Ranking the Films of Bob Fosse

Scene from All That Jazz

There have been few in the world of Broadway who has matched the massive talent (and ego) of Bob Fosse. While he's best known for reinventing theater, he also left behind an impressive filmography that saw him reinvent both the movie musical and typical drama by adding social commentary that was biting and manic. With the TV series Fosse/Verdon coming tomorrow to highlight his illustrious life, it only feels right to look back on such an odd career. The following is a ranking of his five features (and one live show) that he directed and often choreographed to better fit his vision. There hasn't been a choreographer (or director for that matter) like Fosse, and his work speaks for itself. So get out your jazz hands and dance along.

The Oscar Buzz Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary!

Well, the moment is here again. The Oscar Buzz is celebrating its fifth anniversary with the familiar rapturous applause. But how do I choose to remember this occasion? I looked at the previous years and found that sticking to Oscar-related number themes was a good idea. So, I began thinking: What goes with five? At worst, this could be an essay on FIVE Easy Pieces, at best I could rank "The Big Five" winners, which sounded a bit dull to me. While I was looking, I saw another trend: personal stories that connect me to these movies. It's why I decided to go with something less obvious. I would try and pick the year with five Best Picture films that I felt represented me the best. It doesn't necessarily have the best, but I felt this could be a launch pad for a personal remembrance of how cinema has impacted my life. So, why does the Class of 2002 stand out above the rest? I'll tell you why after the jump.

Ranking the 9 Best Picture Musical Winners

Scene from La La Land

This Sunday marks the event that everyone has been waiting for: Oscar Sunday. While everyone makes their last minute predictions (I will be sharing mine tomorrow), there is one agreed consensus: this is La La Land's year for Best Picture. The musical has received unanimous acclaim for its spectacular craft. Provided nothing changes and it wins, it will join a small list of musicals that have achieved an honor that only 88 movies have achieved so far. What's more surprising is that there's been only nine musicals to have won the category despite being one of Hollywood's most iconic genres. Which is the best of the bunch? Click on to find out, and come back on Monday, provided that it wins, to find out where La La Land falls on the list of the best Oscar-winning Best Picture musicals.

Best Song: "Lose Yourself" (2002)

Scene from 8 Mile

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Nothing But the Best: "Chicago" (2002)

Scene from Chicago

Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.