An annual tradition, Solzy at the Movies presents the Solzy Awards for 2022 as a way of honoring the best achievements this year in film. I need to say something specific about my top films list–The Fabelmans is #1 and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is #1A. I’ve yet to figure out how to change the numbering on WordPress. While many films fell short of my top 36 features, there are those that came…
"The Solzy Awards for 2022: The Best in Film"
The Oscar-nominated About Schmidt, starring Jack Nicholson, marks the 20th anniversary of its theatrical release in 2002. This is the first of two Jack Nicholson movies getting a milestone anniversary review in December. The other film is As Good As It Gets, celebrating 25 years on December 25. Anyway, it’s really hard to believe that About Schmidt is 20 years old this year. I can still remember watching the dramedy in theaters! As a film,…
"About Schmidt Marks 20th Anniversary"
Ticket to Paradise is now available for audiences to bring the George Clooney and Julia Roberts comedy home on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital. What follows is my original review with some modifications: Ticket to Paradise reteams George Clooney and Julia Roberts as they try and stop their daughter’s wedding in the new romantic comedy. If you’re expecting to see Paradise from the classic John Prine song, I’m sorry to disappoint you. This film has nothing…
"Ticket to Paradise Arrives on Blu-ray, DVD"
The Velvet Underground, a 2021 documentary directed by Todd Haynes, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD through the Criterion Collection. Nominated for multiple Critics Choice Documentary Awards in 2021, the Color/Black-and-White film is presented in a 1.77:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Atmos/5.1 surround sound. Synopsis Emerging from the primordial soup of glamour, gutter sleaze, and feverish creativity that was New York’s 1960s underground culture, the Velvet Underground redefined music with its at once raw and exalted…
"The Velvet Underground Joins The Criterion Collection"
Mary McCartney spoke with Solzy at the Movies about her new Abbey Road Studios documentary, If These Walls Could Sing. The film, which covers the entire history of Abbey Road, launches December 16 on Disney+. If These Walls Could Sing is one of my favorite documentaries of the year. How honored were you to premiere the film at Telluride? Mary McCartney: I’m honored that you just said that. Thank you. Telluride was mind-blowing. I’ve never…
"Mary McCartney talks If These Walls Could Sing"
The Poseidon Adventure, the 1972 Oscar-winning disaster film, marks the 50th anniversary of its theatrical release and doomed voyage. I started watching a series of disaster thrillers in January since my headspace wasn’t really in the mood for much of anything else. When there’s an attack at a shul–as there was this year–it’s hard to be in the mood for much of anything else. Anyway, I ran my reviews of Dante’s Peak and Volcano on…
"The Poseidon Adventure Marks 50th Anniversary"
Empire of the Sun, an underappreciated Oscar-nominated classic, marks the 35th anniversary of its theatrical release in 1987. In another universe, Steven Spielberg would be producing a David Lean epic set during WWII. With Lean busy at the time, Spielberg ended up directing the film. The end result is one of his most serious films of the 1980s. The film marked the first time that the city of Shanghai opened its doors for a major…
"Empire of the Sun Marks 35th Anniversary"
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again is the newest installment of a franchise that should have ended when Robin Williams died. I would have probably been on board with an animated film if they had the original cast. Instead, this feels much like one of those direct-video sequels where the stars walked away after the theatrical predecessor. When I saw that Nick Daley (Joshua Bassett) was going to be the lead character, I thought,…
"Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again"
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio takes the classic story everyone knows and moves it up a few decades by dropping it into Fascist Italy. Before I dive into plot and such, let’s talk about the animation. Despite what some people might tell you otherwise, animation is film. It always has been and always will be. I delayed writing my review until after my second viewing of the new film. The film is even more impressive one…
"Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio Pushes Animation Into A New Direction"
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the recipients of AFI AWARDS 2022, honoring ten outstanding films and ten TV programs. The honorees are culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image. An additional honoree was selected for an AFI Special Award, designated for works of excellence that fall outside of AFI AWARDS’ eligibility criteria. AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER ELVIS…
"AFI AWARDS 2022 Honorees Announced"