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January 23, 2024

Sundance, Oscars, and More

A view of Main Street during the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
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 month. There were a few days here and there with some brutal wind chills. It meant staying under the covers and not getting as much work accomplished as I would have preferred on those days.

I wish I could say that I was writing this while watching the live MLB Network coverage heading into today's Hall of Fame announcement. Unfortunately, there is still no deal between MLBN and YouTube. MLB refuses to offer the network through the app. What a shame. Oscar nominations and Baseball Hall of Fame election announcement usually makes for a long and busy day.

I didn't fly out to the Critics Choice Awards this year and even if I did, the weather would have cancelled my flight. Because of Shabbos, flying out on Saturday would not have been an option. By Sunday, wind chill temps were so brutal that I didn't leave my apartment until running an errand last Wednesday. That being said, as the weather slowly warms up, I am continuing to keep busy with watching movies either on physical media, TCM, or streaming.

Meanwhile, Sundance is going on in Park City through this weekend. The virtual component for press and industry begins on Wednesday while the general public can take in the fun on Thursday. I didn't attend this year for the same reason that I didn't make it out to LA for the awards: budget.

As for next year, the silence from Sundance regarding Utah HB 257 means that I am almost definitely not applying for the virtual component. I sure as hell will not be stepping foot in Utah ever again since it's almost certainly going to be illegal for me to use the restroom. I reached out to Sundance for a statement and it's been nothing but crickets. The silence is deafening especially when it is going to impact a number of people that have to pass through the Salt Lake City Airport or attend screenings at public venues. I wrote about it on Saturday night.

Despite not traveling this month, I didn't watch my usual amount of pre-Sundance screeners as in prior years. In fact, I kept busy utilizing the library and getting a head start on films with milestone anniversaries. A number of them are already scheduled. After watching the Max Steiner documentary, I realized that I've barely made as much of a dent into his filmography. Through last night, I'm at 24/251 (9%) for films scored by Steiner. To put this in comparison, I've watched 67/141 (47%) scored by John Williams.

Film Reviews:

  • The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold

  • Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

  • Good Night, and Good Luck

  • Leatherheads

  • The Monuments Men

  • Mean Girls: The Musical

  • The Last Tycoon

  • Max Steiner: Maestro of Movie Music

  • Cimarron

  • Red, White, and Blue

  • The Anne Frank Gift Shop

  • The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!

  • Vishniac

  • The Caine Mutiny

Film Festival reviews

  • Rabbi on the Block

  • Remembering Gene Wilder

Home Entertainment releases:

  • The Marvels

  • Stalag 17

  • Wish

Interviews:

  • Danny Ruhlmann - Anyone But You

  • Mary Holland - Self Reliance

News:

  • The Mandalorian and Grogu Are Headed to the Big Screen

  • 260+ Sign Letter to AMPAS about Jewish Exclusion

  • Sundance Kicks Off 40th Edition

  • Norman Jewison Dead at 97

Op-ed:

  • STILL: After Emmy Win, Is Oscar Next?

  • Sundance: Transphobic Laws in Utah Will Prevent My Attendance

Awards Season:

  • Creative Emmys - Night 1

  • Creative Emmys - Night 2

  • 265 Films Eligible for Best Picture

  • Harrison Ford: CCA To Honor Legend With Career Achievement Award

  • ADG Awards nominations

  • CAS Awards nominations

  • SAG Awards nominations

  • DGA Awards nominations

  • Annie Awards nominations

  • ASC Awards nominations

  • PGA Awards nominations

  • Critics Choice Awards winners

  • Harrison Ford CCA Speech

  • Emmy Awards winners

  • Elton John Completes EGOT

  • VES Awards nominations

  • MPSE Golden Reel Awards nominations

  • BAFTA Awards nominations

  • GMS Awards nominations

  • Oscars nominations

Streaming - Coming and Leaving

  • Hulu

  • Max

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