Netflix, FilmStruck, and Streaming Services' Problems with Film History

Scene from The Other Side of the Wind

For a lot of cinephiles, today is a very special occasion. Today is the day in which the long awaited Orson Welles film The Other Side of the Wind finally meets the light of day. Thanks to a lot of meticulous effort and the powers at Netflix, the film is currently available to stream online, including an additional documentary on the assembling of this perceptively lost film. With all of this said, there's a certain irony in the film being released by Netflix of all streaming services within the same month of the demise of FilmStruck. The Other Side of the Wind, at least aesthetically, is more suited to the classic and foreign cinema service that will be going belly-up on November 29, which will see a lot of Welles' other titles disappear. While this isn't exactly Netflix's fault, it may as well be because for those looking for great cinema in the vein of Welles, there's a good chance that it won't be there for much longer. 

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 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!

Review: "Mudbound" is a Powerful Look Into America's Uncomfortable Past

Scene from Mudbound

With one perfect opening, director Dee Rees encapsulates the themes that Mubound will explore over the next two hours. The image of diggers coming across the resting grounds of a slave. This film may be set during World War II, but Rees is clearly interested in digging up a painful aspect of American history, and one that has arguably not gone away. This is a sweeping film about two soldiers who return from war only to discover that what separates them is ethnicity. While there have been countless period pieces on race relations, few have managed to capture an intensity and emotional understanding quite like Rees, who finds power in symbolism and in the tragic moments that connect and isolate us from one another. It's a beautiful period piece, and one that is likely to resonate as one of the first major Netflix movies worth taking seriously. 

The First "Mudbound" Trailer is a Timely Look Into a Tumultuous Past

Scene from Mudbound

Over the past few years, Netflix has done their best to get into the Oscar race with various high end titles. Following the highly acclaimed Okja from earlier this year, the streaming service has another high profile gig for people to consider. From director Dee Rees comes Mudbound, a tale looking at American history and race relations: both themes prominent to the 2017 cultural conversation. With an even more impressive cast, the film at least has a strong chance of breaking the curse by becoming a film that grabs the audience and throws Netflix into the Best Picture race. If the results are anything like the trailer, it looks like it may be their big break finally.