American Hustle

What Else I’m Watching: March 2014

What Else I’m Watching: March 2014

Because you can’t review them all. Sadly, life gets in the way of writing about everything I see, so this space is as much for keeping track of what I’m watching as it is for you to share your thoughts on what are, with any luck, a group of high-quality films. I haven’t written this […]

Final 2014 Oscar Predictions

Final 2014 Oscar Predictions

We’re almost there. And thank God, because I can’t anymore. This will likely be the last year I spend time writing and talking about the Oscars regularly. Too much noise. I’ve been defeated. Anyway, it’s a hell of a good year to go out with some pretty brilliant titles leading the charge for gold. I […]

The 5 Best Leading Female Performances of 2013

The 5 Best Leading Female Performances of 2013

Click here to check out my 5 favorite leading male performances of 2013. On to the leading ladies! One could plausibly argue 2013 was as strong a year at the top for leading women as it was for leading men, and one couldn’t plausibly argue that most other years. It was a great year for […]

Final 2014 Oscar Nominations Predictions

Final 2014 Oscar Nominations Predictions

No intro; this rundown is long enough. I’m really excited to see how things shake out tomorrow. Here are my best guesses. Best Picture American Hustle Captain Phillips Dallas Buyers Club Gravity Her Nebraska Saving Mr. Banks 12 Years a Slave The Wolf of Wall Street Hustle, Phillips, Gravity, Nebraska, 12 Years are your locks. […]

Predicting the 2014 Golden Globes Winners

Predicting the 2014 Golden Globes Winners

This Sunday, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will carve for itself a unique place in the 2013/2014 awards season. How do I know? Because it must. There still isn’t much consensus among this year’s major categories. The critics groups like 12 Years a Slave and Her. American Hustle and Gravity have loads of support—some from […]

American Hustle Review

American Hustle Review

RATING: (3.5 STARS) Of many great pleasures found in David O. Russell’s latest, American Hustle, the greatest is watching not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE talented actors give truly exceptional performances. Jeremy Renner is the only Russell newcomer, as the Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter helmer has brought together an […]

2014 Golden Globes Predictions

2014 Golden Globes Predictions

I don’t know why I bother every year to dip my ignorant toe into the muddy pool that is the Hollywood Foreign Press Association every year. A clueless (when it comes to these awards) prognosticator plus a traditionally asinine voting body has the potential to make this post look awfully foolish in the not-too-distant future. […]

The 2013 OFCS Nominations

The 2013 OFCS Nominations

The Online Film Critics Society announced the nominees for its 17th annual year-end awards. I had the privilege of voting as a member of the group for the first time, and I’m quite pleased with our eclectic list of nominees. You’ll see Johnnie To’s Drug War and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises—two films I’ll have […]

2014 Oscar Predictions: Resetting the Board

2014 Oscar Predictions: Resetting the Board

Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. And check out my 2014 Oscar Predictions: Technical Categories page for projections in Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and more. I’d planned to dive a little deeper into Best Documentary Feature today, but I’ve got quite a […]

2014 Oscar Predictions: The Technical Categories

2014 Oscar Predictions: The Technical Categories

Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. And check out my 2014 Oscar Predictions: Technical Categories page for projections in Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and more. Oscar talk always get serious for me when I start pondering the more technical categories. I’ve been […]

2014 Oscar Predictions: Screenplays Original and Adapted

2014 Oscar Predictions: Screenplays Original and Adapted

Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. I’ve focused my 2014 Oscar predictions, until now, on Best Picture, Best Director, and the four acting categories. Today, I begin to unravel some of the secondary categories, starting with 2014 Best Adapted Screenplay and 2014 Best […]

2013 Fall Movie Preview

2013 Fall Movie Preview

Want to know how good a movie season I think fall 2013 will be? Check out my list of honorable mentions: Blue Is the Warmest Color, Dallas Buyers Club, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Oldboy, Parkland, The Past, Prisoners, Rush. That’s a strong-ass crop of films if I ever saw one, yet none could even […]

The Deep Breath Before the 2014 Oscars Plunge

The Deep Breath Before the 2014 Oscars Plunge

Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. The signs of fall are all around us. Temperatures are dropping (from sweltering to comfortable). Darkness knocks earlier every night. Most importantly, fantasy football research consumes most of my time. We’ve received a glut of movie news […]

2014 Oscar Predictions: What’s Changed?

2014 Oscar Predictions: What’s Changed?

Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. In the mean time, I’m running down what’s changed over the past few months, since I last updated by 2014 Oscar Predictions just days after the most recent Oscar ceremony. I’ve also listed the few films from […]