Theory Thursday: "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005) is Overrated

Scene from Mr. & Mrs. Smith

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: "The Weary Kind" (2009)

Scene from Crazy Heart

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 First Trailer for "It's Only the End of the World" Promises a Tense Dinner Conversation

Scene from It's Only the End of the World

If you're anyone who follows international cinema, then you'll have a passing recognition of French-Canadian director Xavier Dolan. At the age of 27, he has had an impressive career that puts him leagues ahead of several other young directors. Of his five films as director, the lowest on critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes has Heartbeats at 73%. If nothing else, he has a promising career ahead of him and if whatever he does compares to last year's phenomenal Mommy, he doesn't have much to worry about. While his latest, It's Only the End of the World, looks to have a divisive reception already, its first trailer promises a tense family dinner and a great cast that features Lea Seydoux, Marion Cotillard, and Vincent Cassell. It may be a slight and simple trailer, but it definitely packs the punch that we've come to expect from Dolan.

Birthday Take: Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose" (2007)

Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose

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: "The Immigrant" is the Best Looking Film of 2014 So Far

Left to right: Marion Cotillard and Joaquin Phoenix

Before this review goes any further. Before a critique of the acting, story, pacing, or deeper themes, there is one thing that needs to be expressed: This is the greatest looking film of 2014.  Cinematographer Darius Khondji's work excels at turning the 1920's New York into something that feels fully authentic and rich with melancholic beauty. Along with a solid wardrobe from Patricia Norris, there is so much to admire about this film's design. Even the framing of shots excellently convey multiple concepts at once, leaving a poetic aura around the film and causing meditation and nostalgia to seep into this tale of an American Dream that goes a little awry. The film's look remains unsurpassed and deserves any and all acclaim that it is eligible for. With that said, The Immigrant has a lot of other admirable features to its credit, too.

The Trailer for "Two Days, One Night" Shows Cotillard in Top Form

Left to right: Fabrizio Rongione and Marion Cotillard

During this past Cannes Film Festival, one of the films that received a lot of acclaim, including a nomination for the Palme d'Or was director Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's Two Days, One Night. With critical acclaim, it quickly received recognition for its impressive commentary and a performance by Marion Cotillard as Sandra in a tight position that may cost her her job. With the first trailer released, it is time to consider if Cotillard has what it takes to make it back into the Oscar race and if the film stands any chance at going from Cannes to the Academy Awards in any logical way.

Predictions: Who Should Get a Best Actress Nomination in 2013?

2012's Best Actress winner Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

We are in an exciting time for Oscar enthusiasts. We are officially one week away from the announcement of this year's nominees. In order to contribute some thoughts, I will be going down the major categories (Acting, Directing, and Best Picture) and predicting who will be the most likely to get nominated, as well as a few tidbits on why I agree with these decisions. Be warned that every story that I am going to write in relation to predictions will not actually feature any bias towards who should win. However, I will be detailing why I think each should be nominated. Also stay tuned for post-coverage in which I will actually be sharing my thoughts on the nominations and solidify who I believe should win in each category.

Is "Rust and Bone" Capable of Competing with American Films?

Left to right: Matthias Schoenaerts and Marion Cotillard

Anyone who has been following The Oscar Buzz will be aware that I have referenced director Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone multiple times. This is notably in contrast to Marion Cotillard in the Best Actress category. While the film is in limited release and impossible for most people to see, it is still getting some impressive traction, including participating in the annual event of sending Academy voters DVD screeners. While it has widely been regarded as one of the year's best, it is ineligible for Best Foreign Film (France submitted the more acclaimed The Intouchables instead), it is still looking to reap some nominations at the Oscars. Is the film capable of competing against the more popular American films, or will it be lost in translation?

Is "Anna Karenina" Able to Separate Itself from Other Best Picture Period Pieces?

Keira Knightley 

Next Friday sees the release of director Joe Wright's fifth film Anna Karenina, an adaptation of the Russian novel by Leo Tolstory that follows the titular character (Keira Knightley) on her journey through love in the 19th century. With all of the attention surely going to be focused next week on director David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook, is it possible that Wright can pull an upset and bring period pieces back to the Oscars, and more notably the Best Picture category? Can he nab Knightley her second Best Actress nomination and possibly a win?