Todd Phillips Considers "The Joker" (2019) Oscar Worthy, Though Skepticism Remains

Scene from The Joker (2019)

The past few weeks of the summer have produced a lot of reasons to look forward to Oscar season. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood marks a potential return for Tom Hanks, and this weekend's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is a Quentin Tarantino movie (so we'll be talking about it for a while). However, there's one outlier that has made the rounds in recent days... and it is not what you'd expect. Even in a post-Black Panther world, it still seems ridiculous to think that any superhero movie could crack the Oscars again. It's why it seems odd that there is one to not forget this Fall, or at least The Hangover director Todd Phillips will have you believe. The Joker is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and there are talks that the Oscars are not too far behind. It seems like a risky gamble, but maybe what this season needs.

After 10 Years, "The Dark Knight" Continues to Be a Milestone in Superhero Cinema

Scene from The Dark Knight

It's sort of a cliche, but it's hard to describe the impact of director Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight without stating the obvious: it started with a bang. The camera entered the world of Gotham by zooming in on a window shattering, on the other side is a group of men in clown masks running through the plan, which is essentially a game of last man standing. With each piece of the puzzle unlocked, another person dies. Nobody knows who the mastermind is, nor will they really until it's too late. It's a world that superhero cinema wasn't used to, as even Nolan's previous D.C. movie Batman Begins didn't think to go this dark, finding a world where order was finally meeting chaos, as portrayed by a 28-year-old actor who unfortunately had died earlier in 2008 only to deliver (to date) the only superhero performance that was so revered that it got a posthumous Oscar win. The Dark Knight was a behemoth in 2008 and set the template for a new era of "dark and gritty" cinema that followed. It was unafraid to take risks, and in the process solidified the mythos of Nolan's godlike hold on the blockbuster. It changed cinema, plain and simple.

A Look at the Oscar Chances for "Deadpool"

Scene from Deadpool

It has happened again. Deadpool has gotten another award nomination, this time by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). It is an honor that comes as a big surprise to those who wish to write off the superhero satire that broke the fourth wall as well as box office prognostication; creating a belief that an R-Rated superhero movie could be commercially viable. It is far from the first nomination to happen. This upcoming Sunday will see it go up against awards heavyweights like La La Land and Florence Foster Jenkins for Best Comedy or Musical, as well as an acting nomination for lead star Ryan Reynolds. It's a bizarre trajectory, especially for a film released back in February of 2016. However, there is one question to ask ourselves: is Deadpool capable of being an Oscar contender? There's not enough to say it is official, but the Golden Globes and WGA nominations help to spread certain doubt.

Super Delegates: Harvey Dent in "The Dark Knight" (2008)

Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight

Welcome to Super Delegates, a bi-monthly column released on Tuesdays and are done in part to recognize politics on film, specifically in regards to Oscar-nominated works. With this being an election year in the United States, it feels like a good time to revisit film history's vast relationship with politicians of any era and determine what makes them interesting while potentially connecting them to the modern era. The series plans to run until the end of this 2016 election cycle, so stay tuned for every installment and feel free to share your thoughts on films worthy of discussion in the comments section.

Why I Don't Believe That "Mad Max: Fury Road" Will Get a Best Picture Nomination

Scene from Mad Max: Fury Road

There's no denying the unpredictable impact that director George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road has had on the zeitgeist. It's become its own cultural phenomenon with people adopting the lingo and calling Charlize Theron's Furiosa one of the greatest female characters of the year. It's a film made by a mad man and one that is just as entertaining as the notion. However, there's one thing that I could never quite get on board with. For everyone calling this the Best Movie of 2015, I don't think that it transcends to The Academy. While they have added Tom Hardy to their members list, their latest push to make it a Best Picture contender feels a little... off. It's fun, but I have trouble embracing this campaign as anything but wishful thinking.

17 Pleasant Surprises on BBC's Greatest American Films

Left to right: Lupita Nyong'o and Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave

Today marks the release of the latest "Best Movies Ever" list. This time, it comes from BBC Culture and it focuses on the Best American Films (click link for commentary on Top 25). While it features a lot of familiar, obvious choices (Citizen Kane, The Godfather, and Vertigo tops yet another list), the list has its share of surprises both great and bad (omission of most recent films, animated films, and directors). Instead of arguing about every last thing that is wrong with this list (where's Paul Thomas Anderson  and The Coen Brothers?), it does feature a lot of pleasant surprises. The following is a list of films that made the list that you wouldn't expect and definitely should check out ASAP.

Can Superhero Blockbusters Be Best Picture Nominees?

Scene from The Avengers: Age of Ultron

It is way too easy to lobby complaints at the Academy for being out of touch with popular audiences. In fact, the last major blockbuster film to warrant any major Oscar buzz was director James Cameron's Avatar in 2009. The technical spectacle captivated audiences, broke box office records and convinced the Academy to lavish it with nominations and wins. Yes, there have been other big budgeted films like the introspective Life of Pi or the debauchery-filled The Wolf of Wall Street that have been nominated, but let me ask you something: will we ever see a day when a real superhero blockbuster movie gets recognized with so much as a Best Picture nomination? 

Birthday Take: Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (2008)

Heath Ledger

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.

The Directors Project: #6 - Christopher Nolan

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.