Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Widows" (2018)

Scene from Widows

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.

A24 A-to-Z: #57. "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" (2017)

Scene from The Killing of a Sacred Deer

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

A24 A-to-Z: #34. "The Lobster" (2016)

Scene from The Lobster

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

Review: "Roman J. Israel, Esq." is a Nuanced Morality Tale That Could Use a Little Something More

Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq.

The city of Los Angeles has a certain reputation in cinema. As the documentary Los Angeles Plays Itself has suggested, it's a place where seedy crime goes to flourish nihilistic action films or even apocalyptic narratives. So, for director Dan Gilroy to strip these elements down to human dramas is almost revelatory. In his follow-up to the Oscar-nominated Nightcrawler, he has created a Los Angeles that's full of lawyers conflicted with their own personal drives. At the center is Roman J. Israel, Esq. (Denzel Washington): a man whose reputation is as curious as the name he introduces himself as. It's a hurdle of sorts, and one that holds him back from being the type of leader he wishes to be. In this story, Gilroy creates a west coast mythology of corruption not of the city, but of the self, and it's a slow and calculating journey with plenty of wit and power behind every detail.

The First "Roman J. Israel, Esq." Trailer is an Enema of Sunshine

Denzel Washington

There are few actors with a towering and intimidating excellence as that of Denzel Washington. Over his career, he has turned in so many charismatic performances that it's almost too easy to attach Oscar buzz to any of his latest projects. In the case of director Dan Gilroy's Roman J. Israel, Esq., he looks to be pulling one of his most elaborate roles in years by donning an afro, glasses, and a lot of weight. Is it more than stunt casting? Well, the first trailer for the film would suggest that it's actually going to be a pretty entertaining trip to the movies. If nothing else, it's further proof that Washington can sell anything, and this is definitely a very strong start to a late entry in the Oscar race.

The First Trailer for "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" is Here, and it's On Fire

Scene from The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Among the greatest film of 2017 was Giorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster. It was a movie that took a perverse look at love and found its way to a surprise box office success and Oscar nomination. How does one follow up that success? The Killing of a Sacred Deer is another movie shrouded in prestige and promise, teaming up with several familiar faces from his previous film. Having been nominated for the Plame d'Or at Cannes, it is one of those films that must be watched out for. To say the least, the first trailer has arrived, and it's rather unnerving as it features one of the most haunting covers of a pop song from any trailer this year. Also, it asks a lot of questions (such as "What's going on?") while answering others (such as "Why you should go see it.") It looks incredible, and may continue Lanthimos' hot streak.

Review: "The Beguiled" Brilliantly Captures The Contradictive Nature of Men

Scene from The Beguiled

In theory, The Beguiled is a war movie. For starters, it takes place during the Civil War and features a Union soldier injuring himself on Confederate soil. What follows is a moment of hospitality wrapped up in a tense psychological war. Corporal John McBurney (Colin Farrell) is being cured by a secluded school for women, all of whom have varying reactions to his presence. While it's a simple story on its surface, it's a far more complex story underneath the surface. It isn't just the story of two sides hating each other, but also the struggles between men and women, as well as a deeper personal attraction. Director Sofia Coppola turns in one of her best directed movies by making every character into predators, waiting to pounce. The only question becomes who will attack first, and for what cause. It may be a Civil War movie, but the war at hand is anything but civil.

Sofia Coppola's "The Beguiled" Takes Gorgeous Vengeance in the First Trailer

Scene from The Beguiled

In a time of remake culture, it would have to take a pretty good filmmaker to turn old text into something new and inspired. Leave it to director Sofia Coppola to take The Beguiled and find a spin on the Clint Eastwood original. With the release of the first trailer, it presents a cryptic look into the world of the film. With a great female cast (and Colin Farrell), it looks to present a reversal on the damsel in distress story by pitting a man against some vengeful women. While there's little offered beyond a vengeful slur, it's still great to have Coppola back, and producing a film that looks really good.

Review: "The Lobster" is the Best Romantic Comedy in Years

Scene from The Lobster

There are few movie genres who are in as much of an existential crisis as the romantic comedy. With limited exceptions, the story rarely is capable of escaping the A to B "boy meets girl" logic that services as the groundwork for the best films going back to the screwball comedies of the 1930's. It could be that love is such an inherent thing that nothing has really changed, possibly in centuries. Then there are films like Greek director Giorgos Lanthimos' English language debut The Lobster, which vitalizes the romantic comedy not by providing a traditional love story, but one that creatively and perversely looks into the very idea of what love is. With a strong cast and the most attention-grabbing plot of 2016, The Lobster is both a phenomenal achievement in story telling as well as the best romantic comedy of the year - possibly even the decade.

The First Trailer for Cannes Favorite "The Lobster" is Strangely Funny

Continuing the release of trailers for movies that played at Cannes is the latest from director Giorgos Lanthimos called The Lobster. The Greek director has made a career out of making films that are challenging studies of identity, most prevalent in the films Dogtooth and Alps. With his English debut, he gets a lot of high profile actors to tell what is probably one of the strangest stories yet. If a man doesn't marry, he will turn into a lobster. To most of you, you likely checked out, baffled by that plot description. However, I do think that the first trailer at very least looks to be an entertaining romp.