It's a rare thing when a film comes out that you simply can't review without giving away crucial plot information. Companion is one such piece of entertainment. You just can't talk about it while ignoring the central mechanic of the plot. So if you haven't seen the film yet, a mild spoiler warning is in … Continue reading Machina Ex – Companion
Welcome to the first new movie review of 2025... only 1/6 of the way through the year! Yeah, I gotta get my shit together. Still, it's good to start out on a positive note, with a genuinely fun and silly animated adventure that should be worthwhile for a family outing. I saw Dog Man when … Continue reading Goof Cop, Bark Cop – Dog Man
By most measures, this year's Oscar Blitz has been smoother than usual. I've kept ahead of schedule on the videos, I don't find myself scrambling for things to write each night, and since I don't have a gig at the moment, I'm not stressing myself out pulling double (or triple) duty. However, there was one … Continue reading DownStream – TUDUM! Part Four – More Animation (and an Apology)
It's an unfortunate regularity in American life that whenever something goes wrong with kids in school, the first instinct is to find someone to blame. I'm not talking about serious and severe disasters like shootings, but more mundane things like fights or bad grades. Is it the parents' fault for not raising their child properly? … Continue reading Will Boys Be Boys? – Armand
A few weeks ago, I began my crash course through this year's Documentary Feature shortlist. I make it my mission every year to see all 15 semifinalists, preferably before Oscar nominations are announced. For the past few years, I've succeeded more times than not, and that includes the class of 2024. This is far from … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The True Killers
It's been just over a week since the Oscar nominations were announced, and the annual Blitz is already in progress. The timeline is extremely tight this year, with only five and a half weeks between the nominee release and the ceremony itself, which as I've previously mentioned is the shortest window since the pandemic. Normally … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – A Compressed Blitz
The Oscar Blitz begins proper in 24 hours, people. The annual marathon labor of love is just a day away! I'm so excited I can't sleep! I'm also running myself ragged and begging for sleep! The things we do for our art. HAH! Like what I do is art. Anyway, adjacent to the Blitz coverage … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Jet-Setting, Part Two
The countdown to the 97th Academy Awards is officially underway, and in 48 hours, I'll begin the Oscar Blitz in earnest with the first category breakdown. However, there's still one major block of movies that I haven't really discussed yet, the shortlist for International Feature. Of the 15 films, I've already seen 14, and the … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Jet-Setting, Part One
In Netflix's never-ending quest to destroy the theatrical film model once and for all, they put forward a lot of movies in hopes of garnering some Academy hardware. In addition to the two International Feature submissions they put their marketing heft behind (Chile's In Her Place and the massively overblown exercise in missing the point … Continue reading DownStream – TUDUM! Part Three – Narrative Features
You know, it takes a lot for me to throw my carefully laid plans careening out the window. Last night, after I put up the Hub Post for the Oscar Blitz, I watched The Six Triple Eight, as it's one of the six outstanding films (though the film itself is far from outstanding) I needed … Continue reading Commitment to Sparkle Potion – The Substance
I Actually Paid To See This 