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
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
If you've followed the Blitz over the years, you know this is NOT my favorite category. I love music, and I love how music is used in film, whether it's a full-blown production number, a nice diegetic catalog track, or even occasionally a thematically appropriate coda during the credits. Also, as I've never been successfully … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2026 – Original Song
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
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
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!
I Actually Paid To See This 