About Me

I write reviews for Goatdog's Movies; edit and/or proofread circuit court decisions, advertising copy, and the occasional book; run the projector at and help program films for a revival house in Chicago; help make documentaries at an indie film studio; and, recently, make artistamps.

Reviews I have to write before the end of the year in order to stay in the Online Film Critics Society

I made it.

Oscar Tracking

Best Picture: Done
Gone with the Wind (1939) 4.5 goats
Nashville (1975) 473 goats
Becket (1964) 4 goats

Best Director: 41 left (90% done)
Jean Renoir, The Southerner (1945) 4.5 goats
William Wyler, The Collector (1965) 3 goats

Best Actress: 154 left (61% done)
Katharine Hepburn in Morning Glory (1933) perf = 2.5 goats
Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) perf = 4.5 goats
Bette Davis, Dangerous (1935) perf = 2.5 goats

Best Actor: 100 left (74% done)
Clark Gable, GwtW (1939) perf = 4.5 goats
Richard Burton, Becket (1964) perf = 4 goats
Peter O'Toole, Becket (1964) perf = 5 goats

Best Supporting Actress: 113 left (68% done)
Shirley Knight in SBoY (1962) perf = 2.5 goats
Ronee Blakley, Nashville (1975) perf = 5 goats
Lily Tomlin, Nashville (1975) perf = 4 goats

Best Supporting Actor: 91 left (74% done)
Charles Coburn, The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) perf = 4 goats
Ed Begley in SBoY (1962) perf = 2 goats
Edmund Gwenn, Mister 880 (1950) perf = 3 goats

Recent Reviews

Drag Me to Hell 4.5 goats
Star Trek 2.5 goats
Reveille with Beverly (1943) 3 goats

Recent Music

The Soft Boys, 1976-1981. While punk was exploding messily (not that there's anything wrong with that), the Soft Boys were quietly and quirkily inventing "alternative" music.

What I'm listening to now

Recent Books

The USA Trilogy by John Dos Passos. I'm on volume 2, 1919. Parts of it are the best thing I've ever read, and parts of it make my eyes glaze over.

Movies on Trial: The Legal System on the Silver Screen by Anthony Chase. A really well-crafted film history that necessarily delves into the history of the legal system. Pretty enlightening stuff.

Archives

January 2010, December 2009, November 2009, October 2009, September 2009, August 2009, July 2009, June 2009, May 2009, April 2009, March 2009, February 2009, January 2009, December 2008, November 2008, October 2008, September 2008, August 2008, July 2008, June 2008, May 2008, April 2008, March 2008, February 2008, January 2008, November 2007, October 2007, September 2007, July 2007, June 2007, May 2007, April 2007, March 2007, February 2007, January 2007, December 2006, November 2006, October 2006, September 2006, August 2006, July 2006, June 2006, May 2006, April 2006, March 2006, February 2006, January 2006, December 2005, November 2005, October 2005, September 2005, August 2005, July 2005, June 2005, May 2005, April 2005, March 2005, February 2005, January 2005, December 2004, November 2004, October 2004, September 2004, August 2004, July 2004, June 2004, May 2004, April 2004, March 2004, February 2004, January 2004, December 2003, November 2003, October 2003, September 2003,

January 1, 2010

Done for the Decade

I finished off 2009 with five more reviews in three days.

Big Fan, Wrestler scribe Robert Siegel's directorial debut, is a heck of a lot better than that decent but overpraised film.

Deadline stars Thora Birch and the late Brittany Murphy. It's not very good at all.

Avatar looks great despite the big blue Gumbys, but it's basically Dances with Wolves on Mars. And 3D delivery technology has a long way to go.

Bootleg Film is a quirky post-Tarantino crime comedy, but that description doesn't come within a country mile of doing it justice.

Town Without Pity is almost good, and Kirk Douglas is definitely good in it.

Dreams in the Witch-House might be the best H.P. Lovecraft adaptation ever.

Posted by mike, January 1, 2010 11:07 AM

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