Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Anomalisa" (2015)

 

Scene from Anomalisa

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 This Out: "The Hateful Eight" Extended Edition Comes to Netflix (With a Catch!)

There's a lot of reason to have Quentin Tarantino on the brain in 2019. Along with this year marking the 25th anniversary of Pulp Fiction, he is returning to cinemas this summer with the highly anticipated Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. Despite the barrage of reasons to celebrate, there's one that falls on the curious side, especially given that the director isn't often associated with TV miniseries. His Oscar-winning 2016 film The Hateful Eight received a lot of acclaim during its theatrical run and gave the filmmaker one of his longest running times. It's hard to imagine, but there was an even longer Roadshow cut that was hard to see outside of theaters... until Netflix. The only catch is that you'll have to watch it, albeit in a fairly butchered form.

A24 A-to-Z: #54. "Good Time" (2017)

Scene from Good Time

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

Review: "Good Time" is a Powerful and Unnerving Journey Into Moral Chaos

Robert Pattinson

The opening scene of directors Benny and Josh Safdie is a quiet one. With a close-up of mentally challenged man Nick (Benny Safdie), he is being seen by a therapist who is trying to get him to open up. Nick is at first reluctant, but soon learns to shed a tear. As breakthrough is made, a force comes running through the door. It's his brother Connie (Robert Pattinson), who doesn't believe in therapy and believes that Nick is wasting his time. Connie believes that he knows what is right, and that scene transitions into the swirling chaos that is Good Time: a title made ironic in that no character actually has a happy ending. What it does however show is a brilliant character study of how one man's arrogance can find itself clashing with his love in damaging ways over the course of one night, ruining lives when he set out to make his better. It's a powerful film, and one that should officially erase any astigmatism that you have about Pattinson's work in the Twilight franchise. Those who see it won't forget it, as it intensely attacks the soul with contradictory themes and even more stimulating visuals. It may not be the flashiest film of 2017, but it can't help being one of the most intense.

Super Delegates Bonus: The Lincoln Letter in "The Hateful Eight" (2015)

Samuel L. Jackson in The Hateful Eight

Welcome to Super Delegates Bonus. As a subsidiary of Super Delegates, the sporadic additional column is meant to explore depictions of politicians on film outside of the conventional methods of the column. This ranges from everything such as political candidates in TV movies and miniseries to real life candidates providing feedback on their pop culture representation. While not as frequent or conventional, the goal is to help provide a vaster look at politics on film as it relates to the modern election year. Join in and have some fun. One can only imagine what will be covered here.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "The Hateful Eight" (2015)

Scene from The Hateful Eight

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.

Review: "The Hateful Eight" is Like a Great Dinner Mystery Show, With Bloody Results

Scene from The Hateful Eight

It's easy to forget the impact that director Quentin Tarantino made back in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs. While Pulp Fiction would take most of the credit, the film introduced an American voice that mixed stylized violence, witty dialogue, and movie references into a blender and produced an impressive heist drama that featured none of the heist. It was a small ingenuity that made him the talk of the town, causing him to get even more high concept with each passing film. However, one cannot help but think of Reservoir Dogs when watching The Hateful Eight; being reminded of how powerful Tarantino could be with limited locations. Even if his latest structurally feels like it owes some debt to his debut, it's possibly his most ambitious attempt to make a real movie with real messages beyond the blood and guts.

Check Out the Track List for "The Hateful Eight"

Samuel L. Jackson

There's a good chance that, like most people, you are getting very exciting by the upcoming film from director Quentin Tarantino called The Hateful Eight. His second venture into western-themed storytelling is schedule for a special Christmas release, then followed by a January 2016 wide release. While there's a good chance that you likely have seen the footage and have prepared yourself, it's been awhile since we've heard anything regarding the soundtrack, which is supposed to be penned by compose Ennio Morricone. Today marks the release of the soundtrack, which features Morricone, but a few other surprises from rock and pop artists that you've likely heard. Click to find out who's on the compilation.

The First "Anomalisa" Trailer Features Kaufman Being His Typical Weird Self

Scene from Anomalisa

With it being already deep into Oscar season, there's a good chance that you've heard a lot about director Charlie Kaufman's stop motion film Anomalisa. Having become one of the most perplexing voices in 21st century cinema with the screenplay for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and his directorial effort Synechdoche, New York, it makes sense that he wouldn't take a conventional route on his latest film. Speaking as it's a nice change of pace from the other likely Best Animated film candidates (is anything beating Inside Out yet?), it's going to be fun to see if this film stands any chances. If nothing else, the first trailer promises to have more Kaufman-esque philosophy behind it. And that's not a bad thing at all.