Of the three Short Film categories, the hardest to get through is Documentary Short. This is for two main reasons. One is that the entries are often poignant, insightful, and emotionally devastating in their honesty. In a relatively short span, the filmmakers are able to convey the breadth of the human experience - and sometimes … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2023 – Documentary Short
If you've been keeping up with the Blitz coverage so far, this category may feel like a bit of déjà vu. With only one exception, the list of nominees for Original Screenplay this year is exactly the same as for Best Director. And even then, we're not talking about a difference in films, merely the … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2023 – Original Screenplay
It's almost March, the time of year when things really start to turn around. The Oscars are handed out, the NCAA Tournament begins, snow starts melting, work tends to pick up in my little sector of the entertainment industry, and Hollywood studios start putting out some really good movies. Okay, everything but that last part. … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – March 2023
It's weird how things line up every now and then when it comes to cinema. In the late 90s, we had two movies come out within months of each other about meteor strikes (Deep Impact and Armageddon), volcanic eruptions (Volcano and Dante's Peak), ants (Antz and A Bug's Life), and men whose lives were broadcast … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Bear-ly Passable
As I've said a few times over the course of this Blitz, the men's side of the acting field is decidedly slight compared to the women. We still have a legitimate contest, as this is still a two-horse race, possibly even three. But the fact that it's not five consistently, year in and year out, … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2023 – Best Actor (VIDEO)
I've mentioned this before, most recently on a new episode of No Rest for the Weekend with my friends over at Behind the Rabbit Productions, but 2022 saw a real resurgence in the quality of animated films. Three of my personal top 10 pictures for the entire year were animated, compared to one from 2021 … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2023 – Animated Feature
Thirty years ago, one of the greatest effects-driven films ever made was released upon an adoring public, and that was Jurassic Park. The expert combination of animatronics and relatively new digital CGI executed by the late, great Stan Winston ushered in an entirely new era of movie magic, where special effects could almost become the … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2023 – Visual Effects
This is, in all honesty, one of the most surprising categories of the entire set this year, not because of who got nominated, but because of who didn't. There are at four films nominated for Best Picture, two of which are also up for Best Director, that were left out here, leaving the astute viewer … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2023 – Cinematography
It's the most wonderful time of the year!With a ton of cel-shading,And deep color-grading,AND DISNEY'S NOT HERE!It's the most wonderful time of the year! It really is refreshing to see that the animation artform is expanding beyond the House of Mouse. It was shocking enough that there were no entries from either Pixar or Disney … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2023 – Animated Short
Debuting on the festival circuit last year before getting its theatrical release this week, Marlowe is the 100th feature film for one of cinema's greats, Liam Neeson. And it would seem that director Neil Jordan (who previously worked with Neeson in 1996 with Michael Collins) has taken the occasion as one to celebrate not just … Continue reading The Centennial – Marlowe
I Actually Paid To See This 