91st Academy Awards: Reaction – Special Features #49

What a night. It was a night of some ups and many downs, for me. In this post, I’ll give my initial reaction to the 91st Academy Awards. What bothered me? What was the greatest surprise of the night? Here is what I have to say right now only one or two hours removed from the show.  Continue reading “91st Academy Awards: Reaction – Special Features #49”

Final 91st Academy Awards Predictions: Winners – Special Features #48

It’s time. This awards season has felt really long, and, with how incompetent AMPAS has been in preparation for the big night, Oscars-night seems so mysterious and uncertain. Add to that the fact that there are so many different categories that we don’t really know which film is going to win including Best Picture, and we are left with a show that is probably going to be very interesting. Today, I’m giving my final predictions for the big Oscar night — the Super Bowl for the film community.
Continue reading “Final 91st Academy Awards Predictions: Winners – Special Features #48”

REVIEW: True Detective – “The Big Never”

This is a recap and review of the third episode of the third season of True Detective — Expect spoilers for the episode.

In the third episode of the third season of True Detective — The Big Never — we get to see where Roland West (played by Stephen Dorff) is in his life in 1990, while Hays (played by Mahershala Ali) has a panic attack in a supermarket. The Big Never was written by Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Daniel Sackheim.
Continue reading “REVIEW: True Detective – “The Big Never””

IJR Awards 2018: Film Nominations Announced

It is finally time for me to announce my own personal film nominations for the I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards of 2018. Sure, we’re in 2019 now, but I needed some time to watch some of the films that were released in January in Denmark.

There will be a couple of surprises here, and I’m not just talking about the nominees. Four awards that have not previously been announced will make their debut here with their own sets of nominations. Also, one award has had its titled changed to allow for more than a small handful of nominees. Well, let’s get to it. Continue reading “IJR Awards 2018: Film Nominations Announced”

Who Should Play Batman in Matt Reeves’ Batman-Film? – Special Features #47

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. Pictures

Oh, Affleck. It seems like just yesterday that I was flip-flopping on the night of the announcement whether or not I liked that he was cast as DC’s Caped Crusader. He ended up doing a pretty good job in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he was one of the clearly noticeable problems with Justice League. Recently, it was announced that Affleck will not be playing Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ film about the Dark Knight. So, today, I want to show my readers who I want to see play Batman in Reeves’ film. Continue reading “Who Should Play Batman in Matt Reeves’ Batman-Film? – Special Features #47”

I’ll never forget you, Deus

Wednesday – February 13th, 2019 – was really tough to live through. Yesterday, my family and I said our goodbyes to our beloved dog, Deus. We had him for eleven years, but yesterday, just a few days after he and his brother’s birthday, was his last day with us. Now he’s up skateboarding (that’s an inside joke, of sorts), chasing balls, and barking with our other lost loved ones in heaven.  Continue reading “I’ll never forget you, Deus”

Crazy Early 92nd Academy Awards Predictions – Special Features #46

Okay, I know. This is insane. But I enjoyed doing it last year, so it’s happening again! The 91st Academy Awards haven’t even been held, and I’ve only seen, like, twelve films from 2019 at this point. I love writing about the awards season, but, to be honest with you, I find the annual best picture frontrunner backlash to be draining. So, therefore, I think it’s much easier for me to write about next year’s awards season. And don’t you worry, I have a pretty good idea of what is coming out this year. So, without further ado, let’s get to it. Continue reading “Crazy Early 92nd Academy Awards Predictions – Special Features #46”

REVIEW: High Flying Bird (2019)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of High Flying Bird — Directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh rose to directorial stardom with Erin Brockovich and his Ocean’s-heist trilogy. In 2018, Soderbergh’s low-budget thriller Unsane was released to strong critical reception. What made that film so interesting was the fact that the entirety of the film was shot on iPhone 7 Plus cameras. Now, in 2019, Netflix has given Soderbergh a worldwide audience for his second iPhone-film High Flying Bird, a sports drama centered around an NBA lockout. Continue reading “REVIEW: High Flying Bird (2019)”

REVIEW: Arctic (2019)

Danish Theatrical Release Poster – United International Pictures

The following is a review of Arctic — Directed by Joe Penna.

To some, Mads Mikkelsen, known outside of his home country for his roles in the NBC-series Hannibal and the James Bond-film Casino Royale, is the quintessential villain. A European character actor that, from time to time, takes on roles in blockbuster films and elevates the material. To others, like A. O. Scott once wrote, Mads Mikkelsen is the face of Danish cinema. The Copenhagen-born dancer-turned-actor has earned himself a strong reputation outside of Denmark, with such successes as winning the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt. Continue reading “REVIEW: Arctic (2019)”

REVIEW: Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a review of Velvet Buzzsaw — Directed by Dan Gilroy.

In 2014, Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut — Nightcrawler — became a hit with critics and audiences alike. It gave us a brilliant and rivetingly unhinged performance from its leading man, Jake Gyllenhaal, and it showed us that Dan Gilroy was a supremely talented filmmaker.

With his second directorial effort, Roman J. Israel, Esq., Gilroy stumbled a bit, even though that film had another committed lead performance — this time from Denzel Washington. Now, Gilroy and Gyllenhaal have reteamed for a horror film about the art world with Netflix’s Velvet Buzzsaw, and, though it isn’t quite a return to form, it shows us that Gilroy is perfectly capable of having fun with his art. Continue reading “REVIEW: Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)”