Tag: Awards

On Golden Pond (1982) is unremarkable Oscar bait from the 1980s

April 7, 2022

Review of 1982’s On Golden Pond. The multiple Oscar winning film … More On Golden Pond (1982) is unremarkable Oscar bait from the 1980s

Cyrano is unmemorable cinema headlined by sterling performances

March 16, 2022

First time I saw the trailer in theaters for Cyrano was back in late September or early October. FOUR months later and (I kid you not) 40 to 50 viewings of the trailer later, I basically understood the plot beat for beat going into the film without having seen it. And to my faux surprise, it played out exactly how I imagined. Based on a tragedy of unconsummated love, Cyrano is a traditional romance narrative where all the story beats are laid out fairly early, relying on the musical numbers and the liveliness of Joe Wright’s direction to carry it home. This approach leaves the onus on the music and while the pieces and dances are good, they’re not enough to satisfy our craving for juicier melodrama. … More Cyrano is unmemorable cinema headlined by sterling performances

Caleb Landry Jones is hauntingly brilliant in Justin Kurzel’s “Nitram”

March 1, 2022

Nitram is devastatingly cruel in the exploration of Australia’s first mass shooter and refreshingly honest in the horrors of this character’s worldview. Caleb Landry Jones as the dejected, irrational, and completely broken soul is on full display and the depiction of this hateful figure where this type of violent outrage feels somehow inevitable, but the direction and the performances hide the sickly underbelly with shades of his humanity and how it gets stripped from him. … More Caleb Landry Jones is hauntingly brilliant in Justin Kurzel’s “Nitram”

The 2022 PGA Nominations rewarding extreme American blandness

February 1, 2022

merica (PGA) has become the end all be all of Oscar prognostication. The preferential ballot changed everything and PGA being the lone awards body operating under that system makes the winner here a valuable commodity to pundits. For reference, 20 of the 29 PGA Golden Laurel (or best picture) winners have gone on to win the Oscar. … More The 2022 PGA Nominations rewarding extreme American blandness

ASC 2022 Nominees – Nightmare Alley and Tragedy of Macbeth land nominations

January 25, 2022

In the past, the group has awarded the spectacle or artistically driven films, meaning gasping wide-shots and a strong visual component to the overall storytelling, win the award. For instance, Erik Messerschmidt winning for Mank in possibly the weakest year for cinematography ever, was due to Fincher emphasizing the eye-catching compositions. He would go on to win the Oscar… … More ASC 2022 Nominees – Nightmare Alley and Tragedy of Macbeth land nominations

Oscar Awards Roundup: Biggest Critics Winners

December 16, 2021

The Best Picture race is starting to shape with the release of critics choice and Golden Globe nominations. Many of the largest and most influential regional critics awards have already come and gone. At this point, we’re in the full swing of Award season and it’s time to determine the frontrunners before the real precursors begin. 
… More Oscar Awards Roundup: Biggest Critics Winners

CERTIFIED WEIRD: Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta a triumph of provocation

December 14, 2021

Paul Verhoeven always creates lived-in worlds and his retelling of Saint Benedetta’s life in the Catholic church is PURE Verhoeven. Impending darkness presiding over a sexual awakeneing, provoking the audience with every subsequent scene. It’s a beautiful rendering of sexual freedom through the guise of religious restriction. It’s violent and bloody. Apocryphal and full of juicy drama. Plus, filled with damning religious imagery and powerful metaphors. What we’re left with is one of Verhoeven’s best films.
… More CERTIFIED WEIRD: Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta a triumph of provocation