Oscars Fortnight Day 4: The Longest Day

The Longest Day (1962)

The 35th Academy Awards (1963)
Nominations: 5
Wins: 2

From Wings to Apocalypse Now to 1917 to All Quiet On The Western Front (twice), there have been a lot of war movies nominated for Best Picture over the years. So much so that there are plenty of war movies nominated for the big prize that have been lost to time or have been replaced by subsequent Best Picture winners as the definitive retelling of a particular chapter in a godforsaken war. Both of these categories feel like they apply to The Longest Day, as it’s a film I’ve been long aware of but have never really heard anyone ever talk about. Some of this probably has to do with the fact that Saving Private Ryan has more or less become the definitive D-Day movie, though this is a bit unfair considering The Longest Day takes a very different approach from that Spielberg film, which in many ways makes it even more impressive. Continue reading →

Oscars Fortnight Day 3: A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

The 24th Academy Awards (1952)
Nominations: 12
Wins: 4

Like Ben-Hur last year, most of my frame of reference for A Streetcar Named Desire comes from the Simpsons. In this case, it’s the episode “A Streetcar Named Marge” where Marge is cast as Blanche DuBois in a musical adaptation of Tennessee William’s play called “Oh, Streetcar!” Here’s a recap if you don’t recall.

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Oscars Fortnight Day 2: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

3rd Academy Awards (1930)
Nominations: 4
Wins: 2

Like last year, I’m taking advantage of a remake of a best picture winner being nominated for best picture as an opportunity to see both films for the first time. Unlike last year, instead of doing that in one post, I’m planning on doing it in two! That is, unless I find I’ve used up most of what I’ve got to say about this subject here, in which case, don’t worry, I’ve got a backup plan. So then, let us head back in time, nearly a century ago, to the third ever Academy Awards. There, an anti-war film called All Quiet on the Western Front made history as the first ever to win both Best Picture and Best Director, which, by the way, also made its director, Lewis Milestone, the first person to win two Oscars (he also won Best Director – Comedy at the First Academy Awards for Two Arabian Knights). This triumph capped off a whirlwind of success for this story, which began as a novel published in English only a year prior. But does it hold up?

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Oscars Fortnight Day 1: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

The 1st Academy Awards (1929)
Nominations: 4
Wins: 3

Welcome to another “Oscars Fortnight” where for the next two weeks we’ll be reviewing all your favorite Oscar nominated films. Films like, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans! All the kids love 96-year-old silent movies… Right? No? Well then maybe we need a reboot. Maybe it’s about time Dwayne Johnson changes the hierarchy of the Sunrise-universe. Okay, so if the cool kids don’t care about silent movies. Why should you? Let’s talk about it and see if I can sell you on a timeless love story filled with strangulation and trippy carnivals.

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Most Anticipated Movies of 2023

After looking backing at 2022, we finally turn our eyes to the future. While the film industry is still in somewhat of a weird place, there is still plenty to be excited about for the coming year in film. Well, there’s also plenty to be a less excited about as well, since there is (as always) a least anticipated list to go along with Sean and John’s most anticipated movies of the year. With Indiana Jones, Ethan Hunt, and Optimus Prime returning to theaters, these familiar faces could either surprise or disappoint us, while less franchise-driven movies could equally do the same. That’s the beauty of a fresh slate of movies to moderate our expectations around. Continue reading →

Sean’s Top 10 Movies of 2022

John wrote about how many great movies there were last year and Colin wrote about getting back into going to the theater and I feel like I’m in the middle of them and need to pick a lane. I wish I took as much advantage of streaming as John does. I wish I went to the movies as often as Colin does. Overall I just wish I could find it within myself to care about media like I did pre-pandemic. This year I did get back into the tradition of seeing movies with my dad on Two-for-one Tuesdays, which enabled me to see the likes of Jurassic World Dominion and Black Adam, but I’ve lost the motivation to go see arthouse movies in theaters. Everything comes to streaming so fast now. And then when they do, I feel no hurry to get up and watch things, even when my friends give them glowing reviews. It’s like life has turned into one long Criterion Month.

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Colin’s Top Ten Movies of 2022

I had a good time at the movies in 2022. Not sure if this was the first year since 2019 where I saw more new movies in theaters than I did at home, but it more or less felt like it. There was plenty of good stuff to see in the indie sphere, which I did a decent job of keeping on top of, but there were also a surprising amount of blockbusters that had me questioning why we can’t just try a little harder in crafting our big-budget entertainment. Also, I can’t speak for all parts of the country, but this year I was pleasantly surprised that for once, just about all the movies that I felt like I absolutely needed to see before list-making time were actually available in theaters or on streaming. Though that doesn’t mean I necessarily saw all of them. Continue reading →