Monthly Archives: January 2020

Netflix’s best bet for a Best Documentary Academy Award is almost certainly “American Factory,” a good film and a candid look at Chinese investment in the American workforce. It was produced under the Netflix banner of Barack and Michelle Obama, … Continue reading →

You’ve heard or figured out on your own that January is one of those “dead zones” on the movie release calendar where studios have traditionally dumped films they have limited expectations for. But there have been many exceptions to this … Continue reading →

Ten nominated feature films made the Producers Guild Awards cut, including the usual suspects, from “Little Women” and “1917” to “Ford v Ferrari,” “Joker,” “Jo Jo Rabbit,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Irishman,” “Parasite,” “Knives Out” and “Marriage Story.” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/pga-awards-nominees-2020-list-full-1267527

“1917” has quite a bit of momentum, now, I’d say. The Directors Guild gave Sam Mendes a Best Director boost, along with the directors of “Parasite,” “Jo Jo Rabbit,” “Irishman” and “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.” An embarrassment of riches … Continue reading →

Not the most beloved University of Florida alumna, just another Urban Meyer recruit made…bad. Premieres on Netflix Jan. 15.  

  In their documentary short “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant,” filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert captured the failure and closing of a Dayton, Ohio General Motors plant that closed in 2008. Some ten thousand longtime GM … Continue reading →

The Monroeville, Alabama of “Just Mercy” is a barely-repentant racist town coasting on the righteousness of its most famous resident, Harper Lee — who wrote “To Kill a Mockingbird.” “Hav’ya BEEN to the Harper Lee Museum?” every white person in … Continue reading →

The first R-rated comedy of the new year could pay off handsomely for this trio — no fresh comic competition, a rare bird in terms of January subject matter. People need a laugh. January isn’t always a dumping ground for … Continue reading →

James Mangold is following his “Ford v Ferrari” outing with another biopic, a piece of pop culture controversy and history. When Bob Dylan plugged in and went electric. “Going Electric” is the working title. All sorts of points in Dylan’s … Continue reading →

So is “1917” slipping into place as the late-comer to the race that’s become the horse to beat? Two wins at the Golden Globes, now a WGA nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Heck, why didn’t all this buzz happen for … Continue reading →