I've made it clear many a time on this blog that I'm not a religious person. It's just not for me, and it likely never will be. But that doesn't mean that I don't wholeheartedly support religious freedom. If you have faith, good on you. I truly hope it makes you feel comfort and fulfillment … Continue reading Heroes Without Capes – Eternal Spring
As any reader is aware, there are two things going on with this blog right now. One, I'm in a near-constant state of clearing my backlog due to the absolute glut of films being released right now. Two, this is because it's Awards Season, and everyone is jockeying for position, attention, and prestige. Well, as … Continue reading Let’s Hear it For the Multiverse – 38th Independent Spirit Awards Nominees!
Harvey Weinstein is a piece of shit, truly garbage made flesh. Even before the truth came out about his predatory sexual behavior and outright rape, he basically represented the worst Hollywood had to offer. He was mean, aggressive, greedy, and his unabashed bribery and woefully unethical campaigning is the reason Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture … Continue reading Going on Record – She Said
My relationship with the work of Steven Spielberg has been a complicated one over the last decade or so. He's undeniably one of the greatest creative and visionary minds in cinema history, harnessing the pure magic of movies while actively coming up with new tricks at every turn. Over the course of nearly five decades, … Continue reading I Am Sam – The Fabelmans
There really isn't much to Bolivia's Oscar entry, Utama, in terms of story and character. There are basically only three main players, all largely confined to a tight space on a llama farm in the Andes. The plot is fairly simple, about an elderly couple trying to get by as severe drought makes life at … Continue reading The Dying Lands – Utama
The death of Chadwick Boseman hit a lot of people really hard, myself included. He was an amazing actor, by all accounts a wonderful human being, and the way he suffered in silence through the cancer that took his life showed the fortitude of the very superhero that made him most famous. After the first … Continue reading Finding Namor – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The International Feature category offers an incredible array of films from a wide variety of artists, but one of the more unique aspects is the political one. Each country that participates and submits a film does so through their own selection process in line with their national laws. As such, there is often controversy when … Continue reading The Tangled Web – Holy Spider
When I named The Estate as this month's "Redemption Reel," I may have oversold things. Reading it over again, in three paragraphs it might seem like I was pre-endorsing the film as one of the great comedies of the year, and if that's how it came off, I apologize. Mostly I was just delighted to … Continue reading Slags to Riches – The Estate
As I mentioned far too many times I'm sure in the last year, the idea of remaking a previous Best Picture winner is essentially blasphemous as far as I'm concerned. In almost every case it either feels like the height of hubris, with a filmmaker basically saying they can do it better despite the older … Continue reading Down in the Trenches – All Quiet on the Western Front
There is one true master when it comes to stop-motion animation filled with delightfully macabre imagery, and that's Henry Selick. Beginning his directorial career with The Nightmare Before Christmas, he's never shied away from giving audiences a dark, funny, and sneakily emotional treat through his work. But it's been a long time since his most … Continue reading Death’s Rich Pageant – Wendell & Wild
I Actually Paid To See This 