Every year, the Academy Awards serve two basic purposes. One is, ostensibly, to recognize the best and brightest achievements in film, celebrating talented artists who go that extra mile to entertain, inform, and give audiences a unique experience. The second is to act as a sort of State of the Union mile marker for the … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Best Picture (VIDEO)
If you've kept up with the Blitz over the years, you know that a) this category is very much NOT my forte, and that alongside Costume Design and Production Design, it's where I have the least amount of practical experience and expertise; and b) most of my personal involvements with the discipline have been borderline … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Makeup & Hairstyling
In addition to all the various bits of history and significance to this year's Oscars, the Supporting acting categories offer their own rarity. This year is but the sixth time in the long legacy of the Academy Awards where we have multiple nominees from the same film in BOTH contests. We have two from One … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Best Supporting Actor
When I was a child, there were four things that fascinated me more than anything else: baseball, TV, video games, and camcorders. In my own little world, a bulky camera mounted on your shoulder with a VHS tape inside was the ticket to the whole universe of movies. My family couldn't afford one of our … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Cinematography
The old adage is to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Well, for me, that's fairly obvious. I dress in jeans and dark t-shirts, which is literally my wardrobe when I'm on set during taping. It's what we call "show blacks," so that we don't affect the lighting on the … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Costume Design (VIDEO)
Late in January, I had to take my computer in for service. It was the second trip to the Geek Squad in as many months. The problem was that my C drive was constantly filling up, causing my web browser to crash if I had more than one tab open, and frequently closing regular program … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Original Score
Every year when I do the Blitz, I try to think of new and fun ways to break down each category. Sometimes it's by doing some research and finding a few fun facts about the nominees themselves. Sometimes I dig into Oscars history for some juicy tidbits that might be relevant to the discussion. Sometimes … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Sound
Sometime around 2013, I wrote a short story as a form of creative expression in a time when I was feeling very empty inside. It was about a young man who meets a little girl in a Tokyo train station when she mistakes him for her older brother. I had written shorts before, even entered … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Adapted Screenplay
Over the last several months, I learned more about interior design than I ever cared to know. Working in door-to-door sales, focusing on windows and entry doors, my job required me to knock on over 100 properties a day in an assigned neighborhood, and attempt to set up appointments for the actual salesmen. While it … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Production Design
In less than 48 hours, I'll begin the Oscar Blitz, and run a gauntlet for five weeks breaking down every category and nominee, as I've done every year that I've kept this blog up. As I write this, I still have 11 films from 2025 on my review backlog, not counting the nine I had … Continue reading DownStream – For Your Consolidation, Part 3: Narrative
I Actually Paid To See This 