Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #45-49

Scene from The Tree of Life

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.

Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #60-64

Scene from Hugo (2011)

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: #12. Thomas Newman - "Passengers" (2016)

Scene from Passengers

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.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "mother!" (2017)

Scene from mother!

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.

Theory Thursday: "X-Men:: Days of Future Past" is Overrated

Hugh Jackman

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

Review: "mother!" Doesn't Like You, and You Won't Like Her Either (SPOILERS!)

Jennifer Lawrence

In press interviews, director Darren Aronofsky said of his latest movie mother! that it would be shocking that people wouldn't want to look at him again. It's a brilliant marketing move, and one that done correctly works as well as a viral video from OK Go. Who wouldn't want to see something different in cinema, especially if it comes from the provocateur who previously made drug trips exciting and horrifying, and turned a ballet movie into one of the greatest psychosexual thrillers of the decade? The unfortunate news is that this plan may have backfired, as the film will make people not want to look at Aronofsky ever again. It's a mean, masochistic movie whose themes are buried underneath lazy surrealism and one-note characters who don't have much to do. Mother! is a mess, and a profoundly gross one at that. 

A Quick Rundown of Trailers for Potential Oscar Season Front Runners

Scene from Suburbicon

Once again, I apologize for being a little quieter than normal on this blog. While I have been doing regular coverage, I haven't quite given attention to the plethora of great and promising trailers that came out in the wake of the upcoming Oscar season. This is why I have decided to do a round-up of 14 trailers that, if nothing else, look to have some form of promise whether it be in acting, writing, or any technical field. It's likely that a few of these will be duds, but trying to guess who the surprise victors are always fun. The following trailers show promise and, if nothing else, show just how intriguing the next few months will be.

Theory Thursday: "Joy" is Jennifer Lawrence's Best Performance

Jennifer Lawrence

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

Review: "Joy" Gives Lawrence One of Her Career Bests

Jennifer Lawrence

There's something intriguing about director David O. Russell's work since The Fighter. Where his earlier career is mired in violent outbreaks and abrasive cinema, he has suddenly become one of the most wholesome/tolerable auteurs of populous cinema. It isn't that he plays it safe, but has found a formula and a cast that are willing to bring his stories of the underdog to life in the same ways that James Stewart did with Frank Capra (though more crass). While his work continues to remain wildly inconsistent, his latest Joy is the perfect encapsulation of what his career means in 2015. It isn't just his take on feminism and economics. It's a film that wants to look at the process of selling an implausible vision - such as Jennifer Lawrence selling retractable mops. With this film, he perfects his formula and makes one of his career bests with a story that's strong and a funny bone to match. 

Jennifer Lawrence to Work with David O. Russell Till He Dies

Left to right: Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in Joy

There is a good chance that if you're into The Oscars as much as I am, you'll have a big opinion on Jennifer Lawrence by now. After her first Oscar nomination in 2010 for Winter's Bone, she has become one of the most successful and overstated actresses out there. Her big break came in 2012 with the one-two punch of The Hunger Games and her Oscar-winning role in Silver Linings Playbook. If you're one of those that felt that that film was part of her best work, then I have some good news for you: she's not going to stop working for director David O. Russell. At least, not until one of them finally dies.

Birthday Take: Jennifer Lawrence in "American Hustle" (2013)

Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle

Welcome to The Birthday Take, a column dedicated to celebrating Oscar nominees and winners' birthdays by paying tribute to the work that got them noticed. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive retrospective, but more of a highlight of one nominated work that makes them noteworthy. The column will run whenever there is a birthday and will hopefully give a dense exploration of the finest performances and techniques applied to film. So please join me as we blow out the candles and dig into the delicious substance.

Review: "Serena" Won't Even Satisfy Cooper and Lawrence Die Hards

Jennifer Lawrence

While everyone is looking forward to Joy this upcoming Fall, the first half of 2015 hasn't been kind to its central cast and director. Along with David O. Russell's notoriously abandoned Accidental Love, actors Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence have their own shelved project that dates back before their breakout hit Silver Linings Playbook. One could only speculate as to why it was shelved for three years, not even receiving a pity release to bank off of its stars. Still, with Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier, why is the film almost unmarketable? For those expecting the worst, you won't get it. However, it definitely isn't a flawed masterpiece either. It is simply an often misguided love story that goes terribly wrong.

The First "Joy" Trailer Shows Lawrence Gunning for an Oscar Nomination

Jennifer Lawrence

It has already been a rough 2015 for the cast of Silver Linings Playbook. First there was director David O. Russell's long abandoned Accidental Love, which saw the light of day long after it shouldn't have. Then there was the shelved Jennifer Lawrence/Bradley Cooper romance Serena (review coming soon), which favored slightly better. However, it looks like the gang is getting back together for a hopefully better outing with their first collaboration since 2013's American Hustle called Joy. With the first trailer released, there's plenty to get excited about, especially since it looks like the charm is back and I'm sure that we're looking at another Oscar front runner.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012)

Left to right: Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper

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.

A Quick Rundown of Films on the Outskirts of the Oscar Race

Bill Murray

The following is a collection of tidbits regarding recently released and upcoming films that I have previously given attention to as having Oscar Buzz. While there are still chances for these films to bounce back and potentially have a fruitful career, it does seem like the tides have shifted for them and may likely lead to a quick drop out of the race. It isn't all bad news, though the optimism is likely not to last. The piece will focus on the films St. Vincent, Fury, Inherent Vice, Serena and The Judge. 

Update: "Serena" Gets Moved to 2015

Jennifer Lawrence

Awhile back, I wrote about director Susanne Bier's Serena starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. For the most part, I was enthusiastic about the trailer and was interested to see when the film would be released. In a rather unfortunate note, a film with high caliber of a cast will not be making the awards circuit, thus making it the first time since 2011 that a Cooper/Lawrence vehicle didn't open in time for Oscar consideration. In today's age, this is baffling, considering that these two are almost always guaranteed draws around awards season and are batting two-for-two nominations with their collaborations. So why move the film back to 2015? It isn't for reshoots or anything that could enhance the film. It apparently is just lackluster.

The First "Serena" Trailer Has Cooper and Lawrence Back In Fancy Get-Ups and Melodramatic Tension

Left to right Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence

Let's face it. For the third year in a row, there will be yet another prestige drama starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. After two back-to-back collaborations with director David O. Russell that earned each two Oscar nominations, it looks like they have packed up camp and moved onto somebody else. In this case, it is in the hands of director Susanne Bier's new film Serena, which has been delayed in post-production for quite some time. With the star studded leads, is it possible that these two performers can strike the same luck with a different director? According to the first trailer, it may be a toss-up.

A Few Thoughts on the Academy Awards Ceremony: The Bad

Ellen Degeneres

If there was one issue of this year's Academy Awards, it was its desire to try and be hip. While it resulted in the ceremony's highest ratings in over a decade, it also lost focus of what the Academy Awards is: an awards show. This isn't a moment for spectacle, but to highlight a year of film with the prestigious award. This was most evident in the host, whose lack of spectacle was replaced be a series of happenstance moments literally ate up a lot of time, making her one of the dullest hosts in the show's recent history. Even if she was tame and appealed to the audience with off kilter remarks, Ellen Degeneres essentially lost the plot. While she isn't the only one to blame for this year's ceremony being one of the worst in recent memory, she does at least earn credit for ruining the fun nature.

A Closer Look at the Best Supporting Actress Nominees

Continuing this year's sense of ragtag nominees in the supporting categories is the Best Supporting Actress category. Where the lead categories feel like competitive locks with numerous outcomes, this category feels less assured. It isn't that any of their roles are necessarily lackluster, but more that all of them, save for Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) come to this film without any strong bias backing them. With three of them being first time nominees, it makes the race a little more interesting and raises curiosity on if they can transcend the rookie chances and beat the veterans.

Review: "American Hustle" is a Great Looking Yet Empty Con

Left to right: Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner,
Christian Bale, and Jennifer Lawrence

Originally published at CinemaBeach.

The theme of director David O. Russell’s latest film American Hustle can be summed up in the hilariously awful comb-over sported by Christian Bale. The entire film isn’t about revealing vulnerability, but projecting confidence no matter what. As conman Irving Rosenfield, Bale embodies these ethics simply by not caring about his lunatic wife (Jennifer Lawrence) and selling fake art with his new girlfriend (Amy Adams). From the clothing to the emotions, it is a world of trickery on every level that looks good, but the core can be a little disturbing.