Review: "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" is Another Rib-Tickler from a Comedy Master

Scene from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

With the release of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Sacha Baron Cohen proves something quite impressive: he is ageless. It has been 14 years since he first brought the character to the big screen and revolutionized comedy with his blend of interrogative fiction. It was unlike anything else, and even revisiting it all of these years later reflects a fascinating yet damning exploration of the Mid-2000s, when War on Terrorism paranoia was at its highest and everyone, no matter how innocent, couldn't escape some memorable reaction to his wild behavior, revealing small ways that America has certain biases that they may be too ashamed to admit.

Cut to 2020, and one thing feels true. Even if Borat hasn't changed, everyone else has. We're living in a time where the question of fact and fiction are more confusing than ever. The Coronavirus has divided the nation, and the idea of prank videos have only gotten worse since the rise of YouTube and various other platforms. The world is catching up, and it raises a certain question about this abrupt sequel: is there a reason for Cohen to pull his most beloved character out of storage, doing his best to tear apart our reality to understand a truth that nobody agrees on? The results are mixed as a result, though what makes this outing worth checking out is the fictional story underneath, a heartwarming yet perverted father/daughter story that comes to symbolize America's own views on feminism. It's not that Borat has grown irrelevant. It's just that, like most of us, his personal fantasy is more compelling than reality. 

The Academy Awards to Allow Streaming Movies for First (and Possibly Only) Time

If you've been wondering why The Oscar Buzz has been largely quiet in the past month, it's because I'm sure as to how to open operations back up. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a lot of uncertainty, and I don't know if I have enough content to return to publishing stuff on here full time. However, there is some news that has finally arrived, suggesting that this year's Academy Awards aren't hopeless just yet. With theaters closed, one had to wonder what would happen next. Would we just be giving all of the statues to The Invisible Man and Birds of Prey? That seems ridiculous. Here's some good news, though. The first big update since the Academy Awards ceremony has dropped, and there's plenty to look forward to this season. It may not be the same, but it will definitely be an interesting one for the record books.

Review: "The Aeronauts" is a Balloon Ride Worth Taking

Scene from The Aeronauts

Think back for a moment and try to answer this question: when has there been a nonfiction movie about a scientist that was... exciting? While the revelations that one finds through meticulous research can lead to world-changing events, nobody could mistake the story of, say, Marie Curie or Peter Higgs as a film on par with Tom Cruise's latest action flick. Then again, that's where director Tom Harper dares to dream. The Aeronauts is a mixed bag in terms of authenticity, but what he does with a hot air balloon feels revolutionary, presenting a perspective on cinema that hasn't been covered before. Imagine a Jules Verne story brought to life, full of wondrous discoveries and peril from inside the claustrophobic space of a basket. For as much as the film has issues getting things off the ground, it still delivers the goods when it gets there and elevates this goofy premise into one of the best surprises of 2019. It's a biopic worthy of its action beats, and it will have those willing to embrace is tone in a constant state of awe.

Review: "The Report" Does a Decent Job of Telling Harsh Truths

Scene from The Report (2019)

It's Fall 2019, and writer/director Scott Z. Burns is concerned about America's well-being. Two months after collaborating with Stephen Soderbergh on the Panama Papers drama The Laundromat, he takes to something even more pressing and controversial. The Report finds Adam Driver starring as Senator staffer Daniel Jones as he discovers some dark secrets in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks. Apparently, the War on Terror isn't off to the friendliest of starts with suspects being waterboarded, tortured, and placed in confined spaces while soldiers blare Marilyn Manson tracks. Jones is one of the few in Washington D.C. with a conscience to stand up against the system, and it's here that the procedural begins to take form. The results are engrossing yet uncomfortable, managing to reflect a taboo subject with such visceral force that it's equal parts shocking and too much. 

“The Aeronauts” Goes Up Up and Away in a Beautiful Trailer

Scene from The Aeronauts

With dozens of trailers seemingly dropping by the day, it becomes difficult to keep track of them all. Still, between Netflix and Amazon Studios alone, the calendar is already full of promising new titles that promise to make the season more exciting. Then again, Amazon may have saved the best for last with director Tom Harper’s The Aeronauts, which is a look at the history of hot air balloons starring two Oscar-nominated performers teaming up for the first time since The Theory of Everything. While that alone is rather exciting, the popping imagery only adds to the curiosity of what this true story has in store. More importantly, can a movie with scenes this wild stand a chance at the Oscars?

"The Report" Trailer Classifies Adam Driver as an Oscar Front-Runner

Scene from The Report (2019)

Things are starting to heat up for Adam Driver. Two days ago, he appeared in the trailer for Netflix's Marriage Story. Today he makes his appearance in one of Amazon Studios' biggest pushes for Oscar glory with The Report. Considering that he's coming off of an Oscar nomination for BlacKkKlansman, he may be looking at something unprecedented: a possible double nomination. Both of his Fall 2019 performances promise to be big pushes this season, and The Report's early buzz has argued that it's among his finest work. With the drama being a post-9/11 look at national security, it's going to be a buzzy topic and one that could electrify conversation. Thankfully the trailer already looks to have done all but solidify him as a force to be reckoned with this season.

Netflix, FilmStruck, and Streaming Services' Problems with Film History

Scene from The Other Side of the Wind

For a lot of cinephiles, today is a very special occasion. Today is the day in which the long awaited Orson Welles film The Other Side of the Wind finally meets the light of day. Thanks to a lot of meticulous effort and the powers at Netflix, the film is currently available to stream online, including an additional documentary on the assembling of this perceptively lost film. With all of this said, there's a certain irony in the film being released by Netflix of all streaming services within the same month of the demise of FilmStruck. The Other Side of the Wind, at least aesthetically, is more suited to the classic and foreign cinema service that will be going belly-up on November 29, which will see a lot of Welles' other titles disappear. While this isn't exactly Netflix's fault, it may as well be because for those looking for great cinema in the vein of Welles, there's a good chance that it won't be there for much longer. 

"Beautiful Boy" Opens With Amazon Studios' Best Per-Screen Average to Date

Scene from Beautiful Boy

What has been exciting about the month of October so far has been the fact of how well it has ushered in Oscar season more directly. There was of course the phenomenon that greeted A Star is Born. Even First Man was met with a lot of favorable reviews, asking audiences to please see it in IMAX. However, the indie releases are starting to shape up with some promising numbers. After all, this is where most of the contenders come from, such as 2016's Best Picture winner Moonlight. It's in the limited release numbers that films tend to prove their merit, and director Felix Van Groeningen's Beautiful Boy has more than done a decent job of proving that it was more than a film festival hit. With this past weekend's opening in four theaters, it has officially become Amazon Studios' highest grossing per-screen average to date. Are Oscars not too far behind?

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Wonder Wheel" (2017)

Scene from Wonder Wheel

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 "Wonder Wheel" Trailer Takes Woody Allen for a Beautiful, Magical Spin on Coney Island

Scene from Wonder Wheel

It seems like no year is complete without a new film from Woody Allen. Last year marked the first since the early 90's to feature two (Cafe Society and the "limited series" Crisis In Six Scenes). Still, it's been awhile since he's released an out and out hit. With Wonder Wheel, he looks to be making a return to the awards race with a film that potentially puts Kate Winslet into the Best Actress race. Based on the first trailer, it looks like the odds are more than in her favor. It also helps that this is also one of his best looking movies in years and one of the most promising since Blue Jasmine, which was his last movie to receive Oscar consideration. All things are looking up in the first trailer, which looks to at least be his most upbeat and accessible movie in awhile.

The First "Neon Demon" Trailer is a Beautiful, Bloody Vision

Scene from The Neon Demon

Director Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the more interesting directors working today. While he has never sacrificed his style, the bright and popping imagery mixed with violence helped to make his 2011 film Drive a cult favorite. However, his follow-up Only God Forgives received a brutal lashing for being darker and more violent. Still, it reflected Refn's one gift as a filmmaker: he could turn the grotesque into art like nobody else. With his first film since then called The Neon Demon releasing its first trailer, it looks like it'll be more of the same deranged Refn charm. Thankfully, that's enough to get me in the door.

The First "Chiraq" Trailer Shows Spike Lee in Top Form Once Again

Samuel L. Jackson

With Beasts of No Nation already proving to be a smart bet for Netflix, it's looking like Amazon is about to unleash its own major film. While the awards season has been focused predominantly on theatrical screenings, online streaming companies are trying to get in the game with high profile directors and casts turning in work as compelling as their other original content. In the case of upcoming Honorary Oscar winner Spike Lee's Chiraq, he brings Amazon's shot at something great. In typical fashion, the first trailer is loud, abrasive, and everything that the best of Lee has to offer.

Can Streaming Services Compete for Best Picture Oscars?

Spike Lee

There is a common notion that Spike Lee and Oscars don't mix. After the notorious snubbing in 1989 of his highly acclaimed Do the Right Thing, he has expressed a bitter relationship with The Academy despite receiving two nominations (one for Best Original Screenplay for said film). However, he is in the news again with his upcoming film Chiraq, which he promises to be "something special." This doesn't just mean literally, as it is a star studded musical starring Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (Best Supporting Actress - Dreamgirls), but that it is the first film exclusively financed by Amazon Prime. With a planned December release and many speculating an Oscar run, this is a good time to not only ask if Lee is back (not likely) to playing nice, but if streaming services can compete at the Oscars,