Netflix Announces a Bold Theatrical Release Schedule for 10 Films

Scene from The Irishman (2019)

This past week has been an exceptional time to be a streaming service. If you managed to manage to make it through the weekend without seeing an ad for Disney+'s The Mandalorian, you're one of few. Even Netflix has gotten their fair share of news, announcing a Breaking Bad movie called El Camino and, in more important Oscar news, a lot of information about what to expect this Fall season. Yes, there are the obvious suspects with The Irishman and Marriage Story leading potential races, but more importantly, they have announced their own release strategy, their biggest single season of theatrical programming yet. With an announcement of 10 theatrical releases, it looks like the streaming service is starting to make their transition to conventional Oscar player, which could make this one of the most exciting seasons yet.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Beasts of No Nation" (2015)

Scene from Beasts of No Nation

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.

Check Out This Year's Nominees for The Spirit Awards

Scene from Anomalisa

As November has dwindled down, it's time to start looking ahead to the big awards season. While we're in the middle of a barrage of great films coming out, there hasn't been really any focus yet - largely because there hasn't been any major awards show yet. Today marks the announcement of the 31st Annual Independent Spirit Awards nominations, which is set on commemorating the best in independent cinema from the past year. While the Golden Globes are likely to be more of an indicator of The Academy Awards to come, there's no denying that the general impact of The Spirit Awards has grown over the past decade; even almost unanimously tying with the 2013 Oscar winners. What lies in store for this year's line-up? There's a few great surprises, of which likely will tell us of the films that we'll be discussing about for the next few months.

Review: "Beasts of No Nation" is Redundant and Pointlessly Miserable

Left to right: Abraham Attah and Idris Elba

Over the course of the past few months, Netflix has gotten a lot of attention for a potentially groundbreaking strategy. Along with their growing quality content, they were going to take on The Academy Awards for a Best Picture nomination with director Cary Fukunaga's Beasts of No Nation. While it wouldn't be the first direct-to-Netflix movie in the company's history, it was the first to gain buzz, unanimously positive reviews, and riveting talent in newcomer Abraham Attah as a child thrown into becoming a soldier of war. With intense trailers and enough hype to drive you crazy, the film has arrived. It's as intense and dour as you'd expect a film about child soldiers to be. It's just not as interesting as you'd actually hoped.

What the Telluride Festival Told Us About Oscar Front Runners

Scene from Suffragette

This past weekend was the Telluride Film Festival. While it doesn't have the immediate ring as that of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) or Cannes, it has come to be its own predictor of the Oscar season ahead. As we enter the season, it's time to start looking at all of the possibilities out there and guessing just where everything will fall. If the news out of Telluride is any indication, we may be in for a hefty, exciting season full of returning favorites and a few new faces that may just well steal the show. The following is a quick rundown of the various films that have Oscar potential and what we have learned from the general buzz that has come from the festival.

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,