CATCHING UP WITH FILM - THE QUEST FOR A PERSONAL CANON

Leading up to the 2020 Academy Awards, I look back on 2019, which has widely been regarded as one of the best years in recent movie history. 5. Marriage Story I was initially resistant to the idea of this movie because, while I can admire a lot of Baumbach’s work, I still don’t respond to the overwhelming Whiteness and privilege of many of his films. At worst, they sound whiny and self-pitying. Yet Marriage Story got to me because of just how ugly the divorce process was portrayed in this film. I haven’t experienced divorce but I have experienced schlepping through Los Angeles in the worst traffic and going to shoddy buildings to run errands, and this film captured that aspect perfectly. Als

Leading up to the 2020 Academy Awards, I look back on 2019, which has widely been regarded as one of the best years in movie history. 10. Her Smell Elisabeth Moss as punk goddess Becky Something is a walking disaster that rubs her toxic influence off on everyone she touches. And the awful thing is that Becky knows full well her effect on people, and she uses her mixture of charisma and intimidation to get what she wants. It works until it doesn’t. Moss was mostly robbed of nominations during awards season. It goes without saying that Moss finds notes in Becky rather than making her a stereotypical harridan or complete trainwreck. Alex Ross Perry manages to also tell a compelling story that d

Leading up to the 2020 Academy Awards, I look back on 2019, which has widely been regarded as one of the best years in recent movie history. 15. Homecoming This concert film has to be considered on the same level of Stop Making Sense or Sign o’ the Times. Beyonce’s great gift is to make any material profoundly her own, and her imprints are all over this glorious, two hour celebration of her music, Black culture, family, etc. The Beyhive may be intimidating in its unshakable conviction on the greatness of their queen, but they have a goddamn point when Lemonade is clearly one of the greatest albums of the decade and when we consider how impactful her presence in mainstream American culture ha

Leading up to the 2020 Academy Awards, I look back on 2019, which has widely been regarded as one of the best years in recent movie history. I could have easily picked a top 50 for this year (and I did). I don’t think there were any really bad years of film, since as long as you dig deep enough into any given year, you could easily come up with a top ten, twenty or even 50 if you really cared to. Anyways, I have been richly rewarded for my efforts, and seeing the movies that my list consists of makes me excited for the future of cinema and the artists that made this year great. 25. Atlantics Mati Diop has a considerable pedigree that she is associated with, as the niece of Djibril Diop Mambe

Leading up to the 2020 Academy Awards, I look back on 2019, which has widely been regarded as one of the best years in movie history. The Academy yet again failed to recognize any female filmmakers in the best director category though there was no lack of talent to choose from. The last time a female filmmaker was nominated was Greta Gerwig for her debut feature Lady Bird in 2017, yet the Academy didn't give her a well-deserved nomination for Little Women this year. Best Director is a competitive field and only about 300 people vote for the nominations, which means there will be a ton of overlap, which tends to consist of established filmmakers, nearly always White and male. It’s not like th