by Alan Yudman Postmortem time. How did I do? Between “My Picks” and “My Predictions” I got them all right except for Cinematography. That noise you hear is me blowing my own horn. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY MY PICK: SPOTLIGHT MY PREDICTION: STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON See, sometimes you should just go with what feels right. … Continue reading OSCARS 2016: THE AFTERMATH

  by Alan Yudman Only the accountants at whoever, whoever and whatshisname know whose names are in those envelopes. But being movies are my avocation, I feel the urge to predict. So here goes. One caveat, I have not seen every movie including Room, The Danish Girl, 45 Years and Brooklyn. My picks are based … Continue reading 2016 OSCAR PREDICTIONS

  by Alan Yudman Five animated movies. Each one better than the next. These five films are what the Oscar voters picked as the nominated Animated Shorts. I had the opportunity to watch all in one sitting this week. Here's what I thought of each and which one could win an Oscar Sunday night. SANJAY'S … Continue reading OSCAR NOMINATED ANIMATED SHORTS

by Alan Yudman DEADPOOL is not like any super hero genre movie you have ever seen. That is obvious from the first shot and through the opening credits. It may be better than any super hero movie you have ever seen. “Pool” is definitely super, but he wants no part of this “hero” nonsense. He … Continue reading DEADPOOL

by Alan Yudman ZOOLANDER wasn’t a “great” movie. It was fun, entertaining with a weird premise that worked because of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. ZOOLANDER 2 is not unique, and as a result it is no longer that funny. Sure, there are some funny moments, but nothing that has stuck with me. The montage … Continue reading ZOOLANDER 2

by Alan Yudman I imagine during breaks from filming, the cast and crew of HAIL, CAESAR! sat around and polished their Oscars or showed off the letters congratulating them on being nominated. The talent pool is so deep here how could the movie not succeed? Joel and Ethan Coen writing and directing. Roger Deakins behind … Continue reading HAIL, CAESAR!

by Alan Yudman I hemmed and hawed. I waited and procrastinated. I finally worked up enough curiosity to see THE REVENANT. I should not have waited so long. This is what happens with me. I hear about one scene or part of a movie that I think I won't like and I talk myself out … Continue reading THE REVENANT

by Alan Yudman The slightly unhinged mind of Charlie Kaufman has brought us BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. Those movies had one thing in common. The protagonist was a deeply troubled man, bordering on the edge of insanity or deep mental illness. His latest mines that same territory. ANOMALISA … Continue reading ANOMALISA