Yorgos Lanthimos continues to be one of the most creative filmmakers working today, repeatedly going for the oddball gusto with his movies to tell large, memorable, and utterly batshit stories that mask simple and universal ideas. With The Lobster, his first English language effort, he posited a dystopian society where the uncoupled are turned into … Continue reading My Fair Monster – Poor Things
I've mentioned several times before that one of my favorite recent animated films is 2017's Loving Vincent. Created by DK and Hugh Welchman, the movie was utterly fascinating, exploring the death of artist Vincent Van Gogh, which is traditionally attributed to suicide. However, in recent years some historians have challenged this theory, so the Welchmans … Continue reading Scorched Earth – The Peasants
I will fully concede that my headline joke is just about the most obvious one I've ever made. It was basically already written and stored in the back of my head from the moment I first saw the trailer about two months ago. I mean, with Eileen as the title, anyone born before 1990 would … Continue reading Come On! – Eileen
One of the more underrated aspects of the International Feature competition is seeing how the rest of the world treats various sectors of their respective populations. Issues like sexual diversity, gender roles, religion, and class hierarchy are given a treatment that is intriguing for those of us watching in America, but in their home countries … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – A Woman’s World
When I first saw the trailer for Ridley Scott's Napoleon, there were three things that immediately jumped out to me. First was that the battle scenes looked amazing. I'm not much for using CGI on a grand scale when it comes to set pieces, but Scott is one of the few who can do it … Continue reading Waterloo – Napoleon
I saw Germany's Oscar submission, The Teachers' Lounge, all the way back during the Mill Valley Film Festival in early October. It's been almost two months since I viewed the follow-up effort from the defending title-holders in the International Feature competition, and it still sticks with me now that it's in public release here in … Continue reading The Algorithm – The Teachers’ Lounge
It's been eight months since my mom died, and to be perfectly honest, I haven't been able to move past it yet. I thought it would be easier, as we had time to prepare for it. She was diagnosed with dementia three years ago, and we had to place her in a nursing home. The … Continue reading A Mother’s Love – The Boy and the Heron
The deadline for submissions for the Oscar for International Feature was a month ago. Various outlets and sources have been compiling the list since the first entries were announced back in August, and the official release of eligible candidates from the Academy is due out quite soon, followed by the shortlist of 15 semifinalists in … Continue reading DownStream – Global Survival
The Year of Our Lord of the Rings Two Thousand and Twenty-three is almost in the books, and quite frankly, I'm relieved. This has been one of the more difficult years in my life, not the least of which because my mother died and I'm dead flat broke. But also, it just feels like this … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – December 2023
The Walt Disney Company was founded 100 years ago, and while I have had myriad issues with their corporate structure and priorities, particularly over the last decade or so, the one thing I and many others can always look forward to is the latest entry into the Disney Animation Studios canon. Beginning with Snow White … Continue reading Bye, Centennial! – Wish
I Actually Paid To See This 