This week, AMC theatres began opening again at various locations nationwide, with more scheduled to open next week. Regal is also back, as is Alamo Drafthouse. To those of you who are now able to go back to the cinema, I congratulate you, and beg you to be as safe as possible when you do. … Continue reading DownStream – April Showers
It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on all of us, and we've all suffered in different ways. As I've mentioned in my scant writings for the past five months, my biggest loss has been the ability to go to the movies and see new content. I'm grateful that I haven't … Continue reading DownStream – A Long Cold Lonely Winter
The Oscar nominations are right around the corner, and I've still got a pretty sizable backlog of movies to review. Thankfully, I can give you two for the price of one (or a billion, it's all free) with one more edition of "DownStream." While not nearly as aggressive as Netflix, Amazon Prime has put out … Continue reading DownStream – Prime Viewing
Tonight we continue with our look at the "Netflix 6," the six major releases that Netflix has staggered out over the course of the fall, both in theatres and on their streaming service, in an aggressive bid for next year's Academy Awards. Last year they nearly grabbed the proverbial brass ring with Roma, scoring the most … Continue reading DownStream – Netflix and Shill, Part 2
I'm really running low on "doc" puns at this point. Anyway, tomorrow the Academy announces its shortlists for several categories outside the main ballot, including Documentary Feature. Since the list of submissions was announced, I've tried to find time to view as many that are available as possible. Sadly, at the moment I'm working two … Continue reading DownStream – Doc Around the Clock
Last year was a tremendous boon for Netflix when it came to the Oscar stage. The success of Roma (as well as The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to a lesser extent, not to mention a slew of documentaries over the years), followed by the Academy's rebuke of traditionalists like Steven Spielberg emboldened the world's premiere streaming … Continue reading DownStream – Netflix and Shill, Part 1
We're just about to wrap up the first half of 2019, so before we officially hit the midway point, this is as good a time as any to go DownStream and take a look at some recent streaming fare. On deck this time are four documentaries dealing with people and events that help reshape the … Continue reading DownStream – Fight the Power Couple
Welcome to the newest feature of "I Actually Paid to See This," which I call, "DownStream!" I've been thinking about doing this for a while. From about the midway point of last year, the majority of my "Back Row Thoughts" columns ended up being devoted to miniature reviews of documentaries and streaming films, which was … Continue reading DownStream: Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll
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!
There are 15 films that have been shortlisted for the Documentary Feature Oscar. When the list was announced, I had seen a grand total of three. I have endeavored each of the last two years to see all 15 potential nominees before they're announced at the end of January, as it tends to be a … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The To-Doc List
I Actually Paid To See This 