Last year was a tremendous boon for Netflix when it came to the Oscar stage. The success of Roma (as well as The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to a lesser extent, not to mention a slew of documentaries over the years), followed by the Academy's rebuke of traditionalists like Steven Spielberg emboldened the world's premiere streaming … Continue reading DownStream – Netflix and Shill, Part 1
Two years ago, Rian Johnson directed Star Wars - Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, arguably the most polarizing film in the entire saga. Some loved it, others hated it. As for me personally, I rated it as my #10 film of 2017 in one of the first ever posts I wrote on this blog. I wasn't … Continue reading Slashing Throats and Genre Conventions – Knives Out
Good news, everyone! I was planning on this column being the conclusion of my pre-nomination coverage of the Animated Feature category. I did four movies last time, and the plan was for five tonight. However, we ain't done yet! Thanks to a surprise release and rentals on YouTube, I'll be able to do a third … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Toontown, Part 2
It's a curious thing to see the world unfold around you. No matter how unimportant or irrelevant something might be to the grand scheme of life, it's amazing how we all can compartmentalize what we see and hear, and contextualize it within our own life experience, and with our own biases. I say this because … Continue reading I’m Still Not Crying! Continue Shutting Up! – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Joe and Anthony Russo have earned themselves quite a lot of clout over the last few years, thanks to successful TV work (Arrested Development and Community) and their blockbuster work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where they helmed two Captain America movies and the conclusion of Phase 3 via the Infinity War. Given the amount of … Continue reading Just As Every Cop, No Seriously EVERY Cop, is a Criminal – 21 Bridges
Long ago, in far distant past of 2013, I had a random day off and I was bored. So I decided to schlep down to the nearest theatre and see Disney's latest animated feature, Frozen. I had no hopes at all for a quality picture. Disney had basically ceded its position as the forefront of animation … Continue reading I Still Melt For Elsa and Anna – Frozen II
There are times when the success of a film is more about what it doesn't do than what it does. While just about everything in cinema has high and low points, more often than not a film is as good as or better than the sum of its parts. But in the case of Ford v. … Continue reading Shut Up and Drive! – Ford v. Ferrari
When two legendary actors come together, it usually makes for cinematic magic. When it happens during awards season, you can normally bet that it will be top notch prestige fare. So imagine my depression in watching The Good Liar, which winds up being one of the most disappointing movies I've seen all year. In fairness, Sir … Continue reading The Real Con is Pretending This is Quality – The Good Liar
Ever since the submissions for the Oscar for Animated Feature were announced last month, the scramble has been on to see as many of these films as possible. The more commercial fare is easy, but there are a good deal of independent and foreign films in the mix as well, very few of which will … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Toontown, Part 1
It's all but impossible to follow up Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece of horror, The Shining. It's beyond telling that no one's even tried until now, nearly 40 years after the original release. When you have such a definitive entry in the genre, it is a fool's errand to try to live up to it. So in that … Continue reading Doesn’t Shine As Brightly, But Still Good – Doctor Sleep
I Actually Paid To See This 