things are starting to look up for me, I can feel … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Original Screenplay
A few years ago, in a futile attempt to be seen as more relevant to the demographics that never found it relevant in the first place, the Academy floated a lot of changes that were framed as addition by subtraction. The two most famous of those extremely ill-advised proposals was the introduction of a "Best … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Sound
Welcome one and all to the annual Oscar Blitz! At long last, after a year of lockdowns and two months of logistical delays, we finally can begin the countdown to the biggest night in cinema. Now, you may be asking why I call this the Blitz when the articles are called "Oscar Gold." You're probably … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Documentary Feature
The official Blitz starts tomorrow with a breakdown of the Documentary Feature category. However, we still have a few more movies to watch to actually be able to complete coverage. A couple days ago I posted Part 1 of this nine film mini-marathon, and now it's time for Part 2. Three more films to take … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Blitz Catch-Up, Part 2
Part of the problem with a lot of spy thrillers is that the films lean much more into the action fantasy than the actual tradecraft of espionage, for fear that the actual nuts and bolts of an operation would come off as boring. A couple of films over the past decade plus have given it … Continue reading The Tale of the Moscow Mule – The Courier
It's time for the annual Oscar Blitz to begin in earnest! Starting on Monday, and over the next five weeks until the biggest night in entertainment, I'll be going through my favorite annual ritual of breaking down each and every category and nominee for the Academy Awards. Every weekday until we're done, I'll analyze the … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – The Hub
I Actually Paid To See This 