Failed Oscar Campaigns: "The Meyerowitz Stories" (2017)

Scene from The Meyerowtiz Stories

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.

Ranking the Films of Bob Fosse

Scene from All That Jazz

There have been few in the world of Broadway who has matched the massive talent (and ego) of Bob Fosse. While he's best known for reinventing theater, he also left behind an impressive filmography that saw him reinvent both the movie musical and typical drama by adding social commentary that was biting and manic. With the TV series Fosse/Verdon coming tomorrow to highlight his illustrious life, it only feels right to look back on such an odd career. The following is a ranking of his five features (and one live show) that he directed and often choreographed to better fit his vision. There hasn't been a choreographer (or director for that matter) like Fosse, and his work speaks for itself. So get out your jazz hands and dance along.

R.I.P. Barbara Harris (1935-2018)

Barbara Harris in Nashville

Actress of stage and screen Barbara Harris died on August 21, 2018 at the age of 83 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Among the accomplishments of her career were several Tony and Golden Globe-nominated performances as well as prominent work in films like Nashville, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Grosse Pointe Blank. With a rich career that spanned several decades, she leaves behind an impressive legacy of quality performances and Broadway shows that were inspired by her charisma. Her work continues to live on in the students that she taught after retiring from acting as well as the great work that she did on camera. She had an exciting, unique career that's hard to match, and it makes her all the more fascinating as a result.

Review: "The Meyerowitz Stories" is a Great Family Drama That Finds Humanity in Humor

Scene from The Meyerowitz Stories

In 2005, director Noah Baumbach received critical acclaim for his dysfunctional family drama The Squid and the Whale. While he has continued to evolve as an artist, there's something painful in the drama's nuance. It's human and real in ways that only cinema can capture. After 12 years and several fascinating character studies, Baumbach returns to the family drama with Netflix's The Meyerowitz Stories, which pits Jewish comedians in a story that is funny and uncomfortable in the best ways possible. What follows is a film that captures the complicated relationship of a family torn apart by egos and neuroses. The film creates an authentic experience that will remind audiences of their own complicated and personal relationship to their parents and siblings. It may not be his best film since The Squid and the Whale, but it's proof that he still knows how to do ensemble films.

"The Meyerowitz Stories" Trailer Promises a Serious Adam Sandler Performance... *sigh* Again

Scene from The Meyerowitz Stories

If there's one general agreement, it's that Adam Sandler's glory days as a bankable actor are behind him, at least on the big screen. His work with Netflix has produced an odd range of comedies that have varying degrees of reviews. Still, nobody would mistake what he does for Oscar caliber material. Considering that Netflix is a company that wants to get in on the awards racket, it makes sense then that their latest film, director Noah Baumbach's The Meyerowitz Story at least has an appetizing supporting cast, featuring Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson. The first trailer has dropped, and... it's time to talk about his bizarre relationship with prestige movie season yet again. 

Super Delegates: Richard M. Nixon in "All the President's Men" (1976)

Scene from All the President's Men

Welcome to Super Delegates, a bi-monthly column released on Tuesdays and are done in part to recognize politics on film, specifically in regards to Oscar-nominated works. With this being an election year in the United States, it feels like a good time to revisit film history's vast relationship with politicians of any era and determine what makes them interesting while potentially connecting them to the modern era. The series plans to run until the end of this 2016 election cycle, so stay tuned for every installment and feel free to share your thoughts on films worthy of discussion in the comments section.

Nothing But the Best: "Kramer vs. Kramer" (1979)

Scene from Kramer vs. Kramer

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: "Rain Man" (1988)

Left to right: Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in Rain Man

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: "Midnight Cowboy" (1969)

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My Top 5 Favorite Dustin Hoffman Performances

Dustin Hoffman

Today is the 77th birthday of actor Dustin Hoffman. In terms of great American actors, I would consider him to be one of the greats. The only strange issue is that in the echelon of great performers, I feel like he gets overshadowed by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino despite being always on par with their craft. Maybe it was because his work was more nuanced and his character tics were often subtle. Nonetheless, he holds a rare feat of not only winning three Oscars, but also starring in THREE Best Picture winners as the lead (Midnight Cowboy, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Rain Man) in three different decades. That is a feat that very few performers have achieved. Say what you will, but I want to give recognition to him on his birthday for an impressive body of work and his continuing ability to make thought provoking films.

There's Only Five Days Until Oscar Night!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially five days away from this year's Academy Awards! It is an exciting time that is finally coming to a close. As everyone catches up with their last minute viewings and predictions, I thought that I would take a break and commemorate the countdown with a look at my Top 10 favorite acting nominees who have five or more nominations to their credit. After pointing out lists of favorite movies and directors, I figured that it was time to understand me through the performances that shape how I perceive the ceremony and thus better reflect what I look for in performances.