There are fleeting moments of brilliance in Sam Mendes' latest film, Empire of Light, in particular those that allow its chief actors, Olivia Colman and Michael Ward, to show off their talents. The combination of wistfulness in Colman and aspiration in Ward is particularly strong, as both characters represent the same desires and insecurities we … Continue reading Focus. FOCUS! – Empire of Light
We're a day away from the Academy announcing the shortlists for the specialty categories, most prominently International Feature and Documentary Feature. As such, it's only appropriate to take a look at a couple of films that may have their names called tomorrow, one from each category. Both of these movies are quite good, so you … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Growing Up
Less than two weeks ago, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially released their lists of eligible films in three specialty categories, including Animated Feature, which had a bit of controversy in the run-up. Movies like Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and Eternal Spring were initially going to be left out due … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Animation Nomination, Part 1
The first Avatar film did just about everything right. Director James Cameron built an entire world of dazzling visuals (most of which still hold up), realizing the full potential of 3D as a viable format all the way back in 2009. It felt larger than life, and not just because the imaginative Na'vi people were … Continue reading Whalers on the Moon – Avatar: The Way of Water
Like several other films this year, the debut feature from Elegance Bratton, The Inspection, is largely autobiographical, with character names being changed for dramatic license and/or legal protection. Unlike a lot of those other movies, this one is not about the magic of cinema itself. Instead, it's a deeply personal tale of pulling oneself up … Continue reading Marine Pride – The Inspection
Get your minds out of the gutter right this instant! And then put them back in, because obviously I chose that headline for the sake of a lame sex joke. If you've been following along with any regularity to this point, it's honestly a wonder I didn't make such a gag before now. Anyhoo, we're … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – A Foreign Threesome
Darren Aronofsky opens The Whale by having his central character, the morbidly obese Charlie (Brendan Fraser), lead a virtual class on persuasive writing to a group of online college students. In it, he emphasizes the importance of having a strong thesis that's supported by facts and reasonable interpretations of relevant material to form a cogent … Continue reading Blubbering – The Whale
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that does something rather daring, and outright tells the audience in no uncertain terms that what they're about to see makes very little sense, and should therefore be viewed more casually. Probably the most famous recent example is Tenet, which laid out pretty succinctly that its … Continue reading An Open Slay – Violent Night
Two years ago, I railed against the wholly unjustified remake of Rebecca, the 1940 gothic mood piece that was Alfred Hitchcock's only film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. It added nothing to the proceedings, wasted talented actors, and apart from the set design offered no new ideas to enhance the original's tragically unsettling … Continue reading Two Tildas for the Price of One – The Eternal Daughter
If you've been keeping up with the blog over the last several weeks, you'll know that "keeping up" has been a bit of an issue for me. Between various factors in my personal life, working the election, and my simple desire to sleep, I've been getting out to movies, but I haven't been nearly as … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – A Weekend Abroad
I Actually Paid To See This 