Let's get the main point out of the way first. By rights, this movie shouldn't even exist. As much as we all loved the original Mary Poppins film from 1964, as much as it informed our youths, the author of the books, P.L. Travers utterly hated the adaptation of her source material, to the point that … Continue reading Shit Shittery, Shit Shittery, Shit Shit Shitty – Mary Poppins Returns
I've been racking my brain trying to find something to talk about when it comes to the costume drama Mary Queen of Scots, because in all honesty, I found the whole thing rather dull. The best I could come up with was to have fake representation outrage. HOW DARE THIS MOVIE CAST AN AUSTRALIAN AND AN … Continue reading If It’s Not Scottish It’s Crap! – Mary Queen of Scots
Last year, Lebanon earned an Oscar nomination in the Foreign Language category for the courtroom drama, The Insult, which depicted toxic masculinity against the backdrop of sectarian violence. Now, a year later, acclaimed writer and director Nadine Labaki makes a strong case for consecutive nominations with Capernaum (derived from the Arabic word for "chaos"), another intense drama … Continue reading Hell is for Children – Capernaum
In his relatively short career, director Barry Jenkins has already proven himself a master of the artistic craft of filmmaking. Despite the snafu at the Oscars last year, he earned all the accolades for Moonlight, including a well-deserved win for Best Picture (I voted for La La Land, but I was still quite happy with the result). … Continue reading It Would Say, “See This Brilliant Movie!” – If Beale Street Could Talk
As Awards Season kicks itself into high gear, there's an overwhelming glut of movies to watch, especially now, in the age of streaming services. Filmmakers and content creators from all over the world have more outlets than ever to get their work to the masses, and into consideration for the industry's highest honors. It's in … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Chillin’ with Netflix
Sony has owned the cinematic rights to Spider-Man since the turn of the century, and through its usage, we've gotten some pretty decent movies. I still love the Tobey Maguire trilogy and am more forgiving than most when it comes to Spider-Man 3 (it sucked, but it still had heart). But over the last decade, they've … Continue reading Trippy, Hilarious, and Surprisingly Heartfelt – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Ladies and gentlemen, I am a nerd. I have been one all my life. I obsess over nerdish things like Star Trek and Doctor Who. I read the "Sword Art Online" books with just as much zeal as I watch the TV shows. I try harder than most to find ways to defend the Star Wars prequels. I … Continue reading London Crawling to Some Faraway Towns – Mortal Engines
It took almost a year for The Wife to get its wide release after debuting at last year's Toronto Film Festival, and a second theatrical run for me to actually see it. It came out in mid-August, literally the day before my birthday, but between the demands of the production I was working on at the … Continue reading Behind Every Great Man is a Woman Making Stink Eye – The Wife
As the year winds down, the Oscar campaigns are in full swing. Among the most competitive categories is Foreign Language, which has more than 80 films vying for one of the five coveted nomination slots. Sweden's submission, Border (Gräns), may earn one of those spots, with its mix of character study and magical realism, which earned … Continue reading Beauty Within the Beast – Border
Yorgos Lanthimos has three English-language films to his credit after his breakout in Greece. His first, The Lobster, is one of the best farces I've ever seen and was my favorite film of 2016. Last year he gave us the disturbing horror film, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, which polarized audiences nationwide and developed a cult … Continue reading Forsooth! Yon Bitches Doth Be Cray! – The Favourite
I Actually Paid To See This 