THE OPTIMIST - MOVIE REVIEWS

  2021 has delivered some really unique and interesting films. Some have moved me to tears, like the amazing CODA , and others have left me dumfounded, inspired, and shaken. So, after much deliberation and many, many viewings, here are my predictions for this year's winners! Like always, I play to win. But, it's also hard not voting with my heart. For instance, the main front-runner for Best Picture is The Power of the Dog , but CODA has gained some serious traction, and with a sure-fire win for directing, The Power of the Dog may lose out to CODA , which is what I'm hoping. So, the choices below are mostly the ones I THINK will win, not necessarily what I WANT to win. The only one I've really voted with my heart is Best Picture. I'll note the one's I'd like to see win if you're curious. So, let's see how many I can get right this year! Check back Monday for the results! *UPDATE - The Oscars have aired, and boy were they a doozy! I managed to guess...

  Let me just freaking cut to the chase - no opening fluff, no preamble ramble, none of that crap... The Batman is pure cinematic awesomeness, and I feel so incredibly blessed to have witnessed it. Director Matt Reeves has crafted a psychological thriller that takes the comic book genre and reinvents it in a stunningly beautiful and haunting way. It's so incredibly grounded in reality that it makes The Dark Knight trilogy - arguably the most "grounded" take on Batman up to this point - seem glossier and more "comic booky." Trust me when I say that's not a dig at The Dark Knight trilogy - there's enough hatred and vitriol in fandoms today that there really is no need to compare and put down other works. This comparison was simply to illustrate the point that The Batman is so immersed in reality that it feels like it could really take place. The added noir tone to the piece elevates this, for me, above being a comic book movie and simply a fantastically ...