A24 A-to-Z: #16. "Laggies" (2014)

Scene from Laggies

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Beasts of No Nation" (2015)

Scene from Beasts of No Nation

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.

Review: "Suburbicon" is Messy and Mean-Spirited Satire With Fleeting Moments of Inspiration

Scene from Suburbicon

When one thinks of the 1950's American suburbs, there's a certain image that comes to mind. It's the land of TV shows like Leave It To Beaver, where conflicts are so pedestrian that one would be forgiven for thinking that baby boomers were wimps. It's an image that has been satirized both loving and mawkishly, and director George Clooney is the latest to throw his name into the ring with a film that not only subverts the suburban mentality, but attempts to explore it through a modern political prism. The film isn't as funny as its Joel and Ethan Coen script (also co-penned by Clooney and frequent partner Grant Heslov) would suggest, but it's one of the year's more interesting messes that attempts to take fake conservatism down a peg with a liberal agenda that is as obvious as it is prescient in 2017. The film is a mess, but at least Clooney keeps it interesting.

Inarritu and Lubezki Win First Special Oscar Since 1995

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

While many are still trying to predict who is going to even be nominated at next year's ceremony, The Academy has already given out one award. No, it isn't a mistake on par with the infamous La La Land Best Picture win. It's for real. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki will be receiving a Special Oscar win at the upcoming Governors Ball for their work on the virtual reality project CARNE y ARENA. How much of a big deal is this award? Well, Inarritu and Lubezki are the first Special Oscar winners in 22 years. It's a pretty big deal for the team behind Birdman and The Revenant, and their latest venture into virtual reality has paid off nicely.

Theory Thursday: "The Ides of March" is George Clooney's Best Movie

Scene from The Ides of March

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. 

Birthday Take: Ang Lee in "Life of Pi" (2012)

Scene from Life of Pi

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 First "Phantom Thread" Trailer Starts an Elegant Swan Song for Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day Lewis in Phantom Thread

It's the partnership that cinephiles have been clamoring for over the past 10 years. In 2007, director Paul Thomas Anderson teamed with acclaimed actor Daniel Day-Lewis for arguably one of the 21st century's greatest achievements: There Will Be Blood. In the time since, Lewis has become the first actor to receive three Best Actor statues, and has announced his next pairing with Anderson would be his swan song. Phantom Thread would be the most anticipated movie of 2017 even without the departure of a cinematic icon. With the first trailer, everyone looks to be in top form with Anderson doing a largely more refined movie than he has in the past, though not without its idiosyncrasies. It looks like an elegant period drama that won't just get Lewis a potential and largely unbeatable fourth Oscar, but may finally get Anderson back into the Best Picture race for the first time in a decade. If the trailer has anything to say about it, the chances are very good.

Composing Greatness: #22. John Williams - "The Witches of Eastwick" (1987)

Scene from The Witches of Eastwick

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.

A24 A-to-Z: #15. "Revenge of the Green Dragons" (2014)

Scene from Revenge of the Green Dragons

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

The "I, Tonya" Captures a Notorious Moment in Olympics History with Cattiness

Scene from I, Tonya

The presence of sports figures in everyday life are inevitable. There are a few that stand out as being excellent at their craft, turning it into a physical art form. However, there are those few who are remembered for the opposite reasons. Journeyman director Craig Gillespie has made a movie called I, Tonya, which chronicles the infamous career of Tonya Harding and the one event that made her a staple in Olympics history. The first teaser shows just how trashy and petty a movie about Harding should be. It doesn't give much, but it does have a ferocity that captures a potential Best Actress nominee in Margot Robbie. If nothing else, she sure looks the part.

Harvey Weinstein Now Removed From Oscars Membership

Harvey Weinstein

In case you haven't been paying attention, the era of Harvey Weinstein is over. Following an immediate removal from The Weinstein Company, the producer has been faced with dozens of allegations that symbolize decades of ugly patriarchy being abused in gross manners. I will not go into detail here, as that isn't the intent of this blog. However, I still believe that this is fair punishment for a man who abused his power in inappropriate ways, even sacrificing many actresses' careers because they didn't comply to his scuzzy behavior. While all of this is disgusting, there has been one fair punishment, which was announced last Saturday by The Academy: Weinstein is no longer a voting member.

Composing Greatness: #21. John Williams - "Empire of the Sun" (1987)

Scene from Empire of the Sun

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.

Review: "The Meyerowitz Stories" is a Great Family Drama That Finds Humanity in Humor

Scene from The Meyerowitz Stories

In 2005, director Noah Baumbach received critical acclaim for his dysfunctional family drama The Squid and the Whale. While he has continued to evolve as an artist, there's something painful in the drama's nuance. It's human and real in ways that only cinema can capture. After 12 years and several fascinating character studies, Baumbach returns to the family drama with Netflix's The Meyerowitz Stories, which pits Jewish comedians in a story that is funny and uncomfortable in the best ways possible. What follows is a film that captures the complicated relationship of a family torn apart by egos and neuroses. The film creates an authentic experience that will remind audiences of their own complicated and personal relationship to their parents and siblings. It may not be his best film since The Squid and the Whale, but it's proof that he still knows how to do ensemble films.

Review: "Blade Runner 2049" is a Good Thinking Man's Sci-Fi Epic

Scene from Blade Runner 2049

The impact of 1982's Blade Runner is hard to ignore on modern sci-fi. Despite being a box office disappointment at the time, the film set a precedent for how cinema created neo-noir and explored the idea of artificial intelligence. In an era dominated by reboot culture, it only makes sense that they would try to remake the film. Even with current high concept auteur Denis Villeneuve it seems like a thankless job, and one that has an incredible legacy to live up to Blade Runner 2049 is a film that succeeds not by rehashing what we know, but expanding upon the ideology of this universe, set 30 years after the Ridley Scott film. The film may lack an immediacy that the original has, but its status as an intellectual sci-fi epic is an incredible feat unto itself. Even if the film isn't the greatest sci-fi film of the year, it's still evidence of what cinema could achieve if it's bold enough to go there.

A24 A-to-Z: #14. "Son of a Gun" (2014)

Scene from Son of a Gun

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

Harvey Weinstein is Let Go From The Weinstein Company

Harvey Weinstein

This past weekend marked a major change in Hollywood. Producer Harvey Weinstein left his group The Weinstein company following a New York Times article accusing him of sexually assaulting several women. Considering his impact on how Oscar campaigns have been ran in the past 30 years, it comes as both a shock and no surprise depending on who you ask. His bullish nature (well documented on my Failed Oscar Campaigns column) would suggest that he had a few other unfavorable tendencies. Now that others are coming forward and forcing Hollywood to take sides, the defamed producer has brought out a worthwhile conversation about the meaning of power and what it means to abuse it.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013)

Scene from Dallas Buyers Club

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.

The First "Roman J. Israel, Esq." Trailer is an Enema of Sunshine

Denzel Washington

There are few actors with a towering and intimidating excellence as that of Denzel Washington. Over his career, he has turned in so many charismatic performances that it's almost too easy to attach Oscar buzz to any of his latest projects. In the case of director Dan Gilroy's Roman J. Israel, Esq., he looks to be pulling one of his most elaborate roles in years by donning an afro, glasses, and a lot of weight. Is it more than stunt casting? Well, the first trailer for the film would suggest that it's actually going to be a pretty entertaining trip to the movies. If nothing else, it's further proof that Washington can sell anything, and this is definitely a very strong start to a late entry in the Oscar race.

Theory Thursday: In Defense of Ryan Gosling

Scene from Blade Runner 2049

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 First "Wonder Wheel" Trailer Takes Woody Allen for a Beautiful, Magical Spin on Coney Island

Scene from Wonder Wheel

It seems like no year is complete without a new film from Woody Allen. Last year marked the first since the early 90's to feature two (Cafe Society and the "limited series" Crisis In Six Scenes). Still, it's been awhile since he's released an out and out hit. With Wonder Wheel, he looks to be making a return to the awards race with a film that potentially puts Kate Winslet into the Best Actress race. Based on the first trailer, it looks like the odds are more than in her favor. It also helps that this is also one of his best looking movies in years and one of the most promising since Blue Jasmine, which was his last movie to receive Oscar consideration. All things are looking up in the first trailer, which looks to at least be his most upbeat and accessible movie in awhile.

Composing Greatness: #20. John Williams - "The River" (1984)

Scene from The River

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.