A24 A-to-Z: #40. "The Sea of Trees" (2016)

Scene from The Sea of Trees

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.

A24 A-to-Z: #18. "While We're Young" (2015)

Scene from While We're Young

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.

Review: "Demolition" is a Great, Endearing Depiction of Grief

Scene from Demolition

Over the past three years, director Jean-Marc Vallee has pretty much made a career out of being presumable "Oscar bait." This is most prevalent in his problematic debut Dallas Buyers Club, which earned Matthew McConaughey a Best Actor award as well as a Best Picture nomination. While he hasn't quite hit that high since, his work definitely continues to veer off into far more interesting directions. His mixture of humanity and familiar yet earnest themes may not make for the most captivating dramas, but what he does so well is make dramas full of personality and life that compensate for their familiarity. While not his best, Demolition feels like the perfect embodiment of what he does so well, thanks in part to a great lead performance by the reliable Jake Gyllenhaal.

Nothing But the Best: "Birdman" (2014)

Left to right: Edward Norton and Michael Keaton in Birdman

Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.

The First "Demolition" Trailer Shows Gyllenhaal Breaking New Ground and Houses

Jake Gyllenhaal

It must be odd to be Jake Gyllenhaal at the current moment. At least, if you're in his fan base and have the idea that he should have kept receiving Oscar nominations for his last few roles. There was last year's Nightcrawler, which many consider to have been snubbed at awards season. Then came this summer's boxing drama Southpaw: a film that was so hyped that it's almost embarrassing to mention its lack of traction. Up next is another turn, and one that may be more promising considering the talent involved. Today marks the release of the trailer for director Jean-Marc Vallee's Demolition, which shows the actor having a great time destroying houses and getting his life back together... or something like that.

Review: "While We're Young" Explores Nostalgia and Aging in the Best Ways Possible

Left to right: Ben Stiller and Adam Driver

It is tough to get old. It isn't just the responsibility or the failing body that is tough. It's the notion of relevance that one must accept in the process or deem himself forever foolish. It is a subject that has created a subgenre of film trying to plant adults as relevant members of society. However, the unfortunate truth is that no matter what happens, there will always be the fear of irrelevancy, whether socially or personally. In director Noah Baumbach's latest While We're Young, he tackles the subject not with the typical affirmation, but the humbling humor of realizing just how silly you'd look in a hipster hat and attending strange spiritual rituals. It may not seem like it, but this is the study of aging from infancy to elderly age as best embodied in a bohemian city. It may be funny, but it's also painfully honest.

The Magic Behind "Birdman" and its Use of Time

Left to right: Edward Norton and Emma Stone

For a moment, let's put aside the subtext of director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman. Let's put aside how it is a reflection of movie culture and that it serves as a metaphorical and literal comeback film for star Michael Keaton. Let's even ignore the attack on franchise culture that runs through the film and focus on something that is far more impressive: the passage of time. It may seem like a pointless question until you understand the technical brilliance behind those single takes that were established to create a singular flow. What makes them exceptional and adds more weight to the film than the awkward script or melodramatic acting is how unassumingly it transitions within frame from moment to moment and often day to day.

Review: "Birdman" Flies Very High... Most of the Time

Michael Keaton

Long takes is the last great cinematic art form. Effects can be thrown in to make anything look fancier, but what is missing is a performance or kinetic energy moving on screen. The power of films such as Code Unknown are made more impressive with the stakes feeling higher after every second. The longer a scene is held, the more that it captures something stronger. Gravity elevated the basic thriller nature and now director Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu has done it to the meta drama category. The results are staggering and capture something profoundly complex about a familiar story. Birdman flows like a stream of consciousness experiment: a play about theater that is strangely like Rear Window. However, just as much as there's greatness, there's the lull that connects these moments and turns the third act into something absurdly over-the-top. Does it work as a story? Not really. However, as an experiment of craft and ego, there's fewer films that are this ambitiously weird.

The "Birdman" Trailer Debuts a Potential Comeback for Michael Keaton and Superhero Movies

Michael Keaton

This morning came a surprise to the movie community. It was a moment that many consider to be the potential return of Michael Keaton. It involved fighting Edward Norton in his underwear and a whole lot of confusing imagery. However, there is one thing for sure. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman has struck a chord. Playing over an altered version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," the trailer plays as a highlights reel for one of the strangest superhero films of the year. Then again, the idea of Inarritu doing a superhero film was equally unexpected. However, it does raise some questions, notably if the two time Oscar-nominated director can make caped crusaders a viable option when it comes to Oscar nominations.