After Nomadland won Best Picture, I argued that a cinematic pose which I call “boutique indie” was a natural conclusion to recent approach to Best Picture nominees and winners. The short version is that as studios become more ruthless with their money, they want to provide the thrill of high stakes without having to pay… Read More Everything Everywhere All at Once and the Boutique Indie Posture
Riz Ahmed looked really comfy while he was presenting these nominations. Allison Williams also looked comfy, for sure, but I’m so jealous of how cozy his fit was. I wish I could watch these from bed like all you Californians. 1) Oscars nominations and the College Football Playoff are getting more and more like each… Read More 95th Academy Awards Nominations: Hastily Scribbled Thoughts
This year, I watched more new-to-me movies than I’d ever watched before in a single year. I don’t have all that much in common with Pauline Kael, but as she boasted that she never saw a movie twice, I much prefer to learn a new movie rather than experience a movie I’ve seen before. I… Read More 2022 Year-End Review: What I Learned
Dir. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Starring Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan I’m in my tenth year as a high school teacher, and I’ve been listening to conversations in my classroom and standing in the hallways and reviewing papers long enough to know that teenagers, as a class, are not much for new… Read More Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Seeing Things Secondhand 