A lot of foreign films that compete at the Oscars deal with heavy emotional or political themes, often in the context of world-changing events. Whether they're narrative films or documentaries, there's a ton of high-concept, game-changing ideas out there, which is why the Academy likes to curate them in the specialty feature categories (International, Animated, … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Doing the Work
I've harped a lot on my annual quixotic ambition to clear the Animated Feature list, even though I've never been able to accomplish the goal. What I do make a normal habit of is dusting off the shortlists for International Feature and Documentary Feature. This is oftentimes a very difficult mission, as strictly speaking, the … Continue reading DownStream – For Your Consolidation, Part 2: Documentary
It's the most wonderful time of the year. Oh, not Christmas, but the we're getting ever so close to the next Oscar Blitz! We're just over a month away from the reveal of the nominees, and today the Academy released their shortlists for half the categories in the field, 12 of the now 24! It's … Continue reading Santa’s Got Nothing on This – 98th Academy Awards Shortlists!
One of the more depressing aspects of life in these United States over the last decade or so is the systematic eradication of facts. One individual at the center of our government has been the focal point of this problem, employing a campaign of just making up the most hateful shit imaginable so that those … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2025 – Documentary Feature
Believe it or not, folks, this is the end of my backlog! At long last, every feature I saw for the 2024 canon will get its proper review, and I can move on to 2025 stuff (I already have four new releases in my back pocket, and I plan on two more before the week … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The True Warriors
A few weeks ago, I began my crash course through this year's Documentary Feature shortlist. I make it my mission every year to see all 15 semifinalists, preferably before Oscar nominations are announced. For the past few years, I've succeeded more times than not, and that includes the class of 2024. This is far from … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The True Killers
As I'm writing this post, at approximately 8:30pm PST, I have completed one of my annual stretch goals for the Oscar Blitz. The Documentary Feature shortlist has officially been cleared. Earlier this evening, I took in the last of the 15 semifinalists, No Other Land. It was the hardest to seek out, because it did … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The True Artists
It's that time again, folks. The pre-Blitz is on! This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed their shortlists in 10 of the 23 categories for next year's Oscars. As always, I'll provide links to any relevant reviews I've done on these semifinalist selections, as well as any top line reactions I … Continue reading One Long and 10 Shorts of It – 97th Academy Awards Shortlists Announced
As we come ever so much nearer to closing the book on 2023 cinema, it is time to return to the realm of documentaries. I've already covered the Documentary Feature category on the Oscar Blitz, including my admission of defeat in my annual quest to clear the shortlist, having come up one short. I did … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Witness to Truth, Part Two
Before we get to tonight's breakdown, we actually have some fresh Oscars news to report. The Academy surprised the press today by announcing a new category! Starting two years from now, with the 98th annual ceremony, we will have an award for Casting! This is very intriguing, as there's been an official Casting Directors Branch … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – Documentary Feature
I Actually Paid To See This 