The Oscar nominations were announced today, and I'm chomping at the bit for my annual blitz. But strangely, one set of nominees has been missing from this year's awards cycle, that of the Golden Raspberries, or Razzies, "celebrating" the year's worst achievements in film with a spray-painted statue worth just under $5. Normally, the Razzie … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: I Bought a Razzie Vote!
The moment has come at last. Over 300 films were submitted for this year's Oscars, and now the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has had their say. After weeks and months of anticipation, conjecture, campaigning, and outright nail-biting on my part, we finally have our list of contenders across 24 categories. Issa Rae … Continue reading Put on Your Blitzin’ Shoes! – 92nd Academy Awards Nominations Announced!
Last year the total was 111 new movies. This year it's 134. Part of the tally is because I basically didn't work for the first seven months of 2019, and even when I did start working, I didn't get full time hours on any job until November. Quite frankly, I nearly went bankrupt. But oddly … Continue reading The Best (and Worst) of 2019
Let me paint you a picture. It's New Year's Eve, literally the last day of 2019, and I've got nothing to do before my roommates host a party that night. Every movie I planned on seeing was in the books, so what was I going to do? There was only one new movie left, and … Continue reading Even My Allergies Said Stay Away – Cats
Oscar nominations are just over a day away, and when they come down on Monday morning, five filmmakers are going to get the thrill of a lifetime, as their movie will be up for the Documentary Feature prize. Late last month, the Academy narrowed over 190 submissions down to a lucky 15, which were then … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The 2019 Doc Feature Shortlist
I'll be right upfront with you guys. I don't like Terrence Malick movies. With the exception of The Thin Red Line, every film of his I've seen can basically be reduced to two bullet points: Beautifully shot, but unbelievably pretentious. A decade ago, baffling praise was heaped upon him for The Tree of Life, which I … Continue reading Snail Mail at a Snail’s Pace – A Hidden Life
The late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, a staunch proponent of capital punishment, once famously said that there had not been, "a single case—not one—in which it is clear that a person was executed for a crime he did not commit." That firebrand assertion implies that if it were ever proven that an innocent man … Continue reading Forgive, Don’t Forget – Clemency
It's amazing how something plain and simple can expand into something beyond belief or control. It happens every day. A rumor spreads fast and loose, ballooning into an outright scandal. A traffic accident at the wrong time and place can escalate into a humongous multi-car pileup. A moment of levity from a mother and a … Continue reading The March of War! – 1917
The Oscar nominations are right around the corner, and I've still got a pretty sizable backlog of movies to review. Thankfully, I can give you two for the price of one (or a billion, it's all free) with one more edition of "DownStream." While not nearly as aggressive as Netflix, Amazon Prime has put out … Continue reading DownStream – Prime Viewing
Today marks two years since this blog began, and what better way to celebrate than to take a look back at the movies I've loved? Going to movies has always been my favorite activity (even though it occasionally bugs my girlfriend), and I've seen a lot over the last decade - over 650 in fact. … Continue reading The Top 100 of the 2010s
I Actually Paid To See This 