a man with glasses and a bow tie is screaming and saying i 'd buy that for a dollar . ALT: a man with glasses and a bow tie is screaming and saying i 'd buy that for a dollar .

Obligatory...

Worf before a Lenny Kravitz concert: TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO FLY, INTO THE SKY, SO VERY HIGH, JUST LIKE A DRAGONFLY!

A tradition like no other...

I was lucky. I knew I wanted to go to Syracuse from 8th grade, so tours were a more economical formality (family was dirt poor). We visited twice (one for each major I had in mind), and I applied to two "safeties" just in case. Had I not gotten in, I'd have taken a gap year and tried for Penn State.

Apparently "The Process" is circulating insurance forms.

Plug and Play – The Super Mario Galaxy Movie After the massive commercial success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie three years ago, a sequel was a guarantee, and with Nintendo’s massive marketing machine behind the follow-up, it was impos…

#TheSuperMarioGalaxyMovie is unapologetic fan service in the best way possible, emphasizing the shared, multigenerational appeal of video games and the characters that inhabit them!

Plug and Play - The Super Mario Galaxy Movie actuallypaid.com/2026/04/05/p...

Yo Adrian! – Project Hail Mary There are a lot of reasons why The Martian was one of my favorite films of 2015, and why it ranks in my top five for the entire decade of the 2010s. It’s smart, funny, visually spellbinding, …

#ProjectHailMary is at times too derivative and cutesy for its own good, but mostly it's a fun and safe space adventure!

Yo Adrian! - Project Hail Mary actuallypaid.com/2026/03/26/y...

Second, I sit friends' dogs. First time I watched one (named Finn), he sat at attention all night and shit on my floor. He had abandonment issues (4 owners in first 16 months of life). Now, 4 years later, when he comes over, he beelines for my room and bed because I earned his trust. He's the best!

Two stories related to questions in the bag: The first, a few years ago my sister referred to her son as "focaccia" because he was acting up. She meant "fakakte." We are not Jewish, nor do we speak Yiddish.

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Postmortem At the beginning of this year’s Oscar Blitz, I hinted that it might be the last time I’m able to do this annual excursion into cinematic excellence. Obviously, that still remains to be …

The final entry for this year's #OscarBlitz is the annual #Postmortem assessment of everything that went down at the 98th Academy Awards!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Postmortem actuallypaid.com/2026/03/18/o...

My favorite part of "Kiss of Death" was when Valerie Fox was just dating Jay Sherman for a good review and it backfired.

Far more important to have crypto ads and Disney begging you to watch "Idol" 20 years after it's been relevant.

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Live Diary Well, folks, we finally made it. It’s the big night at last, the 98th Academy Awards! Over the span of about four hours, we’ll see lifelong dreams realized, hearts broken, and Diane War…

The #OscarBlitz live diary is up on site! Refresh regularly for (near) instant reactions once the show starts!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Live Diary actuallypaid.com/2026/03/15/o...

Back Row Thoughts – Womp Womp What’s the opposite of a perfect storm? Whatever it is, I think that’s what describes the circumstances surrounding the final two films from 2025 that I have yet to review, at least in …

The latest #BackRowThoughts finally clears out my 2025 review backlog with a look at two films that were released late last year in hopes of acting nominations that they never got!

Back Row Thoughts - Womp Womp actuallypaid.com/2026/03/14/b...

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Predictions We made it, everyone! The votes have been cast, the analysis doled out, the arguments begun, ended, and begun again. But finally, at long last, it’s time to just sit back and enjoy this year&…

Night 25 of the #OscarBlitz is all about who will win on Sunday! Read on for my official predictions and prognostications!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Predictions actuallypaid.com/2026/03/13/o...

Oscar Blitz - Best Picture - 98th Academy Awards YouTube video by I Actually Paid To See This

Here's my video breakdown of this year's #BestPicture contest, as part of the #OscarBlitz!

youtu.be/2GC5XaFvmbY

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Best Picture (VIDEO) Every year, the Academy Awards serve two basic purposes. One is, ostensibly, to recognize the best and brightest achievements in film, celebrating talented artists who go that extra mile to enterta…

Night 24 of the #OscarBlitz means #BestPicture! Watch me analyze/rank #Bugonia, #F1, #Frankenstein, #Hamnet, #MartySupreme, #OneBattleAfterAnother, #TheSecretAgent, #SentimentalValue, #Sinners, and #TrainDreams!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Best Picture (VIDEO) actuallypaid.com/2026/03/12/o...

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Documentary Feature When it comes to Blitz coverage, the final week is my favorite. It’s not because I’m particularly excited about any of the categories, more that I know I’m coming to the end, and …

Night 23 of the #OscarBlitz looks at #DocumentaryFeature! Read on for analysis of #TheAlabamaSolution, #ComeSeeMeInTheGoodLight, #CuttingThroughRocks, #MrNobodyAgainstPutin, and #ThePerfectNeighbor!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Documentary Feature actuallypaid.com/2026/03/11/o...

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Live Action Short The Live Action Short category has come a long way since I first started watching the curated screenings in 2014. In that first interaction with any of the Short contests, the entries were prefaced…

Night 22 of the #OscarBlitz looks at #LiveActionShort! Read on for analysis of #ButchersStain, #AFriendOfDorothy, #JaneAustensPeriodDrama, #TheSingers, and #TwoPeopleExchangingSaliva!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Live Action Short actuallypaid.com/2026/03/10/o...

Also, the name "Mashable" implies that it is, by definition, not unique. If something is "mashable," it means it can be bludgeoned into a generic mass.

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Best Supporting Actress We’re in the home stretch, folks! The Oscars are this Sunday, all the major undercard ceremonies have concluded, and we’re in our final four categories for this year’s Blitz. Toni…

Night 21 of the #OscarBlitz looks at #BestSupportingActress! Read on for performance analysis of #ElleFanning, #IngaIbsdotterLilleaas, #AmyMadigan, #WunmiMosaku, and #TeyanaTaylor!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Best Supporting Actress actuallypaid.com/2026/03/09/o...

The internet is losing its collective shit over Donald Glover voicing Yoshi. Meanwhile I'm over here with my jaw detached because Luis Guzman is playing Wart.

MOTHERFUCKING WART IS IN THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

Back Row Thoughts – So Much Blitzing, Part 4 We’re a week away from the Oscars, and starting tomorrow, the Blitz enters the home stretch. Even though I published my first new review of the year yesterday, I still have five more films fr…

The latest #BackRowThoughts looks at the three remaining films I saw from this year's #DocumentaryFeature shortlist!

Back Row Thoughts - So Much Blitzing, Part 4 actuallypaid.com/2026/03/08/b...

Nice Beaver! – Hoppers I will fully admit, I did not have high hopes for Pixar’s latest feature, Hoppers. It was coming out in early March, which is a very iffy statement for the studio’s confidence in the qu…

#Hoppers is, simply put, the greatest Pixar film since "Inside Out!"

Nice Beaver! - Hoppers actuallypaid.com/2026/03/07/n...

Oscar Blitz - Film Editing - 98th Academy Awards YouTube video by I Actually Paid To See This

Here's my video breakdown of #FilmEditing as part of this year's #OscarBlitz!

youtu.be/is76gwweCz4

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Film Editing (VIDEO) Well folks, it’s all over but the crying. At 5pm PST yesterday, as I was writing the Makeup & Hairstyling blog, the official voting deadline for the Academy Awards came and went. The winn…

Night 20 of the #OscarBlitz means another video breakdown, this time for #FilmEditing! Read (and watch) for analysis of #F1, #MartySupreme, #OneBattleAfterAnother, #SentimentalValue, and #Sinners!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Film Editing (VIDEO) actuallypaid.com/2026/03/06/o...

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Makeup & Hairstyling If you’ve kept up with the Blitz over the years, you know that a) this category is very much NOT my forte, and that alongside Costume Design and Production Design, it’s where I have the…

Night 19 of the #OscarBlitz looks at #MakeupAndHairstyling! Read on for analysis of #Frankenstein, #Kokuho, #Sinners, #TheSmashingMachine, and #TheUglyStepsister!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Makeup & Hairstyling actuallypaid.com/2026/03/05/o...

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Best Supporting Actor In addition to all the various bits of history and significance to this year’s Oscars, the Supporting acting categories offer their own rarity. This year is but the sixth time in the long leg…

Night 18 of the #OscarBlitz takes a look at #BestSupportingActor! Read on for performance analysis of #BenicioDelToro, #JacobElordi, #DelroyLindo, #SeanPeann, and #StellanSkarsgård!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Best Supporting Actor actuallypaid.com/2026/03/04/o...

Oscar Blitz 2026 – Animated Short There’s been an interesting shift in the dynamics of the Animated Short category over the last decade. For the longest time, this was a field dominated by Disney and Pixar (and Warner Bros. w…

Night 17 of the #OscarBlitz deals with #AnimatedShort! Read on for analysis of #Butterfly #Forevergreen, #TheGirlWhoCriedPearls, #RetirementPlan, and #TheThreeSisters!

Oscar Blitz 2026 - Animated Short actuallypaid.com/2026/03/03/o...

Good Lord, did someone open the Ark of the Covenant?