R.I.P. Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)

On July 6, 2020 composer Ennio Morricone died at the age of 91 in Rome, Italy. Over the course of 60 years, he has been known as one of the most prolific musicians in history. With over 400 movie scores to his credit, the Oscar-winning composer is considered one of the most influential and important in his field, producing such masterpieces as The Good The Bad and The Ugly. While he never moved to America, his collaborations with various American filmmakers remain unparalleled, managing to bring their voices to life in meaningful and exciting ways. While he's gone, his endless body of work will continue to live on in meaningful and exciting ways.

Review: "Richard Jewell" Finds Humanity in a Cynical World

Scene from Richard Jewell

In a career full of depicting everyday heroes, director Clint Eastwood has never found one as every day as Richard Jewell. In the past decade, his heroes have been F.B.I. agents (J. Edgar), airplane pilots (Sully), soldiers (American Sniper) and even elderly drug mules (The Mule). There's plenty that makes it an exciting cinema but by no means a perfect reflection of the type of people who come to Eastwood movies, looking for justice to prevail in an unjust society. In the case of Richard Jewell, a man obsessed with becoming a police officer and follows the code to an egregiously formal display, he has someone who isn't photogenic nor has a charisma to handle the press that is thrust his way following one incident of selfless heroism. For Eastwood's latest, he has gone beyond the extraordinary and is now captivated by the ordinary. What makes the world turn on Jewell? It's a heartbreaking story and one that finds the director creating a narrative against the media in an attempt to find where society's cynicism comes from. It's safe to say that even with Eastwood quickly approaching 90, he still has the chops to entertain with a sharp commentary that stings with relevance.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "American Sniper" (2014)

Scene from American Sniper

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.

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.

Review: "Sully" Loses Momentum When it Leaves the Plane

Scene from Sully

Director Clint Eastwood has been known for making miserable films for quite some time. He has won two Best Picture awards for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby: both of which resonate around death. Even his highly controversial American Sniper takes a solemn look at P.T.S.D. while suggesting the addiction that war brings. This is why it seems almost bizarre that he would choose to tackle something like Sully: a film where nobody dies, and the ending can be described as happy. It's a tale of America overcoming a major conflict, starring Tom Hanks in a role that he could play in his sleep: the stern yet emotionally wrought Sully Sullenberger. While the film centers around the "Miracle on the Hudson" incident from 2009, it is Eastwood's attempt to make a unifying message of hope in time of crisis. The results, which are thoroughly upbeat, are messy but effective.

R.I.P. Michael Cimino (1939-2016)

Michael Cimino

On June 2, 2016, director Michael Cimino passed away at the age of 77 in Los Angeles, California. While his later career was met with several problems, he received early acclaim as part of the New Hollywood system on films such as Thunderbolt and Lightfoot as well as the Best Picture winner The Deer Hunter. He was known for his perfectionist style of film making, often focusing disillusionment caused by the American Dream. Still, his 1979 tale of the Vietnam War remains one of the greatest looks not only at the war, but of the traumatic results of dealing with such overpowering violence. His filmography may be small, but what he produced spoke volumes, and for that he will be missed.

The First Trailer For "Sully" Braces You For a Familiar Flight

Scene from Sully

With recent news regarding this upcoming Oscar season, it only seems right to start judging which films will be the most talked about in the year to come. Among those that is looking to have at least a faint mention is director Clint Eastwood's Sully. Considering that the director's previous film American Sniper lead to a great deal of controversy despite landing several Oscar nominations (including Best Picture), it's best not to count the veteran out of this race. The first trailer has dropped for the film based on the life of Captain Sully Sullenberger, and it looks to have a familiar template on its mind. The only hope is that it can take flight and produce something greater.

Nothing But the Best: "Million Dollar Baby" (2004)

Scene from Million Dollar Baby

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.

Nothing But the Best: "Unforgiven" (1992)

Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven

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.

Birthday Take: Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven" (1992)

Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven

Welcome to The Birthday Take, a column dedicated to celebrating Oscar nominees and winners' birthdays by paying tribute to the work that got them noticed. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive retrospective, but more of a highlight of one nominated work that makes them noteworthy. The column will run whenever there is a birthday and will hopefully give a dense exploration of the finest performances and techniques applied to film. So please join me as we blow out the candles and dig into the delicious substance.

"American Sniper" is Now the Highest Domestic Grossing War Movie of All Time

Bradley Cooper

It is the film that is sweeping the nation. Causing all sorts of controversy, director Clint Eastwood's latest American Sniper has garnered a lot of attention for its depiction of the military. With a few Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor for Bradley Cooper, it is a quality film with plenty to say. However, among its many achievements, it has somehow become a box office juggernaut and has broken a lot of records. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the highest domestic grossing war movie of all time.

Review: "American Sniper" is a Quintessential Tale of War's Everlasting Effects

Bradley Cooper

One of the most taboo subjects in mainstream film is also one that has shaped the past decade of American culture: the September 11 Attacks. It has created an uncertainty that still resides in the culture and placed a lot of question around identity and patriotism in the modern era. While war films are nothing new, there seems to be a timid cry for modern film makers to approach contemporary affairs on film. With director Clint Eastwood's controversial American Sniper, he doesn't so much make a film about war, but reminds us what's so appealing and tragic about the cinematic interpretation. With a gut wrenching performance by Bradley Cooper, he has not only created one of his strongest movies, but a quintessential film about the trauma of war the likes of which haven't been seen and popularly dissected since The Deer Hunter in 1978.

The First "American Sniper" Trailer Proudly Declares the Return of Gritty Eastwood

Left to right: Kyle Gallner and Bradley Cooper

It has been an interesting year for Clint Eastwood. This summer, he released the much maligned Jersey Boys, which was an adequate adaptation of the Broadway sensation. However, there's also a sense that the veteran director who has won two Best Picture Oscars (Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby) was going soft. It isn't that he needs to prove anything with one of the most impressive careers in film in front of and behind the camera. However, after some delay, Eastwood returns with a film that seems like a more serious Oscar contender and likely his strongest candidate since Invictus. In the first trailer for American Sniper, it looks like he has brought Bradley Cooper along for an intense, thrilling example of why when Eastwood does gritty, he does it better than anyone else.

The Directors Project: #26 - Clint Eastwood

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.

Review: "Jersey Boys" is a Mildly Fun and Upbeat Dose of Nostalgic Doo Wop

Left to right: Vincent Piazza, Erich Bergen,
John Lloyd Young, and Michael Lomenda

There was a point sometime in the past 15 years when Clint Eastwood lost his bite. Basically, the man who made misanthropic epic westerns like High Plains Drifter and Unforgiven was moving on into a new phase of his career: AARP filmmaking. Despite its pejorative connotation, Eastwood has become a master at making films geared almost specifically to people in his age bracket. With limited exceptions, all of his films have in some way been harmless nostalgia flicks geared at making elderly people feel good about their contributions to society. With Gran Torino being his most iconic example of this, he continues to dominate the AARP filmmaking genre with his latest film Jersey Boys: an adaptation of a Broadway smash "musical" about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Does the elderly director do the group proud?

The 'Jersey Boys' Trailer Kicks Off 2014's Very Musical Year

Nipping on the heels of the trailer premiere for Gone Girl earlier this week is the debut of the first trailer for director Clint Eastwood's latest: an adaptation of the popular stage production Jersey Boys. Many have speculated what the veteran actor and director would bring to this subject matter, especially with his recent films being tamer, elderly fare such as Gran Torino and J. Edgar. However, from the looks of it, this appears to be another biopic in the vein of Walk the Line except with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It looks to be a fun, energetic change to the director's recent filmography and also one of the first considerable Oscar contenders for the upcoming year.

Ellen DeGeneres is Hosting the Oscars, but is She Capable of Being Great?

Ellen DeGeneres

Attention everyone, we have found our next Oscar host. Let us welcome back to the stage... Ellen DeGeneres.

My initial reaction to this news was a groan. While I don't have vitriol towards her, I do not tend to like her style. I don't watch Ellen and she was the weakest part of Finding Nemo. What are we going to do with someone whose body of work seems overly reliant on making you find cute optimism in everything and getting light laughs? It is my fault that I don't remember too well how she performed at the previous ceremony, though that's largely because I can't tell you too many highlights of any year. It is an AWARDS show, not a performance piece. If there is laughter, there's a good chance it was happenstance. However, as I began to groan at the thought of DeGeneres' return, I remembered how I felt last year with Seth MacFarlane.