R.I.P. Sondra Locke (1944-2018)

Sandra Locke

On November 3, 2018, actress and director Sondra Locke passed away in Los Angeles, CA at the age of 74 after battling breast and bone cancer. Among the highlights of her illustrious career was a 13 year partnership with actor Clint Eastwood, starring together in seven films including The Outlaw Josey Wales and Sudden Impact. She is also the central subject of a nasty lawsuit between her and Eastwood that has since become a textbook case for law students on how to have a case with "good faith." She received an Oscar nomination for her debut role The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and has since gone on to have a compelling and lengthy career full of splendid highs. She leaves behind an incredible legacy both on the screen and off and will be missed greatly for her impact towards women in the industry.

Super Delegates Bonus: Jimmy Carter on "Argo" (2012)

Welcome to Super Delegates Bonus. As a subsidiary of Super Delegates, the sporadic additional column is meant to explore depictions of politicians on film outside of the conventional methods of the column. This ranges from everything such as political candidates in TV movies and miniseries to real life candidates providing feedback on their pop culture representation. While not as frequent or conventional, the goal is to help provide a vaster look at politics on film as it relates to the modern election year. Join in and have some fun. One can only imagine what will be covered here.

At 10 Years Old, "Little Miss Sunshine" is Still a Proud Super Freak

Scene from Little Miss Sunshine

It was the Little film that could. When one reads the plot description to co-directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton's Little Miss Sunshine, you'll be forgiven for thinking that it's stretching for laughs. The central cast features a beauty pageant dreamer, a failed salesman father, an aspiring fighter pilot son who remains silent, and a drug-addled grandfather. It's the stuff that would barely work in Arrested Development, yet somehow came to define an unprecedented indie hit that among other things received a Best Picture nomination along with a Best Supporting Actor win for Alan Arkin. It was a comedy that challenged the notion of dysfunctional families while also connecting on something deeper and more human. After 10 years, it still is a film that captures the essence of following your dreams, even if you're shut out for being different. It may have a lot of bizarre tassels to get over, but what it ends up being is sweet, sincere, and one of the most original independent comedies in recent history.

Nothing But the Best: "Argo" (2012)

Scene from Argo

Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.

Predictions: Who Should Get a Best Supporting Actor Nomination in 2013?

2012's Best Supporting Actor winner Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

We are in an exciting time for Oscar enthusiasts. We are officially one week away from the announcement of this year's nominees. In order to contribute some thoughts, I will be going down the major categories (Acting, Directing, and Best Picture) and predicting who will be the most likely to get nominated, as well as a few tidbits on why I agree with these decisions. Be warned that every story that I am going to write in relation to predictions will not actually feature any bias towards who should win. However, I will be detailing why I think each should be nominated. Also stay tuned for post-coverage in which I will actually be sharing my thoughts on the nominations and solidify who I believe should win in each category.

Review: "Argo" is an intense history lesson

Ben Affleck

The following review was originally published at CinemaBeach this past Thursday. Please feel free to visit the website and check out my other work, including reviews on former topics of The Oscar Buzz, including ParaNorman, Looper, and upcoming topic: Beasts of the Southern Wild. The website takes pride in giving you coverage of movies with an independent mindset as well as bigger films from authentic voices. Feel free to check out the other work and coverage of the movies as well as awards season in general. As for Argo's Oscar chances? I am almost sure that it will get Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay nominations. I would like for Best Director, but we'll have to see the competition.

Can "Argo" Become a Timely Oscar Winner?

Update: I have posted a review for Argo here.

As I have stated previously, I believe that the Oscar Buzz season started with director Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, which managed to make a strong case for several major category nominations. However, it has been a few mild weeks since waiting for another nominee to get a wide release instead of just being the movie that critics rave about. This Friday sees the release of the highly acclaimed Argo, Ben Affleck's third directorial effort. With a stellar ensemble and the tagline "Based on a Declassified True Story," is Argo capable of giving Anderson some healthy competition for Best Picture?