The steamroll through my backlog of International Feature submissions continues tonight, as there remain about a dozen or so films to analyze, and only five more days until the Academy officially releases the shortlist. I know it feels like I'm just loading up here before the deadline, but I had good reason. Unlike most years, … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Bless the Rains
Ava DuVernay is one of those rare filmmaker who approaches her work in such a thoughtful manner that no matter what she does, you feel a natural curiosity based on the degree of credibility she's developed over the last decade. After triumphs like 13th, Selma, and When They See Us, she has given audiences an … Continue reading The Roots of Bigotry – Origin
As of this writing, we are one week from the Academy releasing its shortlists for next year's Oscars. Among the most anticipated categories getting the semifinal news is International Feature, where 88 films were deemed eligible to vie for the prize (of 92 total submissions; apologies to Cuba, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan). By the … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – International Co-operation
Yorgos Lanthimos continues to be one of the most creative filmmakers working today, repeatedly going for the oddball gusto with his movies to tell large, memorable, and utterly batshit stories that mask simple and universal ideas. With The Lobster, his first English language effort, he posited a dystopian society where the uncoupled are turned into … Continue reading My Fair Monster – Poor Things
I've mentioned several times before that one of my favorite recent animated films is 2017's Loving Vincent. Created by DK and Hugh Welchman, the movie was utterly fascinating, exploring the death of artist Vincent Van Gogh, which is traditionally attributed to suicide. However, in recent years some historians have challenged this theory, so the Welchmans … Continue reading Scorched Earth – The Peasants
I will fully concede that my headline joke is just about the most obvious one I've ever made. It was basically already written and stored in the back of my head from the moment I first saw the trailer about two months ago. I mean, with Eileen as the title, anyone born before 1990 would … Continue reading Come On! – Eileen
One of the more underrated aspects of the International Feature competition is seeing how the rest of the world treats various sectors of their respective populations. Issues like sexual diversity, gender roles, religion, and class hierarchy are given a treatment that is intriguing for those of us watching in America, but in their home countries … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – A Woman’s World
When I first saw the trailer for Ridley Scott's Napoleon, there were three things that immediately jumped out to me. First was that the battle scenes looked amazing. I'm not much for using CGI on a grand scale when it comes to set pieces, but Scott is one of the few who can do it … Continue reading Waterloo – Napoleon
I saw Germany's Oscar submission, The Teachers' Lounge, all the way back during the Mill Valley Film Festival in early October. It's been almost two months since I viewed the follow-up effort from the defending title-holders in the International Feature competition, and it still sticks with me now that it's in public release here in … Continue reading The Algorithm – The Teachers’ Lounge
It's been eight months since my mom died, and to be perfectly honest, I haven't been able to move past it yet. I thought it would be easier, as we had time to prepare for it. She was diagnosed with dementia three years ago, and we had to place her in a nursing home. The … Continue reading A Mother’s Love – The Boy and the Heron
I Actually Paid To See This 