Category Archives: Film-Related Articles

2014 Early Oscar Predictions

Early Oscar Predictions (just to get the dialog going) I don’t think this year’s crop of Oscar winners are all that hard to predict. But there are always surprises. Here are my early, un-researched thoughts on a few of the … Continue reading →

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Second Thoughts and Two Laments: Philip Seymour Hoffman and “Alone Yet Not Alone”

Philip Seymour Hoffman I awoke Sunday morning happy to be a Rochesterian. Our own Renee Fleming was going to be singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, and we were all basking in that reflected glory. Then the news … Continue reading →

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2014 Oscar Noms: Scattered Thoughts

All the speculation is over. The Oscar nominations are in, and the shocked, shocked reactions and harrumphs are being expressed all over the media and blogosphere. Here are mine: This was a fairly predictable year for nominations, and happily, an … Continue reading →

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Blonde Venus (1932) and Applause (1929)

Sometimes the vagaries of a changing personal schedule can provide opportunities for comparisons that wouldn’t be discernible otherwise. Being a bona fide film nerd, I am always catching up films I haven’t seen at all or in a while. Finishing … Continue reading →

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Five Supporting Performances that Don’t Get the Attention They Deserve

I’m taking a break from reviews and analyses to touch on five supporting performance over the years that haven’t gotten the attention they deserve. They are all over the place in time and style, but they are all worthy of … Continue reading →

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Actors and Line Readers

There’s a difference between actors and line-readers, and it’s easy to confuse the second with the first. For instance, Ryan Reynolds is a great line-reader, but just an OK actor. In The Proposal, his line “Hence the boat” may well … Continue reading →

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2013 Oscar Predictions: Final Thoughts

Wow! This is the most difficult year to predict in recent memory. Sentiments are shifting faster than gears at a NASCAR competition. Conventional wisdom of a whole week ago is laughed at as hopelessly outdated today. But we have to … Continue reading →

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2013 Oscar Predications, Part One

This is Part One because these are my first thoughts, or my thoughts of the moment. I will continue to brainstorm and think this week, and may post another set of thoughts closer to next Sunday. This year is a … Continue reading →

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Omissions from A to Z: Oscar Nominations for 2012

The Oscar nominations are out, and they are both predictable and surprising-bordering-on-shocking. With the possibilities of up to 10 pictures getting a Best Picture nod, the suspense in that category is related more to “how many?” than who gets in. … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on the 2013 Golden Globes

The Golden Globe Awards are fun, and aren’t really meant to be taken seriously. Yes, sometimes it creates a phony buzz around a film that some folks tie into what happens with the Academy Awards. This year, the nominations for … Continue reading →

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