Monthly Archives: March 2023

James Friend wins for the most striking real world photography in the Oscar field this year. Not a good speech, not his thing. But the work speaks for itself.

“Fire of Love” was a lot of people’s favorite. Mine too, probably. Very “Grizzly Man.” But “Navalny” was the most topical film in this field, although others were just as important, thanks to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the fact … Continue reading →

It seemed like Angela Bassett’s Oscar to lose. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was one of the more middling films to earn nominations, but she’s regal in it. Wonder if Jamie Lee’s lovely, loopy SAG acceptance speech and other Awards Season … Continue reading →

A stacked category, with Brendan and Brian Tyree Henry my faint hopes for long shot wins. Pity they put Gleeson in the same category as Barry Keoghan, but them’s the breaks. Ke Huy Quan is the sentimental favorite, the fanboy … Continue reading →

I was hoping for a long shot, “Puss in Boots.” But this stop-motion marvel was one of the very best pictures of last year. Score one for Netflix, and another one for Guillermo del Toro. “Keep animation in the conversation,” … Continue reading →

My first name is of French origin and originally meant “fame” and “spear,” which…fits. But “Roger” has so many other meanings, fun and more fun. It’s radio parlance for “affirmative,” which has an interesting WWII etymology. Then there’s the slangy, … Continue reading →

The hallmarks of a D-movie are many, but often include the following. They’re usually horror films. And there’re always a couple of horror “names” in the cast, people whose credits include low-to-no-budget slasher, spatter and “dead teenager” movie credibility. In … Continue reading →

The topicality, the writing, the Edward Hopper Stuck at Waffle House production design, the mayhem in pantomime. And the acting. Jenna Ortega’s most touching moment.

The academic turned Pulitzer-prize-winning novelist Richard Russo’s college-set comedy “Straight Man” becomes the latest Bob Oedenkirk AMC+ series, casting him as a writer/English dept. chair in mid-midlife crisis — “Lucky Hank.” It’s a droll comedy about witty, petty, self-absorbed academics, … Continue reading →

“Have a Nice Day!” is a sentimental coming of age dramedy that doesn’t quite come off. Lots of promising if somewhat conventional possibilities are introduced, with only the least interesting of them pursued. It’s lighthearted, but ungainly, incomplete and disappointing … Continue reading →