A24 A-to-Z: #20. "Ex Machina" (2015)

Scene from Ex Machina

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.

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.

Theory Thursday: Alicia Vikander Didn't Deserve an Oscar for "The Danish Girl"

Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl

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. 

Here's a Look at the 683 New Members of The Academy

Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies

It has been awhile since we received any significant Oscar-related news. Of course, that is to be expected following the annual ceremony where one season ends and the cooling off period carries into August and September. However, there is some good news regarding new members. According to President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, there are 683 new members who will be joining this upcoming season. It is a record amount and almost double of last year's hefty total. On top of that, Isaacs' plan to overcome the Oscars So White fiasco by having a more diverse group by 2020 is starting to take effect. Read on to discover how exactly that is as well as the name of each and every new member, plus a few credits to help you pick them out of a line-up.

The Top 10 Worst Moments of This Year's Oscars

Sam Smith

While 2016's Oscars ceremony may end up going down as one of the best in recent years, it isn't like it was without any faults. Like most years, you have to take the good with the bad, and this year featured some noteworthy standouts. The following is a rundown of the 10 moments form the ceremony that were a little cringe-worthy and maybe will be the butt of jokes for when people think back on this year's Oscars. Is Sam Smith solely to blame for it, especially after he said that it was the worst night of his life? Not exactly, but his dozens of red flags definitely don't help either. He's just one problem in a series of problems.

The First "The Light Between Oceans" Trailer is a Compelling, Twisted Drama

Scene from The Light Between Oceans

It may seem premature to begin talking about any new Oscar season, especially since we're only days away from this year's ceremony. However, there's a new trailer that's been released for The Light Between Oceans, which is the latest film from director Derek Cianfrance. With stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, it's the latest from this ambitious filmmaker whose past films Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines explored humanity and relationships in new and fascinating ways. With his latest looks to be just as promising, especially with a bizarre premise in which a loving couple find a baby floating in the water.

What "The Danish Girl," Says About the Oscar's Problematic Relationship with LGBT Movies

Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl

Last night, I decided to catch up on the missing links in my Oscar-nominated movies for this year. I decided to tackle director Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl: a film that I inevitably had high hopes for, if just because of what 2015 was symbolically in the LGBT community. Beyond America legalizing gay marriage, it was the time when we had multiple noteworthy trans celebrities, cinema was hitting new strides with Tangerine, and Transparent was continuing its yearlong (and arguably still going) success. Transgender culture is probably more accepted than it ever had been, and The Danish Girl could be the period to the sentence. Of course, that is problematic to say, but what became abundantly clear is that it was actually doing the opposite. Despite its romanticism, The Danish Girl featured stereotypes akin to the gay best friend with flamboyancy and a lisp. While it took some reading to fully understand why, it's generally one of the problems with The Academy's recent crop of nominees.

The First Trailer for "The Danish Girl" is a Compelling Look at the First Transgender Woman

Eddie Redmayne

With the start of September, we officially have crossed the threshold into Oscar Season. While this is the dry month where not a lot happens (Black Mass could still surprise us), it is time to gear up and see the season take shape. There's nothing more apropos to do so than to have the debut of the first trailer for director Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl. In a year where there is going to be a lot of potential candidates from LGBT films (see also: Freeheld and Carol), this is among the front runners thanks to the presence of last year's Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (Best Actor - The Theory of Everything). From what the trailer holds, it's going to be another promising year for the actor and director.

Does "The Fifth Estate" Predict Cumberbatch's Best Actor Nomination?

Left to right: Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Bruhl

Hours after posting my piece on one of my most anticipated movies of the year, 12 Years a Slave, a trailer for director Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate is released. The irony lies in how insistent I was that this would be Benedict Cumberbatch's chance at an Oscar nomination. It doesn't seem that far fetched, considering that this almost seems to be similar to The Social Network in terms of relevancy to the modern era and the reliance on computers. What the trailer delivers is a glimpse into Cumberbatch's take on Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks. Is it a look into potentially one of the most celebrated performances of the year?