It is a rare thing for Hollywood to take audience criticism to heart. Sure, just about every major motion picture is focus grouped to death, with test screenings to beat the band, but those typically take place as the film is wrapping up production, with the reactions more used for the studio to calculate how … Continue reading Not Quite in the (Green Hill) Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog
On the whole I have not been a fan of the DC Extended Universe, mostly because Zack Snyder is a hack. Over the last year, however, things have noticeably improved, thanks to lighthearted affairs like Shazam, which - like the Marvel Cinematic Universe - leans more into the comedic and human aspects of its characters rather … Continue reading A Raptor-ous Good Time – Birds of Prey
I see as many movies as I can over the course of a calendar year, but it's an all but impossible task to see everything that might be considered for the Academy Awards. This was especially true for 2019, as I had to track down two International Feature nominees that hadn't been released stateside by … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Digging for Oscar Gold
What? You didn't think I'd stop going to new movies just because we're in the middle of the Oscar Blitz, did you? While January is unquestionably a wasteland for the worst new movies to quickly premiere and die, I'm still going to take my opportunities to see new stuff as often as I can. The … Continue reading There’s Fuckery Afoot – The Gentlemen
Let me paint you a picture. It's New Year's Eve, literally the last day of 2019, and I've got nothing to do before my roommates host a party that night. Every movie I planned on seeing was in the books, so what was I going to do? There was only one new movie left, and … Continue reading Even My Allergies Said Stay Away – Cats
Oscar nominations are just over a day away, and when they come down on Monday morning, five filmmakers are going to get the thrill of a lifetime, as their movie will be up for the Documentary Feature prize. Late last month, the Academy narrowed over 190 submissions down to a lucky 15, which were then … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The 2019 Doc Feature Shortlist
I'll be right upfront with you guys. I don't like Terrence Malick movies. With the exception of The Thin Red Line, every film of his I've seen can basically be reduced to two bullet points: Beautifully shot, but unbelievably pretentious. A decade ago, baffling praise was heaped upon him for The Tree of Life, which I … Continue reading Snail Mail at a Snail’s Pace – A Hidden Life
The late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, a staunch proponent of capital punishment, once famously said that there had not been, "a single case—not one—in which it is clear that a person was executed for a crime he did not commit." That firebrand assertion implies that if it were ever proven that an innocent man … Continue reading Forgive, Don’t Forget – Clemency
It's amazing how something plain and simple can expand into something beyond belief or control. It happens every day. A rumor spreads fast and loose, ballooning into an outright scandal. A traffic accident at the wrong time and place can escalate into a humongous multi-car pileup. A moment of levity from a mother and a … Continue reading The March of War! – 1917
The Oscar nominations are right around the corner, and I've still got a pretty sizable backlog of movies to review. Thankfully, I can give you two for the price of one (or a billion, it's all free) with one more edition of "DownStream." While not nearly as aggressive as Netflix, Amazon Prime has put out … Continue reading DownStream – Prime Viewing
I Actually Paid To See This 