#BackRowThoughts

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1 day ago

Back Row Thoughts – Womp Womp What’s the opposite of a perfect storm? Whatever it is, I think that’s what describes the circumstances surrounding the final two films from 2025 that I have yet to review, at least in …

The latest #BackRowThoughts finally clears out my 2025 review backlog with a look at two films that were released late last year in hopes of acting nominations that they never got!

Back Row Thoughts - Womp Womp actuallypaid.com/2026/03/14/b...

I Actually Paid to See This

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1 week ago

Back Row Thoughts – So Much Blitzing, Part 4 We’re a week away from the Oscars, and starting tomorrow, the Blitz enters the home stretch. Even though I published my first new review of the year yesterday, I still have five more films fr…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at the three remaining films I saw from this year's #DocumentaryFeature shortlist!

Back Row Thoughts - So Much Blitzing, Part 4 actuallypaid.com/2026/03/08/b...

I Actually Paid to See This

@actuallypaid.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

Back Row Thoughts – So Much Blitzing, Part 3 An odd thought occurred to me today. We’re fully two months into 2026, and I still haven’t seen a “new” movie yet this year. Sure, I’ve taken in a bunch as part of the…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at four movies, each nominated for an #Oscar in a single category!

Back Row Thoughts - So Much Blitzing, Part 3 actuallypaid.com/2026/02/28/b...

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2 weeks ago

Back Row Thoughts – So Much Blitzing, Part 2 As we get closer and closer to Oscar Night, there are moments when we take stock of the year that was in cinema as a whole. So much is ignored when it comes to Awards Season, so it’s often di…

The latest #BackRowThoughts continues the final sprint of reviews for 2025, this time featuring three films on the Documentary Feature shortlist!

Back Row Thoughts - So Much Blitzing, Part 2 actuallypaid.com/2026/02/22/b...

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1 month ago

Back Row Thoughts – So Much Blitzing, Part 1 I do my best each year to see as many movies as possible, with a particular igniting of the proverbial afterburners as we get closer to Oscar season. I know I’ll never have full feature compl…

The latest #BackRowThoughts begins the marathon to clear my 2025 review backlog, starting with four films with single-category nominations!

Back Row Thoughts - So Much Blitzing, Part 1 actuallypaid.com/2026/02/14/b...

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1 month ago

Back Row Thoughts – Doing the Work A lot of foreign films that compete at the Oscars deal with heavy emotional or political themes, often in the context of world-changing events. Whether they’re narrative films or documentarie…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at three International Submissions focusing on everyday people doing extraordinary work!

Back Row Thoughts - Doing the Work actuallypaid.com/2026/02/04/b...

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1 month ago

Back Row Thoughts – Cleanup Animation The quest for completion during Oscar season can at times be arduous, not to mention tedious and expensive, especially when you don’t actually complete. As I do every year, I set the goal of …

The latest #BackRowThoughts wraps up the backlog of Animated Feature reviews for 2025, coming up just shy of the goal for completion!

Back Row Thoughts - Cleanup Animation actuallypaid.com/2026/01/25/b...

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1 month ago

Back Row Thoughts – International Festivities The Oscar nominations are officially out, and the annual Blitz is on! I’ll determine my coverage schedule over the next few days, with the first breakdown coming on Monday, February 9. In the…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at four films on the International Feature shortlist that I originally saw at festivals last year!

Back Row Thoughts - International Festivities actuallypaid.com/2026/01/23/b...

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2 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – The Occupied Every year, I make it my mission to see all the shortlisted films for Documentary and International Feature, as well as the entire accepted submission list for Animated Feature. I don’t alway…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at three films on the Academy's International Feature shortlist dealing with the plight of Palestinians!

Back Row Thoughts - The Occupied actuallypaid.com/2026/01/13/b...

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2 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – Take Me to Church Have I mentioned yet that there are 35 official entries for Animated Feature this year? Because there are. Thirty-five fucking movies, even though several high-quality films were left off! As of ri…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at a couple bible-based entries for Animated Feature!

Back Row Thoughts - Take Me to Church actuallypaid.com/2026/01/11/b...

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2 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – Visa Denied, Part 2 As we enter the final days of 2025, the viewing schedule kicks into overdrive. We’re just over three weeks from Oscar nominations being announced, and there’s still so much to see. Amon…

The latest #BackRowThoughts covers the remaining #InternationalFeature submissions that didn't make the Academy's shortlist!

Back Row Thoughts - Visa Denied, Part 2 actuallypaid.com/2025/12/28/b...

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2 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – Animation Autumn-ation, Part 3 I can honestly say that I didn’t intend to do a third installment of this miniseries. I figured the two batches I’d already done would be sufficient to see out the fall months. But then…

The latest #BackRowThoughts includes five more reviews for Animated Feature contenders!

Back Row Thoughts - Animation Autumn-ation, Part 3 actuallypaid.com/2025/12/21/b...

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2 months ago

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at five International Feature submissions that did not make the Academy shortlist!

Back Row Thoughts - Visa Denied, Part 1 actuallypaid.com/2025/12/19/b...

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3 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – Animation Autumn-ation, Part 2 Awards Season is firmly underway, and we’re getting ever so close to the main event. The Independent Spirit Awards announced their nominees this morning, and the Golden Globes will reveal the…

The latest #BackRowThoughts takes a look at three more animated films from the last couple months!

Back Row Thoughts - Animation Autumn-ation, Part 2 actuallypaid.com/2025/12/03/b...

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3 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – Animation Autumn-ation, Part 1 If you tuned in to the blog today hoping to see my review of Wicked for Good, all I can say is… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!*deep inhale*HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! All jokes aside, I wi…

The latest #BackRowThoughts continues the quest to be an animation completist with entries that had theatrical runs this fall!

Back Row Thoughts - Animation Autumn-ation, Part 1 actuallypaid.com/2025/11/23/b...

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3 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – Late Doc Appointments Over the course of a given year, I wind up providing coverage for a number of film festivals for my friends at No Rest for the Weekend. This includes the Brooklyn Film Festival, Tribeca, Slamdance,…

The latest edition of #BackRowThoughts looks at three documentaries viewed over the last 18 months that are now competing for the Oscar!

Back Row Thoughts - Late Doc Appointments actuallypaid.com/2025/11/21/b...

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6 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – Ani-Maybe? The annual quest to complete the Animated Feature category before it starts is a goal I’ve come painfully close to achieving for years now. Every time that I’ve attempted the feat, I&#8…

The Latest #BackRowThoughts column looks at three anime (or anime-inspired) films that may or may not compete for the Animated Feature Oscar next year!

Back Row Thoughts - Ani-Maybe? actuallypaid.com/2025/09/13/b...

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6 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – Wheel of Four Toons Tomorrow is my birthday, so this weekend I decided I would celebrate a little bit by returning to the multiplex. Despite my financial woes, it is still my goal to stay as far ahead of the potential…

The latest #BackRowThoughts column looks at four animated films I took in over a single day as part of my birthday celebrations!

Back Row Thoughts - Wheel of Four Toons actuallypaid.com/2025/08/17/b...

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11 months ago

Back Row Thoughts – Animation Mythologization It’s the middle of April, so why in God’s name am I already doing batch reviews of animated films? Well, there are a few reasons. First is that I’m already super stoked for next y…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at three early animated entries that all deal with gods and monsters!

Back Row Thoughts - Animation Mythologization actuallypaid.com/2025/04/14/b...

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1 year ago

Back Row Thoughts – The True Warriors Believe it or not, folks, this is the end of my backlog! At long last, every feature I saw for the 2024 canon will get its proper review, and I can move on to 2025 stuff (I already have four new re…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at the final four films on the #DocumentaryFeature shortlist, and at long last clears out my 2024 review backlog!

Back Row Thoughts - The True Warriors actuallypaid.com/2025/02/16/b...

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1 year ago

Back Row Thoughts – The True Killers A few weeks ago, I began my crash course through this year’s Documentary Feature shortlist. I make it my mission every year to see all 15 semifinalists, preferably before Oscar nominations ar…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at four more films from the #DocumentaryFeature shortlist!

Back Row Thoughts - The True Killers actuallypaid.com/2025/02/08/b...

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1 year ago

Back Row Thoughts – A Compressed Blitz It’s been just over a week since the Oscar nominations were announced, and the annual Blitz is already in progress. The timeline is extremely tight this year, with only five and a half weeks …

The latest #BackRowThoughts column looks at the four remaining films to review for this year's #Oscar Blitz!

Back Row Thoughts - A Compressed Blitz actuallypaid.com/2025/02/01/b...

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1 year ago

Back Row Thoughts – Jet-Setting, Part Two The Oscar Blitz begins proper in 24 hours, people. The annual marathon labor of love is just a day away! I’m so excited I can’t sleep! I’m also running myself ragged and begging f…

The latest #BackRowThoughts column finishes our tour of eight films on the International Feature shortlist!

Back Row Thoughts - Jet-Setting, Part Two actuallypaid.com/2025/01/28/b...

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1 year ago

Back Row Thoughts – Jet-Setting, Part One The countdown to the 97th Academy Awards is officially underway, and in 48 hours, I’ll begin the Oscar Blitz in earnest with the first category breakdown. However, there’s still one maj…

The latest #BackRowThoughts column looks at four films that made the Academy shortlist for International Feature!

Back Row Thoughts - Jet-Setting, Part One actuallypaid.com/2025/01/27/b...

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1 year ago

Back Row Thoughts – Back and Forth With just a few days to go until Oscar nominations come out, the great clearing of the backlog continues. I’ve watched a LOT of movies over the last month, trying to be as thorough in the lea…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at three more International Feature submissions that didn't make the December shortlist, all of which mess with time in some way!

Back Row Thoughts - Back and Forth actuallypaid.com/2025/01/20/b...

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1 year ago

Back Row Thoughts – The End of the Festivities Well, folks. I have good news and bad news. The bad news, as was announced today, is that the Oscar Blitz will be somewhat delayed this year. The Academy decided today to postpone the reveal of the…

With Oscar nominations delayed, the latest #BackRowThoughts gives me a chance to look at three International submissions that sadly didn't make the cut.

Back Row Thoughts - The End of the Festivities actuallypaid.com/2025/01/13/b...

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1 year ago

Back Row Thoughts – Please Give Me an Oscar I Don’t Deserve I make no secret that I am not a fan of what I refer to as “Best Actor/Actress Showcase” films, movies that only exist to spotlight a particular performer, usually one who has been cele…

The latest #BackRowThoughts column deals with two naked attempts to score acting Oscars that, I'm sorry, I just didn't care for.

Back Row Thoughts - Please Give Me an Oscar I Don't Deserve actuallypaid.com/2025/01/08/b...

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1 year ago

Back Row Thoughts – Animation Circulation We’re less than two weeks from Oscar nominations, and I’m doing my level best to clear out as many possible contenders as I can. I’m more than halfway through the Documentary Feat…

The latest #BackRowThoughts takes a look at three more hopefuls for #AnimatedFeature!

Back Row Thoughts - Animation Circulation actuallypaid.com/2025/01/06/b...