Awards Season is almost over, and as such, I've got to wrap up all my old business from 2023. This includes the two films I had to watch after the Oscar nominations came out, as well as the final four publicly released films that got nods at the Independent Spirit Awards. It was incredible binging … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The Spirit Stragglers, Part Four
"An act of female imagination" is the phrase Sarah Polley uses to describe her film, Women Talking. I don't mean in interviews or press junkets, but in actual on-screen text. It's a curious statement if you don't know the context of the story. Between 2005 and 2009, in an ultraconservative Mennonite colony in Bolivia, dozens … Continue reading Guess What it’s About – Women Talking
Every era of the James Bond franchise has its own unique qualities and characteristics, both for good and ill. The Sean Connery years framed the Cold War against the backdrop of a suave and sophisticated super spy. The Roger Moore era leaned heavily into camp value. Pierce Brosnan's run relied heavily on grandiose spectacle. George … Continue reading Junk Bond – No Time to Die
Let's get the main point out of the way first. By rights, this movie shouldn't even exist. As much as we all loved the original Mary Poppins film from 1964, as much as it informed our youths, the author of the books, P.L. Travers utterly hated the adaptation of her source material, to the point that … Continue reading Shit Shittery, Shit Shittery, Shit Shit Shitty – Mary Poppins Returns
I Actually Paid To See This 