new commenting features (including a special badge for Patreons/Substackers)
Lots more goodies to make chatting here more fun and useful, and to help you manage your commenting.
loaded question: what movie do you most associate with springtime?
Mine is probably Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the ultimate spring fever movie.
logo refresh!
I think I am now set to celebrate the site’s 25th anniversary later this year. Design-wise, anyway…
would you like to receive my reviews by email or in an app? (update)
The poll results were split almost exactly between “yes” and “no,” so I started an experiment doing just this, to see if it will help drum up more paying support.
weekend watchlist: where to stream (almost) every Oscar nominee
In the run-up to the ceremony on Sunday, March 27th, you can watch almost every film that’s been nominated from the comfort of your sofa. Very handy if you’re participating in an Oscar pool.
Olga movie review: coming out swinging for Ukraine
Poignant, pointed drama about a teenage Ukrainian gymnast fuses the personal and the political in a portrait of the spirit of Ukraine that is now being tested in the worst way. Incredibly affecting.
loaded question: how much do Oscar nominations or wins affect your desire to see a film?
Do you pay attention to and seek out the nominees and winners, or does love from the Oscars make little difference to your decision (or not) to view a film? Is there any awards love that you do sit up and take notice of?
Gold movie review: dust in the wind
In a dry, dusty, desperate landscape, Zac Efron goes full grunge, effectively underplaying physical and psychological implosion. But there’s nothing unexpected in this brutal open-air chamber piece.
loaded question: what comic book or comic-book character deserves a big-screen adaptation?
I think current events warrant my choice: I’d love to see an animated adaptation of Art Spiegelman’s Maus. (He says he has no interest in this, but I can dream.)
The Batman movie review: to bat, or not to bat
No snark, no spandex pantomime spectacle. Just noir mystery, Pattinson’s sad recluse a detective in a cesspit of corruption. Relentlessly grim, all darkness and despair, not escapist but of our time.
