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
As the announcement of this year's Oscar nominations grew ever closer, I knew there was still one major contender I hadn't yet covered. Now, on the eve of the annual Blitz, it's time to dust it off at long last. Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won a Jury Prize and an odd … Continue reading Come Mierda, Puta! – Emilia Pérez
One of the things I instantly appreciated about Robert Eggers' remake of the 1922 horror classic, Nosferatu is that he really didn't try to replicate the original. Sure, there are a couple of shots that are pure homage, like the sight of the bony, claw-like hand of Count Orlok (Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd) casting an eerie shadow … Continue reading The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors – Nosferatu
With just a few days to go until Oscar nominations come out, the great clearing of the backlog continues. I've watched a LOT of movies over the last month, trying to be as thorough in the leadup to the annual Blitz as possible, which sadly necessitated putting reviews on the shelf in order to, you … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Back and Forth
As I noted in my recent review of A Complete Unknown, I am not a fan of modern pop music. I find the vast majority of it to be inherently shallow, mass-produced, often devoid of anything meaningful to say, and far more focused on corporate branding and sexuality than anything should be if you want … Continue reading Prime, Mate! – Better Man
As I'm writing this post, at approximately 8:30pm PST, I have completed one of my annual stretch goals for the Oscar Blitz. The Documentary Feature shortlist has officially been cleared. Earlier this evening, I took in the last of the 15 semifinalists, No Other Land. It was the hardest to seek out, because it did … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The True Artists
RaMell Ross has had a very short film career to date, but it's been one of distinction, due mostly to his camera work. A photographer by trade until he transitioned to cinema, he wowed critics with his 2018 documentary, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, garnering an Oscar nomination. I did not care for that … Continue reading A Critical Perspective – Nickel Boys
I Actually Paid To See This 