Long ago, in far distant past of 2013, I had a random day off and I was bored. So I decided to schlep down to the nearest theatre and see Disney's latest animated feature, Frozen. I had no hopes at all for a quality picture. Disney had basically ceded its position as the forefront of animation … Continue reading I Still Melt For Elsa and Anna – Frozen II
There are times when the success of a film is more about what it doesn't do than what it does. While just about everything in cinema has high and low points, more often than not a film is as good as or better than the sum of its parts. But in the case of Ford v. … Continue reading Shut Up and Drive! – Ford v. Ferrari
The "unofficial" phase is finally over. We are now firmly and officially into Awards Season! The next three months of hardware, hand-wringing, and haranguing kicked off this morning with the announcement of the nominees for the 35th Annual Independent Spirit Awards, which were presented by Zazie Beetz and Natasha Lyonne. There's a lot of love … Continue reading We’ve Got Spirit (Awards), Yes We Do! – 35th Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced!
When two legendary actors come together, it usually makes for cinematic magic. When it happens during awards season, you can normally bet that it will be top notch prestige fare. So imagine my depression in watching The Good Liar, which winds up being one of the most disappointing movies I've seen all year. In fairness, Sir … Continue reading The Real Con is Pretending This is Quality – The Good Liar
Ever since the submissions for the Oscar for Animated Feature were announced last month, the scramble has been on to see as many of these films as possible. The more commercial fare is easy, but there are a good deal of independent and foreign films in the mix as well, very few of which will … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Toontown, Part 1
It's all but impossible to follow up Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece of horror, The Shining. It's beyond telling that no one's even tried until now, nearly 40 years after the original release. When you have such a definitive entry in the genre, it is a fool's errand to try to live up to it. So in that … Continue reading Doesn’t Shine As Brightly, But Still Good – Doctor Sleep
There are currently 15 people in the entertainment industry who have completed the illustrious EGOT cycle, winning a competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award (plus a further six who've accomplished the feat with non-competitive awards). Of this elite group, the youngest to complete the achievement is Robert Lopez, who won his first Oscar in … Continue reading She Talks to Angels – Harriet
Time for the latest news for next year's Academy Awards. Earlier this week, AMPAS announced the 159 films submitted for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The list of submitted films can be found at the Academy's official website here. Obviously, I've only seen a fair few of the movies so far, but there's still … Continue reading The First Step Up the Mountain – Documentary Feature Submissions Announced
After the release of American History X, Edward Norton read Jonathan Lethem's novel, "Motherless Brooklyn," and immediately secured the movie rights. It took over 20 years, but the passion project has finally come to fruition. Starring, writing, and directing the film, Norton wears many hats (including a MacGuffin one) in this throwback to the classic film … Continue reading A New York Noir with Modern Implications – Motherless Brooklyn
One of the old jokes about the entertainment industry is how a TV show like Hogan's Heroes got green lit. The telling varies, but it basically boils down to imagining a pitch meeting where someone goes, "It's set in a Nazi POW camp... AND IT'S A COMEDY!" I was thinking about that gag a lot as … Continue reading The Reich Stuff – Jojo Rabbit
I Actually Paid To See This 