Previewing the Academy Awards

“Belfast” is one of those classic, feel-good romps for the whole family. Much like “Jojo Rabbit'', it centers on a child growing up in tumultuous times, who has enough heart to jump off of the screen. Esteemed director Kenneth Branagh brings this semi-autobiographical film to life with tremendous performances from Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, and Dame Judi Dench, all of whom were themselves no...

“CODA”, an abbreviation for Child of Deaf Adults, is the dark-horse contender this year. In a well-constructed coming-of-age piece, a girl with normal hearing discovers herself while living with her deaf family. Despite being nominated for only three awards, it currently has the second-best odds to win the Best Picture award.  In the other categories, Troy Kotsur, who portrays the dad in the film, is th...

This movie was an uphill battle. Jonah Hill nails every scene he’s in, but outside of that, I don’t find the film all that enjoyable. The movie is a slog, and I guess that’s intentional. I know our imminent environmental crisis is what "Don't Look Up" is satirizing, but it does a terrible job in doing so.  I do not think it will win anything come Oscar Sunday, but if you are as big of a Hill fa...

“Drive My Car” is a tough pill to swallow. When you look up the definition of a slow burn in the dictionary, it shows you this movie. "Drive My Car" is a very rewarding watch, and it may be the most well-made film out of all of the nominations. However, you have to be emotionally prepared for a three-hour, foreign-language drama about grief and loss.  This movie could potentially be another dark horse candidate fo...

“Dune” might have been the best theatrical experience I’ve had all year. I was fortunate enough to catch it on opening night in IMAX with my friends and experience the first part of this saga.  This film will sweep all the below-the-lines awards, especially considering that Hans Zimmer, one of the most acclaimed film composers in modern cinema, created entirely new sounds for this movie. I ...

Will Smith is most likely going to win an Oscar for this movie. That should be enough incentive to tune in. If you need more convincing, this tells the story of Venus and Serena Williams' rise in the tennis world and the help they received from their father, Richard Williams.  Although I think that there are stronger performances this year — this is what we call foreshadowing — “King Richard” wa...

“Licorice Pizza” is another stellar movie by the legendary director Paul Thomas Anderson. It’s already a classic bildungsroman that is the frontrunner for Best Original Screenplay.  There has been some controversy to the movie, but I would like to challenge these ideas. A lot of the controversy surrounding the movie is due to problematic scenes which some believe the movie condones. I’m ...

This was easily my favorite movie of 2021. It’s an understatement to say that Bradley Cooper kills it in this movie — remember that foreshadowing comment from earlier? I don’t want to give too much away other than Cooper's performance, but this Guillermo del Toro directed feature is a must-watch. 

“The Power of the Dog” is the prohibitive favorite to pick up Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay. It has received nominations in every acting category but Best Actress.  It’s a fine movie but is definitely a slow burn. In fact, I missed a major plot point the first time I watched it. It’s the most-nominated movie from the last year, and I expect it to pick up some awards, but I re...

This might be the most impressive feat of the last year — Steven Spielberg adapted the unadaptable. With input from Tony Kushner and Stephen Sondheim before he passed on, I found this version to be even more enjoyable than the 1961 film.  Ariana DeBose will likely win Best Supporting Actress for the same role that won Rita Morena her Oscar. Although it’s not in the top three of odds (“The Pow...