I have to be honest with you guys. I came dangerously close to including ChloĆ© Zhao's new film, Hamnet, in the November edition of TFINYW (and before you say anything, I will resume the series; I just had to take a hiatus for December and January due to all the hectic bullshit I was dealing … Continue reading Shakespeare in Mourning – Hamnet
This past Sunday marked a year since my mother died. For the most part I think I've handled things as best as can be managed, but I confess it hasn't gotten "easier" to deal with the fact that she's gone. Part of that is because I hadn't come up with a proper way to honor … Continue reading LANGUAGE! – Wicked Little Letters
The beginning of October marks the official start of "Spooky Season," where we all celebrate the things that give us just the right kinds of scares. It's also the start of "Knockoff Month," where we all roll our eyes and laugh at the cheap imitations of things that are supposed to be worthwhile. Yes, whether … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – October 2023
"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
Writer/director Alex Garland has received considerable praise during his career, as he's got a real talent for making his audience question what's going on right in front of them, while also making sure to never shy away from pure viscera. Not for shock value, mind you, but because it's germane to the story he's telling. … Continue reading We Really Do Suck Sometimes – Men
There are two bits of history up for grabs at this year's Oscars with regards to the Supporting Actress category. One is fairly straightforward, while the other requires a bit of help later in the ceremony. Only twice before have two actors won Oscars for playing the same character. The first is Don Vito Corleone. … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2022 – Supporting Actress
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
We're in the home stretch, folks. In five days, we will know where the Academy stands, and the Oscar nominations will be announced. Before that happens, however, we have one last entry into the Awards Season undercard, the most prestigious ceremony for our friends across the Pond, the BAFTAs. Now obviously, being more Anglo-centric than … Continue reading I Say, Good Show – 75th BAFTA Nominations
The calendar has finally turned over, and of course, because we just can't have nice things, the universe decided to take Betty White out at the last fucking minute. But anyway, the official book has closed on 2021, a year where we almost, kinda, sort of got back to something resembling normal, only for the … Continue reading The Best (and Worst) of 2021
The "Best Actress Showcase" film is a common thing during Awards Season, typically in the form of a story uniquely suited to a female lead character, and often cast and shot in a way that heavily features the top line actress in an attempt to garner some hardware at the expense of everything else. It's … Continue reading The Parent Trap – The Lost Daughter
I Actually Paid To See This 