Robert Hamer
Formerly an associate writer for recently-retired Award Circuit, Robert Hamer is a veteran who spends his time obsessing over movies and pop politics. He is returning to film and awards season commentary to return to a sense of normalcy in these plague-ridden times of rising fascism and late-stage capitalist dystopia. Join him, won't you, in these unorthodox attempts at cinematic therapy?
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Who Should Be the Second Ladies of ‘The First Lady?’
As I mentioned in my interview with production designer Tony Fanning last month, I am a bit of nerd when it comes to Presidents. Not just as they’re portrayed in the movies (though I do pontificate on those from time to time!), but also in the general sense that, with only one or two or […] More
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in Op-ed
The Line Never Goes Up Forever, or: Why Entertainment Executives Have No Idea What They’re Doing These Days
This year hasn’t provided much in the way of joy or happiness, lately. From war to inflation to energy shortages to mass shootings to an age of partisanship where one party has abandoned all pretense of sane parliamentary governance and the other one is clinging to outdated notions of civic pleasantries at the expense of […] More
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in Reviews
Film Review: ‘1982’ Presents a Familiar But Powerful Childhood Memoir
About a year ago, I went over a few of the dangerous political upheavals and conflicts going on in the Middle East in the early 1980’s to question why Patty Jenkins and Geoff Johns thought it was a good idea to bring those up in service of an insensitive and ultimately pointless subplot in Wonder […] More
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in Op-ed
On the Radar… (Summer Edition)
And now we reach the heart of what Dan and Jordan would call the “dreamy creamy summer!” The summer blockbusters are trickling back into theaters because we’re all still clinging to the comforting myth that COVID-19 will go away if we just wish it away hard enough, Tom Cruise is dominating the box office to […] More
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in Reviews
Film Review: ‘Great Freedom’ Showcases Brilliant Franz Rogowski in a Steadfast Human Drama
We have a bad habit of over-segmenting our perception of the narrative of history, if that makes sense; pretending that advances in human rights can be identified by “clean breaks” that mark an immediate and permanent “victory” for the right side. But anyone who has experienced a genuine curiosity about our history, or even just […] More
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in Reviews
Film Review: ‘Happening’ Delivers a Tense, Brutally Isolating Experience
“I’d like a child one day. But not instead of a life.” It’s impossible to know for sure how “objective” one can be when evaluating a film depicting such a deeply personal, urgent story with immediate import to real life events. I am certain that detractors of Happening will accuse Bong Joon-ho’s jury of making […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Tony Fanning on Depicting the White House’s Visual Legacy in ‘The First Lady’
“It’s always nice to meet another presidential nerd,” he laughs when I tell him my obsession with the forty-five men who have assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief, “I discovered a friend of mine was also really into presidential history when I was working on this!” And as production designer Tony Fanning would discover, few things […] More
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in Op-ed
Sunday Scaries: Revisiting the Very Real Terror of ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’ Fifteen Years Later
NOTE: Major spoilers ahead for an essential film of 21st century international cinema ahead. Seriously, it’s available on most streaming platforms. Go see it now, then read this piece. It was considered a surprising upset at the time. The 60th Cannes Film Festival featured the most stacked Main Competition lineup in many years; with entries […] More
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in Op-ed
Make This Movie: ‘When a Soulmate Says No,’ or How One Night Flirting with a Hot Dude Turned Me Into Marianne Williamson
For this recurring column, we at Awards Radar will usually strive to implore Hollywood to greenlight books or spec scripts we have genuine affection for into a film. Editor Joey Magidson wants to see a film version of Honeymoon With Harry because the novel connected to him on a positive, personal level. But sometimes, an […] More
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in Op-ed
Dolores Umbridge: A Look Back At An Iconic ‘Harry Potter’ Villain
Today marks the U.S. theatrical debut of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which I won’t watch for reasons I already explained in my last preview article. So instead, I’d like to take a look back at something those awful movies sorely lack: an interesting character. Specifically an interesting villain. Specifically specifically a villain like […] More
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in Op-ed
Sunday Scaries: The Hidden Horror of Troy Kotsur’s “Inspirational” Story
As Kotsur thinks about what his Oscar win will mean to him, he starts to cry. “I was so tired of financially struggling for so many years,” he says through an interpreter. “Now, receiving these awards — it’s saved my life, my career, my family.” This was from a recent interview Troy Kotsur participated in […] More
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in Op-ed
On the Radar… (Spring Edition)
Springtime is here! And so is war in Ukraine. And more pandemic awesomeness but with fewer resources and preparedness to deal with the predicted surge because I guess governments have all decided that they can just… declare diseases to be over? Okay, sure. And did you say seven hours are missing? Cool, cool. So now […] More
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