For Americans of a certain age — that is to say, Americans who were born and grew up during what Henry R. Luce called the American century — the annual Academy Awards ceremony wasn’t just another overblown TV spectacular. Like…
If you’re like me, you’ve always been somewhat dissatisfied with the annual Academy Awards telecast — and, for that matter, with the Emmys and Golden Globes — because they waste precious time handing out trophies to all kinds of boring…
The world is divided between those of us who get slapped in time and those who do not. The slap triggers a blocking effect on the imbeciloidal gland, which is in charge of secreting stupidity into the human body. Traditionally,…
Will Smith’s assault on Chris Rock at the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night would have been the slap heard round the world — if people still bothered to watch the event. But as I cited yesterday, very few do now….
That thundering noise you heard across the United States on the morning of February 8 was the sound of mass indifference to the Academy Awards nominations, which were announced live on ABC-TV with the usual (but now pathetic) fanfare by…
In his magnificent novel War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy has his real-life military genius, Mikhail Kutuzov, compare the Napoleon-led French Army occupying Moscow to a wounded beast. Kutuzov has withdrawn his men from the capital, leaving the French to pillage…
It’s a sad pronouncement to make on Academy Awards weekend, but Hollywood is dying, its intersectional rot well past the point of no return. The irony is that five of the nine Best Picture nominees represent a last-gasp repudiation of…
Over the weekend, the World War I drama 1917 got its wide release in theaters, following a limited release since Christmas. The film brought in an estimated $35.6 million over the weekend, beating out the disappointing Rise of Skywalker. In…
If you have any intention of sitting through the Academy Awards this evening, then here is my “viewing kit” that should make it more bearable for you. Materials needed: Paper, pen, scissors, tape. Instructions: See below photo.