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robertdoc1984.bsky.social
Robert Dougherty
@robertdoc1984.bsky.social
180 followers 140 following 1.5K posts
3-time self published Lost recap author, recurring guest writer at Next Best Picture, from Philly

https://nextbestpicture.com/author/robertd/

https://letterboxd.com/Robertdoc/
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robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"Fire and Ash doesn’t leave a viewer soaring like a Pandoran bird, as much as it leaves them to ask 'Is that it?' – both with visuals & the story this time."

#AvatarFireAndAsh review for @letterboxd.social #JamesCameron #ZoeSaldana #SamWorthington #StephenLang: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★½ review of Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)
The constant joke about the Avatar series is that it’s a $2 billion franchise with no actual lasting cultural impact, beyond its two-three months of filling IMAX theaters and making 3D useful again. A...
letterboxd.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:35 AM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
Making or not making #Oscars shortlists may not mean much, especially with far more categories this year- but it might point to a few good or ominous things for certain films this year
#WickedForGood #JayKelly #AvatarFireAndAsh #TheSecretAgent #Oscars2026: nextbestpicture.com/do-oscar-sho...
Do Oscar Shortlists Matter? What This Year’s Hits And Misses Say About The Oscar Race
Because there were a few new categories added to the annual Oscar shortlist announcements this year, it might be harder to say that past shortlist stats offer any clues about how much this year’s resu...
nextbestpicture.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Robert Dougherty
jacobdavison.bsky.social
Burns' Biethday Today Credits long life to Satan
December 17, 2025 at 9:57 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"The more one sits with it, the greater impact of what Panahi's done – & what such a story can & can't do – lodges in & like so much else, might never go away no matter what we do or don’t do to try."

#ItWasJustAnAccident review for @letterboxd.social #JafarPanahi: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★★★½ review of It Was Just an Accident (2025)
Forgiveness, or at least mercy and letting go of crippling anger, is on the minds of many a film this year, from Frankenstein to Sentimental Value and even Wake Up Dead Man. But when it comes to weigh...
letterboxd.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Reposted by Robert Dougherty
sifill.bsky.social
What a great piece! This just gets better and better as you read.

prospect.org/2025/12/11/s...
The Hit Hollywood Didn’t Want - The American Prospect
Ryan Coogler’s bloodsucker blockbuster is all about Black creative freedom. No wonder the industry saw it as a threat.
prospect.org
December 13, 2025 at 12:56 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"Like with Gustav’s film, when those meant to transform it break through the noise– & the true missing pieces emerge– thats when movie magic happens"

#SentimentalValue review for @letterboxd.social #RenateReinsve #StellanSkarsgard #IngaIbsdotterLilleaas #ElleFanning: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★★★½ review of Sentimental Value (2025)
Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World had a fairly misleading title, or at least reflected what Renate Reinsve’s Julie was made to feel like instead of what she actually was. Their reunion is ...
letterboxd.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:39 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
Not so much a 2nd review of #WakeUpDeadMan for @letterboxd.social , but a spoilery breakdown of how @rianjohnson.bsky.social views characters - even Blanc- through the 7 Deadly Sins...& perhaps shows the confessionals of #JoshOConnor's Jud through the 5 Stages of Grief
letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★★★½ review of Wake Up Dead Man (2025)
This review may contain spoilers. Visit the page to bypass this warning and read the review.
letterboxd.com
December 13, 2025 at 12:39 AM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
The last 3 #Oscars Best Picture slots could come down to 3 showdowns - 1 between NEON films, 1 between #Netflix films, & 1 between films coasting on their predecessors
#NoOtherChoice #TheSecretAgent #Bugonia #WickedForGood #TrainDreams #JayKelly: nextbestpicture.com/how-six-2025...
How Six 2025 Films Are Fighting For The Final Three Spots In Best Picture
The outcomes of the NBR, AFI, Critics’ Choice, and Golden Globes gauntlet left seven movies presumed for Best Picture, with only three spots left to fight for. After the Critics Choices and Golden Glo...
nextbestpicture.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:35 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"The tragedy is from being made incapable of seeing different ways to be, yet even a less humane world transformed by a less humane workforce can’t snuff everything worth nourishing."

#NoOtherChoice review for @letterboxd.social #ParkChanWook #LeeByungHun: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★★★½ review of No Other Choice (2025)
Park Chan-wook has been a beloved auteur to American and international cinephiles for almost 25 years, though this one started out on a rocky road with him. This one was more underwhelmed by Decision ...
letterboxd.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:15 AM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
The films that made 4, 3, 2, 1 or 0 of the big season opening #GoldenGlobes, #CriticsChoice, #NBR & #AFI #Oscars quartet - & where they go from here: nextbestpicture.com/the-state-of...
The State Of The Best Picture Race After The Golden Globes, Critics' Choice, AFI & NBR
The Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes, NBR, and AFI Top 10 are the big early-season quartet that sets the tone for the entire Oscar voting season. Those who make all four are almost always guaranteed a B...
nextbestpicture.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:58 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
#WickedForGood & #AvatarFireAndAsh have started on the same trajectory as last year's 2 preseason locks turned disappointing afterthought fall sequels from #Oscar winners
Yet #oscars2026 precursors have done more for them so far - but will it be enough?: nextbestpicture.com/good-hits-fi...
Good Hits, Fiery Hopes, Bigger Disappointments: Oscar Sequels And The Best Picture Bubble
For much of the fall, it was all too easy to pencil in “Wicked: For Good” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” as automatic Best Picture nominees. Both were sequels to films that also reached Best Picture, both...
nextbestpicture.com
December 6, 2025 at 3:15 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"#Hamnet strikes the maximum devastating nerve for modern, paying & voting audiences – at least when it finally gets around to doing so."

#Hamnet review for @letterboxd.social #JessieBuckley #PaulMescal #JacobiJupe #ChloeZhao: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★★★ review of Hamnet (2025)
Origin stories for some of our most legendary stories are all too common these days, and a lot of the time they are very unnecessary. It turns out even the greatest fictional story ever told isn’t imm...
letterboxd.com
December 6, 2025 at 1:48 AM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
Critics/precursor season begins in full with the #Gothams, @nyfcc.bsky.social awards, NBR/AFI Top 10, @criticschoice.bsky.social & @goldenglobes.bsky.social noms - which will hopefully start answering these big #Oscars season questions: nextbestpicture.com/the-burning-...
The Burning Questions We Have About The 2025 Awards Season As The Precursors Begin
Phase one of Oscar season is about over, as film festivals have revealed most of the field, critics have finally gotten to score almost all of it, and there is little to no mystery left about the fron...
nextbestpicture.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:07 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"Wake Up Dead Man rewards its faithful once they have all the facts – & ideally meet them with more grace & understanding than judgement"

#WakeUpDeadMan a #KnivesOut mystery review for @letterboxd.social @rianjohnson.bsky.social #DanielCraig #JoshOConnor #GlennClose: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★★★ review of Wake Up Dead Man (2025)
Rian Johnson’s Knives Out mysteries have not just revived the mystery genre in movies, but taken aim at the worst culprits/symbols of our crime-ridden era, from old money dynasties protecting their po...
letterboxd.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:52 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
The mixed reviews for #WickedForGood mean if #ArianaGrande still wins at the #Oscars, she will need to do what only a handful of actors in this era have done - win in spite of their own movies
nextbestpicture.com/are-ariana-g...
Are Ariana Grande's Oscar Chances Locked Up For Good? History Says It Might Be
Not many pundits expected “Wicked: For Good“ to score much higher than “Wicked’s“ 73 on MetaCritic and 7.8 average critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet something equal to or only slightly lower tha...
nextbestpicture.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:07 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"It is too hard to shake off the ending and its last line - and sadly just as hard to shake off wishing the rest of the movie was worthy of it."

#JayKelly review for @letterboxd.social #GeorgeClooney #AdamSandler #NoahBaumbach #BillyCrudup #LauraDern: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★½ review of Jay Kelly (2025)
Certain movies and movie stars may go out of style, but movies about movies and about movie stars never will. Some of them reflect the true painful cost and/or the true beauty of the business and its ...
letterboxd.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:40 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"These sort of touches and lasting impressions do make Train Dreams something that isn’t just nice to look at, although that certainly goes a long way as well."

#TrainDreams review for @letterboxd.social #JoelEdgerton #FelicityJones #KerryCondon: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★★★ review of Train Dreams (2025)
The Lion King famously coined “The Circle of Life” to show how every creature, no matter how small, had its place in life’s great design, yet that was an animated film about the animal kingdom. Human ...
letterboxd.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:40 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"The bar was set so high by #Wicked Act One and by Erivo, Grande, Chu & others, almost nothing in Part Two feels as thrillifying, as the Ozians might say."

#WickedForGood review for @letterboxd.social #CynthiaErivo #ArianaGrande #Elphaba #Glinda #JonathanBailey: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★½ review of Wicked: For Good (2025)
Just as Hollywood stretched out Wicked the musical into two parts over a year, it seems it stretched out the exact viewing experience of Wicked as well. As with Act One of the musical, Wicked Part One...
letterboxd.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:16 AM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
#Frankenstein's Creature and the #Wicked witch were the most feared movie monsters of the 1930s, & are now the tragic antiheroes of fall 2025 - which could each lead to historic #oscars2026 acting nominations
#JacobElordi #CynthiaErivo #Oscars: nextbestpicture.com/born-pure-ma...
Born Pure, Made Monstrous And Wicked By Society: The Parallel Journeys Of Elphaba And Frankenstein’s Creature
In the 1930s, movie audiences were first introduced to Frankenstein’s Creature and the Wicked Witch of the West, and were terrified by them for decades afterward. But in 2025, audiences and Oscar vote...
nextbestpicture.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"Maybe it makes too much sense – if sadly unintentional sense – that #TheRunningMan 2025 embodies false advertising in ways it never intended"

#TheRunningMan review for @letterboxd.social #GlenPowell #ColmanDomingo #MichaelCera #JoshBrolin #EdgarWright: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★½ review of The Running Man (2025)
When the first trailer for The Running Man 2025 came out, it was sold as a rollicking, fast paced blast from someone who’s made a few of those in Edgar Wright. Between remaking the 1987 Arnold Schwart...
letterboxd.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:42 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
Now that #Frankenstein may be #Netflix's one secure Best Picture nominee, it has 3 more films in line trying to get in - the same boat #NEON has been in for months
#JayKelly #ItWasJustAnAccident #TrainDreams #NoOtherChoice #TheSecretAgent #Wakeupdeadman: nextbestpicture.com/netflix-and-...
Netflix And NEON Have The Most Potential To Get Three Films Into Best Picture This Year...But Which Three Will They Be?
It took a long time, with some early pitfalls to overcome, but Netflix finally seems to have a film all but locked into the Best Picture field with Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.” This puts Netfl...
nextbestpicture.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Robert Dougherty
meidastouch.com
This is BRUTAL.

Trump LOUDLY BOOED at the Commanders game.

America lets him know exactly how they feel — to his face.
acyn.bsky.social Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · Nov 9
Trump getting booed at the Commanders game
November 9, 2025 at 11:07 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"While it may not end up being either species’s biggest overall triumph in a while, it is certainly their best accomplishment on the big screen in a while."

#PredatorBadlands review for @letterboxd.social #Predator #Alien #ElleFanning @dantrachtenberg.bsky.social: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★★½ review of Predator: Badlands (2025)
In nearly 40 years of Predator films, the Predator is almost always the bad guy, except as the default antihero in two showdowns with Alien. And in the Alien universe, synthetics are usually just as s...
letterboxd.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:52 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
Timothee Chalamet and Ariana Grande were each #Oscars runner-ups last year - now will #oscars2026 have one or both of them make history by winning a year later?
#TimotheeChalamet #ArianaGrande #MartySupreme #WickedForGood #Wicked: nextbestpicture.com/will-the-aca...
Will The Academy Make Good And Reward Last Year's Oscar Nominees Timothée Chalamet And Ariana Grande For "Marty Supreme" And "Wicked: For Good?"
The Oscars don’t reveal full voting results beyond who won. Still, it was universally accepted that Timothée Chalamet and Ariana Grande were surely the runners-up for Best Actor and Best Supporting Ac...
nextbestpicture.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:57 PM
robertdoc1984.bsky.social
"Bugonia has a big, impactful ending to finish a movie that doesn’t always seem like it’s done enough to build up or live up to it first."

#Bugonia review for @letterboxd.social #EmmaStone #JessePlemons #YorgosLanthimos: letterboxd.com/robertdoc/fi...
A ★★★ review of Bugonia (2025)
The ultra rich and the ultra-conspiracy theorist are in two very different social classes, at least most of the time, but they have each caused a great deal of society to rot in the last decade and be...
letterboxd.com
November 1, 2025 at 11:13 PM