-
If I Picked the Oscars — 2025 Edition

The 97th Academy Awards, colloquially known as the Oscars, took place earlier this month — Sunday, March 2nd, 2025 — at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Oscars night is the most prestigious of all cinema ceremonies, though the winners may not necessarily be everyone’s favorite. It all depends upon who you ask. Motion…
-
‘Red One’ — Saving Christmas Apparently Costs $250 Million & Hollywood’s Soul

Is Red One good? No. Is it enjoyable? Maybe? Sometimes? Depending on the circumstances. Overall, this attempt at a fun Christmas action-adventure in the middle of November fascinates me — not because of the film itself, but what it represents. Red One is a textbook example of Hollywood’s greatest problems and self-sabotaging pitfalls. Welcome to…
-
‘Beau Is Afraid’ — A Divisive Yet Compellingly Brilliant Anti-Odyssey

You should see Beau Is Afraid. At the same time, I warned you not to see Beau Is Afraid. This is the confusing dichotomy of a cinematic experience I resented & rejoiced to behold. Yes, this film is as marvelous and ambitious as it is utterly unhinged and ridiculous, yet both ends of the spectrum seem…
-
‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ — A Rollicking Farewell & Improvement Over Predecessor

There is one question everyone has been asking: is Dial of Destiny better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Yes, far better, in every way. Where that film failed, this one shines. There are only a few questionable choices here or there, but otherwise, the acting, cinematography, music, and design all befit a very decent…

