2021 Oscar Predictions: September Edition

With film festivals just around the corner, awards season is officially about to begin! What films and performances will be recognized at next year’s 93rd Academy Awards? It’s still early, but never too early to start making predictions, so here goes nothing!

“Boys State” Documentary Review: The Price of Freedom

Boys State (2020) is a documentary from directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, distributed by A24 and Apple TV+. It follows several participants in the titular Boys State, a political event in Texas where a thousand teenage boys build a mock representative government from the ground up. It is a compelling look at the future of politics, and how social media (and recent political campaigns) has affected today’s youth. Should we be optimistic about the next generation, or worried?

Best Picture Through the Decades: 1920’s-30’s

Welcome to the final installment of my Best Picture retrospective, where I go back and watch every winner of the Academy Awards’ top prize! Today we’re going all the way back to the start of the ceremony to cover the final decade (plus two years) of films: the 1920s and 1930s. How have these earliest winners aged?

“Yes, God, Yes” Film Review: Sex, Lies and Videotape

Yes, God, Yes (2020) is a comedy-drama film written and directed by Karen Maine, based on her 2017 short film of the same name. It stars Natalia Dyer as a Catholic high-schooler who is attends a religious retreat to try and suppress her sexual urges. Dyer had her breakthrough on the small screen with Netflix’s Stranger Things series, and here looks to make the leap to leading lady on the silver screen. Could this be the start of a successful career for a talented young actress?

“Da 5 Bloods” Film Review: Mistrust, Mistreatment and Messy Filmmaking

Da 5 Bloods (2020) is the latest Spike Lee Joint, co-written with Kevin Willmott, Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo. It stars an ensemble cast including Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, and Chadwick Boseman in the story of four black Vietnam War vets who return to the country in search of treasure they buried there during the war. Lee’s first film since winning an Oscar for BlacKkKlansman, this was pegged early on as a potential awards player. Will it have legs deep into next winter, or is it a return to obscurity for the oft-overlooked filmmaker?

“The Vast of Night” Film Review: Shooting for the Stars

The Vast of Night (2020) is an indie sci-fi from debut filmmaker Andrew Patterson and writers James Montague and Craig W. Sanger. It stars Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz as two small-town teens who investigate strange audio frequencies coming in over the radio airwaves. The film debuted at the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and was finally released on Amazon Prime this weekend. Is it worth the hype?

Every Pixar Film Ranked

Welcome back to the blog! As usual in these troubling times, there is a lack of new material to talk about in the film world…theaters are closed, new releases are being pushed back, everything sucks, blah blah blah… Why don’t we liven things up with a happier topic like animation? While animated films aren’t usually my thing, Pixar is an undeniable tour de force in the industry and was a major influence on my childhood. As such, I wanted to list every Pixar film I’ve seen and rank them from worst to best! There are some spicy takes contained within, so join me and see where you disagree!

Belated Film Review Round-Up: Self-Quarantine Edition

Welcome to another round of film reviews, in which I watch and review films that have been out in theaters for a while already! Thanks to the coronavirus, all of these films were made available online shortly after their theatrical run, giving me an opportunity to watch them without leaving the house. Enjoy my abbreviated thoughts on Emma., Birds of Prey, The Way Back, and Onward!

“The Hunt” Film Review: Political Satire With No Bite

The Hunt (2020) is a semi-satirical thriller from director Craig Zobel and writers Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof. It tells the story of twelve conservative-leaning strangers who awaken on a remote estate and find themselves hunted by rich liberal elites. It caused quite the stir late last year, when controversy over the film’s subject matter and the subsequent public backlash caused it to be postponed to now. And after the coronavirus outbreak sent the film to the web, I was able to check it out during my self-quarantine. Is the hype warranted? What’s all the fuss about?

2020 Sundance Film Festival Review Round-Up

Sundance Film Festival is our first look at the “prestige” films of the year and the beginnings of early campaigns and buzz for potential Oscar success. Its track record hasn’t been stellar the past few years, but occasionally a hidden gem will emerge (Call Me By Your Name, Whiplash, etc.) and take the Academy by storm twelve months later. Could such a film exist in this year’s field? What are the most buzzed-about films of Sundance 2020?