We're about 48 hours away from Oscar nominations, just enough time to squeeze in one more "Back Row Thoughts" column tackling this year's Documentary Feature shortlist (here are Part 1 and Part 2 if you want/need to catch up). Of the 15 films up for the prize, this set of reviews will bring us up … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Doc’s Orders, Part 3
The best moments of Alice Diop's narrative feature debut, Saint Omer, come when her avatar, Rama (Kayije Kagame) is forced to reconcile the parallels in her own life with that of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), who's fighting for her life in a court of law. Heavily based on the real-life trial of Fabienne Kabou, which … Continue reading The Stand – Saint Omer
We're in the thick of it this Awards Season, with the Oscar Blitz fast approaching. The Academy announces its nominations in just over a week, the major guilds have already released their lists (with the Writers Guild of America curiously waiting until a day after AMPAS), the BAFTA nods are coming later this week, and … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Doc’s Orders, Part 2
In my last video, where I declared the preview for the new horror film, M3GAN to be "The Worst Trailer in the World," I conceded that the movie would still probably be fun from the standpoint of unintentional comedy, but there was no way that it could be legitimately scary given the scenes and clips … Continue reading Playtime – M3GAN
Noah Baumbach is a tremendous writer and director, giving us such amazing, thoughtful works as The Squid and the Whale, Frances Ha, and Marriage Story. He has a very keen mind for interpersonal relationships and character study, probably why he and Greta Gerwig make such a great couple. As a filmmaker, he's made his bones … Continue reading The Title Says it All – White Noise
Last year had a lot of moments that were not pleasant for me, not the least of which was turning 40. I don't like feeling that my youth is now officially behind me and that, at best, I'm at the halfway point of my life. I haven't accomplished nearly all that I wanted to by … Continue reading Tell Me I’m Pretty – Corsage
I can't believe I'd ever have to say this, but, man it has really been a down year for Tom Hanks, huh? He's been in three films this year, and all of them are incredibly flawed for one reason or another. He was clearly the worst part of Elvis, thanks to the abhorrent makeup job … Continue reading A Non-Swedish Meatball – A Man Called Otto
I am now 24 films deep into this year's field for the Animated Feature Oscar. Only three entries remain after this, and of those three, only one will definitely become available this month. The debate for me then becomes whether to watch it and give it a standalone review, wait until the other two get … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Animation Nomination, Part 3
Hello all, and welcome to 2023! I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday, regardless of how you celebrated. Mercifully, 2022 is finally over, but that doesn't mean we're done with its cinematic slate, not by a long shot. The unofficial tally for the year, cut off at calendar's end, is 116 films viewed, but obviously … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Doc’s Orders, Part 1
"An act of female imagination" is the phrase Sarah Polley uses to describe her film, Women Talking. I don't mean in interviews or press junkets, but in actual on-screen text. It's a curious statement if you don't know the context of the story. Between 2005 and 2009, in an ultraconservative Mennonite colony in Bolivia, dozens … Continue reading Guess What it’s About – Women Talking
I Actually Paid To See This 