Happy 1,000th Entry!: A Look at My Favorite Films Since 2012

Scene from The Master

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that this marks the 1,000th entry from The Oscar Buzz. Over the past 3.5 years, I am proud to have covered all things Academy Awards as well as expanding to its history and my own personal tastes. It has been a fun ride, and I hope to continue to provide insightful content for my readers. For now, I thought that I would do as I do with every odd anniversary and celebrate by sharing a little bit more about me through film. In this case, I am going to share my 10 favorite movies since 2012 when this blog first started up. Admittedly, it's hard to narrow down the list, but these 10 films in some ways represent what I look for in films. Some of them extend beyond Oscar-nominated fare. Some of them were ironically inches from winning Best Picture. Whatever the case, these are the ones I enjoy. If you'd like, feel free to share your favorite film of the past few years and why that is in the comments below.

The First "Everybody Wants Some" Trailer is a Throwback to Linklater's Beginnings

Scene from Everybody Wants Some

Last year was a pretty big moment for director Richard Linklater. After decades of making great films about average Joes, he finally made a dent at the Oscars with Boyhood: a film that received acclaim for spanning 12 years and capturing the first decade of the 21st century better than almost anyone else. For most, the question of what he would do next has been a curious one, especially since he's been on a roll, including a career best in 2013 with Before Midnight. With the first trailer for the Boyhood follow-up, Everybody Wants Some, it looks like he's going back to his earlier days when his films were less prestigious and more lackadaisical. It's a trip to the 80's that is very reminiscent of Dazed and Confused, but does it have any merit when compared to his Matthew McConaughey-finding classic?

The Directors Project: #19 - Richard Linklater

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.

A Closer Look at the Best Adapted Screenplay Nominees

Closing out our dissection of the big Oscar categories, here is a look at the Best Adapted Screenplay nominees. Much like the Best Original Screenplay selections, this year's batch features an impressive and diverse group of nominees that reflect the best in bring a film's story to life. Some are vivacious with profane bliss (The Wolf of Wall Street) while others explore slaver (12 Years a Slave) and long term guilt (Philomena). It is an interesting group and while less interesting than its counterpart category, it is as open a race.

Review: "Before Midnight" Brings a Romance of 18 Years to a Beautiful, Insightful End

Left to right: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy 

It seems improbable that a trilogy as calculated as the Before series would work in the grand scheme. Unlike most trilogies, director Richard Linklater's portrayal of lovers Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) calculates the progression of a relationship in what feels like real time. The actors have aged, and so have the characters and their thought processes and beliefs. The move to set each installment in the series nine years apart almost seems ingenious in this regard, especially with almost every film series impatiently green lighting another installment for next year. However, with Before Midnight, Linklater has done something profound for cinema. He has painted a poignant, deeply detailed analysis of romance and what it means as your priorities change.

A Look at Summer Films with Academy Award Potential

Still from Much Ado About Nothing

With the summer movie season heating up, there is a good chance that The Oscar Buzz may hit a dry spell. True, I once stated that June was the turning point for cinema. It would be that moment in which films suddenly stood a modicum of a chance to burst out onto the scene and get some Oscar attention. While The Great Gatsby showed us some hope, few films seem worthy of an entire entry around the speculation. Films like Star Trek Into Darkness and this week's Fast & Furious 6 at best are Best Sound Editing and Best Special Effects contenders. Still, over the summer months, I have decided to take a look at films that may have potential to break the mold and may be the buzz when nominations are announced next January. Maybe not all of these will be Best Picture material, but if they're even close, we're in for a very interesting ceremony.