In Netflix's never-ending quest to destroy the theatrical film model once and for all, they put forward a lot of movies in hopes of garnering some Academy hardware. In addition to the two International Feature submissions they put their marketing heft behind (Chile's In Her Place and the massively overblown exercise in missing the point … Continue reading DownStream – TUDUM! Part Three – Narrative Features
We come to it at last. After several delays, it's finally time to tackle the disgustingly cynical double feature that studios and influencers tried to dub "Glicked" as a manufactured means to recreate the critical and box office magic that was last summer's "Barbenheimer" battle, but I have taken to calling "GladiWicketor" because a marketing … Continue reading I WAS NOT ENTERTAINED! – Gladiator II
It's been a hot minute since I've posted anything, but for once there's good reason. I spent five days last week covering AFI Fest, taking in a whopping 16 films over the course of the festival. Tomorrow I'll be getting up at the ass crack of dawn for four days of election work going through … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – November 2024
Two thirds of the year is officially in the books, and with the changing of the seasons for the planet comes the changing of the seasons for the multiplex. The Summer Blockbuster period is over, and starting now, we're into Awards Season. Normally this would be kicked off with the Emmy Awards, but the various … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – September 2023
Since I made the decision to break down the major categories on my YouTube channel (I Actually Paid to See This, subscribe please!), I've been struggling to figure out how to give you all, my beloved readers, something unique to go along with the video content. I mean, you can just watch the clip to … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2022 – Best Actor
The moment has come at last. After a truncated year of eligibility, way too much hype for remakes, and for some reason a "documentary" about Billie Eilish, it is time to finally announce this year's nominees for the Academy Awards. I was up early (but not bright) at 5am Pacific Time to watch and react … Continue reading WAKE UP! IT’S TIME TO BLITZ! – 94th Academy Award Nominations
While the Oscars are the main event of Awards Season, there's still a good deal of information to gather along the way for those trying to win their office pools. Just about every major production branch has its own union that votes on internal awards, but the big four in this regard are the unions … Continue reading Acting! Genius! – 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Nominees
Tis a tale oft told, that makers hath rolled,One twelfth of a gross, through celluloid's Globe,By Welles and Roman, nearly of Laurence,Now a Coen alone doth enter the fray.To speak evermore of the killer Thane,Who's play is too superstitious to name,The Tragedy of Macbeth goes to screen.But what more can be said? What news? What … Continue reading A Soliloquy – The Tragedy of Macbeth
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
It's a rare thing when an actor gives a performance that truly feels otherworldly, as if they're so lost in a role that nothing could extricate them from the moment. It can reach deep within your own being as a viewer, even if you have no real-life connection to the character. It's transformative in a … Continue reading When Levee Breaks – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
I Actually Paid To See This 