“Joker,” “Judy” and Why They Make Me Moody
Self-importance is what defines Oscar season rather than any degree of quality. What makes these films any more deserving of awards consideration than what preceded them over the last several […]
Tag Archives: Oscars
Floor Adams on “Mind My Mind”
Though the Oscar season has barely begun, I doubt I’ll see a better film this year than Floor Adams’ “Mind My Mind.” Among its numerous recent accolades, this thirty-minute marvel […]
Why “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” is My Favorite Tarantino Film Since “Kill Bill”
I’ll never forget the moment I first fell in love with the cinema of Quentin Tarantino. Having grown up Catholic pre-Gibson’s “Passion,” I was not at all accustomed to graphic […]
Why “Psycho” and “Alien” are the Perfect Double Bill
“Mother’s interrupted the course of our journey. She’s programmed to do that should certain conditions arise.”—Dallas (Tom Skerritt) 40 years ago today, Ridley Scott’s horror classic, “Alien,” went into wide […]
Indie Outlook Picks the 2018 Nominees
The more movies one sees during a given year, the more maddening one finds the conspicuous omissions during awards season, where voters’ memories fail to extend past the month of […]
A Decade of Lady Gaga: Ten Unforgettable Performances
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, a.k.a. Lady Gaga, was born just six days after me on March 28th, 1986. Over the past decade, I’ve looked to her as one of the […]
Writing for RogerEbert.com: Vol. 4
A surreal and wonderful event occurred during my coverage of the 90th Academy Awards for RogerEbert.com. I was in the official press room surrounded by 200 other journalists, including Ebert […]
The Wizardry of Frank Oz: Why You Must See “In & Of Itself”
It has been exactly one month since I saw Frank Oz’s “In & Of Itself” at the Daryl Roth Theatre in New York City. Ever since that unforgettable evening, not […]
Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami on “Sonita”
Few moviegoing experiences from last year rivaled the sheer emotion of taking two of my cousins to see Iranian filmmaker Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s Sundance prize-winning documentary, “Sonita,” at the Chicago […]
Indie Outlook Picks the 2016 Nominees
With Oscar prognostications in full swing, I’m presenting my annual list at Indie Outlook of the five nominees I would personally select in nearly every category, including one that I […]
