Movies about World War I are about as old as cinema itself. In fact, two of the first three films to win the Academy Award for Best Picture used it as a backdrop. It's a conflict that has given us hundreds, if not thousands, of good stories over the years. Hell, just last year 1917 … Continue reading The War at Home – Blizzard of Souls
In 2016, Spotlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture. A captivating look at the sheer grinding work of investigative journalism, the film was rightly lauded for its procedural pace and the almost documentary-style approach taken as the Boston Globe uncovered one of the most pervasive and shocking scandals in modern history. Five years later, … Continue reading Spotlight on Romania – Collective
It's an odd quirk of mine. I love a film with a long title, especially when it's done tongue-in-cheek. It shows that the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, even when dealing with heavy themes or when it's reaching for some prestige. Think Dr. Strangelove; or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the … Continue reading Long Title, Short Substance – Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
Four years ago, Gianfranco Rosi's documentary, Fire at Sea, was submitted by Italy to compete for what is now called International Feature at the Academy Awards. It didn't get nominated in that category, but it did get a nod for Documentary Feature. History seems to be possibly repeating itself now with his follow-up feature, Notturno … Continue reading Nearly Silent Night – Notturno
Damn, this has been a busy week so far, and it's only Thursday. Awards Season got itself into full swing basically overnight, and already I'm doing my best to keep up. For example, over the last 48 hours I've been trying to get a handle on foreign films in anticipation of the Academy's announcement of … Continue reading Spirit Fingers, Everyone! – 36th Independent Spirit Nominations
I was starting to get a little antsy waiting for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to start announcing the submissions for this year's Oscars. I know everything got pushed back by two months, but we're less than two weeks from the shortlist announcements, and thus far we haven't seen a whit of … Continue reading I Love it When You Submit – 93rd Oscars Specialty Feature Submissions!
The idea of a film detailing the misadventures of men going through a midlife crisis is nothing new. In American cinema alone, it's had a wide range of success and quality, from the Hangover trilogy to basically everything Adam Sandler and David Spade have done since they left Saturday Night Live. But just because the … Continue reading Life Has a Two Drink Minimum – Another Round
As I mentioned yesterday in my 2020 recap, the upcoming Oscar Blitz will likely be the most difficult I've ever attempted, mostly because the pandemic has introduced a host of variables about accessibility of nominees, particularly in the specialty categories. The deadline for submitting was on December 1, and as of yet there's been no … Continue reading Overtaking Parasite – 93rd Oscars International Feature Submissions
Let's just state the plain and honest truth. 2020 was the shittiest year any of us have experienced. Everything closed, Donald Trump tried to lead an insurrection, and 1 out of every 1,000 Americans died from a virus that could have been mitigated - if not contained - if we had a competent government response … Continue reading The Best (and Worst) of 2020, Way After the Fact
Here's a bit of breaking news. I can be a cynical asshole at times. I can hear your shocked gasps through the internet itself at this stunning revelation. But it's true, especially as we get closer to Awards Season. With the Academy's timetable shifted back by two months, we're just now getting to the point … Continue reading Silence Like a Cancer Grows – Sound of Metal
I Actually Paid To See This 