
my picks for tomorrow night’s 98th Academy Awards (the Oscars for 2025’s films) (winners indicated)
I correctly guessed 12 out of the 24 categories, which is about as well as I usually do. (Ten of my “should win”s did win!) At least I’m consistent.

I correctly guessed 12 out of the 24 categories, which is about as well as I usually do. (Ten of my “should win”s did win!) At least I’m consistent.

Brash, chaotic, full of bleak humor and bitter irony. With blockbuster vibes over an anarchic indie heart, it’s both earnest and winking. Outstanding in-flight entertainment for our societal freefall.

Oppenheimer takes eight awards, Barbie four…

A great American filmmaker on a memory-holed chapter of American history at the intersection of colonialism and toxic masculinity. Massive, epic, and essential. Scorches the earth of our complacency.

2006’s The Departed leaves US Netflix soon; on Prime and Apple TV in the UK.

1995’s The Quick and the Dead is on Netflix on both sides of the Atlantic (but leaves the US service soon).

Plus a teenage con artist, a skewering of late-night comedy, and more… (First published September 18th, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)

I laughed a lot while also feeling sick to my stomach. As subtle as a sledgehammer, almost obnoxious… and yet it might as well be a documentary. Is it elegant? Is it art? Who the fuck cares?

I correctly guessed 10 out of the 24 categories, which is at least a little better than last year.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s abashed personal journey to learn about global warming, overcome his pessimism, and find hope that there’s still time to make a difference.