Miss me? Okay, you can put your hands down and stop kissing my ass, I know you weren't that badly. Also, hi mom! Anyway, the last few months have brought the film industry to a grinding halt, but thankfully, I have been able to do a little bit of viewing in the midst of the world … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Festivals for the Intervals
Hey, you know what you've never seen before? An unqualified guy opining about the coronavirus! Totally original! I've tried to just take the whole thing in stride, but as the entire goddamn universe collapses around us, I feel compelled to at least say something, especially in regards to how it affects this blog and my coverage … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Going Viral
I see as many movies as I can over the course of a calendar year, but it's an all but impossible task to see everything that might be considered for the Academy Awards. This was especially true for 2019, as I had to track down two International Feature nominees that hadn't been released stateside by … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Digging for Oscar Gold
The Oscar nominations were announced today, and I'm chomping at the bit for my annual blitz. But strangely, one set of nominees has been missing from this year's awards cycle, that of the Golden Raspberries, or Razzies, "celebrating" the year's worst achievements in film with a spray-painted statue worth just under $5. Normally, the Razzie … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: I Bought a Razzie Vote!
Oscar nominations are just over a day away, and when they come down on Monday morning, five filmmakers are going to get the thrill of a lifetime, as their movie will be up for the Documentary Feature prize. Late last month, the Academy narrowed over 190 submissions down to a lucky 15, which were then … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The 2019 Doc Feature Shortlist
At last we come to the end of our animated adventure. In this column I'll break down four more entries for next year's Oscar for Best Animated Feature. A grand total of 32 films were submitted, and I tracked down as many as I could, to the point that I've now seen 20 of the … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Toontown, Part 3
Good news, everyone! I was planning on this column being the conclusion of my pre-nomination coverage of the Animated Feature category. I did four movies last time, and the plan was for five tonight. However, we ain't done yet! Thanks to a surprise release and rentals on YouTube, I'll be able to do a third … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Toontown, Part 2
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
This has been the quickest Oscar Blitz in the short history of me trying to pull this off. I'll almost certainly never complete the entire ceremony before nominations come out, but this year was about as close as you can get. Apart from the three short film categories, which were released as bloc screenings on … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: The Good and the Bad in the Blitzing
Well folks, I finally did it. As of Monday I have completed the Documentary Feature shortlist. No matter which five films are nominated next Tuesday, I will have seen and processed them. It turns out that the reason I could see them all was through an Academy program called "Oscars Spotlight: Documentaries." It's a new … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Achievement Unlocked!
I Actually Paid To See This 