Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Vice" (2018)

Scene from Vice (2018)

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: "Beautiful Boy" Opens a Conversation About Drug Addiction in Powerfully Real Ways

Scene from Beautiful Boy

The subject of addiction is something that has greatly impacted America over the years, which makes it strange how little cinema has decided to address it. For those who know someone, or are themselves, there is a certain pain the experience of watching something pure become diluted, floating away from the innocence that you once assumed them to have. At its core, director Felix van Groeningen's Beautiful Boy not only captures a story that has a horrifying reality to a teenager stumbling in and out of sobriety, but it also has the impact he leaves on his family, especially a father who cares too much. There's a desperation to both performances that ratchets up the emotion in a way that creates one of the most eye-opening, emotional dramas of 2018 and allows for an entry point for people not only to understand addiction, but to even empathize with their struggles. 

Review: "Vice" Sets Its Sights a Little Too High

Christian Bale in Vice

The latest film from director Adam McKay couldn't have better timing if it tried. With 2018 coming to a close amid a government shutdown and lots of in-fighting, the chance to reflect on what we expect from the people in charge has never been more of a prominent subject. It's why Vice feels like it should be a bigger deal, where the most notorious vice president in 21st century American history is finally scrutinized in a text that fossilizes him as the awful human he was. It's the part of McKay's experimental film making that succeeds, throwing the audience into a story that will boil the blood of anyone who currently lives in the America that Dick Cheney helped to mold over 50 years. However, McKay is maybe a bit too obsessed with the style to ever make one element shine above the rest. The film is a mess that often reaches blips of greatness, and overall it's a missed opportunity to create something singular and definitive of not only Cheney's life, but of the 2018 the film was born into.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "The Big Short" (2015)

Scene from The Big Short

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.

"Beautiful Boy" Opens With Amazon Studios' Best Per-Screen Average to Date

Scene from Beautiful Boy

What has been exciting about the month of October so far has been the fact of how well it has ushered in Oscar season more directly. There was of course the phenomenon that greeted A Star is Born. Even First Man was met with a lot of favorable reviews, asking audiences to please see it in IMAX. However, the indie releases are starting to shape up with some promising numbers. After all, this is where most of the contenders come from, such as 2016's Best Picture winner Moonlight. It's in the limited release numbers that films tend to prove their merit, and director Felix Van Groeningen's Beautiful Boy has more than done a decent job of proving that it was more than a film festival hit. With this past weekend's opening in four theaters, it has officially become Amazon Studios' highest grossing per-screen average to date. Are Oscars not too far behind?

The First "Vice" Trailer Finds Christian Bale Immersed in Another Oscar Campaign

Christian Bale in Vice

It continues to seem ridiculous, almost as much so as one of his broad comedies of yesteryear, but director Adam McKay has become an Oscar darling. With most of the Oscar season seemingly laid out with heavyweights, people have been holding out for his Dick Cheney film now called Vice. Considering how little presence it has had at film festivals, it's amazing to think of how anticipated the first trailer has been for months now. Well, it is here and from the looks of it, this is another Christian Bale performance primed for Oscar consideration. He looks immersed in the role to an impeccable degree, and the supporting cast doesn't look too bad either - filled with Oscar-nominees and winners who round out a cast of characters from one of the 21st century's most notorious American presidencies. To say the least, Vice looks like McKay is once again going to enjoy a cozy seat at the awards table.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Battle of the Sexes" (2017)

Scene from Battle of the Sexes

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: "Battle of the Sexes" is a Fun Yet Uneven Match of Two Great Performances

Scene from Battle of the Sexes

Even if the film takes place in 1973, the rhetoric in Battle of the Sexes should sound a bit familiar. It's a contest to see whether men are better than women, and the cameras are on a self-proclaimed chauvinist named Bobby Riggs (Steve Carrell) and female activist Billie Jean King (Emma Stone). If it is a reminder of the 2016 presidential election, then co-directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton have succeeded thanks to a script littered with scenes and phrases meant to invoke a social liberal utopia. The match is a metaphor for greater change in the world. While the film does an adequate job by its characters, there's a certain underlying tragedy to 1973 going a bit differently than 2016. As upbeat as Battle of the Sexes is, it can't help but feel a bit deluded from the surrounding conversation. It's an enjoyable biopic, but maybe has its heart too much in the right place.

The Runner-Ups: Channing Tatum in "Foxcatcher" (2014)

Channing Tatum in Foxcatcher

Every Oscar season, there are a handful of actors who get tagged with the "snubbed" moniker. While it is always unfortunate to see our favorites not honored with at very least a nomination, there's another trend that goes largely unnoticed: those who never even got that far. The Runner-Ups is a column meant to honor the greats in cinema who put in phenomenal work without getting the credit that they deserved from The Academy. Join me every other Saturday as I honor those who never received any love. This list will hopefully come to cover both the acting community, and the many crew members who put the production together.

Birthday Take: Steve Carell in "Foxcatcher" (2014)

Scene from Foxcatcher

Welcome to The Birthday Take, a column dedicated to celebrating Oscar nominees and winners' birthdays by paying tribute to the work that got them noticed. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive retrospective, but more of a highlight of one nominated work that makes them noteworthy. The column will run whenever there is a birthday and will hopefully give a dense exploration of the finest performances and techniques applied to film. So please join me as we blow out the candles and dig into the delicious substance.

Theory Thursday: "Foxcatcher" is the Best Sports Film Since 2011

Scene from Foxcatcher

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. 

At 10 Years Old, "Little Miss Sunshine" is Still a Proud Super Freak

Scene from Little Miss Sunshine

It was the Little film that could. When one reads the plot description to co-directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton's Little Miss Sunshine, you'll be forgiven for thinking that it's stretching for laughs. The central cast features a beauty pageant dreamer, a failed salesman father, an aspiring fighter pilot son who remains silent, and a drug-addled grandfather. It's the stuff that would barely work in Arrested Development, yet somehow came to define an unprecedented indie hit that among other things received a Best Picture nomination along with a Best Supporting Actor win for Alan Arkin. It was a comedy that challenged the notion of dysfunctional families while also connecting on something deeper and more human. After 10 years, it still is a film that captures the essence of following your dreams, even if you're shut out for being different. It may have a lot of bizarre tassels to get over, but what it ends up being is sweet, sincere, and one of the most original independent comedies in recent history.

Review: "The Big Short" Makes Economics Sound Easy, But That's It

Ryan Gosling

In 2010, director Adam McKay received a lot of attention for his film The Other Guys. While the film itself was a comedy familiar to his style, the closing credits held some staggering information. As the credits rolled, it was accompanied by images of how a Ponzi Scheme worked. In a sense, McKay was trying to make something accessible to viewers who are more likely to watch Will Ferrell movies than read the daily stock trade. Five years later, he returns to the world of economics with The Big Short: a film with a big cast and an even bigger goal - to show the housing market collapse in an accessible way. Incorporating pop art techniques, McKay has done a noble job in at least making one of the flashiest films of the year. However, it's up to the viewer whether or not the stylized power point will make a difference.

The First "Freeheld" Trailer is Full of Promising Performances

Left to right: Julianne Moore and Ellen Page

With America currently living in an era where gay marriage is legal and LGBT culture has become more accepted, it is exciting to see what the landscape ahead looks like. There's a plethora of gay-themed movies coming out this Fall that all stand some chance of making a splash. Among them is director Peter Sollett's Freeheld, which follows a lesbian couple as they deal with a series of legal issues regarding penchants in time of crisis. Starring last year's Oscar winner Julianne Moore (Best Actress - Still Alice) and Oscar nominee Ellen Page (Best Actress - Juno), it is looking to enter the raise strong with a potentially uplifting and unique look into love and hope in the modern era.

Review: "Foxcatcher" is a Dark Look at the American Dream, Greed and Family

Left to right: Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo

There have been few topics that have had as conflicting of a cinematic representation as that of American patriotism. For all of the freedoms that are given, there's those that abuse the power in favor of something more dastardly and disturbing. In director Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher, he doesn't so much destroy the myth surrounding patriotism as he explores its impact on our relationships, whether that be family or teammates. The story of Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is a tragic one and the preceding text stating its factual history only makes it more bleak. As a whole, it is the perfect embodiment of a troubled culture and what happens when there isn't much to live for.

Is the Success of "Foxcatcher" at Cannes Going to Help Its Oscar Chances?

Left to right: Channing Tatum and Steve Carell

It seems to be a running gag in Hollywood right now of highly anticipated films getting pushed back. Most recently, Andy and Lana Wachowski's Jupiter Ascending was moved back to 2015 within months of release. However, the real champion of the "Pushed Back Channing Tatum Films" list (and there has been a handful) appears to be Foxcatcher. After it was held back last year, my expectations were lowered significantly. While I enjoyed quoting the attached trailer (which has since been removed), there was little to grab me. However, after last month's Cannes Film Festival, things are looking up for the the latest film from director Bennett Miller. It actually may stand a chance as a serious Oscar contender.

The Release of "Foxcatcher" Gets Moved Back to 2014

Steve Carell

It has been quite a week for pushing back expectations on potential Oscar nominees. Earlier we wrote about how The Wolf of Wall Street, which remains the biggest blow. Not to be outdone, director Bennett Miller's latest film, Foxcatcher, has taken suit. In an ironic fashion, the news was delivered mere hours after the debut of the first trailer, which is a haunting look at one of my wildcard nominee selections.