Back Row Thoughts – Doing the Work

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

DownStream – For Your Consolidation, Part 2: Documentary

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

Santa’s Got Nothing on This – 98th Academy Awards Shortlists!

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 Long and 10 Shorts of It – 97th Academy Awards Shortlists Announced

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

Back Row Thoughts – Witness to Truth, Part Two

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