The First "Fences" is Here for Oscar Season to Like It

Scene from Fences

As October approaches, it's time to take the Oscar season a lot more seriously. Earlier this week, we saw Martin Scorsese join the race with Silence. Other films like La La Land and Moonlight have been receiving acclaim at various film festivals ahead of their releases. While it is likely that most of the surefire nominees are already known, director Denzel Washington's Fences has released its first teaser to suggest that things aren't as locked up as they appear. Based on an August Wilson play (who also wrote the screenplay), it's a story of a father's struggle with race relations and family in the 1950's. To say the least, it's intense, and sure to get Washington and co-star Viola Davis easy access to the nominations circle this Fall.

Super Delegates: Bill Clinton in "The War Room" (1993)

Scene from The War Room

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.

Martin Scorsese Joins the Oscars 2016 Race as "Silence" Gets a Release Date

Scene from Silence

If you're an Oscar fan, you'll know how busy the Christmas season is. In the few weeks leading up to December 25, these heavyweight films will be opening: La La Land, Miss Sloane, Collateral Beauty, Fences, The Founder, Rogue One, and A Monster Calls. That doesn't include any potential shifts or changes that will likely come between now and then. However, the one major news that should be met with equal excitement and dread of having to cram yet another movie into the holiday season comes from director Martin Scorsese. With many speculating when his latest Silence was going to be released, it officially has a late December release. Speaking as it's worked out nicely for him before with The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street, one can only imagine that this is a good sign of things to come.

Best Song: "We Belong Together" (2010)

Scene from Toy Story 3

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Theory Thursday: "The LEGO Movie" is Overrated

Scene from The LEGO Movie

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. 

R.I.P. Curtis Hanson (1945-2016)

Curtis Hanson

On September 26, 2016, writer and director Curtis Hanson passed away at the age of 71 in Los Angeles, California. With a career spanning over 40 years, he has produced some of cinema's most exciting films from the James Ellroy adaptation L.A. Confidential to hip-hop drama 8 Mile and the romantic comedy In Her Shoes. Throughout his career, he did a fine job of mixing comedies and dramas that often explored harrowing figures going through complicated situations. His films were always exciting yet challenging, proving the power of what cinema could be without defining himself to one style. His massive appeal continues to be felt as his films continue to inspire and be discovered by new audiences. He definitely left a great mark on what film truly can be.

Best Song: "The Weary Kind" (2009)

Scene from Crazy Heart

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Carol" (2015)

Scene from Carol

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.

Theory Thursday: "Wall Street" is Overrated

Michael Douglas in Wall Street

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. 

The Oscar Buzz is Celebrating its Fourth Anniversary!

Today marks the fourth anniversary of The Oscar Buzz's launch. Back in 2012, it started as a blog to discuss all things Oscars, but mostly as it related to director Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. In 2016, it has evolved into its own impressive mixture of commentary on the award's history and its various awards. I hope that in that time you the reader have not only come to better understand the Oscars, but get a better understanding of me as a cinephile. So, how do you celebrate four years? It only seems right to go with the crowning achievement: The E.G.O.T.. For those who don't know, this is specifically for artists who have won awards in the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony fields: all of which are considered the heights of their fields. I am going to rank my 10 favorite winners, who for the sake of posterity I will only judge based on their Oscar wins and not their subsequent nominations. Thanks again for reading, and as they say in politics, here's to "Four more years! Four more years!"

Review: "Sully" Loses Momentum When it Leaves the Plane

Scene from Sully

Director Clint Eastwood has been known for making miserable films for quite some time. He has won two Best Picture awards for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby: both of which resonate around death. Even his highly controversial American Sniper takes a solemn look at P.T.S.D. while suggesting the addiction that war brings. This is why it seems almost bizarre that he would choose to tackle something like Sully: a film where nobody dies, and the ending can be described as happy. It's a tale of America overcoming a major conflict, starring Tom Hanks in a role that he could play in his sleep: the stern yet emotionally wrought Sully Sullenberger. While the film centers around the "Miracle on the Hudson" incident from 2009, it is Eastwood's attempt to make a unifying message of hope in time of crisis. The results, which are thoroughly upbeat, are messy but effective.

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.

Best Song: "Jai Ho" (2008)

Scene from Slumdog Millionaire

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Super Delegates Bonus: George W. Bush in "Fahrenheit 9/11" (2004)

George W. Bush in Fahrenheit 9/11

Welcome to Super Delegates Bonus. As a subsidiary of Super Delegates, the sporadic additional column is meant to explore depictions of politicians on film outside of the conventional methods of the column. This ranges from everything such as political candidates in TV movies and miniseries to real life candidates providing feedback on their pop culture representation. While not as frequent or conventional, the goal is to help provide a vaster look at politics on film as it relates to the modern election year. Join in and have some fun. One can only imagine what will be covered here.

Theory Thursday: "Zero Dark Thirty" is the Best Movie About 9/11

Scene from Zero Dark Thirty

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. 

Best Song: "Falling Slowly" (2007)

Scene from Once

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

The Runner-Ups: Derek Cianfrance in "The Place Beyond the Pines" (2013)

Scene from The Place Beyond the Pines

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 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.

The First Trailer for "Certain Women" Has a Promising All-Star Cast

Kristen Stewart in Certain Women

Among the best female directors currently working is Kelly Reichardt. If you haven't seen her incredible western Meek's Cutoff, please give it a chance. It paints a realistic portrait of the women's experience through the eyes of Michelle Williams and a small group of travelers. In the years since, she has only continued to explore the complicated nature of humanity that also just happens to feature gorgeous cinematography and elaborate, drawn out stories that are ominous. In her latest, Certain Women, she looks to be telling a more contemporary story with a lot of meditative perks tacked on. From the looks of the first trailer, it may end up being one of the year's sleeper hits.

Theory Thursday: Alicia Vikander Didn't Deserve an Oscar for "The Danish Girl"

Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl

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. 

Check Out This Year's Honorary Oscar Winners

Jackie Chan

Every year, there's something just as exciting as the Oscar season itself: the Honorary Oscar winners. While held separately from the actual ceremony, the choice to highlight artists who have made cinema a far more interesting place is itself an event worth checking out. For the Class of 2016, the line-up definitely reflects President Cheryl Boone Isaacs' desire to branch out to have a more diverse representation both in terms of female and nonwhite members. In what is probably the most shocking and exciting name on the list is actor, singer, and stunt performer Jackie Chan - whose impressive career continues to serve as the inspiration for actors who want to make action movies while doing their own stunts. The other names are just as exciting, but Chan's placement on the list definitely reflects a positive change.