Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Into the Woods" (2014)

Scene from Into the Woods (2014)

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.

Composing Greatness: #5. Oscars 2019 Edition - "Mary Poppins Returns"

Scene from Mary Poppins Returns

Welcome to a very special edition of Composing Greatness. In this limited series, I will be looking at the five scores nominated for this year's Best Original Score category. To avoid favoritism, the list will be done in alphabetical order of composers and feature the same guidelines as the original series. This is meant to explore the music behind the great films of 2018, and provide insight into what makes each of them special and whether or not they deserved to be nominated at all. Join me all week as I listen to the  music, leave some thoughts, and hopefully sway you to check out these wonderful, wonderful scores.

Composing Greatness: #41. John Williams - "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005)

Scene from Memoirs of a Geisha

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Nothing But the Best: "Chicago" (2002)

Scene from Chicago

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.

New "Into the Woods" Trailer Offers a Better Look at the Curious Spectacle and Whimsical Music

Meryl Streep

As the Oscar season starts heating up and the big films come out, there's a need to not lose focus on the potential upsets. There is bound to be a few films that will enter the race after an unassuming start. My personal money has long been riding on director Rob Marshall's Into the Woods for many reasons. Beyond the fact that it is a very musical year that has already featured Jersey Boys and Get On Up as well as the upcoming Annie, it is opening in prime real estate for Oscar voters: Christmas Day. The last musical to open on this day (Les Miserables) did pretty well for itself with a Best Picture nomination and a few other slots. That is why I believe that it's time to start taking Into the Woods a little bit more seriously. Also, the trailer is actually pretty good.