If you're a fan (or detractor) of the works of Aaron Sorkin, you know he keeps to some pretty well-established patterns. Call them trademarks or tropes depending on how much you like them. But throughout his career, both as a writer and director, you can always see his earmarks. His scripts are often witty, dialogue-heavy, … Continue reading The Newsroom, er, Courtroom – The Trial of the Chicago 7
By all accounts, Citizen Kane is one of the greatest films of all time, if not the greatest. Twice the American Film Institute has named it #1 on their list of the 100 best films. It's on numerous "best of" lists from renowned film critics. It's one of only three films to have a perfect … Continue reading Pay All Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain – Mank
For the longest time, it was a tradition in my family to avoid the massive crowds at the malls and stores during Black Friday, and instead take in a movie, typically one more tame than usual. We liked to go for a more family-friendly vibe in hopes that everyone could find something to enjoy, especially … Continue reading The Treacle Has Landed – Over the Moon
We come to it at last. After months upon months of theatres being shuttered to the point that there's no realistic hope of reopening this year (at least in Los Angeles), I've come to the end of my 2020 catch-up. There is still a plethora of documentaries to sort through, and I'll get to that … Continue reading DownStream – The Summer’s Gone
If you've followed this blog since its inception, and even if you haven't, you might well be aware that I have a personal rule regarding cinematic remakes. With very few exceptions, the basic line is, "fuck those cynical cash grab pieces of shit." However, there are times when even I'll violate my longstanding procedure, and … Continue reading DownStream – Halloweenies
God I love these titles. Okay, so let me take you back to 2006. I'm 24, just getting started in my career, and in one of the few instances where several of my coworkers and I had a common night off, we all decided to go to the local movie theatre on the opening night … Continue reading IT NICE! – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Summer has come and passed... you know the rest. Go wake up Billie Joe Armstrong, already. The autumn air is upon us, more theatres are opening up (except for Regal, which is closing some 350 locations, many of them permanently), and the deluge of online-only content is starting to abate. More films are getting their … Continue reading DownStream – Cruel Summer
I'm going to take a break from Netflix for this edition, because honestly, there's still so much to go - both in narrative films and documentaries - that I could do a column a day and still not be finished with Netflix by the end of next week. While I'm not the biggest fan of … Continue reading DownStream – Government Intervention
Movie theatres are starting to reopen across the country, and even flicks that initially went to a theatre are quickly becoming available on demand for those of us who still can't go. It's just the sort of thing to give us all a faint glimmer of hope that the world isn't completely terrible after all, … Continue reading DownStream – May Dates
It's amazing to me that one of the few good things to happen this year is the complete overhaul of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to finally address the myriad issues that have been raised for the past decade. All it took was a massive expansion of membership, anger over a whitewashed … Continue reading #OscarsNOWhite – Academy Unveils Representation Standards
