By John H. Foote (***) On Netflix It has been nearly 100 years since the first feature film version of All Quiet on the Western Front came to cinema and won the Academy Award as Best Picture. A superb early piece of filmmaking, before directors had really mastered sound and score, it remains filled with…
By John H. Foote Frankly I cannot remember when the field of nominees for Best Actor was so slim. 1964? It might be that long ago that the Academy struggled to find five worthy performances to be nominated for an Oscar. Usually, the Best Actor category is filled to the brim and could easily have…
By John H. Foote (*) In theatres Nick Maylor loved the Marvel Universe and predicted a day after seeing Black Panther (2019) that the film would be nominated for Best Picture, and of course, it was. This review is for Nick, and I wish I liked the film more than I did, my son. Reviewing…
By John H. Foote (****) In theatres Over the course of his near magical career Steven Spielberg has given us 11 Best Picture nominees, been nominated for Best Director eight times, winning twice, and been nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award more times than any other director in history. It seems that his…
By John H. Foote (***) Jessica Chastain has, in the last 10 years, solidified her status as one of the greatest American actresses in film, right behind Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett in terms of stature. Fresh from an Academy Award win for Best Actress in The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021), truth be told…
By John H. Foote (*) In theatres What happened? Such a marvelous cast, combined with a solid director, and this is what happens? Ouch. It has bomb written all over it and, if I am not mistaken, just smells bad. After some great films such as Three Kings (1999), The Fighter (2010), Silver Linings Playbook…
By John H. Foote When Will Smith famously slapped Chris Rock in the face at the Academy Awards last year, he did more damage to his career than he realized at the time. Banned from attending the Oscars for ten years, banned from Academy events, and the object of public ridicule, Smith did publicly apologize…
By John H. Foote (****) Is Cate Blanchett our greatest film actress (after Meryl Streep of course)? There is, in my opinion, no one greater than Streep, but if anyone is, and could one day challenge Streep’s body of work, it is Cate Blanchett. Her latest performance in Tar promises her an Academy Award nomination…
By John H. Foote With the postponement of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, taking Leonardo Di Caprio out of contention for Best Actor, and Will Smith having no chance for Emancipation given the infamous slap, it is looking like the leanest field of Best Actor nominees since 2001. The performances to be considered…
By John H. Foote (***) On Netflix The tragic life of Marilyn Monroe has been told in books, TV films, documentaries, plays and film. I am not sure any one of them captures her naked vulnerability with as much visceral power as this new film, Blonde. It is a difficult watch, but the extraordinary lead…