Oscar Dash 2018: The Results

What a fantastic year of films! The results are in: Best Picture goes to The Shape of Water!


Click here to view all the winners.

I can't wait to see all these wonderful films over the next months. Stay tuned for my reviews!

Pirates Passage

Pirates Passage (Mike Barth and Jamie Gallant, 2015)

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Rating: Q=4, P=3 / Thanks But No Thanks

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=1

Animation, Pirates, Fantasy, Coming of Age

I didn't have any expectations about this made-for-TV film, but it wasn't for me. I wasn't particularly thrilled about any aspect of it: The story wasn't very gripping, the animation style wasn't new, the voice acting was a little irritating at times. It wasn't a waste of time, but it could have been much better. I enjoy stories about pirates so hoping there will be more in future.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

Manchester By The Sea

Manchester By The Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016)

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Rating: Q=5, P=3 / Thanks But No Thanks

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=1

Grief, Coping, Loss, Complex Relationships, Family

I'd been putting off viewing this film because I knew it would be hard for me to watch. And I was right, it was incredibly difficult. Stories about overwhelming grief are painful, especially so when the people failing to cope don't know how to communicate. Lee, played amazingly well by Casey Affleck, reminded me of so many young men I once knew. Struggles like his character's are very real in this world of ours. Even though I rated the film lower on the personal scale, I do still recommend it. It's important that we make movies about grief.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

I, Claudius

I, Claudius (1976)

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Rating: DSQ=9, SP=8 / Can't Get Enough

Scale A=2, Scale B=4, Scale C=3, Scale D=4, Scale E=4

Ancient Rome, Dynasty, Drama, History, Scandal

Only my second time watching I, Claudius but I loved it more this time than the first. Such a fantastic production with memorable performances by many greats--Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Brian Blessed, Patrick Stewart... The episodes with Caligula were still my favorite and got me thinking more and more about the seemingly continuous narcissistic and unstable leaders we've had in human history.

Great dialogue, great theater, bold and edgy for the mid-1970s. There really needs to be more classic period dramas made today. Ancient Egypt, anyone?

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here