My Top 25 Favorite Films of the Decade

Scene from The Master (2012)

The following is an excerpt from my new e-book "A Decade Now Available for Streaming: Celebrating the Films That Helped Define the 2010's," which is currently available for $2 on Amazon. It's a celebration of the best films of the past decade, including these 25 films that stand out as something special to me personally. If you want to read more, the e-book goes into detail on 75 more films that defined the decade and made going to the cinema an exciting past time. 

Theory Thursday: "Inside Llewyn Davis" is Oscar Isaac's Best Performance

Scene from Inside Llewyn Davis

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. 

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.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013)

Oscar Isaac

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 Directors Project: #2 - Joel and Ethan Coen

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.

Should John Goodman Get an Honorary Oscar?

John Goodman in The Artist

Every now and then there are discussions about Academy Award winners of the past. To many, it remains a chance to spout obscure trivia facts like: What was Morgan Freeman's first Oscar nomination for? (Answer: Best Supporting Actor - Street Smart) or What film was Bob Hoskins nominated for? (Answer: Best Actor - Mona Lisa). It is likely that some facts have been brushed under the table to the point where we think that everyone of cinematic value has at very least been nominated. However, one of the most shocking omissions from even the nomination bracket is the legendary character actor John Goodman. Quick! Name the film he was nominated for. You can't because he never was nominated. In this post, I ask you the question: Should John Goodman receive an honorary Oscar?

My Final Predictions on the 2014 Oscar Nominees

We are officially less than a week away from hearing the Oscar nominations for this year's ceremony. With Chris Hemsworth scheduled to announce them on Thursday, January 16 with Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Cheryl Boone Isaacs, it is as good of a time as any to predict who will make the final cut. As mentioned earlier this week, the race looks quite different than it did at the start, and that is quite exciting. The follow is my predictions for each category, save for Best Animated Short and Best Live Action Short. Check them out and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. 

Reevaluating My Pre-Oscar Season Predictions

Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave

It is an exciting time for Oscar fans. On Thursday, January 16, the nominations come out and we will know for sure what films made the cut. It has been a strange, rocky road that has revealed some favorites and some upsets. For those familiar with The Oscar Buzz, I published my initial predictions before the Oscar season went underway. With a little over a week before the final votes come in, I decided to revisit my predictions and see what ended up making the cut and what turned out to be surprises. The following is a re-editing of my predictions to match the conversations and my overall understanding of how I think that the race will go.

Review: "Inside Llewyn Davis" is a Brilliant Love Letter to Performers

Oscar Isaac

Originally published at CinemaBeach.

There are tragic realities to those pursuing music as a career choice. While a small chunk succeeds, there are those that toil in struggle the entire time. This wouldn’t seem apparent in most films, but then again Joel and Ethan Coen aren’t most filmmakers. Their melancholy stories chronicling American culture through the decades are full of humor, absurdity, and a sense of punishment. Their latest, Inside Llewyn Davis, has all of these elements in spades, and with music collaboration from T. Bone Burnett, this tale of the 60’s folk scene is full of catchy songs and the most egotistical loser of the year. That is to say that it is the Coen Brothers operating at their best.

The 2014 Golden Globe Nominations Are In and They Look Better Than You Think!

It is strange to admit, but it looks like this year's Golden Globes will not be nearly as much of an embarrassment as they have been in the past. After a brief glimpse, the year of movies has produced one of the strongest, least embarrassing line-ups with no confusion in the Best Comedy or Musical category. While there are some egregious omissions and some surprises, it looks to be a decent start to awards season. On the down side, my favorite whipping boy won't have too many complaints this year, which may be the biggest tragedy of all. So here are my thoughts on the awards as well as predicting the winners in each of the categories. There will also be links where applicable to posts I have written regarding the nominees.

Note: If you wish to see my thoughts on the TV portion, stay tuned to my Optigrab blog later this evening for a full post on it.

Pre-Oscar Season Predictions on the Big Categories

Tom Hanks in Saving Mr. Banks

We are officially in the Oscar Buzz zone! It is the exciting time that gave birth to this particular blog and helped to chronicle just how much I enjoy the awards ceremony. The notable highlight of the season is that anything goes for the first few months. If you have a favorite, there's a good chance that they could make the cut. The speculation sees some of the most ridiculous forms of enthusiasm unfold. While there's some categories that are as yet undecided, many are already in the process of solidifying. This is my attempt to predict what will make the cut before the awards season begins.

A Look at 10 Trailers for Films with Oscar Potential

Tom Hanks

It is impossible to run this blog and look at current films without looking a little bit ahead. As we get further into Oscar season (which launched recently with Fruitvale Station), it is important to not forget that marketing has already started. Some of the big shots already have a trailer or a poster lined up that is getting people talking. While I have covered some more personally anticipated films (The Wolf of Wall Street and 12 Years a Slave notably), there are many that would go overlooked if I didn't do a quick compilation post to share early buzz, and possible spread speculation on other titles. The following is a look at 10 trailers that stand out as potential Oscar buzz contenders that will hopefully be around in the months to come.