R.I.P. Branko Lustig (1932-2019)

Brank Lustig

On November 14, 2019, film producer Branko Lustig passed away at the age of 87 in Zagreb, Croatia. He is currently the only person in history from the territory of present-day Croatia to have won two Oscars. Over the course of his career, he produced meaningful dramas that reflected his personal connections to the Holocaust and general oppression. He won Best Picture twice for the films Schindler's List and Gladiator. From then he continued to use his influence to good, making Hollywood a more empathetic place while making great art. He will be missed. 

R.I.P. Sam Shepard (1943-2017)

On July 27, 2017, actor and playwright Sam Shepard died at the age of 73 in Midway, Kentucky from complications involving amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was a person best known for his impressive craft as a writer, winning a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and being hailed in 2009 by New York Magazine as "the greatest American playwright of his generation." His career onstage has surpassed his career on film, which included memorable turns in films like Days of Heaven, and The Right Stuff: the latter of which earned him an Oscar nomination. With a career spanning over half a century, Shepard leaves behind an impressive body of work, and one that inspires actors and writers on stage and screen to give their all for their craft and make art that really matters.

Theory Thursday: "Prometheus" is Underrated

Michael Fassbender

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. 

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Concussion" (2016)

Will Smith in Concussion

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

Review: "The Martian" is an Awe-Inspiring Ride Through Space

Matt Damon in The Martian

For most of the 20th century, there was something alluring about looking towards the skies and imagining the possibilities of travelling to other planets. It was a big draw for several decades and, thanks to NASA, has lead to a lot of impressive advancements for humankind. To some extent, the magic in the real world has died down in the past decade and is often saved for sci-fi and fantasy, leaving some to wonder if those ambitions to think beyond the stars would ever be as popular as they once were. Thanks largely to director Ridley Scott's The Martian - the first major film endorsed by NASA since 1995's Apollo 13 - one can only have faith that maybe, just maybe, the future of space travel will continue to allure audiences and bring the nation together over a common goal. It's not only what this feel good film's propaganda tendencies wants you to believe, it's what you get in between awe-inspiring cinematography and a brilliant performance by Matt Damon.

Theory Thursday: "The Counselor" is Underrated

Left to right: Michael Fassbender and Javier Bardem in The Counselor

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. 

A Look at New Trailers From Potential Oscar Nominees

Matt Damon in The Martian

Before I dive in, I want to personally apologize for this unexplained absence over the past week. This was caused largely due to personal and health problems that made writing and keeping up with Oscar-worthy news a little difficult. As of this moment, I should be in good enough of a condition to return to sharing my personal opinions and keeping you up to date on the latest happenings. First up, a look at the many trailers that premiered over the past week for films that we may be hearing about a lot over this Oscars season. Speaking as we're starting to enter the season when all of the trailers premiere (see: Suffragette and Bridge of Spies). While this round-up may not have nearly as many hits, we may be looking at a very interesting season ahead.

Nothing But the Best: "Gladiator" (2000)

Left to right: Joaquin Phoenix and Russell Crowe

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.

Is "Exodus: Gods and Kings" the Surprise Best Picture Nominee?

Christian Bale

There is a particular question that should be raised when discussing director Ridley Scott: what happened? For starters, the director is one of the few distinguished faces to innovate technology over the course of his long career. He is important in that way. However, he also used to direct amazing movies that were Best Picture worthy. In one such case, he won Best Picture with Gladiator, which saw a perfect blend of visual effects and swords and sandals epics. Since, he hasn't been too noteworthy in this case and with the back-to-back maligned films of Prometheus and The Counselor, there looks to be some dismay in him ever returning to the Best Picture race. That is, until Exodus: Gods and Kings comes out this December. With its big effects and lead by Oscar winner Christian Bale (Best Supporting Actor - The Fighter), it does seem like he is striving for that title.

The Directors Project: #34 - Ridley Scott

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.

Can "The Counselor" Bring Ridley Scott Back to the Oscars?

Javier Bardem

Up until this point, director Ridley Scott's The Counselor has being one of the more bizarre, intriguing films of the fall season. Its pedigree is chopped full of Academy Award-winning elite and features a script by Cormac McCarthy that only suggests that this film should be getting more recognition. Of course, my opinions of its possibility came back before competition was really heating up and films such as Gravity and 12 Years a Slave were taking over all of the momentum. Still, is there some off chance that this can sneak in a nomination or two?