I swear to God one day I'll get better at budgeting my time. Lost in the shuffle of the last week of foraging for documentaries and foreign submissions, as well as mainstream fare potentially vying for the Oscars, I forgot that Tuesday was the unveiling of the nominations for the Writers Guild of America. The … Continue reading Write it Down Before You Forget – Writers Guild Nominations
I apologize profusely for the headline reference. Anyway, one of the big contenders this Awards Season is at last available to be seen by the public, after it's scraped up a bunch of Golden Globe, Independent Spirit, and other nominations. Written, directed, produced, and edited by Chloé Zhao (The Rider), Nomadland has finally been released … Continue reading Life is a Highway – Nomadland
While Disney and Pixar will always get the largest heaps of praise when it comes to American cinematic animation, Japan's Studio Ghibli stands as an ever-constant reminder that the rest of the world exists, and can always compete with the best of them. From lighthearted children's fare like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service … Continue reading Ghibli Enters the Third Dimension – Earwig and the Witch
The shortlists for this year's Academy Awards were released just over a week ago, which means I'm already in prime mode, trying to clear off as many potential nominees as possible before the official finalists are declared in just about four weeks' time. As ever, that includes the goal of clearing the shortlist for Documentary … Continue reading DownStream – Doc Stuffin’
A good crime procedural requires basically two things to work. One, a compelling cast of believable characters, and two, a case/mystery that can intrigue the audience enough to invest in the step-by-step process of figuring everything out. Now, there are only so many of these types of stories to tell, so naturally over the years … Continue reading CS-Sigh – The Little Things
There's a strange, yet telling line in Hong Kong's Oscar submission, Better Days, that seeps deeper than anything else in the film. "You're either a bully, or you're the one being bullied." Essentially, it means that there are no innocent bystanders, but it sticks out because there's a disturbing wisdom to it. Even if you … Continue reading Disabusing Yourself – Better Days
We've already had one highly creative documentary for 2020 dealing with the aging process and dementia, in the form of the wonderful Dick Johnson is Dead. It was kind, heartfelt, and led by an absolutely charming central figure. It helped me deal with the grief and stress that I've been processing over the last year … Continue reading Espion-Age – The Mole Agent
Now elevated to the shortlist for International Feature, Russia's submission, Dear Comrades! succeeds in large part because of the intimacy of the main characters within the larger context of a brutal act of state-sponsored terrorism from the Soviet era. The film is best when concentrating on the core relationship between mother and daughter that spurs … Continue reading Not With My Daughter – Dear Comrades!
A year ago today, Parasite shocked the world by winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. For a lot of film lovers out there, that was the last pleasant memory before the world went to Hell. Today, in the slimmest sign of a return to normalcy, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced … Continue reading The First Cuts – 93rd Oscars Shortlists Announced!
Relationship drama is about as basic as it gets when it comes to cinematic storytelling. After more than a century of film, it's not whether the story's been told before, but how one goes about telling it. Austria's submission to the Academy, What We Wanted, begins with an interesting spin on the prospect, but unfortunately … Continue reading Insert “Vienna Sausage” Joke Here – What We Wanted
