It can be difficult business to give a real-life figure the cinematic treatment. Ideally you want a subject that's compelling on a human level as well as a dramatic one. It's a delicate balance to maintain. Some people who may be superficially interesting may not be worth rooting for, either as a hero or a … Continue reading Stalled Out – Ferrari
While it's often thought of as the most glamorous award of the evening, Best Actress is often a category that gets underserved. This is mostly due to two main factors. One, as I've mentioned before, there's a marketing strategy that I refer to as the Best Actress Showcase, where a film is specifically made to … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2022 – Best Actress
When the Oscar nominations came out this past Tuesday, I ended up with more than half the categories already covered, which was definitely a good start. And all told, I only had eight total movies to watch to complete the viewing portion of this year's Blitz. Despite that, there were two categories that were not … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Best? Actress Blitz
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
"I'm scared," gasps Penélope Cruz while on a stakeout for a terrorist spy around the start of Act II in Simon Kinberg's The 355. "That's good," replies Diane Kruger. "Only idiots aren't scared." Well, if that's the case, I must be an idiot, because I certainly wasn't scared at all during this overlong parade of … Continue reading Spy Lame – The 355
The worst year ever... since the one before it, is finally over, and today, we officially begin our journey through the 2022 canon of cinema (even though the book is not yet closed on 2021). Unfortunately, it's only January, a bleak, cold month where the days are darkest and spirits tank after the highs of … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – January 2022
It is a rare thing that I get to see any national submissions for Best International Feature Film (formerly Foreign Language) before the Academy narrows the dozens of films down to the shortlist, and oftentimes I have to wait until the actual Oscar nominations come out and scramble. It's usually one of the last categories … Continue reading Pedro Votes for Himself – Pain and Glory
I Actually Paid To See This 