Failed Oscar Campaigns: "The Lovely Bones" (2009)

Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely Bones

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.

R.I.P. Andrew Lesnie (1956-2015)

Andrew Lesnie

It is hard to underestimate the impact that director Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy had on cinema. It created a masterful fantasy epic that was more than spectacle. With an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic work, it brought the story to life and set a high bar that even Jackson wouldn't be able to top a decade later. However, there was one person who was just as skeptical from the beginning: Andrew Lesnie, who passed away today at the age of 59 from a heart attack. While his name may not be immediately clear, he was an integral part to how we viewed cinema, literally.

The Directors Project: #15 - Peter Jackson

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.