Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #35-39

Scene from Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

As 2019 reached its end, another decade of cinema had passed. It's amazing to think about how things have evolved since 2010 when the biggest controversies were about recognizing genre movies. Things look different now, especially as genre films like The Shape of Water and Parasite are winning Best Picture and the voting body looks incredibly different with each passing year. With this period in the books, it feels like a good time to celebrate their accomplishments by ranking all 88 titles nominated for Best Picture from worst to best with the goal of seeing which films are more likely to stand the test of time. Join me every Saturday and Sunday as I count them down, five at a time. It's going to be a fun summer looking back on what was, especially as we prepare for the decade ahead and an even more interesting diversity that we haven't even begun to think of.

Composing Greatness: #3.The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "The Artist" (2011)

Scene from The Artist

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.

Theory Thursday: John Goodman Deserves an Oscar Nomination for "10 Cloverfield Lane"

John Goodman in 10 Cloverfield Lane

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. 

Theory Thursday: We Need to Revamp the Best Original Score Category

Scene from Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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. 

Nothing But the Best: "The Artist" (2011)

Scene from The Artist

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.

R.I.P. Uggie (2002-2015)

Uggie with Jean Dujardin

In 2011, there was a reason to love canines. It seemed like they were everywhere from indie films (Beginners) to animation (The Adventures of Tintin). However, there weren't any that swept the zeitgeist quite like that of Uggie: the little Jack Russell Terrier from director Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist. Besides the film winning Best Picture, Uggie became the talk of the town, appearing nonstop over the next few years at public events (and even the Oscars ceremony). He even had an autobiography, which (according to the internet) he wrote himself. He was a dog with phenomenal talent that unfortunately was euthanized yesterday at the age of 12. He may not have had the most prolific screen presence, but he did make the most the most of his brief time in films.

Birthday Take: Jean Dujardin in "The Artist" (2011)

Jean Dujardin in The Artist

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.

Final Thoughts on This Year's Oscar Season

With that, we say goodbye to another Oscar season. While there has been plenty of wrap-up for this year's program, I have chosen to bring this season to a close with a summary of my thoughts not only on the winners in general, but of the season as a whole. Much like every year, there's a few highs and lows that make awards season so memorable. How did this year stack up to every other one? Well, frankly it wasn't my favorite despite the consistent media conflicts with race and the odd race between Boyhood and Birdman which saw the former only receive one win total. It wasn't the worst year, but considering its options, it did fine enough. Click the jump to read more.

Should John Goodman Get an Honorary Oscar?

John Goodman in The Artist

Every now and then there are discussions about Academy Award winners of the past. To many, it remains a chance to spout obscure trivia facts like: What was Morgan Freeman's first Oscar nomination for? (Answer: Best Supporting Actor - Street Smart) or What film was Bob Hoskins nominated for? (Answer: Best Actor - Mona Lisa). It is likely that some facts have been brushed under the table to the point where we think that everyone of cinematic value has at very least been nominated. However, one of the most shocking omissions from even the nomination bracket is the legendary character actor John Goodman. Quick! Name the film he was nominated for. You can't because he never was nominated. In this post, I ask you the question: Should John Goodman receive an honorary Oscar?

A Look Back at My Oscar Best Picture Challenge (1960-2013)

While it is fun to report on the future of The Oscars, I also have set up a challenge to myself to see every previous Best Picture winner. Through this method, I am hoping to get an overall understanding of themes and hopefully to understand the psychology that goes with the voting. With 2013 coming to a close, I have finished another leg of my goal by having seen everything that won after 1960. This feels like as good of a time as any to look back and see what made the running goal worthwhile and if it continues to be an enjoyable experience.

My Top 20 Favorite Post-1970's Academy Award Best Picture Winners

As someone who enjoys writing about the Oscars for fun, I have also tried to make a decision to watch all of the Best Picture winners. At very least, this would help me to understand the cultural impact more and notice trends. I have gone through some highs and lows, and in the end, I come away with expectations that were either met or disappointed. In the past week, I have reached a new milestone with my goal and have seen every film that has won after 1970. The following is a compilation of my top 20 favorite as well as some honorable mentions and the five that I felt were least deserving (hint: I found some I liked less than Crash)