Composing Greatness: #5.The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "Gravity" (2013)

Scene from Gravity (2013)

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.

In Defense of "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (2011)

Thomas Horn

When it comes to cinema related to September 11, 2001, there's one very common complaint: director Stephen Daldry's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is the worst. Not the worst in the sense that it gets the facts wrong or develops its own conspiracy. It's the worst because it is manipulative to a fault. True, the story of a child who is sort of nagging trying to maneuver New York following his father's death does reek a little of over-sentimentalizing. However, I want to bring a different argument to the table. It's one that I'm sure won't win over everyone but is essentially why I have trouble calling it out as garbage. It may not be the best 9/11 movie, but it's one that I feel connects with me for a deeper and more personal reason.

Nothing But the Best: "Crash" (2005)

Left to right: Ludacris and Larenz Tate

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.

A Discussion on the Oscars and The Norbit Effect

Eddie Redmayne in Jupiter Ascending

For those unaware, there is a common conspiracy trend known as "The Norbit Effect." In 2007, actor Eddie Murphy was posed to win Best Supporting Actor for his excellent turn in Dreamgirls. It was considered a comeback and proof that the actor wasn't just some hack. However, he released what is widely regarded as his worst film around the time that Oscar voters were turning in their ballots called Norbit. As history shows, Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine won this category. However, with Norbit in wide release on Oscar Night, many suspect that it was the cause of Murphy's loss. After this weekend, does any of the main front runners stand any chance of falling to this trap?

Check This Out: "Gravity" to Get Silent Treatment with New Special Edition Release in 2015

It seems like strange timing, but now is a great time to hop on a rocket ship and go out into the depths of space. With Interstellar taking us to the far regions of the universe, it is easy to forget about the scrappy, simpler blockbuster from last year that won over audiences with nothing more than two actors floating around as space debris hit them. I'm of course talking about director Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, which went on to sweep the Academy Awards with Best Director, Best Original Score (Steven Price) and a whole lot of technical wins. However, there's some big news coming for those that found the soundtrack to be too distracting. Coming in early 2015, you can officially see what the film would be like if you removed the Price score. It may seem like a very big gimmick, but one that should make for a fascinating alteration of the film.

A Closer Look at the Best Actress Nominees

Continuing our look at all of the top category nominees is a race that is probably the least certain of all of them: the Best Actress category. Despite an eclectic group that ranges from sci-fi thrillers (Sandra Bullock - Gravity) to mental illness (Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine) to romantic conning (Amy Adams - American Hustle), the race seemed to have been locked since August and unlike 12 Years a Slave, the conversation hasn't shifted all that much. There are a few potential upsets for sure, but as a whole, this is just a matter of counting down the hours until the top name is rattled off and the acceptance speech is given.

Review: "Gravity" is a Beautiful, Intense and Meditative Ride Through Space

Sandra Bullock

There are few films that get released in any given year that manage to feel like more than another great movie. There's a specific class that reaches above the echelon and joins the class of iconic, groundbreaking films that shape the way that cinema is perceived. Nowadays, it is easy to take it for granted with films like Life of Pi pushing the boundaries of what narrative storytelling and CGI can do when properly blended together. Even harder is to find a film on a large scale with minimalist interaction in wide open spaces that manage to feel simultaneously claustrophobic as well as gut wrenching, full of suspense... and that's just the story. For director Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, he takes sci-fi to someplace new, and all just right outside the cusp of Earth's atmosphere.