The Oscar Buzz Celebrates Its Eighth Anniversary!

 

Scene from Hard Eight

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that the odometer has rolled over. We're entering my eighth year of running things here at The Oscar Buzz. Boy has life been sweet as I've continued to expand my area of interest here annually, finding new and exciting topics to explore as I wait for each season to start. As I do every year, I try to use numerology to figure out something interesting to explore about myself. This is a moment where I get personal and expand upon what I love about film. With the number "8," I've had a variety of topics to choose from, such as BUtterfield 8 or The Hateful Eight. However, those feel small, not allowing for me to really open up in significant ways that go back more than a few years.

Much like how I chose The Seven Year Itch for 2019 to explore my love for Marilyn Monroe, I have decided to use Hard Eight as an entry point into Paul Thomas Anderson. As long-time readers will know, I started this whole website because of The Master. It all started because I wanted to see Joaquin Phoenix get that Oscar win (seven years late, but we got there!). However, I have reserved criticism of that 2012 masterpiece to a certain upcoming anniversary (guess). For now, I am using Anderson's debut film to better explore the question: why do I love PTA so much? I'm sure everyone from my generation has an answer and those who know me personally likely already will find these key notes predictable. For everyone else, welcome to my anniversary piece, the one where I finally get to the heart of a very specific kind of movie love.

Check This Out: "The Hateful Eight" Extended Edition Comes to Netflix (With a Catch!)

There's a lot of reason to have Quentin Tarantino on the brain in 2019. Along with this year marking the 25th anniversary of Pulp Fiction, he is returning to cinemas this summer with the highly anticipated Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. Despite the barrage of reasons to celebrate, there's one that falls on the curious side, especially given that the director isn't often associated with TV miniseries. His Oscar-winning 2016 film The Hateful Eight received a lot of acclaim during its theatrical run and gave the filmmaker one of his longest running times. It's hard to imagine, but there was an even longer Roadshow cut that was hard to see outside of theaters... until Netflix. The only catch is that you'll have to watch it, albeit in a fairly butchered form.

A24 A-to-Z: #21. "Barely Lethal" (2015)

Scene from Barely Lethal

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.

Super Delegates Bonus: The Lincoln Letter in "The Hateful Eight" (2015)

Samuel L. Jackson in The Hateful Eight

Welcome to Super Delegates Bonus. As a subsidiary of Super Delegates, the sporadic additional column is meant to explore depictions of politicians on film outside of the conventional methods of the column. This ranges from everything such as political candidates in TV movies and miniseries to real life candidates providing feedback on their pop culture representation. While not as frequent or conventional, the goal is to help provide a vaster look at politics on film as it relates to the modern election year. Join in and have some fun. One can only imagine what will be covered here.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "The Hateful Eight" (2015)

Scene from The Hateful Eight

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 Hateful Eight" is Like a Great Dinner Mystery Show, With Bloody Results

Scene from The Hateful Eight

It's easy to forget the impact that director Quentin Tarantino made back in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs. While Pulp Fiction would take most of the credit, the film introduced an American voice that mixed stylized violence, witty dialogue, and movie references into a blender and produced an impressive heist drama that featured none of the heist. It was a small ingenuity that made him the talk of the town, causing him to get even more high concept with each passing film. However, one cannot help but think of Reservoir Dogs when watching The Hateful Eight; being reminded of how powerful Tarantino could be with limited locations. Even if his latest structurally feels like it owes some debt to his debut, it's possibly his most ambitious attempt to make a real movie with real messages beyond the blood and guts.

Tarantino Reveals Why Django Was Not in "The Hateful Eight"

Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained

With the release of director Quentin Tarantino's latest film The Hateful Eight only weeks away, it feels like a great time to pull up old retrospectives about his career. With a great ear for dialogue and some of the best stylized violence in mainstream cinema, the director has slowly built his way into being one of the most definitive voices of his generation. Among his more controversial films is 2012's Django Unchained, which starred Jamie Foxx as a freed slave who seeks revenge on his white captors in a bloody, anachronistic fashion. While these two films share relations to the western genre, there's something else that they have in common. Django almost appeared in The Hateful Eight.

Check Out the Track List for "The Hateful Eight"

Samuel L. Jackson

There's a good chance that, like most people, you are getting very exciting by the upcoming film from director Quentin Tarantino called The Hateful Eight. His second venture into western-themed storytelling is schedule for a special Christmas release, then followed by a January 2016 wide release. While there's a good chance that you likely have seen the footage and have prepared yourself, it's been awhile since we've heard anything regarding the soundtrack, which is supposed to be penned by compose Ennio Morricone. Today marks the release of the soundtrack, which features Morricone, but a few other surprises from rock and pop artists that you've likely heard. Click to find out who's on the compilation.

Check This Out: Watch Clips From This Year's Governors Awards Ceremony

Spike Lee

This past Saturday marked the 7th annual Governors Awards, which was created to highlight those receiving Honorary Oscars for their work in film and media. As with every year, the selections reflected a diverse yet creative mix of artists, including Gena Rowlands, Debbie Reynolds, and Spike Lee. Along with being a typical ceremony, each winner was presented with a tribute from his or her peers - all of whom provided lively and comical anecdotes about their friends. Thanks to the folks over at Oscars' YouTube page,  you can watch all of the videos from that event, including an introduction from President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. The following is a highlight of the evening, including the speeches in full.

The First "Chiraq" Trailer Shows Spike Lee in Top Form Once Again

Samuel L. Jackson

With Beasts of No Nation already proving to be a smart bet for Netflix, it's looking like Amazon is about to unleash its own major film. While the awards season has been focused predominantly on theatrical screenings, online streaming companies are trying to get in the game with high profile directors and casts turning in work as compelling as their other original content. In the case of upcoming Honorary Oscar winner Spike Lee's Chiraq, he brings Amazon's shot at something great. In typical fashion, the first trailer is loud, abrasive, and everything that the best of Lee has to offer.

"The Hateful Eight" Trailer Shows Tarantino Prodding the Western Genre Back to Life

Samuel L. Jackson

It has been awhile since we last heard about director Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. While the film's production legacy has been long and storied, including rumors that Tarantino would ditch the project entirely, it has slowly been unraveling details that are sure to entice longtime fans of the director. For starters, there's the promise of an Ennio Morricone score and a run in 70 mm to look forward to. While we have seen pictures, there hasn't been any major marketing for the film... until today. They have just released the full length trailer for The Hateful Eight, which gives us our first glimpse into his latest western with an all star cast. And... it looks to be just as fun as you'd expect Tarantino's work to be.

Is "Pulp Fiction" Overrated?

John Travolta

On this day in history, director Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction hit American theaters nationwide and in the process, altering how many conceived of cinema. It played fast and loose and gave a profane-laced, pop culture behemoth that earned the 30-year-old director the Palme d'Or and a Best Original Screenplay award with co-writer Roger Avary. For many, it was a renaissance of film innovation equivalent to Citizen Kane or The Godfather, changing the way that independent film would be judged and consumed. With all of the praise coming out to commemorate this anniversary, there's one hypothetical that never gets explored: what if Pulp Fiction was overrated?

Review: "Django Unchained" Suffers From Multiple Genre Personalities

Samuel L. Jackson

I am officially back from my two weeks hiatus. I want to thank you for being patient and I hope to continue to bring you updates and other entries detailing my thoughts on this upcoming Oscars ceremony, including predictions on Seth MacFarlane's performance, why Argo will win Best Picture, and quite possibly a Zero Dark Thirty review.  But for now, we look at director Quentin Tarantino's latest slave epic Django Unchained. Is it up to par with the other Best Picture nominees, and does it have what it takes to win big on Oscar Night?

Will the Academy Award "Django Unchained" for its Portrayal of Revisionist History?

Jamie Foxx

One of the longest hold outs of the awards season, director Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, finally made its premiere at a Directors Guild of America screening on December 1, a little over three weeks until its international release. Speculation has long surrounded the film on if it is worthy of at very least a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. While there were differing opinions and a standing ovation at the screening, the question remains unanswered. For now, we cannot help but wonder if Tarantino can pull back-to-back nominations, or if he just created another fun film.