As we get closer to nominations and the full Oscar Blitz, the quest to clear out as many potential contenders as possible continues unabated. If you look on Netflix's FYC page (you can google it, I'm not giving them extra traffic), you'll notice five animated features that they've put their marketing weight behind. One of … Continue reading DownStream – TUDUM! Part Two: Some Animation
If there's one thing about my upbringing for which I'll be forever grateful, it's that my mother raised me on great music. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and while I certainly found my favorites in those sets (my first "jams" were Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" and Guns 'n Roses' "Paradise City," … Continue reading You Got Nothing to Lose – A Complete Unknown
Well, folks. I have good news and bad news. The bad news, as was announced today, is that the Oscar Blitz will be somewhat delayed this year. The Academy decided today to postpone the reveal of the nominees, which was supposed to take place this coming Friday, as well as cancelling the annual Nominees' Luncheon, … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The End of the Festivities
Movie trilogies are a common occurrence, now more than ever. As studios continue to rely on franchise IPs, sequels, prequels, and remakes to pad their coffers, every "popcorn" flick that comes out is designed to get at least three installments, if not more. What was once a rarity in the likes of Star Wars is … Continue reading Shadow of the Night – Sonic the Hedgehog 3
The plight of the American immigrant is a seemingly bottomless well from which to draw stories and drama for film, and really all media. Part of this is because this nation was founded on the principle of being a beacon of hope and freedom for oppressed peoples the world over. Immigration is part of the … Continue reading Immigrant Song – The Brutalist
You may be wondering why this month's column is coming out so late, nine whole days into January. Well, there are three reasons. The first is that, right after Christmas, I got a stye in my left eye. Despite multiple attempts to pop and/or drain it, the thing got so big that my eye was … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – January 2025
I make no secret that I am not a fan of what I refer to as "Best Actor/Actress Showcase" films, movies that only exist to spotlight a particular performer, usually one who has been celebrated but never given any hardware during their career, and use it as a vehicle to get an Oscar nomination or … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Please Give Me an Oscar I Don’t Deserve
We're less than two weeks from Oscar nominations, and I'm doing my level best to clear out as many possible contenders as I can. I'm more than halfway through the Documentary Feature shortlist, and I only have one more International Feature semifinalist that I can watch before the nods are announced (Norway's Armand is gambling … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Animation Circulation
The films of Pedro Almodóvar have a few tried and true trademarks. They're often fascinating character studies, deal with complex emotions often without overly expressing them, tend to be darkly humorous, and can have odd sexual dynamics. He's an absolute master of Spanish cinema, and his knack for telling deeply human stories without resorting to … Continue reading Tilda’s Death Do Us Part – The Room Next Door
With two weeks left to go until the Oscar Blitz begins, a good chunk of time will be spent doing my utmost to cram in as much cinematic content as possible. Just like last year, Netflix has pulled out all the proverbial stops in order to bribe Academy voters into giving the streamer as much … Continue reading DownStream – TUDUM! Part One: Documentary
I Actually Paid To See This 