A few years ago, my stepdad tried to encourage my writing by sending me one of the chain emails he got from his group of ex-military friends. It was a likely apocryphal story about a veteran essentially inheriting the dog of one of his squad mates who died in Iraq or Afghanistan. The crux of … Continue reading A Very Very Good Girl… And a Decent Movie – Dog
A note in advance: This will likely be one of the longest reviews I've ever written, if not THE longest. Part of that is because this is something of a double feature critique. But more importantly, there's some major heavy stuff that I'm going to talk about here that you may not be comfortable with. … Continue reading Kids Really Can Be So Cruel – Playground
I didn't watch Kenneth Branagh's 2017 remake of Murder on the Orient Express, for two main reasons. One, the original 1974 adaptation by Sidney Lumet is, to me, one of the greatest mystery films ever made, and Albert Finney's performance as Hercule Poirot was absolutely flawless. Two, while I am a fan of Branagh's, the … Continue reading Come Slay Away – Death on the Nile
When the Oscar nominations came out this past Tuesday, I ended up with more than half the categories already covered, which was definitely a good start. And all told, I only had eight total movies to watch to complete the viewing portion of this year's Blitz. Despite that, there were two categories that were not … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Best? Actress Blitz
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
Norway's Oscar entry, The Worst Person in the World, represents the inevitable shifts along life's journey, both through its main character and its director. This is the third film in Joachim Trier's acclaimed "Oslo Trilogy," which also includes 2006's Reprise and 2011's Oslo, August 31st, so in a meta sense, this last entry is the … Continue reading Mercurial Rising – The Worst Person in the World
As we get closer to the Oscar Blitz, I'm trying to quickly make up for lost time and go back over the films I either wanted to see earlier in 2021 but missed, or holding my nose and watching the ones that are all but assured to get nominated come Tuesday based on Awards Season … Continue reading Using Your Words – CODA
Every era of the James Bond franchise has its own unique qualities and characteristics, both for good and ill. The Sean Connery years framed the Cold War against the backdrop of a suave and sophisticated super spy. The Roger Moore era leaned heavily into camp value. Pierce Brosnan's run relied heavily on grandiose spectacle. George … Continue reading Junk Bond – No Time to Die
We're just over a week away from Oscar nominations, and I have exciting news. For the first time ever, I will complete the International Feature shortlist! Okay fine, maybe it's only exciting to me, but it is something of an achievement. I've now seen 12 of the 15 films, and with the announcement of Austria's … Continue reading Full (of it) House – Plaza Catedral
After the success of Belle, the announcement by Funimation of a new anime film also prominently featuring music instantly piqued my interest. Through a special, three-day engagement, the newest film from Yasuhiro Yoshiura (director of the acclaimed Pale Cocoon and Time of Eve), Sing a Bit of Harmony (original Japanese: Let Me Hear You Sing … Continue reading AI School Musical – Sing a Bit of Harmony
I Actually Paid To See This 