Theory Thursday: "Inside Llewyn Davis" is Oscar Isaac's Best Performance

Scene from Inside Llewyn Davis

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

Review: "Mudbound" is a Powerful Look Into America's Uncomfortable Past

Scene from Mudbound

With one perfect opening, director Dee Rees encapsulates the themes that Mubound will explore over the next two hours. The image of diggers coming across the resting grounds of a slave. This film may be set during World War II, but Rees is clearly interested in digging up a painful aspect of American history, and one that has arguably not gone away. This is a sweeping film about two soldiers who return from war only to discover that what separates them is ethnicity. While there have been countless period pieces on race relations, few have managed to capture an intensity and emotional understanding quite like Rees, who finds power in symbolism and in the tragic moments that connect and isolate us from one another. It's a beautiful period piece, and one that is likely to resonate as one of the first major Netflix movies worth taking seriously. 

The First "Mudbound" Trailer is a Timely Look Into a Tumultuous Past

Scene from Mudbound

Over the past few years, Netflix has done their best to get into the Oscar race with various high end titles. Following the highly acclaimed Okja from earlier this year, the streaming service has another high profile gig for people to consider. From director Dee Rees comes Mudbound, a tale looking at American history and race relations: both themes prominent to the 2017 cultural conversation. With an even more impressive cast, the film at least has a strong chance of breaking the curse by becoming a film that grabs the audience and throws Netflix into the Best Picture race. If the results are anything like the trailer, it looks like it may be their big break finally.

Theory Thursday: "The Great Gatsby" (2013) is Underrated

Scene from The Great Gatsby

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013)

Oscar Isaac

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.

"Suffragette" Photo Shoot Goes Horribly Wrong With 'Slave' Shirt

Carey Mulligan in Suffragette

It wasn't too long ago that many were considering director Sarah Gavron's Suffragette to be a strong Oscar contender. While the film still remains in the race, there's a certain backlash that came this past week when a photo shoot for Time Out London saw various actresses wear a t-shirt with a controversial slogan claiming that "I'd rather be a rebel than a slave." While it has been defended as being more descriptive of the oppressive nature of women in 1912, there's no denying that those words nowadays don't have the same connotation. But is it all justified? The magazine thinks so, but nobody else does. 

The First "Suffragette" Trailer Gives Us a Look at a Potential Oscar Front Runner

Carey Mulligan

It looks like the beginning of the Oscars prospecting is upon us. First there was the Cannes Film Festival, which presented a plethora of debuts from potential nominees. Now we are seeing trailers for films playing during the prime time known as awards season. Among the first to show themselves is the star-studded vehicle known as Suffragette. This film, directed by Sarah Gavron, has such an impeccable cast of nominees and winners that it would seem ridiculous to not immediately put this on the calendar. Thankfully, the first trailer makes it all the more promising in the process.

Review: "Inside Llewyn Davis" is a Brilliant Love Letter to Performers

Oscar Isaac

Originally published at CinemaBeach.

There are tragic realities to those pursuing music as a career choice. While a small chunk succeeds, there are those that toil in struggle the entire time. This wouldn’t seem apparent in most films, but then again Joel and Ethan Coen aren’t most filmmakers. Their melancholy stories chronicling American culture through the decades are full of humor, absurdity, and a sense of punishment. Their latest, Inside Llewyn Davis, has all of these elements in spades, and with music collaboration from T. Bone Burnett, this tale of the 60’s folk scene is full of catchy songs and the most egotistical loser of the year. That is to say that it is the Coen Brothers operating at their best.

Review: "The Great Gatsby" is a Great Looking Luhrmann Film but a Decent Fitzgerald Adaptation

Leonardo DiCaprio

One of the most iconic tales in American literature is F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Symbolizing the American dream and the right to throw lavish parties, the story has withstood the test of time, many adaptations, and has even entered the lexicon of high standards for the medium. Yet, there seems to be little in the way of producing a top notch adaptation, which may be to the book's credit, though also can be seen as a challenge. Still, is it possible that director Baz Luhrmann has found the formula and made the ultimate adaptation with a star-studded cast?