Spring has arrived. Shit. I hate Spring. I prefer longer winters instead of having to deal with all the fucking pollen as this year’s pollen season fucking sucks. 2026 has been bad though not as bad as 2016 from what I can remember. Airports have gone to shit with people waiting and waiting to depart with ICE now making trouble. There is a lot that is happening as it is overwhelming as I try to distance myself from the chaos of the real world, but another reality has now overwhelmed me. In the world of film where I have struggled to keep up with a lot of the activities relating to the Oscar races though I had fun watching Timothee Chalamet’s Oscar campaign blowing up in his face though I still like the guy.
For anyone that goes to my Letterboxd account would notice the lack of output and logging in the past few months. I admit I have not been posting a lot of content in my blog and in my Letterboxd account than I often would in the past few years. Mainly because things in my life are overwhelming and the events that happened this past fall and during the Christmas holidays did not help me mentally as I have struggled to watch films and have the time to enjoy myself. I was hoping to watch one of my Blind Spot films in The Wind Will Carry Us by Abbas Kiarostami this month. Yet, something happened as I realized that I was just forcing myself to watch something and not really get the chance to savor it. Plus, writing reviews for this blog has not become fun anymore as it would take days to write a review for me and it has become a struggle as I would get started but then I struggle to get things out. Then I would investigate what I have written and wonder if this works or all of that.
What I did instead was re-watch a couple of James Bond movies just for no reason and I was enjoying it as there was no pressure and I was just having a good time. I think the decision I am making right now is really for myself as I am going to take a break from writing for a while. I will expand the Blind Spot series into 2027 as it would give me more time to watch the films I have chosen as well as to get access to some of the films that are either unavailable on streaming or are available in physical forms. I think for now, I am just going to take a step back and not write anything unless something important and good would light a fire up my ass. In the month of March, I only saw a total of six films in four first-timers and two re-watches.
Monthly Mini-Reviews
Forevergreen
One of the short films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is this 13-minute short film about a cub that is raised by a large tree. The look of the film is amazing, but the story is not that great. Notably as it comes off as preachy about why a cub should not be eating something like a bag of potato chips. Yet, who would turn down a bag of potato chips? Of course, the cub would cause trouble and gets some life lesson although it ends with a quote from the Bible that feels unnecessary.
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
The short film that would win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is a remarkable short film though I much prefer Butterfly from last month. Still, I do think this is a short film that deserves its Oscar as it is a touching tale about an old man who tells his granddaughter a story when he was a boy living in poverty as he lives next door to a young girl that cried pearls. Narrated by Colm Feore, whose narration has this great sense of warmth in his voice, the film does play into a young boy’s conflict as well as him caring for this young girl that is abused. There is some ambiguity in its ending, yet it is about a boy that is coming of age as well as what he tried to do to survive and the conflict he faces as it relates to this young girl.
Lightbulb
This 2-minute short film from Pixar is a touching and light-hearted short film that is about the life of a trio of lightbulbs. It plays into how they are used and what happens when they are no longer used. Yet, it is the fate of the lightbulbs that end up being a big surprise and a good one. It is worth seeking out.
Gorillaz-Journey to the Mountain
This 13-minute documentary short film about the making of Gorillaz’s ninth studio album The Mountain is a fascinating film that explores Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s trip to India. There, they would not just find musical inspiration in the many locales of the country but also deal with their own personal losses that would play into some of the songs in the album. In coping with those losses, Albarn and Hewlett would find healing through music and the ideas they would have in India as it is an excellent short for fans of the group who have created one of the year’s best albums so far.
Well, that is all for March. As I will be going on a hiatus for some time, I am not sure what I will post as I just want to take a break. Before I bid adieu, I must acknowledge those that have passed away this month including the legendary Chuck Norris. While I may not have agreed on his political views, he was a cool man that could kick a lot of asses. Yes, we may know him as Walker Texas Ranger, the action films he has been in and those facts about him are true. The man remains beloved as I think he should be best remembered as one of the definitive action film stars as he is right now having that long-awaited rematch with Bruce Lee as that scene in Way of the Dragon remains an unforgettable moment. We will miss you, Chuck.
Also, who have passed away this month include Christopher North of Amborsia, Greg Elmore of Quicksilver Messenger Service, comedian Alex Duong, Mary Beth Hurt, Welsh actor Desmond Barrit, James Tolkan, Dash Croft of Seals & Croft, animator Barry Caldwell, writer Tracy Kidder, Valerie Perrine, songwriter Chip Taylor, Nicholas Brendon, wrestler Dennis Condrey of the Midnight Express, Ben Keaton from Father Ted, actor Matt Clark, Phil Campbell of Motorhead, actress Judy Pace, Country Joe McDonald, Ross the Boss of Manowar & the Dictators, Terry Cox of Pentangle, Jennifer Runyon, actor Corey Parker, actor Stephen Hibbert aka the Gimp, and music producer Mike Vernon. We will miss you all. This is thevoid99 signing off…
Are we in the darkest timeline? Honestly, we are two months into 2026 and it fucking sucks. Chaos is still looming in Minnesota while people all over the country are dealing with the dumb-fucks that is ICE who will take anyone without warrants or any legal documents. Tariffs have been raised and it is us that is getting fucked. Things have not been well around the world as it has gotten harder to ignore all of that as it has been overwhelming. Even with the celebrity deaths happening and some things at the Winter Olympics that has our national hockey team winning the gold medal for the first time in 46 years and how do they celebrate their win? Partying with the director of the FBI, talking to our dictator while insulting our national women’s hockey team, and then eating cold, shitty fast-food at the White House apart from the five players who chose not to go to the White House since four of them are from Minnesota. Oh, and today we and Israel decided to launch missiles in Iran in which we killed their leader. Yeah, we are fucked.
A lot of what has been happening has been numbing as I have taken a break from watching and reviewing films which is why I have been behind on my Blind Spot Series. Burnout is a real thing as it was not fun as I have become disenchanted with a lot of what is happening in the world of film in terms of the film-going experience. It has been 4 months since I last went to the movie theaters as nothing went wrong during the film, but something did change. I have been noticing this in last few films I had been to in the movie theaters where I would show up a minute or two early or late before the showtime is to start. It was not just a bunch of movie trailers showing up but commercials for things that had nothing to do with the film. Hearing that there will be more commercials before the movie begins is something I would rather not be a part of. I admit to not being active in going to the movie theaters more than I wanted to but now I do not have the enthusiasm to see anything except for films by a select few filmmakers that I care about.
In the month of February 2026, I saw a total of 8 films in 5 first-timers and 3 re-watches with 3 first-timers being films directed or co-directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. The highlight month is my Blind Spot film in Cairo Station.
Monthly Mini-Reviews/What Else I Am Watching
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Goddamn… I did not know what to expect as it did suggest a period film based on the many adaptations of books by Jane Austen. The title alone is an absolute misdirection in terms of what it suggests. What Julia Aks and Steve Pinder create is a period short film about love, but it is really about a man trying to understand the struggles that women go through in their bodies. Thus, a lot of hilarity would ensue including gags and the deconstruction of Austen’s language. It must be seen as this truly deserves to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Live-Action Short film.
Two People Exchanging Saliva
The second of the five nominees for Best Live-Action Short film is by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata as it is this black-and-white dystopian short film set in a Parisian mall. It all plays into the way people interact with one another and the idea of longing as it stars Luana Bajrami as a store clerk, Zar Amir Ebrahimi as a rich client, and Aurelie Boquien as an older store clerk who becomes consumed with envy over her younger co-worker in attracting this rich client. All of it is told through narration by Vicky Krieps as currency is paid through slaps in the face. It is a sexy yet strange short film that plays into the idea of desire and identity in an absurd dystopian film.
Retirement Plan
The first of two animated short films nominated for the Best Animated Short film at the Oscars is a 7-minute short by John Kelly with narration by Domhnall Gleeson as it is about a man pondering what to do with the remaining years of his life as he begins retirement. It is a heartfelt animated short film made in a hand-drawn animated style that has a lot of beauty. Even as it plays into the things this man wants to do as well as experience before he dies as it is just a gem of a film.
Butterfly
The second animated short film that is nominated for the Best Animated Short film at the Oscars is 15-minute animated short based on the life of French-Algerian swimmer Alfred Nakache. The usage of water-color paintings and movements in the animation is truly exquisite as it helps tells the story of this man who found all the things he wanted in life through swimming and being in the water despite horrors he had to endure as a Jew. Notably as he would lose his family in the Holocaust as well as endure prejudice during the time of Nazi while being one of the few Holocaust survivors to compete at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Well, that is all for February 2026. I have no idea what I will do next month other than watch whatever short films that are nominated for the Oscars that are available and hopefully films that are nominated. I had hoped to do The Watermelon Woman this month, but I think I will do that later in June as I might do 2 Blind Spots in March. The only film theatrically that I want to see is Marc by Sofia from Sofia Coppola if it is available at movie theater near me. Other than that, I would rather just scale back on things and watch whatever interests me. Before I leave, this month did see several greats pass away with the biggest death this month is in Robert Duvall. An actor with no equal and one of the rarest of actors who never gave a bad performance. He has been in some awful films, but he never phones it in as he always giving it his all. The man is one of the last of his kind to ever grace the screen whether it is film or television. Thank you, Mr. Duvall, we will miss you.
Also, who passed away this month include Neil Sedaka, James Van Der Beek, Tom Noonan, Robert Carradine, Willie Colon, Eric Dane, Bud Cort, actor Bobby J. Brown of The Wire, Sondra Lee, Monti Rock III of Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes, writer Dan Simmons, songwriter Billy Steinberg, Tim Very of Manchester Orchestra, Andrew Ranken of the Pogues, Lamont McLemore of the Fifth Dimension, and activist Katherine Short. We will miss you all. This is thevoid99 signing off…
