Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Southpaw" (2015)

Jake Gyllenhaal in Southpaw

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.

Weinsten Refuses to Give Up on "Southpaw," Does Awards Push Rerelease

Jake Gyllenhaal in Southpaw

Oh, Jake Gyllenhaal. Much like Leonardo DiCaprio, he has become a prime target for "overdue-Oscar" consideration. Following last year's excellent Nightcrawler, he returned this summer with the boxing drama from director Antoine Fuqua called Southpaw. The results were less than stellar, as those thriving to get Gyllenhaal into the Oscar conversation were immediately dismissed when the film, despite decent box office, failed to keep the hype alive. Between his other 2015 films (Everest and Demolition), it doesn't look to be a great year for him. That is, unless Harvey Weinstein saved a big surprise for the campaign this upcoming weekend with its planned rerelease.

James Horner Secretly Composed "The Magnificent Seven" Remake Just Before His Death

Scene from The Magnificent Seven (1960)

It will be a month ago tomorrow since the passing of legendary Oscar-winning composer James Horner. It also seems fitting then that this week also marks the release of one of his final scores for director Antoine Fuqua's Southpaw. While many are likely already discussing Jake Gyllenhaal's Oscar chances (Harvey Weinstein sure is), there's a new conversation that has arisen today regarding the future of Horner. While Southpaw may be one of his last completed scores, Horner has a few more tricks up his sleeve that may surprise you regarding Fuqua's next movie.