Well, folks. I have good news and bad news. The bad news, as was announced today, is that the Oscar Blitz will be somewhat delayed this year. The Academy decided today to postpone the reveal of the nominees, which was supposed to take place this coming Friday, as well as cancelling the annual Nominees' Luncheon, … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – The End of the Festivities
Every year the goal in the leadup to the Oscar Blitz is to see as many films as possible shortlisted by the Academy in various fields. It's not always possible, but I still make the attempt. Of the 10 categories that get these semifinal treatments, I was able to complete four of them, which is … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Coming Up Short(list)
The first major mile marker for next year's Oscars has finally been crossed. Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released their shortlists in 10 of the 23 categories. Participating branches and members have been viewing submissions, attending bake-offs, and voting for the past few weeks, and now the semifinalists have been revealed. … Continue reading Moving On to the Pre-Blitz – 96th Academy Awards Shortlists
Today's the semi-big day! We've reached the last major milestone before the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards are revealed. With one month to go, the official shortlists have been released for 10 specialty categories. For all intents and purposes, the pre-Blitz has begun, and it's time to plan viewing strategies for the next few … Continue reading A Little Short – 95th Academy Awards Shortlists Announced!
Mexico's entry for International Feature is a curious one, mostly because it's very clear that the decision to submit it was down to the prestige of the filmmaker rather than the film itself. With a barely passable Rotten Tomatoes score of 60%, Bardo, False Chronicles of a Handful of Truths relies almost entirely on the … Continue reading A Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man – Bardo, False Chronicles of a Handful of Truths
We've reached the final stage of the pre-Blitz with today's announcement of 10 shortlists for specialty categories for next year's Oscars. And as always, there are some truly baffling decisions made by the individual branches to go along with the more logical ones. From here on out it's nothing but hunting and viewing as I … Continue reading Your Dis is on My List – 94th Academy Award Shortlists!
Come on, how could I not preface the Independent Spirit Awards with a reference to quite possibly the greatest independent film of all time? The moment has come at last, and Awards Season is truly and officially underway with the first major announcement of nominees. Yes, technically the Golden Globe nods came out first with … Continue reading I’m 37?! – 37th Independent Spirit Nominees Announced
We're in the preliminary stages of next year's Oscar Blitz, with me sitting here eagerly anticipating the official announcement of specialty submissions before the shortlists come out on December 21. Part of that early zeal has included monitoring news feeds (and let's be honest, Wikipedia) for individual countries to announce their entries for International Feature, … Continue reading DownStream – Netflix International
A year ago today, Parasite shocked the world by winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. For a lot of film lovers out there, that was the last pleasant memory before the world went to Hell. Today, in the slimmest sign of a return to normalcy, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced … Continue reading The First Cuts – 93rd Oscars Shortlists Announced!
It is appropriate that the protagonist of Mexico's Oscar entry, I'm No Longer Here, is named Ulises. Played admirably by Juan Daniel Garcia Trevino, the stoic lead of the story serves as a modern day Odysseus (Ulysses being the Latinized equivalent), on a solo journey to find himself a home thanks to a momentary lapse … Continue reading Follow My Feet – I’m No Longer Here
I Actually Paid To See This 