Thoughts and commentary on the world of film from an Aspergian perspective. For the most up-to-date diary entries, make sure to also follow Sean Kelly's personal account.
2024 Oscars Best Picture Nominees Ranked
Stories
Interviewing Oscar winner Cord Jefferson about American Fiction
Now that he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, revisit my TIFF 2023 red carpet interview with American Fiction writer/director Cord Jefferson.
2024 Oscar Predictions
I am joined once again by Ulkar Alakbarova from "Let the Movie Move Us" to give our 2024 Oscar Predictions and discuss who we predict will win at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 10, 2024.
Sean Kelly Reviews Dune: Part Two | Non-Spoiler
Join Sean Kelly as he reviews Dune: Part Two in this non-spoiler video. Find out if the highly anticipated sequel lives up to the hype!
David Bordwell Tribute: Plot and Story Film Theory
In this video, we pay tribute to the late film theorist David Bordwell and his contributions to the world of cinema. We'll discuss the difference between plot and story, as written in Bordwell's influential book "Film Art: An Introduction". Join us as we honour the legacy of this brilliant film scholar. Rest in peace, David Bordwell.
Reacting to the trailer for A24's I Saw the TV Glow
Join me as I react to the trailer for the highly anticipated A24 film, I Saw the TV Glow, distributed by VVS Films. Get a sneak peek at this upcoming horror movie and see my first impressions in this trailer reaction video. Are you ready to be scared? Watch now!
Review - Kung Fu Panda 4 - Hit Me Baby One More Time Sean Kelly on Movies
Review - Io Capitano - He's The Captain Now Sean Kelly on Movies
Review - Dune: Part Two - Rise Of A False Prophet Sean Kelly on Movies
Lists
2024 Oscars Best Picture Nominees Ranked 10 films
Our ranking of the nominees for Best Picture for the 96th Academy Awards
Top Ten Films of 2023 10 films
Our Top Ten Favourite Films of 2023. See notes for review links.
Toronto After Dark 2023 9 films
Films seen as part of the 2023 Toronto After Dark Film Festival.
Toronto After Dark 2023 - Companion Films 5 films
Companion films for select films playing as part of the 2023 Toronto After Dark Film Festival.
TIFF 2023 30 films
Films seen as part of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival
Fantasia 2023 31 films
Films seen as part of the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival
Recent reviews
A photographer investigates what sounds like woman’s screams through the walls of his Air BnB rental and gets more than he bargained for while investigating.
Despite the film’s very low budget being quite apparent, the film draws you in during its mostly dialogue free first half. While the twist in the second half isn’t exactly surprising, the film does end up being yet another twisted cautionary tale about why getting Air BnBs isn’t always the best idea.
In its simplest description, Last Night at Terrace Lanes can be described as “The Purge meets Die Hard.” Indeed, Ken Arnold as Bruce comes across as a John McClane type, who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Since Bruce was locked in the office to cool off by his boss Cheryl (Towanda Underdue), after an outburst in front of Kennedy and her friend, he is completely oblivious about all the carnage until Bruce is called by…
What was Tony Scott smoking when he decided to use remixed cues of Nine Inch Nails’ Closer to illustrate Robert DeNiro’s sociopathic behaviour?
That and who allows a baseball game to continue with that level of rain?
The Teachers' Lounge is a very thought-provoking, and anxiety-inducing, film that tackles the age-old adage that no good deed goes unpunished. The personal and professional repercussions that Carla Nowak faces after accusing a fellow faculty member of theft are more frustrating as the film goes on. While the film purposely keeps it vague whether Carla is correct in her accusations, the less-than-ethical fashion she used to collect evidence ends up coming back to haunt her.
What becomes apparent through the…
The plot of Destroy All Neighbors comes across as a mix of Peter Jackson's 1992 splatter comedy Dead-Alive, 2015's heavy metal horror-comedy Deathgasm, the 2014 serial killer dark comedy The Voices and 1993's Freaked, the directorial debut of co-star Alex Winter. In fact, the main appeal of Destroy All Neighbors is arguably the scene-stealing performance by Winter as Vlad, who moves back and forth between being a full-on antagonist to Jonah Ray's William to being a reluctant ally. Winter is…
Nicolas Cage at the tail end of his mid-1990s peak period, but a fun thriller with a lot of DePalmaisms, including the single take opening sequence.
Also, people in the cinema laughed when Cage’s character said he was 35, even though that was his actual age at the time.
And I miss seeing Gary Sinise in films (another guy who peaked in the 1990s, before moving on to CSI)
Probably my favorite film of the original trilogy of Muppet films, which I watched many times as a kid.
In retrospect, I believe this film was meant to be a grand finale for The Muppets, before Jim Henson moved on to other projects like Labyrinth and Fraggle Rock. It was also the final film to feature all the original Muppet performers, as both Jim Henson and Richard Hunt died before the next film Muppets Christmas Carol.
Also, it is sad that Rizzo the Rat, who debuted in this film, was retired after Steve Whitmire was fired in 2017, since he quickly became one of my favourites.
The original Mean Girls from 2004 has ended up being a teen comedy that has stood the test of time. As such, it can be considered sacrilegious to some to reboot the film twenty years later, even if it is an adaptation of the Broadway musical, which is something that the marketing for the film has all but hidden. As for the film's status as a musical, the songs are hit-and-miss, with only a couple of standout musical numbers.
Reneé…
Our ranking of the nominees for Best Picture for the 96th Academy Awards