Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #25-29

Scene from Roma (2018)

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.

Here's the List of the 842 New Academy Voting Members for 2019

Lady Gaga in A Star is Born (2018)

While the summer season is just heating up (literally and figuratively), it's also that point where The Academy welcomes in their new class of new voters. Last year saw a record-breaking 928 new invitations to join. While this year's 842 falls just shy of that total, it is by no means a sign that things are slowing down. In fact, things are actually looking better based on the numbers. The laws put into place by former president Cheryl Boone Isaacs to have more diversity is starting to become a reality, with female representation etching closer to 50% and overall diversity becoming more reflective of modern audiences. Who made the cut? You'll have to read on to find out.

Best Song: "Shallow" (2018)

Scene from A Star is Born (2018)

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 Rundown of Who's Performing on The Academy Awards this Sunday

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

Things are getting exciting. With approximately 48 hours left until this year's Oscars ceremony, it's time lo look forward to the ceremony. Knowing that there isn't any host, what is there to look forward to? Well, there's good news (and some bad) in regards to this year's music performers. As of this moment, four of the five songs will be performed at the ceremony. While some would think this is a side effect of the infamous cuts that the show temporarily had, it's merely a side effect from scheduling. To find out who is still on the show, please feel free to read on and prepare for what is shaping up to be one of the oddest ceremonies in the modern era.

An Update on The Academy Awards Ceremony's Many Strange Decisions

Scene from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

In every sense of the word, the three weeks leading up to the Academy Awards ceremony should be a time of excitement and anticipation. After all, the nominations have been revealed and everything should be in place for the broadcast. However, this year has been a bit of an uphill battle for most, as the past year has embodied a series of bad decisions lead by Academy President John Bailey that culminated in a Best Popular Film category that was rightfully laughed out of the conversation. However, it also brought with it a need for serious change that is unfortunately a bit baffling. Less than a week after it was announced that only two of the Oscar-nominated songs would perform, the ruling has been reversed. However, it does come with a bit of a price, especially if what has been said is to be believed. There's a lot wrong with the broadcast's proposed plan and part of that is cutting the music down to 90 seconds.

The Academy Rumored to Be Limiting Music Performances at Ceremony

Kendrick Lamarr

With the Oscar nominations firmly upon us, The Academy has found a way to make the final month-long stretch to Oscar Night more frustrating than trying to guess who will win. With theaters boycotting Roma, and the current plan of the show having no host, one has to wonder where the controversial decisions end. It didn't happen yesterday when a rumor surfaced that the show would be going without another key piece of the puzzle. While there hasn't been any confirmation as of yet, there's a report from Variety that there will be limited performances by the Best Original Song nominees. It makes sense then why people are once again annoyed by this decision, The Academy Awards is a place to celebrate film from over the past year. If they won't acknowledge the music that goes into a film, then what will they recognize?

Born This Way: Bradley Cooper's "A Star is Born" (2018)

Every few decades, one remake emerges that defines the zeitgeist in some meaningful way. While there's only four versions of A Star is Born out there currently, they all have left a stamp on Hollywood and the music industries with scathing tales of fame, indulgence, and the power of creativity. Over the course of this week, Born This Way will be looking at the films, released between 1937 and 2018, and analyzing what makes each one special along with what they do right, what could be improved, and just a general celebration of all things glitz and glamour. You might want to take another look at this column, because it's something as timeless as film itself. Dive in and enjoy Hollywood's favorite franchise, which has earned 17 Oscar nominations, 2 wins, and an Honorary Award. There's few films like these, so catch them before they fade away.

Review: "A Star is Born" (2018) is a Powerhouse of Movie Magic

Scene from A Star is Born (2018)

It's a moment that has been a bit ruined by the trailers, but what director Bradley Cooper captures during the "Shallow" sequence can only be described as movie magic. Country star Jackson Maine (Cooper) prods Ally (Lady Gaga) onto stage to sing her original song, previously introduced as this throwaway ditty in a parking lot late at night. As the guitars and drums build, the intensity kicks in and suddenly Ally is out there, nervously singing her own song. However, there's a moment of impulse that allows her to free herself, breaking out into a proud harmony that tears through her, breaking into the chorus so beautifully. Better than just about any other version, Cooper has captured the magic of A Star is Born not in words, but in a ferocity of energy. It's also a moment where Gaga has evolved into an actress to be reckoned with, as the next two hours take her on a whirlwind of triumph and heartbreak. But for one moment, it was all perfect. For whatever faults Cooper brings to his directorial debut, he makes up for it with sheer joy and power in one of the best takes of A Star is Born to hit the screen.

Best Song Bonus: "A Star is Born" (2018)

Scene from A Star is Born

Welcome to a very special bonus Best Song column dedicated to the soundtrack for the 2018 film A Star is Born. Considering that this column was created to recognize all things relevant to the Best Original Song category, it only seems right that there would be a deep dive into one of the year's strongest contenders for the category not with just one song, but a whole handful of catchy, memorable tunes that will probably dominate radio and be lodged in your ears for years to come. With this bonus entry, the goal is to determine which of the many original songs from Bradley Cooper's directorial debut deserves a shot at the prize, and which ones actually stand a chance of winning. If all goes right, there will be a few of these awaiting prize consideration on Oscar night.

Check This Out: Watch the Previous "A Star is Born" Movies on FilmStruck

Scene from A Star is Born (1954)

As most people already know, yesterday marked the release of the fourth adaptation of Hollywood's favorite franchise A Star is Born, this time directed by Bradley Cooper and starring Lady Gaga. Early talk has been that it's great and that the song "Shallow" is set to dominate the Best Original Song category. While it's encouraged that you go out and see it just for the sheer energy on display, those who want to see the wide berth of history for this franchise need not go out and buy the DVD's. If that's too pricey of a measure, there is a simpler way, and it involves having a subscription to the great streaming service FilmStruck. Right now, you can go to their website and watch the 1937, 1954, and 1976 versions of the films that have in total earned 17 Oscar nominations (including 1 Best Picture), 2 wins, and an Honorary Award. It's a franchise that's likely to outlast us all, so get on board and see what all of the fuss is about.

Check This Out: "A Star is Born" (2018) Releases First Song "The Shallows," and Solidifies Its Status as Oscar Front Runner

Scene from A Star is Born (2018)

With every single day, it seems like the day when Oscar season starts to get serious is getting closer, and there's a good chance that the kickoff date is October 5's release of Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born remake. It has been dominating the film festivals with a lot of love from critics and audiences who are already making this sound like the film to beat. Whether it's true for Cooper and co-star Lady GaGa in what's being described as dynamic performances, one thing seems a bit more obvious: the one category that's going to be hard to beat from the film is Best Original Song. Nowhere is this more evident than today when the film released a video for its first song, "The Shallow": a duet that you likely recognize from the trailers, but up until now haven't been able to hear in full. Well, here's the song in full. Just don't expect it to leave your brain for the next five months, so be warned. 

The First Trailer for "A Star is Born" Proves That It's an Evergreen Concept

Scene from A Star is Born

To an extent, A Star is Born may be Hollywood's favorite franchise. So it hasn't necessarily spawned sequels, but every remake feels indicative of an era of celebrity whether it be the William A. Wellman original, the Judy Garland career best, or strange Barbara Streisand take. It has always been there as a source of inspiration and has now hit actor Bradley Cooper hard enough to make his own adaptation, co-starring Lady GaGa. There's been speculation of its greatness thanks to actors like Sean Penn touting its greatness, but today marks the first moment that the world gets to see any footage of it. The first trailer has dropped, and it's kind of what you'd expect from an emotional, personal journey into fame.

Best Song: "The Writing's On the Wall" (2015)

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 Top 10 Worst Moments of This Year's Oscars

Sam Smith

While 2016's Oscars ceremony may end up going down as one of the best in recent years, it isn't like it was without any faults. Like most years, you have to take the good with the bad, and this year featured some noteworthy standouts. The following is a rundown of the 10 moments form the ceremony that were a little cringe-worthy and maybe will be the butt of jokes for when people think back on this year's Oscars. Is Sam Smith solely to blame for it, especially after he said that it was the worst night of his life? Not exactly, but his dozens of red flags definitely don't help either. He's just one problem in a series of problems.

The Worst Moments of the 87th Annual Academy Awards

Neil Patrick Harris

With the Oscars officially behind us, it is time to wrap-up the highs and lows of the season. Where the previous post saw an exploration of everything that the show did right, this is a look at the few flubs that maybe didn't work out. It was a hard year to judge because unlike the meandering that dominated last year's ceremony, this year ran like clockwork despite running long and featured a lot of soapbox moments. The following is a look at the moments that maybe didn't work so well at this year's Academy Awards, including some coverage of the best red carpet moment of the ceremony.

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.