Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Battle of the Sexes" (2017)

Scene from Battle of the Sexes

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.

Best Song: "Remember Me" (2017)

Scene from Coco

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.

Here's the Winners of the 90th Academy Awards

The Shape of Water winning Best Picture

With The Academy Awards now behind us, it's time to look back on the films that won and lost during the ceremony. It was an incredible year, with seven of the nine Best Picture nominees walking away with at least one statue. The even bigger surprise is that in a year where Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri had swept awards season, it was a prestige monster movie that ended up taking Best Picture, and thus continuing to prove that this is a new era of Oscars. It's a time of inclusion and an even bigger diversity. While I will be exploring different aspects of the ceremony and winners in the days to come, let's start with a quick rundown of who won, which is what I'm sure you're all most excited about.

Here's My Official Predictions for this Year's Oscar Winners

Scene from Lady Bird

Well, this is it. Tomorrow is finally the day when all of the Oscar prognostication pays off and we all discover who are the winners at this year's Academy Awards. All of the coverage has been leading to this moment, and one can hope that this ends up being one of the most surprising and exciting years. Only time will tell on that one. For now, it feels like a great time to run down our predictions and determine what we expect to win. For me, this is a tough year, and I wouldn't be mad if some of these lost. Still, here's hoping that there's a few pleasant surprises, because that's what The Academy could really use to stand out.

A Round-Up of My Reviews for Oscar-Nominated Movies

With today being Friday, it would be a good enough reason to look forward to the weekend. However, most people are also looking forward to this Sunday for one reason. After a lot of speculation, the Academy Awards ceremony is finally upon us! Considering that you've likely seen all the movies and have your own thoughts, it's time to start finalizing predictions and placing bets. While I will be sharing my predictions tomorrow, I decided to dedicate this entry as a little primer, or a reminder, for those wanting to know my thoughts on the Oscar-nominated movies. This is mostly a place for me to share links from both The Oscar Buzz and Optigrab, where I wrote about the more pop culture-centered movies. Enjoy and good luck with your balloting. 

"I, Tonya," "Molly's Game," and the Idea of the Modern Olympic Movie

Scene from I, Tonya

*Note: Spoilers for I, Tonya and Molly's Game

If a sports movie is supposed to be a triumphant vision of the self, then an Olympics movie should be something grader; like the combination of athletes competing for the gold medal in an Avengers-esque story. After all, it is a journey on the world stage where many countries have risen to the challenge and the country is sometimes more important than the individual. It's the type of logic that has fueled Olympic movies like Best Picture winner Chariots of Fire before, depicting the strength of a country in time of need. With the Pyeonchang Olympics set to begin this weekend, it seems like a chance to see triumph on film. So why then are the films currently available (and Oscar-nominated) a bit more of a down note? While there have been upbeat stories in recent years (Eddie the Eagle, Race), there's a sense that an Olympic movie in 2018 isn't about the competition, but a metaphor for self-identity. The films I, Tonya and Molly's Game depict this struggle in different ways - often with Olympics being the last thing on their mind - but come clear on one point. The Olympics are a game of personality politics, and these two films capture it in the news media age.

Oscar Predictions vs. Nominations: How Did I Do?

Scene from Dunkirk

This morning marked the announcement of this year's Oscar nominations. Like most years, it wasn't without its surprises. Like most people, I decided to make predictions for what would make the cut. It wasn't my best year, but there's a lot that I got right. So, let's look at how well I did at making my predictions in all of the major categories and determine whether or not I did a good job.

Check Out the Official List for the 2018 Oscar Nominations

Today was one of the biggest moments in every cinephile's year. This morning, hosts Tiffany Haddish and Andy Serkis presented the nominees for this year's Academy Awards. As with every year, it was full of surprises - good and bad - that will go on to be discussed in detail. With The Shape of Water and Dunkirk leading the nominations, this was an incredibly packed year full of interesting choices. The following is a rundown of those names. Come back throughout the week for further Oscar coverage, including pieces related to surprises, achievements, and how I'd personally rank the Best Picture category. Until then, here are the nominees for this year's Academy Awards.

Here's My Predictions for the 2018 Oscar Nominations

Scene from The Shape of Water

The moment is almost here. Tomorrow morning, The Academy will announce the nominees for this year's ceremony. It has been a rich year full of a diverse mix of movies, and the trail to this moment has been full of rocky surprises. While tomorrow answers the question about who made the cut, it will open other questions, such as who will win. It's a question that's not quite as fun, but a lot more fun to speculate about. The following is my personal predictions for what will make the cut in the major categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and the four acting fields. It's been difficult to whittle it down, but here's hoping that I get plenty right. Feel free to leave your predictions in the comments, and come back tomorrow morning for full coverage of the awards after they're announced!

Here's the Winners of this Year's Golden Globes

Scene from Lady Bird

Yesterday marked one of the first big stops in this year's awards season. The Golden Globes were a moment where actresses spoke out in solidarity as part of the new Time's Up movement, and the winners seemed to be just as politically charged. With many harrowing speeches, the night was full of a rare energy, and it wasn't without some controversy in Best Picture (Drama) winner and top winner of the night, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The following is a look at the movie winners of the night, including some thoughts on how they may shake up the Oscar race, or what they have to say about things going forward. It was an interesting night, and it was in part thanks to these surprises.

Review: "I, Tonya" is a Pulpy, Fun Sports Movie

Margot Robbie

Thanks to films like Rocky, the idea of the sports movie has come to represent a certain type of underdog; someone who exceeds against an oppressive society. Even if that's the case, few people were as primed against this structure quite like Tonya Harding - now infamous for an incident regarding Nancy Kerrigan. She has become the butt of countless jokes since, ruining her reputation as an excellent figure skater. With that in mind, director Craig Gillespie has decided to explore the truth behind the tragedy in the comedy I, Tonya. It's a film that manages to explore her background and her struggles to be taken seriously. In that way, it's a typical sports movie. However, it's more vulgar than your Million Dollar Babies. It's a unique journey that is as off-putting as it is fascinating.

Check Out This Year's Golden Globe Nominees

It's officially that time of year. With many critics groups putting out their Best of 2017 lists, it was only a matter of time until the major awards began releasing their nominees. There are few that trumpet in the season quite like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), whose track record of predicting the Oscars is spotty, but paints an interesting look into what films will be discussed throughout the awards season. This year's nominees are officially here, and you can check them out below, including some commentary on the movie categories. What made the cut? What didn't? Read on to find out.

The "I, Tonya" Captures a Notorious Moment in Olympics History with Cattiness

Scene from I, Tonya

The presence of sports figures in everyday life are inevitable. There are a few that stand out as being excellent at their craft, turning it into a physical art form. However, there are those few who are remembered for the opposite reasons. Journeyman director Craig Gillespie has made a movie called I, Tonya, which chronicles the infamous career of Tonya Harding and the one event that made her a staple in Olympics history. The first teaser shows just how trashy and petty a movie about Harding should be. It doesn't give much, but it does have a ferocity that captures a potential Best Actress nominee in Margot Robbie. If nothing else, she sure looks the part.