Hello from the other side of the shadows. The 2025 movie year started slow but thankfully gained steady speed right up until the end. I wasn’t into the big, American movie events of the year, but I found a ton of gold in foreign and indie films. But, of course, number 1 could only go one way. Ocean waves. 10 No Other Choice (Park Chan-wook) One of the best satires I’ve seen in years. I watch…
I’m still here. While I am fully invested in my podcast , I realized it’s nice to have the text list of my favorite movie from each year. Easier to go back and check my work this way. I’m back-dating this post a little, but these were my favorite films from 2024! 10. Flow (Gints Zilbalodis) One of my favorite animated films of the century so far. A fun, heartwarming experiment. 9. The Substance…
In my 2022 round-up, I tentatively asked if movies were back. In 2023, movies were back in a way I never saw coming. Last year, my favorite movie of the year was a film I think only 16 people have seen. This year, for the first time in my life, my favorite film is the frontrunner to win the Best Picture Oscar. How in the world did we get here? 10. The Zone of Interest Directed by Jonathan Glazer…
Are movies “back”? Are studios allowed to stop blaming COVID for keeping people away from theaters? Was 2022 an encapsulation of where cinema is today? I’ll answer with a soft Yes to all of the above. I think 2022 was a far better year in film than the last two, and I’ll admit that the strength of this year gives me hope for 2023. 10. All Quiet on the Western Front Directed by Edward Berger I’m so…
It just dawned on me that I began this blog in September 2007 (wow does time fly) and while I spend more of my movie time on my podcast , I thought it be fun to circle all the way back to my (refined) list of the best movies released in 2007. Seriously, have we had a better movie year since? 2011 or 2019, maybe. I still think 2007 wins out.
I love highlighting intense films. Movies that are emotionally brutal, devastating, gut-wrenching, you get it. I’ve done that for years on this blog, and now continue to do on my podcast . Because I tend to focus so much on the films that capture the dark sides of human nature, it’s fun to occasionally do a complete 180 and discuss a handful of films that bring pure joy. Believe it or not, I love…
The two things I miss most about blogging regularly is, first and foremost, being able to engage with the wonderful readers in the comment section (hi!), and the other is drafting my No One Talks About posts . The No One Talks About posts take a long time to research and write, but now that Blogger has destroyed their interface and made it absurdly complex to post content with a lot of pictures,…
We made it through another year of pandemic cinema. In general, I think the industry found its footing a little better following a disastrous 2020 movie year. Here are some of my favorites I saw in 2021. What were some of your favorite movies from last year? UPDATED to add a movie I missed in 2021. Honorable Mention: Zola Directed by Janicza Bravo This has to be the best film ever made based on a…
When I started podcasting in July 2020, I promised myself that I wouldn’t let this blog fall off. But it only took me a few weeks to learn that podcasting and blogging with equal weight is not something I can sustain. The main downside to this is that I’m not regularly talking to the many amazing people I’ve met on this blog. People whose movie opinions I highly respect. The only advantage to not…
Who could have guessed that when we sat down in the theater to watch The Invisible Man , or Bad Boys 3 , or The Lodge , that it would be the last time we would set foot in a movie theater in 2020? While COVID kept theaters closed and pushed the release dates of several notable films, there was some movie gold to be found. Below are the 10 films I liked best from the mad-shit year that was 2020.…
Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler is one of my favorite character studies of the last 15 years. It remains my favorite film of 2008, and one of my favorites of that decade. And while this may be Aronofsky’s most realistic and grounded film, there’s still a lot to explore here. I recently talked about this movie on my podcast (link at the bottom of this post!), and I thought it’d be fun to share some…
Well it’s about damn time I post my top 10 of the 2010 decade. Pro tip: Recording and editing your own podcast takes up a shit load of personal time. But I told myself when I started that podcast that I wouldn’t neglect this blog and my followers’ blogs. So, apologies for the brief absence, but I’m so excited to see what everyone has been writing lately. On to the list. I should have published…
Well, it looks like I’m just another asshole who started a movie podcast. For two years, my best friend and filmmaking partner, Nick Dostal, has been on my ass about starting a film podcast. I rejected the idea for all the obvious reasons, market saturation and time commitment being two major ones. But my biggest drawback was that I didn’t want Nick and I to just talk about how cool movies are. If…
The only issue with watching every movie that has won an Oscar for acting, Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay is that by the time I’m ready to actually write about the category, I’m burnt the hell out. I apologize for the delay with this post, and promise the remaining Oscar posts will come much sooner. I hope you enjoy my thoughts on Best Actor, and please share yours as well! 1927/1928 –…
I’ve been taking a little blogging break because, hell, I don’t know, it seems weird to write about movies when so many American streets look like fucking war zones. I’ve found a little comfort among the chaos by diving into old Oscar flicks. Please feel free to share your thoughts, and please be safe out there, wherever “there” is. 1927/1928 – Janet Gaynor – 7th Heaven; Street Angel; Sunrise…
My Oscar binge continues, this time with thoughts on every Best Director Oscar. Best Director and Best Picture have gone to different films 26 times in Oscar history, and I was interested to find that I far prefer the Best Director winners. Please enjoy my thoughts and the trivia below, and be sure to share any opinions you have about these races as well! 1927/1928, Drama – Frank Borzage – 7th…
I’m been making use of my COVID-19 quarantine the best way I know how, by watching a ton of movies and writing about them. When I was a teenager, I watched every movie that won the Oscar for Best Picture, and when the pandemic hit, I figured I’d try to watch as many additional Oscar movies as possible, just for the hell. Below are thoughts on every Best Picture winner, along with tons of fun…
Montgomery Clift is my favorite performer to ever appear in film. He had a magnetism to him, a pain and vulnerability that still pours out of the screen. In 1948, most all American leading men were stuck in the alpha-male, tough guy persona. They delivered their lines stoically, they slapped their women, they robbed, they killed, they were “ men .” And then a quiet, assertive young man from Omaha,…
I know, I know. The 2019 Oscars have come and gone, and I didn’t make time to post my annual In Character Oscar piece. Still wanting to keep up the tradition, I present you with my favorite roles from each recent acting Oscar nominee. Be sure to share your favorites as well! BEST ACTRESS Cynthia Erivo – Harriet Notable Roles : Bad Times at the El Royale , Broad City , The Outsider , Genius Best…
Every year, I like to call attention to a handful of movies that are deemed “rotten” by Rotten Tomatoes. I found value in each of the films below, and would love to know your picks as well. (Note: The RT scores below are from Dec. 31, 2019.) Honorable Mention 6 Underground Rotten Tomatoes score: 38% What happens when Netflix gives Michael Bay a check for $150 million and lets Bay do whatever the…
For old timers and newcomers alike, 2019 was a banner year for film acting. Some of the performances below were so strong because they subverted expectations, while others leaned directly into the actor’s respective strengths. Be sure to share your favorite roles as well! 10. Chris Cooper in Little Women as Mr. Laurence The ensemble of Little Women was great, but I thought Chris Cooper was…
Because 2019 was a great year for film, it was undoubtedly a great year for performances as well. I love that four of the performers below were unknown to me as 2019 began, while others have careers that I’ve followed for decades. Be sure to share your favorites as well! 10. Park So-dam in Parasite as Kim Ki-jung Everyone in Parasite was perfect, but Park So-damn was the highlight for me. The…
For the past few years, it has been hard for me to come up with a handful of films worth listing as the year’s best. But that certainly wasn’t the case for 2019. Truly, in any other year, any of the top six movies ranked below could be hailed as my favorite of the year. I thought 2019 was a fantastic year for film, and of the 141 new theatrical releases I saw this year, here were a few of my…
So far in my lifetime, I can confidently say that there hasn’t been a movie year more impactful than 1999. Veteran filmmakers and young auteurs alike released bold, independent, experimental films that continue to hugely influence pop culture. And as we close out one decade, I thought it be fun to jump back two decades and list my favorite flicks from a truly great film year. 20. The Straight…
As of this writing, I am currently on my fourth viewing of The Irishman . I love everything about this movie; it’s demanding, singularly paced, and expertly acted. To highlight many of the performers involved, I thought it’d be fun to dedicate an entire In Character post to them. Please note that because seemingly everyone is in The Irishman , not all of the actors are listed here. Gary Basaraba…