Composing Greatness: #13. Thomas Newman - "1917" (2019)

Scene from 1917 (2019)

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.

Ranking the Best Picture Nominees of 2020

Scene from The Irishman (2019)

One of the greatest games to play following every Oscar season is to see every film that's nominated in any given character. None are more fun than Best Picture, which remains the most anticipated category year in and year out, leaving behind a winner that is going to be talked about for decades and (very soon) a century. Now that I have seen every nominee in the class of 2020, I am throwing in my hat to determine which films I love the most and what are some of the weak spots on the list. As a whole, the films picked from 2019 presented another strong class that reflects the best of cinema's diverse potential. Could it be better? Sure, but the nine films here are no slouches.

Composing Greatness: #49. John Williams - "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (2019)

Scene from Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Welcome to a very special edition of Composing Greatness. In this limited series, I will be looking at the five scores nominated for this year's Best Original Score category. To avoid favoritism, the list will be done in alphabetical order of composers and feature the same guidelines as the original series. This is meant to explore the music behind the great films of 2019, and provide insight into what makes each of them special and whether or not they deserved to be nominated at all. Join me all week as I listen to the music, leave some thoughts, and hopefully sway you to check out these wonderful, wonderful scores.

Review: "Harriet" Only Gets So Far With Conventional Story

Scene from Harriet (2019)

There's no biopic that has as much pressure to live up to as director Kasi Lemmons' Harriet. It's likely that those who have been in a history class anytime over the past 100 years will know the achievements of Harriet Tubman, even vaguely. She is a prime figure in the success of The Underground Railroad, and that's just the start to something more exciting and empowering about her story. There's so much ground to cover to the point that it's impossible to fathom why it took until 2019 for Tubman to receive the biopic treatment. Harriet is a film that has to be something for everybody as a result, being neither too salacious for those discovering her story nor too sentimental and false. Where does one possibly go with this material for a first outing? The answer is somewhere safe in the middle, producing a film that is satisfying but lacks any urgency that will revive Tubman's legacy to a new generation.

Review: "Ford V Ferrari" Gears Up for a Good Time

Scene from Ford V Ferrari

In recent years, no film has captured American ingenuity quite like director James Mangold's Ford V Ferrari: a true story of the Ford Motor Company's attempt to beat Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. There is that dream of being the best, the fastest, pushing the boundaries of what's capable, and no film has felt as accomplished as this one. To watch Ken Miles (Christian Bale) take a corner while spouting comical Cockney slang like he's in an episode of Wacky Races is to see filmmaking at its most confident. The film almost doesn't need an audience's approval. The editing, sound design, and floating camera angles serve as an incredible feat of style as smooth as the car's paint job. If this isn't the best film in decades about why people get behind the wheel, then it still serves as a drama about the human spirit's desire to compete. No feeling can match the joy of its third act, and thankfully it all zooms along like a finely oiled machine.

Composing Greatness: #2. Oscars 2020 Edition - "Little Women"

Scene from Little Women (2019)

Welcome to a very special edition of Composing Greatness. In this limited series, I will be looking at the five scores nominated for this year's Best Original Score category. To avoid favoritism, the list will be done in alphabetical order of composers and feature the same guidelines as the original series. This is meant to explore the music behind the great films of 2019, and provide insight into what makes each of them special and whether or not they deserved to be nominated at all. Join me all week as I listen to the music, leave some thoughts, and hopefully sway you to check out these wonderful, wonderful scores.

Composing Greatness: #1. Oscars 2020 Edition - "Marriage Story"

Scene from Marriage Story (2019)

Welcome to a very special edition of Composing Greatness. In this limited series, I will be looking at the five scores nominated for this year's Best Original Score category. To avoid favoritism, the list will be done in alphabetical order of composers and feature the same guidelines as the original series. This is meant to explore the music behind the great films of 2019, and provide insight into what makes each of them special and whether or not they deserved to be nominated at all. Join me all week as I listen to the music, leave some thoughts, and hopefully sway you to check out these wonderful, wonderful scores.

Having Dominated the Annie Awards, Can Netflix Win Best Animated Film?

Scene from I Lost My Body

In a year that many are arguing is among the most predictable Oscar nominations in history, there is one field that seems ripe with interesting contradictions. The Best Animated Film category felt like it was set in stone since before the year was over. Disney was scheduled to dominate with two of the biggest films of the year: Toy Story 4 and Frozen II, both sequels to films that won the category previously. However, things began to unravel from there. Frozen II missed the cut entirely. In fact, the studio with a dual nomination was the one that was least expected: Netflix. With I Lost My Body and Klaus, the studio pulled one of the biggest upsets of the year. But, what if this is only the beginning? What if Netflix is on track to beat the major studios in the CGI landscape?

While there's still plenty to argue against this, the news just keeps looking worse and worse for Disney and Pixar. At the Annie Awards, Netflix won 19 awards including Best Feature for Klaus and Best Independent Feature for I Lost My Body. This isn't to say that Netflix has the upper-hand, but it's looking like this may be one of the most surprising upsets in recent years. What lies ahead at an Oscars where Pixar is already being undermined at other awards ceremonies by its competition? One has to wonder what lies ahead if either Netflix film stands a decent chance of beating the big boys. Even if it's a longshot, it feels like a good time to think that things are changing in the Best Animated Film category, maybe for the better.

R.I.P. Kobe Bryant (1978-2020)

Kobe Bryant

On January 26, 2020, NBA champion Kobe Bryant passed away at the age of 41 in Calabasas, California in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna and seven other passengers. Over the course of his career, he became the all-time scorer for The Lakers over the course of 20 years.  He is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history with five championships and has become ubiquitous with excellence as an athlete. With a poem detailing his retirement called "Dear Basketball," he became a rare sports start to also win an Oscar, proving that he was capable of doing anything. What he leaves behind is a seismic shift in how everyone not only sees the sport but how athletes from every generation since sees the game. He was a legend in his own time, and his work more than speaks for itself. 

Composing Greatness: #17. The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "Black Panther" (2018)

Scene from Black Panther (2018)

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.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Doctor Dolittle" (1967)

Scene from Doctor Dolittle (1968)

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: "Pain and Glory" Finds Creative Freedom in Vulnerability

Scene from Pain and Glory

Over the course of a career, the best of artists will have expressed themselves on levels so personal that it's hard to think that there's anything left to cover. For Pedro Almodovar's Pain and Gain, the struggles of Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas) feel like they've only readjusted themselves following a career of international acclaim. Are his best days behind him, or is he bound to turn his latest project into the next big masterpiece? Following the reappraisal of a 30-year-old film, Salvador has a chance to look back on his life, especially in relation to his collaborators and youth, going on a mission to find where meaning comes from at a time when he's worn, his body falling apart on him as he does everything to maintain his vibrancy. As far as dramas looking back on a life well-lived, Almodovar has made one of the most beautiful and touching tales, finding the intricate balance between inspiration and human flaw. By the end, truth and reality have mixed so ambiguously that one has to wonder if life imitates art, or if art gives reason to live. Maybe it's both and we just don't realize it.

A24 A-to-Z: #76. "Outlaws" (2019)

Scene from Outlaws

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.

Legitimate Theater: Doctor Dolittle (1998)

Welcome to Legitimate Theater: a column dedicated to movie-based stage musicals. The goal of this series is to explore those stories that originated in films and eventually worked their way onto Broadway and beyond. By the end of each entry, there will hopefully be a better understanding of this odd but rampant trend in modern entertainment. Are these stories really worth telling through song and dance? How can it even compare to the technical prowess of a camera and seamless editing? Join me on this quest as I explore the highs and lows of this trend on the third Wednesday of every month and hopefully answer what makes this Legitimate Theater.

Review: "Richard Jewell" Finds Humanity in a Cynical World

Scene from Richard Jewell

In a career full of depicting everyday heroes, director Clint Eastwood has never found one as every day as Richard Jewell. In the past decade, his heroes have been F.B.I. agents (J. Edgar), airplane pilots (Sully), soldiers (American Sniper) and even elderly drug mules (The Mule). There's plenty that makes it an exciting cinema but by no means a perfect reflection of the type of people who come to Eastwood movies, looking for justice to prevail in an unjust society. In the case of Richard Jewell, a man obsessed with becoming a police officer and follows the code to an egregiously formal display, he has someone who isn't photogenic nor has a charisma to handle the press that is thrust his way following one incident of selfless heroism. For Eastwood's latest, he has gone beyond the extraordinary and is now captivated by the ordinary. What makes the world turn on Jewell? It's a heartbreaking story and one that finds the director creating a narrative against the media in an attempt to find where society's cynicism comes from. It's safe to say that even with Eastwood quickly approaching 90, he still has the chops to entertain with a sharp commentary that stings with relevance.

Why I Think "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" Will Win Best Picture

Scene from Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Last Monday, the Oscar nominations were announced and cut the competition in half for all of the major categories. Now it's down to the wire with only a few weeks until The Academy Awards answer all of the questions that movie fans have been clamoring for: what will win Best Picture, Best Actor, etc. It's the territory that comes with every year, and this one is no slouch, presenting a variety of front-runners that are undeniable charmers. If one was to follow conventional awards rules, 1917 would be the front-runner, followed closely by Parasite (one of few films to win the Screen Actors Guild Award's prize for Best Ensemble without another acting nomination). However, there is one that's lingering just under the surface, and one that makes a lot of sense if one was to apply Oscar trends on it.

Director Quentin Tarantino's proposed penultimate film Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is a film that has become forgotten in recent weeks of awards season. With exception to Brad Pitt winning Best Supporting Actor, it hasn't exactly had any consistency since winning Best Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes. Even then, one has to merely look at the campaign to see how brilliant their approach to a Best Picture win is. It wasn't just the decision to release the film in the dumping grounds of August, almost 50 years to the date of Sharon Tate's untimely death. It was everything around it, which has only proven it to have a longevity that half of the nominees have yet to prove (save for maybe Parasite, now in its fourth month of theatrical release). Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood isn't just one of Tarantino's most accessible films, it's arguably the one that appeals to Academy biases the most. In a time where the old clash with the new class of voters, few films feel as connecting (both in appeal and themes) quite like Tarantino's film. 

Composing Greatness: #16. The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "If Beale Street Could Talk" (2018)

Scene from If Beale Street Could Talk

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.

A Look at Academy Award Nominations That Make Me Happy

Scene from Little Women (2019)

With the recent announcement of The Academy Award nominations, many have already taken to the internet to give criticism for what they have done wrong. Oh, Jennifer Lopez didn't get a nomination for Hustlers, or Greta Gerwig missed Best Director for Little Women. They're all fair criticisms that help prove why the Oscars have remained such an important part of film discourse. However, there is something else to highlight from these crop of nominees: the positive. Yes, for as much as they "got wrong," The Academy got a lot right and introduced a variety of things to be excited about. The following is a quick rundown of nominees that personally make me happy, or come as a pleasant surprise. While there's more that I liked, these are the pleasant surprises that make the season all the more worth supporting year after year.

Looking Back at Predictions: How Did I Do?

Scene from Parasite (2019)

On Monday, The Academy announced its nominees for this year's ceremony. There's a lot to be excited about on the list, including Parasite becoming the first Korean movie to be nominated... well, ever. Having had time to mull over all of the nominees, there is one thing that is fun to do: look back on predictions and see just how accurate things turned out. After all, they were the last moment to shape what should be nominated before finding out what ended up making the cut. The following is a rundown of six categories that I predicted along with how well things turned out. To say the least, it always produces interesting results. 

Review: "1917" Explodes with Brilliant Ingenuity

Scene from 1917 (2019)

Over the past 100 years, there hasn't been a filmmaker that understood the immersive, claustrophobic experience of being placed into trench warfare quite like director Sam Mendes. Audiences have likely spent hours inside these narrow rows of safety, but not quite like 1917. A masterclass in the film could be taught in the first 10 minutes of this film, showing the navigation of two soldiers through these endless, winding passages as they pass around soldiers on their way to combat. What starts at ground level slowly drops the audience further into the trenches until all peripherals are surrounded by soldiers and dirt. Even with this, there is a sense of geography that could be followed. It's a story through action, and one that slowly unveils details in casual asides, presenting a vision of World War I that is sparing in the conventional plot in favor of an immersive experience.

Part of that immersive experience is owed to Mendes' desire to shoot the entire film in the gimmicky long take. The audience is a third party to Lance Corporals Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George Mackay), experiencing the same winding paths that they do as they deliver a message from base to a distant party, walking through no man's land and various other obstacles in a quest to prevent further war. It's one thing if that was the story, but Mendes insists on presenting constant obstacles on some of the most breathtaking set designs of the century, once again slowly placing the viewer into a world so large that they too will become exhausted by the time that Blake and Schofield have walked miles through an eerie quietness, still fearing the gunfire of enemy soldiers. It's easily among the best WWI movies in that it recreates the harrowing experience better than any comparable film, and it does so with a visual accomplishment that's even more of a bragging right. For what 1917 lacks in great storytelling, it makes up for in overall scale and atmosphere. 

Review: "Judy" Finds Pain in a Charismatic Performance

Scene from Judy (2019)

There's an old adage in show business: the show MUST go on. No matter what's happening around you, if you're feeling the least bit timid, a performer puts on a show and entertains the crowd who paid handsomely to see them. That is the familiar crux of director Rupert Goold's biopic Judy, which pits one of Hollywood's most famous and tragic careers into a sympathetic lens, trying to understand what kept her going. With drug addiction and family problems spiraling out of control like her wrecked hotel suite, the story finds her backstage in London, doing everything in her power to keep going on. For as much as this follows conventional paths of a music biopic, there's something to be said for Renee Zellwegger's brittle performance as Judy Garland, whose tearful demeanor makes the many musical numbers more triumphant and saves this. For as much as it leans too heavily on conventions, one can't deny that Garland was a performer until the end, leaving the audience wanting even more when she herself had nothing left to give. It's the tragedy of art, but also the reality of Hollywood's gross past when it came to how it treated its female talent. 

Review: "Bombshell" Lands With a Dud

Scene from Bombshell (2019)

With a better director (nay, a better script), Bombshell would've been a film brimming with such an urgency, defining the current Me Too Movement with its cross-section of topics ranging from journalism to presidencies to sexual harassment. The story of Fox News anchors bringing their boss to task for his bad behavior should be something that strikes a chord with viewers so much that they leave the theater vindicated that the bad guy got his due. Instead, it's an impersonal slog of a movie and one that lacks any urgency at all. What is found here is director Jay Roach's attempt at mattering by telling the story in the most boring, clinical way possible while still missing the point. It isn't about how well you know the story, but what it means to the people most being impacted by it. In some ways, it's the perfect embodiment of trend-hopping filmmaking that quickly exposes who hasn't seen it. Those who haven't will think it's important for what it's about, those who see it know better. It should be important, but alas... it's just desperate. 

The 2020 Oscar Nominations Are Officially Here!

Ladies and gentlemen, at long last the day has arrived. The Academy gathered together to announce the nominees for this year's ceremony. Among the highlights is that comic book movie Joker lead the pack with 11 nominations, and Parasite became the first South Korean film to be nominated, period. Across the board, there are nonstop things to celebrate and get excited for. Now there's only one question to go: who will win it all? While nobody has the answers for that yet, there are several nominations to get excited about. Read on to discover what made the list and come back in the weeks to come to discuss news and reviews about all of the nominees.

A Quick Rundown of Where to Watch the Oscar Nominations

At long last, tomorrow (Monday, January, 12) will bring to an end the prognostication of the one question awards fans can't help but ask: who will be nominated for Oscars? Well, tomorrow morning the question will be answered. If you wish to watch the broadcast live, you can join in on Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook as Issa Rae and John Cho present this year's nominees. You may also watch via your local news programs. They are currently scheduled to take place at 5:18 AM PST (check your local listings for more information) and will be presented in two halves, all culminating in the Best Picture category. So get ready for a fun morning and plenty of coverage to follow, for it's a day that we're all looking forward to. 

Last-Minute Predictions for This Year's Oscar Nominations

Scene from Joker (2019)

The big moment is here! After a year of prognosticating, this year's Oscar nominations will be upon us and put to rest a lot of complicated questions. Which actors will make the cut? Will this be one of the best years for Best Picture ever? How big does Parasite or Joker show up? So many questions will finally be resolved, leaving only the biggest one (who wins?) to be resolved. With time ticking away until this moment comes, it feels like a good time to announce my predictions for what will get nominated this year. Like every time, it's difficult to narrow it down, but if half of these end up on the list, then we should be happy.

R.I.P. Buck Henry (1930-2020)

Buck Henry

On January 8, 2020, comedian and writer Buck Henry passed away at the age of 89 in Los Angeles, California. With over 50 years of experience, he created an incredible career featuring two Oscar nominations for the films The Graduate and Heaven Can Wait. Along with his work on the film, he became known for what he did on TV as the co-creator of Get Smart as well as frequent appearances on Saturday Night Live. As an entertainer, he was capable of finding deeper insight into even the most absurd of scenarios, managing to create a complex and sympathetic view of the world that made it a more interesting place. What he leaves behind is one of the most charismatic, entertaining resumes that an artist can give. He will be missed. 

Composing Greatness: #15. The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "BlacKkKlansman" (2017)

Scene from BlacKkKlansman

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.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Dunkirk" (2017)

Scene from Dunkirk (2017)

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.

There Will Be No Host for The Academy Awards in 2020

For what it's worth, this Oscar season has presented far less controversy than it did last year. By this point, a variety of things felt set to derail the ceremony entirely from problematic movies (Bohemian Rhapsody) to Kevin Hart dropping out of hosting. With that said, it looks like one thing went right. After having a stellar year in 2019, The Academy has decided to continue the trend of hosting the ceremony without any host. Yes, it looks like the days of hosts are gone, at least for Hollywood's favorite award. That can only mean that there's more room for excitement and spontaneity to make up for it. 

Composing Greatness: #14. The Freshman Class of the 2010's - "Phantom Thread" (2017)

Scene from Phantom Thread

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.