While I've done my best to keep up with mainstream and independent cinema in the first full year back from COVID restrictions, there are two areas where I have been decidedly negligent, namely documentaries and foreign films. For the former, I haven't been able to make time for any this year, mostly because none have … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Better Late Than Never
Two weeks ago, I finally righted a wrong. There are very few regrets I have in my life, especially when it comes to movies. Even the worst films imaginable don't truly elicit a feeling of remorse or shame. But 29 years ago, I had one of those rare moments. I've mentioned this offhandedly before, but … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Everything is Correctable
Well folks, the last major hurdle of this year's Oscar Blitz is complete. With the viewing of Great Freedom last week, all films to view in and around the ceremony have been seen. I can officially close the book on the 2021 cinematic canon. We've still got two more weeks left of Oscar coverage, of … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – And the Rest… of the Blitz
No Oscars category breakdown today, but I still have several films to add to the official 2021 canon with reviews before the process is truly complete. In a previous installment of "Back Row Thoughts," we looked at three movies where their leads were nominated for Best Actress. So why not continue recapping highlighted films that … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The Make-Up Makeup Blitz
Man, it's been a while, hasn't it? I covered the vast majority of the Academy's shortlist for Documentary Feature nearly two months ago. And even after that, I watched two of the three remaining films within a couple of days. There was just one left, which OF COURSE also got nominated, and I couldn't watch … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – I’ve Got a Little List, Part 4
When the Oscar nominations came out this past Tuesday, I ended up with more than half the categories already covered, which was definitely a good start. And all told, I only had eight total movies to watch to complete the viewing portion of this year's Blitz. Despite that, there were two categories that were not … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Best? Actress Blitz
Welcome to the third part in our miniseries on the 2021 Documentary Feature shortlist. You can find the recaps for Part 1 and Part 2 in their accompanying links, and as previously mentioned, I have individual reviews for Summer of Soul, The Rescue, and Flee. Today's installment will bring us up to 12 on this … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – I’ve Got a Little List, Part 3
It's Christmas Eve, and while soon I will engage in my annual tradition of watching It's a Wonderful Life, I figured now was as good a time as any to knock off a few more entries on this year's Documentary Feature shortlist. To recap, of the 15 films up for the award, three have had … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – I’ve Got a Little List, Part 2
In the leadup to next year's Oscar Blitz, I focused a lot of time over the past two months on clearing as many International Feature submissions as possible, netting myself 10 of the 15 films eventually shortlisted by the Academy. On the flipside of things, this means I wasn't nearly able to spend as much … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – I’ve Got a Little List, Part 1
In the midst of all the movies I've been watching, reviews I've been writing, and actual paid work I've been doing, my mind has been stewing for the last several months about what to do next on my YouTube channel. I came up with this idea about three months ago, and ever since it's been … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Review Roulette
I Actually Paid To See This 