The journey through the probable Netflix Oscar nominees continues with a film I was really looking forward to seeing when it was first announced, but that sadly fell by the wayside as my free time became coopted by other projects and obligations. As a fan of musical theatre, I was quite excited for tick, tick... … Continue reading Sheer Heart Attack – tick, tick… BOOM!
We're but a few weeks away from Oscar nominations, and since the shortlists were released last month, I haven't been able to make any further progress on the 15 semifinalists for International Feature. I saw 10 of the films before the announcements were made, but nothing since. That ends today, as the first of three … Continue reading Bovine Intervention – Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
It's amazing to me that it's been 12 years since the acclaimed Jane Campion has directed a film. Until now, her most recent work was the well-received but barely seen Bright Star, about poet John Keats. It's been nearly 20 years since her last mainstream film, the underwhelming In the Cut. While her output has … Continue reading The Sheep’s Clothing – The Power of the Dog
I'd wager that most people know the concept of the Uncanny Valley, where the brain triggers a negative response to something artificial that's made to look human but comes up short somewhere in the middle. It played over and over in my mind while watching Mamoru Hosoda's latest film, Belle (originally titled The Dragon and … Continue reading Lend Me Your Voice – Belle
While the Oscars are the main event of Awards Season, there's still a good deal of information to gather along the way for those trying to win their office pools. Just about every major production branch has its own union that votes on internal awards, but the big four in this regard are the unions … Continue reading Acting! Genius! – 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Nominees
There are two major news items to report regarding this year's Oscars, set to take place on March 27th. The first is that Glenn Weiss will be directing the broadcast. He has directed the Oscars six times and the Tonys 20 times, for which he's won a combined five Emmy Awards. The Academy's press release … Continue reading Returning to Form – 94th Academy Awards News
Welcome to the third part in our miniseries on the 2021 Documentary Feature shortlist. You can find the recaps for Part 1 and Part 2 in their accompanying links, and as previously mentioned, I have individual reviews for Summer of Soul, The Rescue, and Flee. Today's installment will bring us up to 12 on this … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – I’ve Got a Little List, Part 3
"I'm scared," gasps Penélope Cruz while on a stakeout for a terrorist spy around the start of Act II in Simon Kinberg's The 355. "That's good," replies Diane Kruger. "Only idiots aren't scared." Well, if that's the case, I must be an idiot, because I certainly wasn't scared at all during this overlong parade of … Continue reading Spy Lame – The 355
The worst year ever... since the one before it, is finally over, and today, we officially begin our journey through the 2022 canon of cinema (even though the book is not yet closed on 2021). Unfortunately, it's only January, a bleak, cold month where the days are darkest and spirits tank after the highs of … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – January 2022
The calendar has finally turned over, and of course, because we just can't have nice things, the universe decided to take Betty White out at the last fucking minute. But anyway, the official book has closed on 2021, a year where we almost, kinda, sort of got back to something resembling normal, only for the … Continue reading The Best (and Worst) of 2021
I Actually Paid To See This 