I'm not the best at promotion or social media. I concede that I just got too old to keep up. Also, being an introvert, what little I do get across takes a bit of psyching myself up. You have no idea how many times I went back and forth on starting a YouTube channel before … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – A Show of Our Own (VIDEO)
We made it, everyone! Twenty-three categories up, 23 down! It's the final award of the ceremony, the greatest of the Academy Awards, the highest honor in all of cinema - Best Picture! After weeks of analysis, it's time to tackle the big one. Ten nominees go into Sunday night hoping to hear their name called, … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – Best Picture (VIDEO)
Every year when I do the Oscar Blitz, there are inevitably a few movies that I didn't see before the nominations were announced. Most of the time these are documentaries or foreign entries that haven't gotten a domestic release or that only had a minimal theatrical run earlier in the year. On occasion there's a … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The Shortest Blitz Ever
A large part of what made Denis Villeneuve's 2021 Dune remake so special was its sense of scale. Through its amazing use of cinematography, editing, and inspired visual effects (done for about half the budget of your average Marvel movie), the film truly gave viewers a sense of what the world of Arrakis could be … Continue reading Welcome to the World – Dune: Part Two
Awards Season is almost over, and as such, I've got to wrap up all my old business from 2023. This includes the two films I had to watch after the Oscar nominations came out, as well as the final four publicly released films that got nods at the Independent Spirit Awards. It was incredible binging … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The Spirit Stragglers, Part Four
The actual Oscar Blitz is off for a few more days, but that doesn't mean my fingers get a night off. We're but a week from the Academy Awards, and in most years, we'd already have all the information needed to make an educated guess at the results. That's sort of the case this year, … Continue reading Projecting the Winners – 2024 Awards Season Undercard
I want you all to know that I love each and every one of you who takes the time to read this blog and watch the videos I make, especially during the Blitz. It is very often the busiest time of the year for me, and 2024 is no exception. To put things in perspective, … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – Best Actress (VIDEO)
The Oscar Blitz is always an adventure. No matter how much I watch in a given year, there's always some category that throws me a curve and makes the prospect of completion that much more uncertain. I anticipate every year that there will be some movies I'll miss, but I can make them up via … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – Animated Feature
For the last several years, there's been an odd association when it comes to the screenwriting categories at the Academy Awards. The perception has been that Original Screenplay is more prestigious than Adapted, because turning previously created work (oftentimes done by someone else) into your own is somehow considered an easier task. This is one … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – Original Screenplay
The art of editing is a tricky one. I know because I did it for a living for close to a decade. As great as a writer or director can be, if a film is not properly paced, delivering satisfying images in a timely and appropriately dramatic manner, the story will seem tedious and boring. … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – Film Editing
I Actually Paid To See This 