Every year the goal in the leadup to the Oscar Blitz is to see as many films as possible shortlisted by the Academy in various fields. It's not always possible, but I still make the attempt. Of the 10 categories that get these semifinal treatments, I was able to complete four of them, which is … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Coming Up Short(list)
It's appropriate that I write this today on Groundhog Day. I mean, what could be more appropriate for a column such as this? It's a day where idiots cheer for the nonsensical prognostication abilities of a rodent, and in film form it's a day of torture for a guy named Bill. I mean, that's this … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – February 2024
It seems that every year, there is at least one acting category at the Academy Awards where the winner is pretty much a given. No matter how many strong performances are nominated, the writing is on the wall fairly early on. Sometimes the Academy itself will work to facilitate this lack of competition. A few … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – Supporting Actor
Hello everyone, and welcome to the first entry in this year's Oscar Blitz! Assuming all goes well, I'll be covering all 23 categories, either in print or video form, over the next several weeks until the big night. Who knows how the winds will change and how momentum might shift along the way? But what's … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – Original Song
One of the better joys of being a movie buff is when you come across that oh so rare miracle that is a "so-bad-it's-good" picture. Whether it's The Room, Sleepwalkers, or any number of others, there is an unbridled giddiness in seeing a flick that is god awful on every possible metric, but because it's … Continue reading It Stings! – The Beekeeper
Okay, everyone. You know what time it is. I've slept my last full night for at least the next seven weeks to come, because it's time to officially kick off this year's Oscar Blitz! The nominations came out a few days ago, and I've done better in my advance viewing than ever before. Only two … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – The Hub
It's time! It's here! It's... (cue Monty Python's Flying Circus theme) THE OSCAR BLITZ! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and everyone in between, this is the moment we've all been waiting for. This morning, Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid announced the nominees for the 96th Academy Awards. As the action unfolded, phones across the … Continue reading Atomic BLITZ! – 96th Academy Award Nominations Revealed!
We are in the 11th hour. By the time most of you read this, the Academy will have announced the nominees for the 96th Oscars. As I'm writing, we're but nine or so away, and while I obsess over this, I have no intention of getting up before dawn to see the live reveal. I … Continue reading DownStream – The Big Red N-velope, Part Four: The Main Event
So as I've mentioned more than a few times, I ponied up the dough to join Film Independent about a year ago. The membership fee was more than worth it, as it afforded me access to private screenings and discounts for a ton of indie and foreign films in the lead-up to this year's Oscar … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The Spirit Stragglers, Part One
We're but a few more days away from this year's Oscar nominations, and as such, it's time to continue our marathon through Netflix's "For Your Consideration" campaign (click here for Part One and Part Two of this mini-series). I have to admit this marketing strategy doesn't make all that much sense to me, as the … Continue reading DownStream – The Big Red N-velope, Part Three: The Undercard
I Actually Paid To See This 