Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #35-39

Scene from Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

As 2019 reached its end, another decade of cinema had passed. It's amazing to think about how things have evolved since 2010 when the biggest controversies were about recognizing genre movies. Things look different now, especially as genre films like The Shape of Water and Parasite are winning Best Picture and the voting body looks incredibly different with each passing year. With this period in the books, it feels like a good time to celebrate their accomplishments by ranking all 88 titles nominated for Best Picture from worst to best with the goal of seeing which films are more likely to stand the test of time. Join me every Saturday and Sunday as I count them down, five at a time. It's going to be a fun summer looking back on what was, especially as we prepare for the decade ahead and an even more interesting diversity that we haven't even begun to think of.

Composing Greatness: #10. The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "La La Land" (2016)

Scene from La La Land

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Review: "First Man" is an Intense Ride to the Moon

Ryan Gosling in First Man

There is a power that director Damien Chazelle brings to the opening scene of his Neil Armstrong biopic First Man. Before the audience has had a chance to become acquainted with the world, he is already thrusting them out of it. Armstrong, played by Ryan Gosling, is pushing the limits of plane travel, throwing himself almost out of Earth's orbit. It is a claustrophobic moment, and one that features a strong intensity as Armstrong is left to wonder how he will survive. Will he even make it back to Earth? While the audience should know the answer, it's all perfectly unclear in the moment, capturing an early stage of space travel that is primitive and dangerous. There are no barriers. In just this opening scene, Chazelle has redefined the NASA film as a story about safety risks, all while pushing in on Armstrong's face - forcing the perspective to be the same as his, floating inside a man-made machine. It's the technique that makes First Man at times a powerful example of Chazelle's transition to big studio director. However, it also symbolizes the distance that Chazelle has at times from his supporting cast, who never get as much effort placed into them as Armstrong. It's not a terrible thing, but it keeps the film from feeling spectacular.

Here's My Pre-Season Oscars Predictions

Scene from Roma

With the start of September, it only feels right to enjoy the final naive days of Oscar season by playing the game every prognosticator loves to do: predict. Speaking as many films haven't so much as appeared on the radar yet, these columns are always ridiculous and antiquated, mostly going based off of what's popular in September. With that said, why not take chances and try to make bold predictions, of which might come true? The following is my attempt to predict the six top categories, including all four of the acting fields. What will make the final cut? Come back in a few months when I'll compare these to whatever makes the cut. I assure you that it may end up being a worthwhile laugh after a busy, hard fought season of more unpredictable achievements. 

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "La La Land" (2016)

Scene from La La Land

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.

Check It Out: A Look at the First Annual La La Land Day

Dancers celebrating La La Land Day

It is likely by now that you have seen La La Land. If you waited for home video, yesterday was your chance to bring home the beloved musical that rejuvenated the genre and brought in $440 million internationally and won six Oscars, including Best Director for Damien Chazelle and Best Actress for Emma Stone. However, there was another reason to remember the movie yesterday. April 25, 2017 has officially become the first annual La La Land Day in Los Angeles, California. To say the least, it wasn't just a name on the paper. The city went all out with a celebration full of dancing and an appearance from composer Justin Hurwitz. You can read about the festivities and more after the jump.

Check This Out: An Excerpt from My Essay on "La La Land"

Scene from La La Land

With Oscar Sunday less than 72 hours away, it's crunch time for those wanting think pieces and last minute predictions for all of the major nominees. While I have done extensive work on this blog, I felt like director Damien Chazelle's La La Land was something special. That is why I am proud to announce that I have published my own analytical essay "What's Old is New Again: An Exploration of the Themes of 'La La Land'" exploring the themes found in the film; ranging from why it is important to compromise, the impact of nostalgia, and why going off script is sometimes important. The following is an excerpt from the essay, which is currently available on Amazon for free (purchase it here) from February 24 until the 27th. Check it out and feel free to get caught up in the magic of one of this century's best musicals all over again.

Check This Out: A Video Rehearsal of "La La Land"s Opening Scene

Scene from La La Land

By now everyone knows what La La Land is. It's currently up for 14 Oscar nominations and on track to win at least half of them. There are moments that stand out from the film, and that includes the opening number on the 105/110 freeway intersection in which everyone jumps out of their cars and does an elaborate dance number. It's a breathtaking number, and one that sets up the rest of the film perfectly. The question could be "How did they do that?" and the answer would be with cameras flying everywhere and dancers singing in hot temperatures. But to look back even further at rehearsals is to see a different side of the equation. Even on an iPhone, director Damien Chazelle had a strong idea of what to expect.

"Moana" vs. "La La Land": Who Should Win Best Original Song?

Ryan Gosling in La La Land

While the Best Picture category may be the biggest award given out on Oscar Night, there's few other categories that could be as exciting as Best Original Song. This is because, unlike having to watch hours of movies, it's a category that distills the art form to a brief ditty. They are the indicator that most will have for these movies, and it's none more present than for soundtrack-turned-radio hits. This year has a phenomenal list (and Sting) to choose from, but there's probably only two that are neck and neck with each other: La La Land and Moana. Which film should win the category, and in the case of La La Land: which one of its songs? The following is a defense and exploration of each of the three songs likely to take home the top prize.

Here's the List for This Year's Golden Globe Winners

Scene from La La Land

Yesterday was a big day for movie lovers as The Golden Globes gave out awards to the best in TV and film. While this year's nominees were at times baffling (it's par for the course), the results were surprising often in a good way. With La La Land winning seven awards - the most by one film - it is looking more and more likely that Damien Chazelle's musical will take all of the trophies home come Oscar night. For those who want to know who won, keep reading. It was definitely a year of interesting diversity, and that's the perfect set-up for what this Oscar season needs. The only question is how much overlap we expect to get.

Review: "La La Land" Will Make You Believe in the Power of Movie Musicals Again

Emma Stone

There are few cities in America quite as depressing on film as Los Angeles, California. The place best known for film noir has given its fair share of famous sad endings including in Chinatown where things end horribly, ending with the line "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." It's the land of disaster despite bordering the land of glitz and glam. There are few places deserving of a modern musical quite like L.A., especially in a year that many would consider depressing. Yet it doesn't take long for director Damien Chazelle to invade the city of opportunity and turn one of the most dreaded activities - rush hour traffic - into the elaborate song and dance number "Just Another Day of Sun." Before the number is halfway through, it will be hard to believe that this is the land that's inspired misery. In fact, it's the land of opportunity, and something that La La Land takes full advantage of in glorious technical detail that reminds you that films could be fun and that musicals aren't just silly; they're cathartic experiences.

"La La Land" Becomes a Box Office Hit in Limited Release

Scene from La La Land

It's the most wonderful time of year. For movie fans, Oscar season is in full gear and has a variety of options that you can see. With the recent Golden Globes nominations out, there's no shortage of options for your movie buck. In fact, the past month has produced a variety of box office records that are worth keeping an eye on. For starters, Disney's Moana continues to top the charts for a third week. However, it is the limited releases that have had the most interesting numbers. Following an impressive opening by Moonlight a few weeks back, director Damien Chazelle's musical La La Land has not only opened with good numbers, but has become the highest per screen average opening for 2016. In fact, a lot of Oscar-potential movies had a good weekend.

The First "La La Land" Trailer is in Running for Best Musical of 2016

Left to right: Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling

While the summer season tends to be a wasteland for Oscar-related cinema, there's one upside to it all: the trailers for the upcoming season are starting to drop with some frequency. So far, we've seen trailers for films like Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Snowden, The Birth of a Nation, Cafe Society, and The Light Between Oceans to name just a few. Adding their name to the list is director Damien Chazelle, whose Sundance hit Whiplash became one of the surprise Oscar hits of 2014 and earned J.K. Simmons a deserved Best Supporting Actor statue. In his follow-up, he teams with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in a musical called La La Land, which dropped its first trailer today. To say the least, it is in the running for best trailer of the year - less so possibly even the best original movie musical in quite some time. 

Review: "Whiplash" is the Most Lovingly Authentic Movie About Drummers and Obsession

Left to right: Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons

It's hard to believe, but there aren't a lot of great movies about drummers. Yes, there are enjoyable movies about bands, but very few focus around the percussive force that often serves as the backbone of their sound. With director Damien Chazelle's Whiplash, things become abundantly clear why this is the case. Drumming is a hard task that involves keeping tempo and maybe even bleeding on the kit. Nonetheless, it is in striving for greatness that the film truly proves itself and with an amazing third act drum solo manages to become a quintessential film about the plights of greatness and while it may be isolating, is also kind of endearing.