Mark Ruffalo Takes the Spotlight to Expose More Cover-ups – Dark Waters

Four years ago, Mark Ruffalo earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Best Picture winner, Spotlight. In Tom McCarthy's brilliant procedural, Ruffalo was part of a team of journalists who helped to expose the Catholic Church and its calculated cover-up of sexual assault against children. Ruffalo's passionate performance, coupled with the … Continue reading Mark Ruffalo Takes the Spotlight to Expose More Cover-ups – Dark Waters →

The Long Arm of Murphy’s Law – Queen & Slim

In the trailers for Queen & Slim, the feature directorial debut for Melina Matsoukas (known for music videos until now), a character known as Uncle Earl (Bokeem Woodbine) refers to the two title characters as "The Black Bonnie & Clyde," a reference to the couple being on the run from the law. However, there's a big … Continue reading The Long Arm of Murphy’s Law – Queen & Slim →

Time to Begin Your Blitz – Academy Announces Oscar Spotlight: Documentaries Program

Last year was the first time that I was able to accomplish my goal of seeing every shortlisted documentary feature before the Academy Award nominations came out. I had been trying for a few years, mostly because the Documentary Branch seems to nominate the most dense and inaccessible films as opposed to the rare docs … Continue reading Time to Begin Your Blitz – Academy Announces Oscar Spotlight: Documentaries Program →

Shorties Watching Shorties! – 92nd Academy Awards Shortlists Announced!

The next phase of Awards Season is on! This afternoon, the Academy announced its shortlists for nine categories, repeating the efficient method they started last year, rather than staggering out the lists like they had before. Not only do we get to see how far the fields have narrowed for International Feature, Documentary Feature, and … Continue reading Shorties Watching Shorties! – 92nd Academy Awards Shortlists Announced! →

DownStream – Doc Around the Clock

I'm really running low on "doc" puns at this point. Anyway, tomorrow the Academy announces its shortlists for several categories outside the main ballot, including Documentary Feature. Since the list of submissions was announced, I've tried to find time to view as many that are available as possible. Sadly, at the moment I'm working two … Continue reading DownStream – Doc Around the Clock →

Back Row Thoughts: Toontown, Part 3

At last we come to the end of our animated adventure. In this column I'll break down four more entries for next year's Oscar for Best Animated Feature. A grand total of 32 films were submitted, and I tracked down as many as I could, to the point that I've now seen 20 of the … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts: Toontown, Part 3 →

Like Father, Like Shia – Honey Boy

Shia LaBeouf has definitely earned himself some career rehabilitation this year. The first step was his absolutely wonderful performance with Zack Gottsagen in The Peanut Butter Falcon back in August. Now, he's followed it up with one of the best examples of art therapy in recent memory with Honey Boy. Written by LaBeouf and directed by … Continue reading Like Father, Like Shia – Honey Boy →

Congratulations, Your Checks Have Cleared – 77th Golden Globe Nominations Announced!

I am not a fan of the Golden Globes, apart from Ricky Gervais' biting jokes and monologues. Thankfully, he's hosting again next year, so at least I'll have a reason to fast forward through my roommate's DVR record. But apart from that, the Globes, and the organization that runs it - The Hollywood Foreign Press … Continue reading Congratulations, Your Checks Have Cleared – 77th Golden Globe Nominations Announced! →

DownStream – Netflix and Shill, Part 1

Last year was a tremendous boon for Netflix when it came to the Oscar stage. The success of Roma (as well as The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to a lesser extent, not to mention a slew of documentaries over the years), followed by the Academy's rebuke of traditionalists like Steven Spielberg emboldened the world's premiere streaming … Continue reading DownStream – Netflix and Shill, Part 1 →

Slashing Throats and Genre Conventions – Knives Out

Two years ago, Rian Johnson directed Star Wars - Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, arguably the most polarizing film in the entire saga. Some loved it, others hated it. As for me personally, I rated it as my #10 film of 2017 in one of the first ever posts I wrote on this blog. I wasn't … Continue reading Slashing Throats and Genre Conventions – Knives Out →