R.I.P. John Singleton (1968-2019)

John Singleton

On April 28, 2019, director and producer John Singleton passed away at the age of 51 in Los Angeles, California. As a resident of Los Angeles for most of his life, his films reflected the interests of urban cultures and lead to many iconic films such as Poetic Justice and Higher Learning. Among his greatest achievements was his work on his directorial debut Boyz n the Hood, which saw him at 24 earn a Best Director Oscar nomination. This helped to make him the youngest person nominated for the category as well as the first African American nominated in the category. He leaves behind an inspiring body of work, if just because of his passion for promoting black stories and creating a society that welcomes sharing authentic stories regardless of what the studios think. His ability to form a lasting career is itself an incredible achievement and makes him a unique talent within the industry. He leaves behind a massive body of work that is inimitable and influential front to back.

Review: "Avengers: Endgame" Gives the Long Goodbye in Beautiful, Messy Ways

Scene from Avengers: Endgame

If the marketing is to be believed, the impact of Avengers: Endgame is a once in a generation achievement. Over the course of 22 movies, Marvel has built a cinematic universe that has come to redefine modern pop culture and turned such esoteric properties as Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel into major icons. It's also the stick in the mud that isn't going anywhere, which can be tiresome for those not willing to put up with its three movies-a-year regiments. In fact, there's another film a few months away (Spider-Man: Far From Home) that zaps the film of certain suspense. With Disney+ also promising a half-dozen shows of various B-Level characters, what is there really to get out of Endgame that warrants it of the major acclaim and billion dollar-opening weekend?

In one sense, Endgame isn't the long goodbye that audiences are promised. Avengers: Infinity War wasn't a moment that killed off half of the cast. How could it? Black Panther was a cultural milestone in the entire superhero genre. To kill off such beloved characters (in a more cynical sense: cash cows) feel foolish. It will take years, maybe even decades (or a century) for these characters to lose their appeal. The weight of supervillain Thanos rings hollow in that way, as audiences are used to these characters surviving impossible feats. While it's true that this isn't a goodbye for 80% of characters that appear in Endgame, those that meet their end do so with the bravura that only a franchise that's existed for 11 years could achieve. Not since Harry Potter has something so weird and genre-specific culminated in something of a miracle. For the 20% that are now in the past, this film serves as a loving tribute not only to what The Avengers means as a franchise but the sacrifices that come with being a superhero.

Review: "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" Has A Few Moments of Brilliance Worthy of Its Subject

Jonathan Pryce

For director Terry Gilliam, the film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has long been a quixotic task that there was a documentary made about its failure... in 2002. The film's mythic failure to ever be made properly makes the final product feel all the more like a miracle. After several false starts and financial conflicts, the film finally hit the big screen last year with a premiere at Cannes and a slow rollout internationally. While it was made, the thought of seeing it publicly was put into question due to Gilliam's bad luck. In that sense, the film is a success for even landing stateside on V.O.D. platforms. Thankfully, it's mostly an entertaining romp that pays homage to one of literature's greatest "heroes." Oddly enough, it also pays tribute to Gilliam's tendency for self-indulgence in both good and bad ways. It's more than a miracle that it got made, but it feels like another niche release from the kooky auteur.

A Look at The Oscars' New Rules

It has been a while since the fallout of the 91st Academy Awards. With many still mulling over the winners (notably the controversial Best Picture winner Green Book), it's important to look forward to what the future provides. In this case, Academy President John Bailey has released an annual change to the many voting rules for the 92nd Academy Awards. In almost every case, the rule changes are actually fairly exciting and look promising to the bigger picture. Whether it's changing the name of Best Foreign Film to Best International Film, or adding more nominees to Best Hair and Make-Up, the changes at least put the upcoming year on a more optimistic track and will hopefully embody a smoother year for all involved.

Check This Out: "The Hateful Eight" Extended Edition Comes to Netflix (With a Catch!)

There's a lot of reason to have Quentin Tarantino on the brain in 2019. Along with this year marking the 25th anniversary of Pulp Fiction, he is returning to cinemas this summer with the highly anticipated Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. Despite the barrage of reasons to celebrate, there's one that falls on the curious side, especially given that the director isn't often associated with TV miniseries. His Oscar-winning 2016 film The Hateful Eight received a lot of acclaim during its theatrical run and gave the filmmaker one of his longest running times. It's hard to imagine, but there was an even longer Roadshow cut that was hard to see outside of theaters... until Netflix. The only catch is that you'll have to watch it, albeit in a fairly butchered form.

Review: "Under the Silver Lake" is a Flawed Masterpiece

Scene from Under the Silver Lake

The existence of director David Robert Mitchell's follow-up to It Follows has a history just as confounding as the plot. Under the Silver Lake is a film that played at Cannes, and had a winter release planned stateside. It was nothing too out of the ordinary until many criticized the plot into an editing frenzy that only saw it released in Europe (by the time it was on home video, it was still months away from the U.S. release). For a follow-up to a film that is regarded as premiere horror of the decade, Mitchell's post-modernist take on Millennials and neo-noir being dumped on V.O.D. platforms feels both fitting and disappointing. It was always going to be a confounding sell, but what's keeping it from a middling box office that legitimizes its inevitable cult status? The film may be all but gone from the public radar, but hopefully, its second act (its release) is just as true to the film and slowly unwinds into something bigger and crazier. For all of its flaws and wound-up insanity, Under the Silver Lake is one of the most delightful, deranged, hilarious odes to Los Angeles absurdism since Inherent Vice. Its answers may disappoint you, but that's kind of the point. It's a film lacking meaning as it finds it, and that's part of its frustrating charm.

A24 A-to-Z: #64. "Backstabbing for Beginners" (2018)

Scene from Backstabbing for Beginners

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 years to come.

Ranking the Films of Bob Fosse

Scene from All That Jazz

There have been few in the world of Broadway who has matched the massive talent (and ego) of Bob Fosse. While he's best known for reinventing theater, he also left behind an impressive filmography that saw him reinvent both the movie musical and typical drama by adding social commentary that was biting and manic. With the TV series Fosse/Verdon coming tomorrow to highlight his illustrious life, it only feels right to look back on such an odd career. The following is a ranking of his five features (and one live show) that he directed and often choreographed to better fit his vision. There hasn't been a choreographer (or director for that matter) like Fosse, and his work speaks for itself. So get out your jazz hands and dance along.

An Open Letter from The Oscar Buzz

Scene from Marty

Hello, one and all. It's been a while since I last spoke on here. As per usual, I take the month following The Academy Awards ceremony off in order to pursue other projects and think about other things, including what's to come for the next 11 months of coverage. The good news is that I have more of the same planned. While I'll admit that the blog has been whittle down to its core essentials in recent years, it's with all hope that I still cover the important things when I can. So, what do I have in store for the immediate future? You can read on and find out what I'll be doing before the season starts picking up again.