Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #50-54

Scene from American Hustle

As 2019 reached its end, another decade of cinema had passed. It's amazing to think about how things have evolved since 2010 when the biggest controversies were about recognizing genre movies. Things look different now, especially as genre films like The Shape of Water and Parasite are winning Best Picture and the voting body looks incredibly different with each passing year. With this period in the books, it feels like a good time to celebrate their accomplishments by ranking all 88 titles nominated for Best Picture from worst to best with the goal of seeing which films are more likely to stand the test of time. Join me every Saturday and Sunday as I count them down, five at a time. It's going to be a fun summer looking back on what was, especially as we prepare for the decade ahead and an even more interesting diversity that we haven't even begun to think of.

Ranking the Most Nominated Oscar Films of the Past 10 Years

Scene from The Shape of Water

With this week presenting the Oscar nominations, it only seems right to continually nitpick every category to determine just how good this year is (in my opinion, it's a very good one). However, there is one piece of trivia that's likely to go unnoticed: the films with the most nominations. While it's a big deal in any given year, does anyone remember what that film was even 10 years ago? It's what inspired me to rank the last 10 years of films that lead the year with the most nominations. Ironically, it's a bit uneven as there were many ties in a given year. However, it's also 13 films - the number of nominations that The Shape of Water received this year. It's interesting to look back at the films that dominated, even if they didn't win much. The following is my ranking of the past 10 years, which has produced a lot of interesting results.

Theory Thursday: "The Wolf of Wall Street" is the Most Influential Film of the Past 5 Years

Scene from The Wolf of Wall Street

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. 

Ranking Amy Adams' 5 Oscar Nominated Roles

Amy Adams in Arrival

Today marks actress Amy Adams' 42nd birthday. Over the course of an impressive career, she has played everything from Disney princess to the wife of a cult leader. To say the least, her range is endless, and she continues to produce quality work on an almost annual basis. With the potential for a sixth nomination this fall with director Denis Villeneuve's alien invasion movie Arrival, there's no better time to be an Adams fan. While we wait for her next film to win us over, the following is a ranking of her current five Oscar nominations, of which shows off her charisma as well as argues the case as to why she doesn't have an Oscar yet. She more than deserves one.

Theory Thursday: "Joy" is Jennifer Lawrence's Best Performance

Jennifer Lawrence

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. 

A Ranking of Every Film By David O. Russel

David O. Russell

With this past weekend's release of Joy, director David O. Russell once again returns with a film that establishes his attempt to be a populous auteur. Ever since his comeback film The Fighter in 2010, the director has made it his goal to make films about the every man; the middle class who strive for a better existence. In a sense, he is doing it more successfully than anyone else. In a time where romantic acting pairs aren't a thing, he has continually made Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper work as a box office draw. To an extent, he is doing the impossible by making throwbacks to feel good films, often with an edge that makes his experiences wholly unique. The following is a ranking of every one of his films from his earlier and angrier days of Spanking the Monkey to the more recent happy side of Joy. Even if these two films are wildly different, it doesn't mean that they're any less interesting as a progression of behavior and craft from a director not known to always be pleasant.

Jennifer Lawrence to Work with David O. Russell Till He Dies

Left to right: Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in Joy

There is a good chance that if you're into The Oscars as much as I am, you'll have a big opinion on Jennifer Lawrence by now. After her first Oscar nomination in 2010 for Winter's Bone, she has become one of the most successful and overstated actresses out there. Her big break came in 2012 with the one-two punch of The Hunger Games and her Oscar-winning role in Silver Linings Playbook. If you're one of those that felt that that film was part of her best work, then I have some good news for you: she's not going to stop working for director David O. Russell. At least, not until one of them finally dies.

My Top 10 Favorite Amy Adams Movies

Amy Adams

Today is Amy Adams' 41st birthday. While I try to remain objective to all performers, there are few that I have publicly rooted for as much as her to eventually win an Oscar. With an impressive track record of 5 nominations, she seems overdue for something at this point. It also helps that I consider her to be one of the most charismatic and enjoyable actresses currently working. With an impressive career that features an array of great performances ranging from princess movies to dark dramas, she embodies what a great actress should be. So to honor her birthday, I have decided to highlight my personal top 10 favorite performances of hers that reflect why she is so great.

Will David O. Russell Ever Win an Oscar?

David O. Russell

There are few people that are practically as synonymous nowadays with The Oscars as David O. Russell. Among the working talents, very few directors have had a track record so perfect as him (maybe Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese come close). Since 2010 with The Fighter, he has racked up 25 Oscar nominations between three films, including the achievement of having nominations in all four acting categories TWICE between Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. It is no laughing matter. It is an honor very few films hold with the last one being director Warren Beatty's 1981 masterpiece Reds. With today marking his 57th birthday, I pose a question that I ponder every awards season just because of his clout: Will Russell ever win an Oscar?

Birthday Take: Jennifer Lawrence in "American Hustle" (2013)

Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle

Welcome to The Birthday Take, a column dedicated to celebrating Oscar nominees and winners' birthdays by paying tribute to the work that got them noticed. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive retrospective, but more of a highlight of one nominated work that makes them noteworthy. The column will run whenever there is a birthday and will hopefully give a dense exploration of the finest performances and techniques applied to film. So please join me as we blow out the candles and dig into the delicious substance.

A Few Thoughts on the 86th Academy Award Winners

*NOTE: This is not a recap or highlight of the ceremony. This is a discussion of the films that won isolated from the ceremony.

There is something to be said when the applicable films that won at Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards ended up being the big heroes at the Academy Awards. Unlike most years, there wasn't much of a race between anyone. Even from the moment that 12 Years a Slave hit the scene with its limited October release, there seemed to be an aura of predictability. At best, those who hoped that Gravity would be good would have a surprise by how openly acknowledged it became. Otherwise, as the race moved on, things became abundantly clear: it was the year of the front runners.

My Official Oscar Votes for 2014

With the Oscar ceremony this upcoming weekend, the time to see all of the Oscar nominees is dwindling down. For me, there are many notable categories where I unfortunately came up short. With that said, I also had the opportunity to see majority of the nominees in the major categories, which allowed me to have a more invested take. What follows is a reassessment of my initial votes, which have since changed. This will not be a rehashing of every nominee, but an abbreviated version of the list with any additional thoughts listed.

A Closer Look at the Best Original Screenplay Nominees

Now that we have covered the acting fields, it is time to look at the constructs of what makes those performances pop. First up is the Best Original Screenplay category that mixes modernist sci-fi (Her) with the AIDS epidemic (Dallas Buyers Club) and classy cons (American Hustle). It may even arguably be more interesting than the Best Adapted Screenplay category, as almost every selection on here provides an alternative view of American culture and chooses to explore the bigger themes of our lives. This is where the race becomes less solidified and the nominees are equally up for debate. Even then, this category is rather impressive and reflects what made 2013 a solid year for films.

A Closer Look at the Best Supporting Actress Nominees

Continuing this year's sense of ragtag nominees in the supporting categories is the Best Supporting Actress category. Where the lead categories feel like competitive locks with numerous outcomes, this category feels less assured. It isn't that any of their roles are necessarily lackluster, but more that all of them, save for Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) come to this film without any strong bias backing them. With three of them being first time nominees, it makes the race a little more interesting and raises curiosity on if they can transcend the rookie chances and beat the veterans.

A Closer Look at the Best Supporting Actor Nominees

Much like the Best Actor race, this year's Best Supporting Actor nominees feel like a broad mix of talents that each highlight a different portion of charismatic performances. From transsexual (Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club) to boat hijacker (Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips) to a crack smoking broker (Jonah Hill - The Wolf of Wall Street), this feels like a crazy selection just on paper. However, the lack of one performance standing out makes it an exciting year that keeps the category from feeling as closed off as some of the others. 

A Closer Look at the Best Actress Nominees

Continuing our look at all of the top category nominees is a race that is probably the least certain of all of them: the Best Actress category. Despite an eclectic group that ranges from sci-fi thrillers (Sandra Bullock - Gravity) to mental illness (Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine) to romantic conning (Amy Adams - American Hustle), the race seemed to have been locked since August and unlike 12 Years a Slave, the conversation hasn't shifted all that much. There are a few potential upsets for sure, but as a whole, this is just a matter of counting down the hours until the top name is rattled off and the acceptance speech is given.

A Closer Look at the Best Actor Nominees

One of the most difficult races at this year's ceremony to predict is going to be the Best Actor race. Along with a scandalous moment in which CNN supposedly revealed this year's winner, this race has lead to plenty of discussion, and for good reason. Each performance delivers a slightly different skill that makes it better than the next. Its only issue is that in a year where the playing field almost feels too even, it leaves plenty of surprise for Oscar night and has already launched numerous think pieces such dissecting each nominee. The following is my look at the field as well as who I think should win as well as why.

A Closer Look at the Best Director Nominees

*Note: While I had previously publicized that I was covering all of the categories in a look at the Best Picture race, I have decided to dedicate posts to each of the main categories (Best Picture, Best Director, Acting, and Writing fields). I will be critiquing each nominee as well as ranking them in order of preference.

One of the more exciting things about this year's Oscar nominations is that there is uncertainty in the front runner. While speculation has it that American Hustle may be a potential upset, there is still Gravity and 12 Years a Slave proving to be roadblocks. Even The Wolf of Wall Street, despite controversy, is capable of thriving on its notoriety into some unforeseen glory. A lot of that has to do with the directors behind the camera. This year's selection is an impressive mix of fast-paced adrenaline to meditative slowness to stylistic nostalgia. Each of the five Best Director nominees have something unique to offer, and that may be the most exciting of all.

A Closer Look at the Best Picture Nominees

Much like every other Academy Award enthusiast out there, there is great pride in reaching the point when the nominees go from being names to actual discussion pieces. For me, that includes watching every Best Picture nominee before the big day and being able to dissect my overall thoughts on the categories. What films were fueled more by bias than actual quality? There were a few this year. However, upon reflection, I noticed that I have ran into a strange issue this year: I don't consider too many to be "overrated" when it comes to this category. In fact compared to last year, which I still believe was far more interesting, this line-up is rather excellent and diverse. I still loathe the nine nominees of the 5-10 sliding scale, but with that aside, this is another excellent year for the category.

A Look at the Oscar Nominees of 2014 and the Many, Many Surprises

This morning, the Oscar nominations were announced and there was more than a fair share of surprises. With plenty of snubs to go around, the final cut is an impressive mix that much like the Golden Globes, shows that there isn't a definitive front runner as initially predicted all the way back in September. However, there's a strange emergence of competition that seemed unlikely as well. Here is a look at the Oscar nominations for 2014 and brief thoughts on every category. To say the least, my Oscar predictions were far from perfect.