One of the most common rebuttals to film criticism is for the people being critiqued to haughtily write off those giving their opinion by saying they should just do it themselves. This has gone on for years, but it's resurfaced in recent days thanks to the blowback against Emilia PĂ©rez, particularly its regressive and stereotypical … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Cinematography
Yesterday I covered the Film Editing competition, the category I am likely most qualified to judge on a professional and objective level. Tonight, we do a complete 180 and go to one of those that I have basically no expertise in, Production Design. This is always a duel prize, awarded to the titular designer, who's … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Production Design
When it comes to the Academy Awards, my judging criteria can vary wildly depending on my level of knowledge or expertise. For example, as a writer - both amateur and professional - I know exactly what appeals to me in a screenplay, namely clever dialogue and a consistent, coherent story. I haven't acted in any … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Film Editing
As I've mentioned a fair few times over the last fortnight, the timeline for this year's Oscar Blitz had to be compressed due to the fire-induced delay in announcing the nominees. What is usually seven to eight weeks for this process is reduced to just over five, leaving me with little time to do anything … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – February 2025
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
There are some years where the Academy Awards are just downright boring when it comes to the so-called "major" categories. Best Picture, Best Director, the two Screenplay fields, and all four Acting contests are susceptible to this disappointment. During the very low era during and immediately following the COVID pandemic, we saw this far too … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Supporting Actor (VIDEO)
I always like to include some fun trivia and facts about certain categories when I do the Oscar Blitz. It's not just a run-of-the-mill opinion piece, there's got to be some flavor. I mean, we have nearly a century of history to draw from, so there's always something interesting to discuss. Take tonight's category, Original … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Original Score
Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, horny stoners who thought they typed in "actuallyLAID.com," welcome to the 2025 Oscar Blitz! The stage is set, the merits have been weighed, Netflix's checks cleared for everyone who had to pretend Emilia PĂ©rez was good, and it's time to finally dive in and break this sucker down! … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Visual Effects
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
I Actually Paid To See This 