Composing Greatness: #45. John Williams - "Lincoln" (2012)

Scene from Lincoln

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.

Super Delegates: Abraham Lincoln in "Lincoln" (2012)

Scene from Lincoln

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.

Super Delegates: Abraham Lincoln in "Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939)

Henry Fonda in Young Mr. Lincoln

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.

A Look at Lincoln at the Academy Awards

Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln

On this day in history, the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln was born. While most presidents come and go without much fanfare, Lincoln continues to remain an iconic and inspiring figure not only in politics, but in pop culture. On what would have been his 206th birthday, it is important to account for his influence to the United States and its growing tolerance. He was even depicted in cinema's first blockbuster The Birth of a Nation a century ago and has only become more prevalent as the Oscars have become the standard for cinema. The following is a list of Oscar nominated, and some winning, films that have depicted the man in some capacity.

"Lincoln" Officially Joins the Oscar Race with Trailer #2

Daniel Day Lewis

*UPDATE: A review has been posted here.

As I reported a few weeks back when the original teaser trailer for director Steven Spielberg's Lincoln premiered, I was convinced that this was going to be a hard sell. The trailer looked almost like a Civil War equivalence of the heart-string tugging War Horse, which has been a sign of Spielberg choosing sentimentality over narration. I expected this to be the case after that trailer made the rounds. However, upon the release of a new trailer, it may be time for reconsideration for every field possible.

Does the First "Lincoln" Trailer Look Like More Than a One Act Show?

Daniel Day-Lewis

Update: A review has been posted here.

On Thursday during a special live chat with director Steven Spielberg and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, they released the first trailer for the new film Lincoln, which details the life of American president Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) as lived a life freeing slaves and bringing peace to a divided country. Many have been looking forward to it, believing that the team-up of blockbuster extraordinaire Spielberg and the mastermind acting of Day-Lewis would bring some inspired results. The results were a little... odd.