I make no secret that I am not a fan of what I refer to as "Best Actor/Actress Showcase" films, movies that only exist to spotlight a particular performer, usually one who has been celebrated but never given any hardware during their career, and use it as a vehicle to get an Oscar nomination or … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Please Give Me an Oscar I Don’t Deserve
There are fleeting moments of brilliance in Sam Mendes' latest film, Empire of Light, in particular those that allow its chief actors, Olivia Colman and Michael Ward, to show off their talents. The combination of wistfulness in Colman and aspiration in Ward is particularly strong, as both characters represent the same desires and insecurities we … Continue reading Focus. FOCUS! – Empire of Light
Luca Guadagnino is one of the most surprising filmmakers working today. With Call Me By Your Name, he made statutory rape and jizzing into a peach somehow heartwarming. With his version of Suspiria, he managed the rare feat of creating a remake that felt unique enough to stand on its own. And with Bones and … Continue reading Bite Me – Bones and All
It's been a long time since we've had one of those crystallizing film score moments. You know what I'm talking about. Something like Star Wars or Back to the Future or Jaws. When's the last time you've heard a score cue and immediately knew what movie it was from? I think for me it would … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2021 – Original Score
This year's Golden Globe Awards are finally in the books, and after tonight, we get to pretend for the next 10 months that they don't exist, until we repeat the cycle all over again with next year's set of bribes. After three hours of technical difficulties and over a month of controversy for the latest … Continue reading The World’s Most Expensive Suppository – 78th Golden Globe Winners!
For the purposes of legal protection, I will say upfront that I can't prove that the 90+ members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association are bribed for their votes at the Golden Globes. It is merely an opinion, mostly presented tongue-in-cheek, based on the history of truly baffling nominations and awards that repeatedly smack of … Continue reading Here’s Some Money, Please Validate Me! – 78th Golden Globe Nominees Announced
By all accounts, Citizen Kane is one of the greatest films of all time, if not the greatest. Twice the American Film Institute has named it #1 on their list of the 100 best films. It's on numerous "best of" lists from renowned film critics. It's one of only three films to have a perfect … Continue reading Pay All Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain – Mank
I Actually Paid To See This 