Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" (2016)

Scene from Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

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: #28. "Mojave" (2016)

Scene from Mojave

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: "Mudbound" is a Powerful Look Into America's Uncomfortable Past

Scene from Mudbound

With one perfect opening, director Dee Rees encapsulates the themes that Mubound will explore over the next two hours. The image of diggers coming across the resting grounds of a slave. This film may be set during World War II, but Rees is clearly interested in digging up a painful aspect of American history, and one that has arguably not gone away. This is a sweeping film about two soldiers who return from war only to discover that what separates them is ethnicity. While there have been countless period pieces on race relations, few have managed to capture an intensity and emotional understanding quite like Rees, who finds power in symbolism and in the tragic moments that connect and isolate us from one another. It's a beautiful period piece, and one that is likely to resonate as one of the first major Netflix movies worth taking seriously. 

The First "Mudbound" Trailer is a Timely Look Into a Tumultuous Past

Scene from Mudbound

Over the past few years, Netflix has done their best to get into the Oscar race with various high end titles. Following the highly acclaimed Okja from earlier this year, the streaming service has another high profile gig for people to consider. From director Dee Rees comes Mudbound, a tale looking at American history and race relations: both themes prominent to the 2017 cultural conversation. With an even more impressive cast, the film at least has a strong chance of breaking the curse by becoming a film that grabs the audience and throws Netflix into the Best Picture race. If the results are anything like the trailer, it looks like it may be their big break finally.

The First Trailer for "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" Brings Ang Lee Back in Top Form

Scene from Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

It has been quite awhile since we last heard from director Ang Lee. In 2012, he brought the world the dazzling, Oscar-winning Life of Pi. It was a film that not only revolutionized CG characters, but managed to bring spiritual themes to blockbuster entertainment in accessible ways. Lee has always been an adventurous director by choosing to tackle any and all genres and taboo subjects that he deems worthy. With his latest Billy Lynn's Halftime Walk, he returns after four years with a trailer that promises a different take on war veterans. While labeled a comedy first and foremost, the general vibes of the first trailer are of the familiar, haunting trauma that one faces in time of war - and it looks exciting nonetheless.

Review: "Unbroken" is Good at War, Not on Inspiration

More than any other film genre, the Oscars have had a love affair with war films. Starting in 1927 with first Best Picture winner Wings, there have been 20 winners based on historical wars including the Vietnam War and more popularly World War II. It is a genre that seems tailored for the award, especially with its mixture of common men becoming something greater and the inevitable cinema that comes with horrific war scenes. At best, they're inspirational journeys with subliminal patriotism. Why am I bringing this up? Because it does honestly feel like director Angelina Jolie read the handbook on Oscar bait with her admirable yet flawed war film Unbroken, which strives for hope but is stuck in conventions.

A Look at the Middling Early Reviews for "Unbroken"

Jack O'Connell

For a lot of Oscar pundits, director Angelina Jolie's Unbroken has long been considered the potential front runner. The most notable reason for this is its prime Christmas Day release sided alongside the fact that we have seen almost everything else, and nothing has really stood out. While The Spirit Awards likely give some insight into the potential nominees, there hasn't been one that is as blatant as last year's 12 Years a Slave. These are all valid reasons for thinking that this will be the one to beat, notably because the trailer is rather astounding. However, reports have come back and the film doesn't look as confident as it once did. Some people like it, but those expecting a masterpiece may be left disappointed.

The First "Pan" Trailer is a Beautiful Spectacle Promising Great Adventure

Hugh Jackman

With awards season in our midst, it isn't entirely wise to look forward to next year's potential selections. However, there are few names as reassuring a contender as that of director Joe Wright. Known for making definitive adaptations of some of the best literature with Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, there is reason to celebrate every time he comes around with a new film. After making the divisive Anna Karenina, he has been out of the limelight working on a new adaptation of a Peter Pan origin story known as Pan. The first trailer has dropped and it's time to get excited once again. Wright cannot make an ugly film. That's just fact.