Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Dreamgirls" (2006)

Scene from Dreamgirls

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.

Review: "Dolemite is My Name" Serves as One of the Best Comeback Narrative of the Decade

Scene from Dolemite is My Name

For several generations, there was nothing as reliable as a new Eddie Murphy movie. From his breakout roles post-Saturday Night Live to the 2000s, he was known for producing some of the most successful comedies, regardless of how well they were actually received. It's what has made the past eight years a bit of an odd period for him. After seemingly producing multiple hits a year, he has spent most of the decade in silence, producing only five films compared to triple that in the previous period. He hasn't had a major hit since 2011's Tower Heist and everything since has looked doubtful that he would ever have that return to power. 

That is exactly what makes director Craig Brewer's Dolemite is My Name such a fascinating project. Much like Dreamgirls before, Murphy has often been at his best when something feels personal about his work. In this case, it's easy to see what draws him to blaxploitation icon Rudy Ray Moore. Both were vulgar comedians who appealed to the masses with profane catchphrases and ignoring everything a conventional performer would. Murphy in some ways has come full circle in the process, managing to feel like Moore because of his recent fallow period. He's older, may be seen by some as irrelevant, and it's exactly now that he needs to prove himself to a new public. Much like Moore with the iconic Dolemite, Murphy uses the biopic to explore how artists strive when nobody believes in them, creating a vision that reminds us that it isn't about age or looks, but the passion to create art no matter what. It's what helps to make this one of the greatest comeback metaphors of the decade.

The Trailer for "Dolemite is My Name" Welcomes Back Eddie Murphy

Scene from Dolemite is My Name

For the first time in his career, Eddie Murphy has gone close to a decade without a genuine hit. While he has done the odd project here or there, his last major work came seven years ago with A Thousand Words and the Brett Ratner comedy Tower Heist. It's hard to remember these days why he's an essential figure in film comedy. With his first high profile gig in quite a while, Dolemite is My Name finds him starring with a strong supporting cast for Netflix. Considering that the streaming services is coming off a successful Oscar season, many have argued that this could be Murphy's return to the Oscars for the first time since 2006's Dreamgirls. It may be a long shot, but at least the trailer looks very funny and may revive his stillborn career. 

Kevin Hart Backs Out of Oscar Hosting, Nobody's Replacing Him, So... What's Going On?

There's of course the old adage that news travels fast. Last week The Academy announced that comedian Kevin Hart was scheduled to host this year's upcoming ceremony. It seemed fair enough, given that Hart was a trendy comedian who could draw in that audience that The Academy was clearly going for. However, the news wasn't even hours old when the tides began to turn and suddenly Hart was out due to homophobic comments, leaving the question as to who is hosting up in the air. In what has become one of the messiest years since the inaugural Oscars So White debacle, there's now comment that The Academy will replace Hart with... no one. It's not something that's really happened all that much (and there's a good chance that this will be old news by publication), though it does exemplify the identity crisis that they currently face: who deserves to be at The Academy Awards? Who deserves to win? In 2018, it seems like that question is about more than just personal conduct.

Kevin Hart Announced as Academy Awards Host for 2019

Kevin Hart

With less than a month until 2018 closes its doors, it does seem strange that there hasn't been an Oscar host announced yet. Following a two year run by Jimmy Kimmel, there was a lot of concern over who would take the position. This year has had a lot of interesting themes, including the prediction that Black Panther will become the first superhero film nominated for Best Picture, and that The Academy is in desperate need for more viewers to the point of temporarily announcing a Best Popular Film category that was quickly reviled. So, who do you get that could appeal to those audiences who probably have yet to see this year's big contenders? Yesterday, The Academy announced that comedian Kevin Hart will be hosting. As with every new host, it only feels right of looking forward to what he has to offer by guessing just what he'll bring to the position.

At 20 Years Old, "Mulan" Still Brings Honor To Us All

Scene from Mulan

"This is what you give me to work with? Well honey, I've seen worse."

So goes the opening line to Disney's 1998 film Mulan, which over the course of its opening song deconstructed the idea of what their franchise's "Disney Princess" could be. Through a sense of irony, a discomforted tomboy named Mulan prepares for a meeting to be judged on her looks and skills. There is no care for what she actually thinks, just that she follows tradition and bring "Honor to Us All." Over the next 20 years, Disney has done plenty to create female characters that are strong, independent, and break gender stereotypes in ways that have regenerated the studio's relevance. However, it was with Mulan that they created something special, something that not only showed that a woman could do a man's job, but that gender tropes go both ways. It's important to see your own reflection, your true identity, staring straight back at you. Disney may have harped on this matter several times, but rarely with the clarity and perfection as that of their fiercest, most exciting movie that they've ever released. 

Best Song: "I Need to Wake Up" (2006)

Scene from An Inconvenient Truth

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

A Round-Up of Recent Movie Trailers With Oscar Potential

Amy Adams in Arrival

With Oscar season upon us, it becomes harder and harder to keep track of all potential nominees with trailers released. I apologize for not quite keeping up with every new release over the past few weeks. As I do from time to time, I have decided to round up a few trailers for films that have potential to be awards contenders in some respects. While they range from plausible to a stretch, it's intriguing to think of which contender has already shown its face. Will Arrival, Allied, or even (but not likely) Hacksaw Ridge be the film of awards season? I don't have any answers, but I sure have plenty of opinions to make up for it.

Check This Out: A Video of Chris Farley's Version of "Shrek"

Scene from Shrek

Nowadays, Shrek is remembered as one of the most successful animated franchises in history. Its tale of an ogre who skewered fairy tale and pop culture became a cornerstone to the zeitgeist throughout the past 14 years with four films, one spin-off, and endless merchandise. It was also the first film to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. While Shrek has developed into its own metaphorical monster with Mike Myers turning in one of the most recognizable voice works of the decade, things would have looked a lot different with original choice Chris Farley. After 18 years, audio has been released for the version that could have been with Eddie Murphy reprising his role as Donkey. To say the least, it's an interesting look into alternative history.

The Highlights of the 87th Academy Awards Ceremony

The moment has come and gone. The 87th Annual Academy Awards happened at the Dolby Theater and handed out 24 awards throughout the night, including Best Picture winner Birdman. What were some of the highlights of the evening? The following is a list of the various moments that stand out above the rest and prove just why Neil Patrick Harris, and the show in general, was in top form and knew how to make the overlong program move fast enough to keep attentive while also lacking in self-involvement. It may have not been the best ceremony ever, but at least it was a lot better than most years.

A Look at Oscar-Nominated "Saturday Night Live" Cast Members

This Sunday marks a particularly special anniversary in American comedy. In a large special, Saturday Night Live will be celebrating its 40th anniversary not only as a pop culture making TV show, but for spawning some of the finest entertainers of the modern era. While it wouldn't seem too common, there is a little bit of an overlap between this lengthy sketch show and the Oscars. While there haven't been any winners, there have been quite a fair share of nominees. The following is a tribute to those names who managed to exceed the trapping of sketch comedy to produce some of the finest and most prestigious content in film history.

This Oscars Ceremony Performers and Presenters Continue to Get Weirder

Lady GaGa

If the current line-up of performers and presenters at the Oscars hasn't gotten you all sorts of excited, curious and confused, then you're about to experience a whirlwind of surprises. While previous reports have announced the familiar line-up of performers who will sing the Best Original Song nominees, there hasn't been too great of an understanding of what the show itself will be like. It has only been a week and it looks like we'll be having one of the craziest ceremonies in years. Or at least one of the most inventive.

A Discussion on the Oscars and The Norbit Effect

Eddie Redmayne in Jupiter Ascending

For those unaware, there is a common conspiracy trend known as "The Norbit Effect." In 2007, actor Eddie Murphy was posed to win Best Supporting Actor for his excellent turn in Dreamgirls. It was considered a comeback and proof that the actor wasn't just some hack. However, he released what is widely regarded as his worst film around the time that Oscar voters were turning in their ballots called Norbit. As history shows, Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine won this category. However, with Norbit in wide release on Oscar Night, many suspect that it was the cause of Murphy's loss. After this weekend, does any of the main front runners stand any chance of falling to this trap?