Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Anomalisa" (2015)

 

Scene from Anomalisa

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

My Top 10 Picks for Oscar Nomination Long Shots

Chris Rock

Ladies and gentlemen, we are only a few days away from learning who will be on this year's Oscar nominations list. It's an exciting time, notably because the season has been very unpredictable this year. With major upsets shown in the past, Spotlight isn't as safe of a front runner as one would've initially expected. While I do intend to share my overall predictions for the major categories, I present you today with my long shots. The following is 10 nominations that I really want to happen, but will likely not for whatever reason. It's my own hypothetical hope for The Oscars, and more my desire to see the better film make the cut. Check them out, and leave your own long shots below. Then come back in a few days and see just how unlikely these options were.

Charlie Kaufman Disliked Working with George Clooney on "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind"

Scene from Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

When historians look back at the past 20 years of film, there is a great chance that they will see the greatest screenwriter not as someone like Quentin Tarantino, but more in line with Charlie Kaufman. One doesn't need to think too hard about why that is, especially since every screenplay he's written has been a challenging narrative that mixes the absurd with deep, philosophical challenges and often surreal imagery. He is a writer unto his own and whose latest Anomalisa is among his best work. However, he recently announced that there was a screenplay that he wasn't too happy with, and it's easy to see why once you know the story.

A Round-Up of 2015 Films I Forgot to Write About

Scene from Anomalisa

With the holiday festivities eating up a lot of time over the past month, I must apologize for not reviewing movies as frequently as I should. While I did my best to write full length reviews for the heavyweights; including Joy, The Hateful Eight, and The Revenant; I forgot to write about smaller films that I had mentioned in some capacity over the preceding months. While I still have a few that I need to catch up on, the following is a brief review roundup of a few titles that I promised to mention, but lost time to write a legitimate review on (though maybe some will get a lengthier piece if time permits). The titles include: Carol, Anomalisa, Tangerine, and more.

Check Out This Year's Nominees for The Spirit Awards

Scene from Anomalisa

As November has dwindled down, it's time to start looking ahead to the big awards season. While we're in the middle of a barrage of great films coming out, there hasn't been really any focus yet - largely because there hasn't been any major awards show yet. Today marks the announcement of the 31st Annual Independent Spirit Awards nominations, which is set on commemorating the best in independent cinema from the past year. While the Golden Globes are likely to be more of an indicator of The Academy Awards to come, there's no denying that the general impact of The Spirit Awards has grown over the past decade; even almost unanimously tying with the 2013 Oscar winners. What lies in store for this year's line-up? There's a few great surprises, of which likely will tell us of the films that we'll be discussing about for the next few months.

The First "Anomalisa" Trailer Features Kaufman Being His Typical Weird Self

Scene from Anomalisa

With it being already deep into Oscar season, there's a good chance that you've heard a lot about director Charlie Kaufman's stop motion film Anomalisa. Having become one of the most perplexing voices in 21st century cinema with the screenplay for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and his directorial effort Synechdoche, New York, it makes sense that he wouldn't take a conventional route on his latest film. Speaking as it's a nice change of pace from the other likely Best Animated film candidates (is anything beating Inside Out yet?), it's going to be fun to see if this film stands any chances. If nothing else, the first trailer promises to have more Kaufman-esque philosophy behind it. And that's not a bad thing at all.

A Look at the Hits and Misses of TIFF

Scene from Anomalisa

As the annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) wraps up, it's time to take account of the big news that has come out of it. Following the brief but memorable news that came out of Telluride, TIFF marks one of the annual high points in Oscar Season. It is a time when films begin to make a name for themselves, helping to shape the race with a few outsiders that likely weren't considered before. While I will try not to address a lot of films that I discussed in the Telluride piece, I do feel the need to make a few highlights as to what significant film news we have heard, and what we can expect in the months going forward.