my picks for tonight’s 94th Academy Awards (the Oscars for 2021-ish’s films) (winners indicated)
I correctly guessed 11 out of the 23 categories, which is exactly as well as I did last year.
Benedict Cumberbatch
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.
AWFJ 2021 EDA Awards winners announced
And the winners are…
OFCS 2021 awards winners announced
And the winners are…
The Current War movie review: fathers of invention, in conflict
An electrifying style lights up this geek adventure of the intersections between science, culture, and capitalism in the 19th-century battle to power our world. Cumberbatch and Shannon are brilliant.
Tolkien movie review: it doesn’t wander, but it’s lost
This infuriatingly reductive biopic of the Hobbit author renders him as stolid and dull, and removes all the mystery and the wonder from creative inspiration. Literal-minded and free of magic.
The Grinch movie review: he’s not much of a mean one, actually
Candy-colored slapstick and kindergarten-level humor make this perfectly suitable for small children, and perfectly bland and inoffensive to the adults accompanying them. Somehow, I don’t think Dr. Seuss would entirely approve.
Avengers: Infinity War movie review: it’s all been leading to this
Ten years of Marvel superheroism culminates in a battle for the universe itself. Exhausting, bitterly humorous, and gripped in a stunning finality, it’s almost too much to take in, yet somehow not enough.
Thor: Ragnarok movie review: it’s only the end of the world
Breezy, jokey, crammed with clever sci-fi ideas; the funniest MCU flick yet. Director Taika Waititi brings a new geeky verve we didn’t realize the series needed.
Doctor Strange movie review: even Marvel is now tired of origin stories
Busy with CGI to hide the emptiness where the emotional core should be. Even the mechanics of getting a man from mere mortal to demigod-in-a-cape are rote.
