Awards Season and More
Guild winners point to "Oppenheimer" as Best Picture front-runner; Nolan likely to win first Oscar for Best Director.
Antisemitism, Blazing Saddles Turns 50, and The Beatles
There is zero joy that comes in receiving antisemitic death threats. It takes time away from doing other things that need to get done, which impacts the...
An Opportunity to Bear Witness in Israel
Western Wall in Jerusalem Sundance has come and gone but I have an opportunity to bear witness in Israel in mid-March. However, the only way that I can make...
Sundance, Oscars, and More
A view of Main Street during the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Anjelica Jardiel. Apologies for the massive delay since my last update earlier this...
Marx Brothers and More
Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, and Harpo Marx in A Night in Casablanca. Courtesy of Shout! Factory. I started off the new year with a number of comedies and got...
SATM is Now on Buttondown
George Clooney in Hail, Caesar! Courtesy of Universal Pictures. Solzy at the Movies has made the transition from Substack to Buttondown in response to...
The George Clooney Retrospective Kicks Off Today
John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, George Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou? © 2000 Touchstone Pictures. I decided to kick off something of a George Clooney...
Substackers Against Nazis
Hi readers—Below is a letter to the Substack founders that a group of Substack publishers wrote seeking answers to questions about the platforming and...
Chanukah Celebrations Are Getting Cancelled In 2023
Hanukkah on Rye. Photo credit: Thomas Fricke. ©2022 Hallmark Media. It’s very infuriating to hear that not only are public Chanukah celebrations being...
LA Dispatch #1
Air FYC screening at the DGA Theater. The nice thing about having a mostly empty schedule for Friday night and Saturday was being able to spend a nice and...
Julianna Marguiles Calls Out Left-Wing Antisemitism
Julianna Margulies in "The Morning Show," now streaming on Apple TV+. Julianna Marguiles recently called out left-wing antisemitism during a recent podcast...
Sen. Chuck Schumer Delivered Major Speech on Antisemitism
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Sen. Chuck Schumer during Monday's January 15, 2018 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS ©2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc....
Iliza Shlesinger Gets It
Iliza Shlesinger in Cleveland, Ohio in Iliza Shlesinger: Hot Forever. Photo credit: Clifton Prescod/Netflix © 2022. I don’t know about you but I’ve been...
Some Weekend Reading
I don’t like having to unfollow or unfriend other trans people but when they show themselves to be antisemitic, that’s when a friendship is over. No ifs,...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Pictured: "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" Key Art (NBCUniversal) From my family to yours, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. As I type this, I’m watching...
March for Israel: An Unforgettable Experience
The author poses in front of The White House. I have a whole lot to say about having the opportunity to attend the March for Israel in Washington, DC on...
The March for Israel and Questioning Journalistic Integrity
Many Jewish organizations are teaming together for the March for Israel in Washington, DC on November 14. I’m currently hoping to attend but it’s going to...
Brandeis University Bans SJP On Campus
Brandeis University It was only a matter of time before the Brandeis University administration took action and banned hateful rhetoric on their campus. “This...
I'm Terrified But Won't Shut Up About Jew-Hatred
I won’t lie to you in that I am fricking terrified at the dangerous levels of Jew-hatred in America and across the globe. Subscribe now My trans identity may...
I'm Glad I'm No Longer In College
Brandeis University I’m using my platform more and more to speak out about the growing antisemitism. For some of you, I’m preaching to the choir because this...
Leftists Are Showing Their Antisemitism And It Hurts
Leftists are showing their true colors in the days since October 7 and it’s causing Jews to rethink their belonging in such spaces. I wish I could be writing...
It's Hard Getting Work Done
Israel Flag It’s been very hard getting work done since coming back online in the aftermath of October 7, 2023. Subscribe now I realize I haven’t shared many...
Shabbat Shalom and Post-Birthday Thoughts
What you see in the photo was the delicious brownies and ice cream that I had following a Char-burger and fries for my birthday dinner. It was a birthday...
Denver Was A Necessary Distraction
View from the Colorado State Capitol. I traveled to Denver this past week for reasons that will be written about soon on Dugout Dirt but it kept me from...
Am Yisrael Chai
I first learned of the horrific surprise attack on Israel while attending shul on Saturday morning. As I type, at least 700 Israelis are dead with the number...
Fall Chagim Are Over After This Weekend
(L-R): Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Ke Huy Quan as O.B., and Owen Wilson as Mobius in Marvel Studios' LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth...
Do you want to have a Speaker?
The U.S. Capitol as seen in 2002. For the first time in over a century, Congress is voting on a motion to vacate the Speaker of the House. The magic number...
Hot Labor Summer Transitions To Cool Labor Fall
WGA Contract 2023. It took many more months than it realistically should but Hollywood is slowly getting itself back to work after the end of the WGA strike....
I Went Down The Geni Rabbit Hole
Joey and Randy Schoenberg in Venice in Fioretta. Courtesy of Rubber Ring Films. After watching Fioretta last night, I went down the Geni rabbit hole....
Chagim Equals Time For More Reading
L-r, APRIL O’NEIL, DONATELLO, RAPHAEL, MICHELANGELO and LEONARDO in PARAMOUNT PICTURES and NICKELODEON MOVIES Present A POINT GREY Production “TEENAGE MUTANT...
The New Year Begins
Gateway Arch National Park Rosh Hashanah began over the weekend and because of this, I’m going to be quite busy through early October. Subscribe now The...
America Remembers 9/11
The South Tower at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the tragic and devastating attacks on September 11th. Apologies...
Happy Labor Day
Tim Kazurinsky and Bobcat GoldthwaiteWGA Strike and Rally - May 17, 2023 outside of NBC Tower in Chicago. Labor Day weekend 2023 feels particularly different...
I'm Still Noticing Things In Jurassic Park
The T-Rex in the final minutes of Jurassic Park. Courtesy of Universal. I spent my Sunday night watching Jurassic Park in honor of this past June’s 30th...
Apologies for the Delay
Steve Binder and Elvis Presley on the set of Elvis: The ’68 Comeback Special. Courtesy of Paramount+. Apologies for the delay in sending this out over the...
A Busy Weekend...
This weekend was hectic as I was busy attending a sports convention, which I wrote about over at Dugout Dirt. I started up the outlet as a way of writing...
The Christopher Nolan Marathon Finally Happened
I was planning on a Christopher Nolan film marathon with the release of Tenet in 2020 but it ended up happening with Oppenheimer opening in 2023. Due to...
Binge-Watching Young Indiana Jones
I’m years late to watching The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones but the wait has been worth it. Subscribe now I don’t know if the series has been on a...
Happy Independence Day!
Nothing says celebrating the 4th of July better than by watching Indiana Jones punch Nazis in the face. Subscribe now My initial plans were to watch the...
Revisiting Titanic After 5 Years and Change
The unfortunate implosion of the Titan is what led me to rewatch Titanic for the first time since its 20th anniversary in 2017. Subscribe now I didn’t just...
Wrapping Up Tribeca And More
I have a few films left to watch throughout the next week but I’ve wrapped up my on-ground coverage as of this afternoon. Subscribe now There’s been a lot of...
Back from Tribeca
The fun part about attending film festivals is always finding the time to write, let alone eat or sleep. I finally flew back from NYC last night after...
Going Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens this weekend and let me tell you, this one is even better than the 2018 Oscar winner. Subscribe now I’m knee-deep...
Picketing in Solidarity with WGA Chicago
Zayn Dohrn speaks during the WGA Chicago strike press conference This past week, I joined the picket lines to show my support for the WGA during the WGA...
Movies and More
We’re entering the third week of the WGA strike even as the AMPTP could have ended it at any point during the past two weeks. Instead, the strike continues...
The Joys of Technology
I should not have to invest in ANOTHER electronic device in order to do my job as a film critic but my laptop is no longer playing Indee screeners without...
I Stand With The WGA
There is not a single excuse for C-Suite executives to rake in millions upon millions and then not offer a fair contract to the writers that helped put them...
It's Been A Hectic Week
I meant to send out an update towards the end of last week but then I got slammed with junket interviews and it just didn’t happen. Subscribe now Being busy...
Back to New York
After not hearing back until a few weeks prior to the festival’s start in 2022, it’s nice to know I can start planning for the 2023 Tribeca Festival in June....
Chag Sameach
I’ll be going offline for Pesach at some point on Wednesday so I thought I’d send this out really quick. Subscribe now There was a time when I really enjoyed...