The bond between a father and his daughter is one of the deepest wells when it comes to storytelling. It's been at the forefront of some of the best movies and TV shows in history. Hell, in the case of The Simpsons, it's been the one enduring facet of the program that has never truly … Continue reading DownStream – Daddy-Daughter Daze
Back in May, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled their rule changes for next year's Oscars. Apart from a few cosmetic changes, like renaming the Documentary categories ever so slightly, the major news is that the eligibility guidelines are close to fully reverting back to their original, pre-pandemic state. No longer will … Continue reading DownStream – Spring Cleaning
The Oscar nominations have finally been announced, and as such, the annual Blitz is in full effect. In the final days leading up to the reveal, I was able to squeeze in two more movies via Netflix in the hopes of checking off a couple nominees in advance. Well, I half succeeded. One of these … Continue reading DownStream – The Netflix Pre-Blitz
We're but a few days away from the Academy releasing its shortlists, including the final 15 vying for International Feature. As mentioned in Part 1 of this roundup, I was able to purchase access to 14 of the worldwide submissions via a virtual cinema option through the California Film Institute, which is still available until … Continue reading DownStream – Around the World, Part 2
Through a combination of luck, increased distribution, and me just being an obsessive, I've been able to get an amazing head start on the International Feature category for next year's Oscars. Often the hardest category to finish, thanks to Academy rules that do not mandate domestic screening, this year I've been able to track down … Continue reading DownStream – Around the World, Part 1
We're in the preliminary stages of next year's Oscar Blitz, with me sitting here eagerly anticipating the official announcement of specialty submissions before the shortlists come out on December 21. Part of that early zeal has included monitoring news feeds (and let's be honest, Wikipedia) for individual countries to announce their entries for International Feature, … Continue reading DownStream – Netflix International
Experimentation is rare in mainstream film these days, as most studios are content to churn out the same franchise-based IP they've done for years in hopes of a quick payday. Even when they do take calculated risks, most of their avenues are derivative at best, aiming for commercial tie-ins and corporate synergy when it makes … Continue reading DownStream – Fear Street
We're one week away from the Oscar nominations, people! It is very nearly GO time, and I am getting psyched up! The anticipation, the trepidation, the sheer worry about availability of nominees in this continuing pandemic have got me all of the dither right now. But at least there's one area where I can safely … Continue reading DownStream – Doc Stuffed!
The shortlists for this year's Academy Awards were released just over a week ago, which means I'm already in prime mode, trying to clear off as many potential nominees as possible before the official finalists are declared in just about four weeks' time. As ever, that includes the goal of clearing the shortlist for Documentary … Continue reading DownStream – Doc Stuffin’
We come to it at last. After months upon months of theatres being shuttered to the point that there's no realistic hope of reopening this year (at least in Los Angeles), I've come to the end of my 2020 catch-up. There is still a plethora of documentaries to sort through, and I'll get to that … Continue reading DownStream – The Summer’s Gone
I Actually Paid To See This 