Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Vice" (2018)

Scene from Vice (2018)

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: "Vice" Sets Its Sights a Little Too High

Christian Bale in Vice

The latest film from director Adam McKay couldn't have better timing if it tried. With 2018 coming to a close amid a government shutdown and lots of in-fighting, the chance to reflect on what we expect from the people in charge has never been more of a prominent subject. It's why Vice feels like it should be a bigger deal, where the most notorious vice president in 21st century American history is finally scrutinized in a text that fossilizes him as the awful human he was. It's the part of McKay's experimental film making that succeeds, throwing the audience into a story that will boil the blood of anyone who currently lives in the America that Dick Cheney helped to mold over 50 years. However, McKay is maybe a bit too obsessed with the style to ever make one element shine above the rest. The film is a mess that often reaches blips of greatness, and overall it's a missed opportunity to create something singular and definitive of not only Cheney's life, but of the 2018 the film was born into.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "The Big Short" (2015)

Scene from The Big Short

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 "Vice" Trailer Finds Christian Bale Immersed in Another Oscar Campaign

Christian Bale in Vice

It continues to seem ridiculous, almost as much so as one of his broad comedies of yesteryear, but director Adam McKay has become an Oscar darling. With most of the Oscar season seemingly laid out with heavyweights, people have been holding out for his Dick Cheney film now called Vice. Considering how little presence it has had at film festivals, it's amazing to think of how anticipated the first trailer has been for months now. Well, it is here and from the looks of it, this is another Christian Bale performance primed for Oscar consideration. He looks immersed in the role to an impeccable degree, and the supporting cast doesn't look too bad either - filled with Oscar-nominees and winners who round out a cast of characters from one of the 21st century's most notorious American presidencies. To say the least, Vice looks like McKay is once again going to enjoy a cozy seat at the awards table.

Jack Nicholson Will Return to Acting with "Toni Erdmann" Remake

Jack Nicholson

Among the many world cinema movies making the rounds this awards season is director Maren Ade's Toni Erdmann. It's a story that follows a father trying to befriend his hard working daughter. It's a film so beloved that it not only made many critics Best of 2016 lists, but will be competing for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Even then, there's been talk beyond this of the film getting a much maligned Americanized remake. While this news still feels premature, there is one piece of good news to come from this story. After seven years off of the scene, three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson will officially be returning to acting for the film. It's the type of news that should be met with overwhelming excitement, and will hopefully show why Nicholson is one of the all time greats.

Review: "The Big Short" Makes Economics Sound Easy, But That's It

Ryan Gosling

In 2010, director Adam McKay received a lot of attention for his film The Other Guys. While the film itself was a comedy familiar to his style, the closing credits held some staggering information. As the credits rolled, it was accompanied by images of how a Ponzi Scheme worked. In a sense, McKay was trying to make something accessible to viewers who are more likely to watch Will Ferrell movies than read the daily stock trade. Five years later, he returns to the world of economics with The Big Short: a film with a big cast and an even bigger goal - to show the housing market collapse in an accessible way. Incorporating pop art techniques, McKay has done a noble job in at least making one of the flashiest films of the year. However, it's up to the viewer whether or not the stylized power point will make a difference.