I had a feeling when I saw the trailer for this movie that it would hit all the right nostalgia notes. Like A Christmas Story for kids born in the 80s, it seemed to be that rare film that would actually be a justified update to a modern classic for the holidays, transferring that same … Continue reading The Perfect Gift – 8-Bit Christmas
Denmark is the defending champion when it comes to the Oscar for International Feature, and their follow-up entry may pull off a bit of Academy history once the nominations come out. The unique and captivating Flee is not only submitted as a foreign film, but it is also up for Documentary Feature AND Animated Feature, … Continue reading Safe Haven in Animation – Flee
Through a combination of luck, increased distribution, and me just being an obsessive, I've been able to get an amazing head start on the International Feature category for next year's Oscars. Often the hardest category to finish, thanks to Academy rules that do not mandate domestic screening, this year I've been able to track down … Continue reading DownStream – Around the World, Part 1
I'll warn you now, this is a very niche review, for a movie in an anime franchise of which I am a huge fan. I mentioned a little while ago during the review for Ghostbusters: Afterlife that using fan service as your main draw is a hard balancing act if you're trying to reach out … Continue reading New Game Plus – Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night
Grief is a universal experience. No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you and everyone else in this world will feel the weight of loss at some point in your life. The ability to process it, cope, and find ways to move on, is an essential part of the human condition. It's … Continue reading The Long and Winding Road – Drive My Car
Five years ago, writer-director Mike Mills earned an Oscar nomination for 20th Century Women, a unique coming-of-age story and a testament to the "It takes a village" mentality in raising a family. It was one of the best films of the year, and it solidified my eternal crush on Greta Gerwig. Mills is back at … Continue reading A Cinematic Course in Child Psychology – C’mon C’mon
The sports biopic is one of the most formulaic subgenres in all of film. An absolute metric fuck ton of these movies follow a certain path, with initial success, slumps, redemption arcs, and a healthy dose of doubters, some of them outright racist if the protagonist is a minority. So when it was announced that … Continue reading Holding Court – King Richard
One of these days the Academy will bow to the gods of fun and lean into absurdity. There have been attempts in the past, all of which were tone deaf and utterly ill-advised, chasing hashtags rather than substance. I'm sure the trend will continue for a few more years to come. But somehow, someday, the … Continue reading Hot for Teacher – Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
I've made no secret that I don't think much of the animation slate this year, which is a real shame. Most years the Animated Feature category is one that Disney and/or Pixar wins by default, with either a lack of realistic competition, or just lazy Academy voters. The game-changing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was the … Continue reading You Must Protect This House! – Encanto
It's a fine line that filmmakers have to walk when they're catering to a specific audience. Ideally, you want to create something that will not only satisfy that core group, but also have a wider appeal to draw in new fans. A lot of multimedia franchises pull off this gambit with varying degrees of success, … Continue reading Fan Service: The Movie – Ghostbusters: Afterlife
I Actually Paid To See This 