Hustle – Review
Petite Maman – Review
“A beautiful film in its direct approach, wandering through its gently fantastical world while quietly revealing the depths of its insights, its connections, and its extraordinary emotional reach.”
Continue reading “Petite Maman – Review”RRR – Review
“Not only is it boundless in energy and enthusiasm, but its generous sense of creativity keeps its viewers in its enthralling hold.”
Continue reading “RRR – Review”Dual – Review
“Amusing from moment to moment and well-performed, but leaves so much on the table once it indicates how much deeper it actually wants to go.”
Continue reading “Dual – Review”On the Count of Three – Review
“It’s dark and bracing, but unafraid to let its characters be soulful, vulnerable, and complex.”
Continue reading “On the Count of Three – Review”We’re All Going to the World’s Fair – Review
“An unnerving, painstakingly observant story about trying to find a real connection or personal realization through the uncanny mists of the internet.”
Continue reading “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair – Review”All the Old Knives – Review
“It’s good at establishing ambience and assembling a careful tension, but when it comes to showing us the reveals that it’s been building towards, it stumbles.”
Continue reading “All the Old Knives – Review”Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood – Review
“An engaging snapshot of not merely a time and place, but a mindset.”
Continue reading “Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood – Review”The Souvenir Part II – Review
“A reflexive art piece that deftly takes us into the emotions and motivations that comprise its own creation.”
Continue reading “The Souvenir Part II – Review”Frontrunners Win, But Surprises Abound: Thoughts on the 94th Academy Awards
by Ken Bakely
I know what you want me to talk about here, and sure, I’ll get to it, but first, let me say this:
It’s actually hard for me to write about this show in total. At first, I felt I just had nothing to say. I suppose this is in part because the decision to eliminate categories from the broadcast represented the strange economics that defined the entire evening. The Academy, producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan, and ABC held firm to the decision to cut eight categories from the broadcast, despite a chorus of Oscar fans and industry professionals virtually unanimous in their condemnation. They swore it was part of an initiative to keep the show focused, streamlined, and under three hours (and include more comedy bits and musical performances). So they did it, worked clips of the speeches from the affected awards into the broadcast, and what happened? The broadcast was the longest since 2018, and in every one of them in between, all categories got their moment in the sun.
Bottom line: category-cutting was a failed experiment that should be swiftly written off as the bad idea it was. I say this not as a value judgment, but as a simple statement of fact. It did not meet its intended objective. It should not happen again.
Continue reading “Frontrunners Win, But Surprises Abound: Thoughts on the 94th Academy Awards”
The Reviews 