In the final installment of this series, we settle the biggest category: Best Picture. Across this Oscars special, I’ve outlined the standout films of the last 12 months without the influence of big-budget awards campaigns. My selections roughly mirror many actual Academy choices, though I’ve expanded and rebalanced where I felt films were overlooked. So … Read more

Why I Adore Film, A Valentine’s Day Love Letter My dearest film, I’ve tried to remember the first time you wrapped me in your flickering embrace. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment, only that you are now an emphatic part of who I am. Though you live in fiction, you have shaped my perception of … Read more

Some of the writers here at The Film Magazine are publishing thoughtful pieces about romance in cinema this Valentine’s Day — deep dives and serious analysis. Usually I’d follow that route, but this time I’m taking a different tack. Sorry. For many people, movies are a lifelong passion. Most people enjoy films, but few truly … Read more

Escape Room (2019) Director: Adam Robitel Screenplay: Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik Starring: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Tyler Labine, Jay Ellis, Nik Dodani SPOILERS AHEAD! I like Saw II. The original film’s brutality and tense character work still hold up for me; later sequels feel increasingly formulaic. Escape Room (2019) seems … Read more

When Harry Met Sally (1989) Director: Rob Reiner Screenwriter: Nora Ephron Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby Nearly thirty-five years after its release, Rob Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally endures as a defining romantic comedy, often cited as the benchmark of the genre. Admitting a personal bias toward more serious, artful cinema, … Read more

The 2019 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) took place on Sunday 10 February 2019 at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and were presented by Joanna Lumley. The ceremony saw Yorgos Lanthimos’s period comedy-drama The Favourite and Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma dominate the evening, each taking multiple major prizes across categories that recognize filmmaking achievements from the past … Read more

Does Black Panther Deserve a Best Picture Nomination? As this year’s Best Picture nominees are discussed across the internet, one selection keeps drawing attention: Marvel’s Black Panther. After the controversy that followed The Dark Knight’s omission years ago, the inclusion of a major superhero film among Oscar contenders feels like a milestone for mainstream cinema. … Read more

Fuckbois are everywhere — not just on dating apps but spilling out onto movie screens. They’re the characters that make you shout at your TV or in the cinema, “What are you doing, [insert leading lady’s name]?” Even within fiction, they come in many recognizable varieties. After thinking about the recurring types I see in … Read more

Ghostbusters (1984) Director: Ivan Reitman Screenwriters: Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Peter Torokvei Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis Ghostbusters remains one of the most enduring and beloved comedies of the 1980s, combining supernatural thrills with dry, deadpan humor. The film follows three parapsychologists — Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), … Read more

Review: The Happytime Murders — A Raunchy Puppet Noir That Misfires Did anyone seriously expect critics to embrace The Happytime Murders? The film arrived amid harsh headlines—Vanity Fair even suggested it “may be the worst movie of the year” after its August release—and many reviews labeled it a “depressing puppet show,” “dead on arrival,” or … Read more