I am overjoyed at this year's International Feature field. Not only is it one of the strongest we've seen in years, but for the first time since I've done the Blitz the result is genuinely in doubt. Yes, we had a bona fide shock last year when I'm Still Here beat out Emilia PĂ©rez, but … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – International Feature
Well, everyone, the day has come at last. This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences trotted out Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman to announce its nominees for the 98th Oscars. A new category made its official debut, and a longstanding record was broken, perhaps permanently. There's a lot to get to, so … Continue reading A Hefty Blitz Package – 98th Academy Award Nominations
The last several months have been particularly difficult for me. As financial hardships mount, unemployment resumes (yep, I lost my shitty sales job right after New Year's), and I stare at the horizon of my own obsolescence as our world descends into madness, it's hard to cling to the things that bring any kind of … Continue reading The House with a Crack in its Walls – Sentimental Value
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!
It's an unfortunate regularity in American life that whenever something goes wrong with kids in school, the first instinct is to find someone to blame. I'm not talking about serious and severe disasters like shootings, but more mundane things like fights or bad grades. Is it the parents' fault for not raising their child properly? … Continue reading Will Boys Be Boys? – Armand
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
Get your minds out of the gutter right this instant! And then put them back in, because obviously I chose that headline for the sake of a lame sex joke. If you've been following along with any regularity to this point, it's honestly a wonder I didn't make such a gag before now. Anyhoo, we're … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – A Foreign Threesome
For the first time ever, I accomplished my goal of seeing the entire shortlist for International Feature. And trust me, it's quite the task, as this is the one category where even the most stalwart Oscar fanatic could be deprived of any chance to see a nominated film, or even a submitted one. According to … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2022 – International Feature
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
Norway's Oscar entry, The Worst Person in the World, represents the inevitable shifts along life's journey, both through its main character and its director. This is the third film in Joachim Trier's acclaimed "Oslo Trilogy," which also includes 2006's Reprise and 2011's Oslo, August 31st, so in a meta sense, this last entry is the … Continue reading Mercurial Rising – The Worst Person in the World
I Actually Paid To See This 