Composing Greatness: #1.The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "The Social Network" (2010)

Scene from The Social Network

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.

A24 A-to-Z: #24. "The End of the Tour" (2015)

Scene from The End of the Tour

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.

Theory Thursday: "Adventureland" is Underrated

Scene from Adventureland

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. 

Best Song: "Man or Muppet" (2011)

Scene from The Muppets

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.

The Runner-Ups: Andrew Garfield in "The Social Network" (2010)

Andrew Garfield in The Social Network

Every Oscar season, there are a handful of actors who get tagged with the "snubbed" moniker. While it is always unfortunate to see our favorites not honored with at very least a nomination, there's another trend that goes largely unnoticed: those who never even got that far. The Runner-Ups is a column meant to honor the greats in cinema who put in phenomenal work without getting the credit that they deserved from The Academy. Join me every Saturday as I honor those who never received any love. This list will hopefully come to cover both the acting community, and the many crew members who put the production together.

Review: "The End of the Tour" is an Entertaining Form of Writer's Therapy

Left to right: Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel

In the realm of movies and TV, there are few stories as immediately compelling to writers as that of the frustrated writer. It's become a trope to make stories that are essentially about the process and overcoming personal and mental anguish just to find your self worth. That is why they should be more grating than their lovingly crafted payoffs suggest. However, films like Adaptation., American Splendor, and Stranger Than Fiction choose to disagree. In the case of director James Ponsoldt's biggest film to date The End of the Tour, it's not so much about understanding the craft, but understanding the feeling of self-worth. It's a subject that doesn't get breached much elsewhere, but is given a great comical and somber effect in a film that succeeds in making the mundane into something far more fascinating than the 5 W's would ever allow.

The First "Louder Than Bombs" Footage Promises Intense Drama

Scene from Louder than Bombs

A little while ago, I mentioned quite a few films that premiered at Cannes that I was going to keep an eye out for. While we have seen a few already garner some buzz, there have been few to have trailers and much public attention. Today marks quite a special day for those, like myself, who have been looking forward to the latest from director Joachim Trier called Louder Than Bombs, which stars Jesse Eisenberg in the director's English debut. Today marks the release of a trailer and a few clips, which would suggest that we are still in great hands.

The First Trailer for "The End of the Tour" Promises to Go Deep

Left to right: Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel

Among the current directors that are out there making movies, I find director James Ponsoldt to be one of the more interesting. Starting with his excellent debut Smashed, he created complicated characters without much of a budget or spectacle and elevated the form to something far more interesting with a story about a recovering alcoholic. His follow-up was the even better The Spectacular Now, which may have been the young adult equivalent of Smashed, but found him coming into his own form with a heartfelt love story. With his latest, he ditches alcoholism, at least directly, and chooses to focus on the life of writer David Foster Wallace with Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel in tow. How does the first trailer stack up?