Showing posts with label The Grand Budapest Hotel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Grand Budapest Hotel. Show all posts

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #6-10

Scene from Parasite (2019)
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.

Friday, January 26, 2018

Ranking the Most Nominated Oscar Films of the Past 10 Years

Scene from The Shape of Water
With this week presenting the Oscar nominations, it only seems right to continually nitpick every category to determine just how good this year is (in my opinion, it's a very good one). However, there is one piece of trivia that's likely to go unnoticed: the films with the most nominations. While it's a big deal in any given year, does anyone remember what that film was even 10 years ago? It's what inspired me to rank the last 10 years of films that lead the year with the most nominations. Ironically, it's a bit uneven as there were many ties in a given year. However, it's also 13 films - the number of nominations that The Shape of Water received this year. It's interesting to look back at the films that dominated, even if they didn't win much. The following is my ranking of the past 10 years, which has produced a lot of interesting results.

Monday, December 12, 2016

"La La Land" Becomes a Box Office Hit in Limited Release

Scene from La La Land
It's the most wonderful time of year. For movie fans, Oscar season is in full gear and has a variety of options that you can see. With the recent Golden Globes nominations out, there's no shortage of options for your movie buck. In fact, the past month has produced a variety of box office records that are worth keeping an eye on. For starters, Disney's Moana continues to top the charts for a third week. However, it is the limited releases that have had the most interesting numbers. Following an impressive opening by Moonlight a few weeks back, director Damien Chazelle's musical La La Land has not only opened with good numbers, but has become the highest per screen average opening for 2016. In fact, a lot of Oscar-potential movies had a good weekend.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Theory Thursday: Bill Murray the Actor (Not the Person) is Overrated

Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
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. 

Friday, August 7, 2015

Edward Norton Gives Advice on How to Fix the Oscars

Edward Norton
It must be pretty good right now to be Edward Norton. For starters, he appeared in two Best Picture nominees from last year (The Grand Budapest Hotel and winner Birdman). He also is fresh off of a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the latter, which is his third overall. Despite all of this, the actor recently made remarks about The Academy that were a little harsh as well as constructive. What he wants is a change to the rules. He doesn't want the awards to be "monetized" as he puts it. So, what exactly is his plan? It's a pretty good one that involves shutting out advertising.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

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.

Monday, February 23, 2015

A Rundown of This Year's Oscar Winners

It is sad to say, but this year's Academy Awards are officially behind us. Before we get started on predicting next year's big happenings, it's time to start on recapping the show in its entirety, including the highs and lows of the event. But before we get to the great stuff, how about we take some time briefly to recognize the winners. How well did you do? When all is said and done, I did very well considering all of my think pieces and various theories that pondered why Birdman was going to walk away the winner. The following is a rundown of my votes in each category paired side-by-side with the actual winner. Please feel free to share your results in the comments.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

My Final Predictions for This Year's Academy Awards

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment is upon us. The Oscars is only a day away and it is time to place the final bets. While I have kept busy prognosticating and keeping track of who is likely to win, the races are a little more complicated than initially meets the eye. The Best Picture race couldn't be more complicated as it battles between Boyhood and Birdman. Still, it is great to see two very personal passion projects duking it out for top honor. While I will leave you to determine your own voting from the nominations, the following is a list of who I will be voting for in my final Oscar predictions for the year. Feel free to share yours in the comment section.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

A Few Thoughts on that "Brutally Honest" Oscar Voter

In an article published today on The Hollywood Reporter, an anonymous Oscar voter came forward to share their opinions. With the headlines promising a "brutally honest" take on the awards, it has caused a necessary amount of hoopla. Since ballot submission was closed off yesterday, there's plenty of speculation on what is going to happen in the remaining days before the awards are handed out. While this is unprecedented, what is more baffling is the simple dismissal of almost every film. While this could be indicative on who is likely to win, it also is more indicative of a stubborn fool who wants attention without getting blacklisted by the community.

Monday, January 26, 2015

A Ranking of This Year's Best Picture Winners

Scene from The Theory of Everything
I have done it! I have finally seen all of the Best Picture nominees for this year's Academy Awards. To say the least, it was an interesting year full of a nice if predictable variety of films. While we don't get nearly the garden variety that made 2013 such an exceptional year, we do get films that reflect the best of their genres and even features a wide variety of indie films standing a strong chance of winning the big awards. Cinema is inevitably changing in new and exciting ways that make this year particularly interesting. If for no other reason, its ambitions are massive and unpredictable in small ways. However, what did I personally think of all eight nominees? The following is a personal ranking of the Best Picture films from most favorite to least. Feel free to share yours in the comments.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

A Look at this Year's Surprising Academy Award Nominations

Scene from Boyhood
After months of prognostication and other awards shows, the Academy Awards have finally announced all of their contenders for this year's ceremony. For the first time ever, there were two installments in which all 24 categories were presented to the press. In traditional fashion, there were plenty of surprises that made my hopes seem greatly miscalculated. Without further ado, here's the nominees as well as personal thoughts on each major category.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

My Final Predictions for the Academy Award Nominations

Ladies and gentlemen, the day is upon us. Tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM, the Academy Awards will be announced. Who will make the final cut? It has been a very interesting year in regards to front runners with a mixed variety of results. In fact, it was very painstaking to try and whittle these down to a respectable few. I don't claim to be right, but I do hope that there's some surprises (and then some) in this year's race. The following is rundown of my final picks in 10 categories including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Predictions for the Oscars' Potential Best Picture Category

Scene from Boyhood
With the Oscar nominations only one week away, now seems like a good time to take into account the various categories and share personal thoughts on what stands a chance and what will likely not make the cut. The following is a rundown of the performers who I feel will most likely make it to the final five in the Best Picture race and who may be considered a potential threat for the category. Let me state that this isn't a prediction of who will win, simply who will get the nomination.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Predictions for the Oscars' Potential Best Director Category

Left to right: Ellar Coltrane and Richard Linklater
With the Oscar nominations only one week away, now seems like a good time to take into account the various categories and share personal thoughts on what stands a chance and what will likely not make the cut. The following is a rundown of the performers who I feel will most likely make it to the final five in the Best Director race and who may be considered a potential threat for the category. Let me state that this isn't a prediction of who will win, simply who will get the nomination.

Predictions for the Oscars' Potential Best Actor Category

Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything
With the Oscar nominations only one week away, now seems like a good time to take into account the various categories and share personal thoughts on what stands a chance and what will likely not make the cut. The following is a rundown of the performers who I feel will most likely make it to the final five in the Best Actor race and who may be considered a potential threat for the category. Let me state that this isn't a prediction of who will win, simply who will get the nomination.

Friday, January 9, 2015

A Look at 2015's BAFTA Nominations

Scene from The Grand Budapest Hotel
With majority of the awards nominations currently out, it is time to prepare for the big leagues. With next week's announcement of the Academy Award nominations, it is time to recognize the British counterpart known as the BAFTAS. For many years, it has been the strongest representation of what the Oscars may look like, including various overlapping winners. With that in mind, there's a lot of pleasant surprises and a couple disparaging results mixed in. Even then, the race has continued to remain unpredictable in the best ways possible, leaving some hope for one of the most exciting Oscar years in quite some time.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

A Look at the 114 Candidates for the Best Original Score Category

Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar
With the recent announcement of the Best Original Song shortlist, there is also room for the Best Original Score category to be explored as well. Between these two, there is a lot of unpredictable results that could happen (see: Thomas Newman's back-to-back nominations for Skyfall and Saving Mr. Banks). This year is no exception, as there is one particular name that is missing from this list that you'll likely be mad about. Follow after the jump to see what made the cut and a few thoughts on what I feel will be sticking around for the final five.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

A Rundown of This Year's Golden Globe Nominations

Joaquin Phoenix in Inherent Vice
Following the release of the SAG Award nominations yesterday, today marks the release of the Golden Globe Award Nominations. As with every year, this is one of the most interesting/baffling award as it recognizes the best with a few films that shouldn't even be there. Thankfully, this year isn't an exception and while there isn't that many, they pop up here and there to remind you why you love this drunken cousin of an award is special. Who made the cut? Who didn't? Check out the nominations after the jump.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

A Look at this Year's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards Nominations

Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything
Awards season continues to roll along. After the Gotham Awards last week, the big ones are starting to roll out. While tomorrow brings the much hailed Golden Globe nominations, today brings the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations. What films made the cut in this year's race? For those putting money on Birdman, it may be shaping up to be your season. For those betting on Selma, you'll be disappointed with this year's nominees. After the jump, check out the films that made this year's cut as well as a few thoughts on the nominees and potential winners.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

"Boyhood" and "Birdman" Lead This Year's Gotham Awards Nominations

Left to right: Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke and Lorelai Linklater in Boyhood
Today marked the release of the nominees for the Gotham Independent Film Awards. Much like The Spirit Awards, it sets out to recognize the big talents in independent cinema with awards honoring acting, directing, and breakout achievements. One of the noteworthy reasons that I bring it up is that many of them have already been praised here on The Oscar Buzz. While there's a chance that a few may not make it further into the race, it is a welcomed sign to see so many great films making it in a very impressive year for film. The following is a look at the nominees as well as varying thoughts on the selections as well as back links to various articles.