The First Trailer for "In the Heights" Sets Off An Exciting Block Party

Scene from In the Heights

For all intents and purposes, the phenomenon of Lin-Manuel Miranda started over a decade ago with In the Heights. Yes, his later work on stage and in film may be more revered, but there's no denying the seismic shake that came with his story of a man named Usnavi living his life in Washington Heights. It wasn't just in the story. It was the way that the music fused classic Broadway motifs with contemporary sounds of salsa and hip-hop that reflected a new era of musicals. Suddenly America was culturally diverse and free to embrace their passions. In the Heights was a celebration that won Tony Awards and set Miranda up on his path to bigger things, most notably Hamilton. While audiences haven't likely memorized the soundtrack as well as any about the ten-dollar founding father without a father, be prepared to learn why In the Heights was a smash. The first trailer has finally arrived, and it's looking to be one of the best block parties of 2020. 

Best Song: "City of Stars" (2016)

Scene from La La Land

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.

"Moana" vs. "La La Land": Who Should Win Best Original Song?

Ryan Gosling in La La Land

While the Best Picture category may be the biggest award given out on Oscar Night, there's few other categories that could be as exciting as Best Original Song. This is because, unlike having to watch hours of movies, it's a category that distills the art form to a brief ditty. They are the indicator that most will have for these movies, and it's none more present than for soundtrack-turned-radio hits. This year has a phenomenal list (and Sting) to choose from, but there's probably only two that are neck and neck with each other: La La Land and Moana. Which film should win the category, and in the case of La La Land: which one of its songs? The following is a defense and exploration of each of the three songs likely to take home the top prize.

Check Out This Year's Best Original Song Shortlist

Scene from Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

One of the best parts of awards season is seeing what makes the short lists for each category. There's probably none as usually more interesting than the Best Original Song field. It is where even the mediocre films get to shine - that is if they have a good song or two. This year looks to be no exception. With a list that includes 91 titles, it's time to start thinking about how the category is going to look and which five will make it to the finals. Sure, Moana and La La Land seem like obvious bets, but what other music is worth remembering? Check out the list for yourself and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

"La La Land" Becomes a Box Office Hit in Limited Release

Scene from La La Land

It's the most wonderful time of year. For movie fans, Oscar season is in full gear and has a variety of options that you can see. With the recent Golden Globes nominations out, there's no shortage of options for your movie buck. In fact, the past month has produced a variety of box office records that are worth keeping an eye on. For starters, Disney's Moana continues to top the charts for a third week. However, it is the limited releases that have had the most interesting numbers. Following an impressive opening by Moonlight a few weeks back, director Damien Chazelle's musical La La Land has not only opened with good numbers, but has become the highest per screen average opening for 2016. In fact, a lot of Oscar-potential movies had a good weekend.

Check Out This Year's Golden Globe Awards Nominations

Scene from Deadpool

This morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) released the nominees for their annual Golden Globes ceremony. Along with being one of the first major awards of the season, it is always a curious bunch of nominees to look at. This year proved to be no different, reflecting the best in drama while also giving us some semblance of potential upsets for awards shows to come. The following is a list of the movie nominees, including the good, the bad, and whatever Deadpool's Best Comedy or Musical nominations are supposed to be. Oh well, it wouldn't be awards season without The Academy's drunk cousin giving out nominations to off the wall selections. Read the list after the jump as well as personal commentary on each category.

Why "Moana" is One of the Most Timely Movies of 2016

Scene from Moana

*NOTE: Spoilers for Moana

It is hard to undermine the magic of Disney and their ability to open each new movie big. The studio known for releasing quality entertainment has made almost every one of their films a guaranteed smash, especially their animated princess movies. Moana is their latest and features beautiful animation, great music, and one of their most compelling protagonists in years. While the film is enjoyable on a surface level, it's interesting to consider how the film relates to the moment of its release. It may not seem like it, but Moana is one of the most timely films of 2016 with plenty to say on xenophobia, cultural tradition, and learning to overcome prejudice. The film may be based off of an old folk tale, but it couldn't have come out at a more appropriate time. It isn't an allegory about the presidential election, but it may as well be about the modern American political climate. 

"Moana" Tops the Box Office While Beatty Covers the Bottom

Scene from Moana

It is likely that if you had family, you spent a part of this past Thanksgiving weekend seeing Disney's latest film Moana. If you didn't, you should. It's one of the most fun films of the year. Along with anticipation comes box office glory. It shouldn't be a surprise that the South Pacific princess movie debuted at number one while earning $81.1 million in North American box office alone. It also makes it the second highest grossing film to play on Thanksgiving weekend, coming a little over $10 million shy of fellow Disney film Frozen. Since Moana opened on Wednesday, it actually has quite a few oddball records to account for, including helping to solidify Disney as possessing 90% of the top 10 slots for the best three-day and five-day openings. Also after the jump, a quick look at another Oscar contender who performed very poorly this past weekend.

Review: "Moana" is One of the Most Fun Films of 2016

Scene from Moana

With each passing year, it becomes more difficult for Disney to keep making new iconic princesses. This is in part because of the limited supply of fairy tales that the studio has pulled from over close to a century. It makes sense then that they hit the high seas to explore South Pacific folklore in Moana: their latest musical that also features the likes of Hamilton composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, and reliable Disney co-directors Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin among others). By exploring a new subject matter, Disney has managed to open up their potential while delivering one of their most electric stories of the 21st century so far. With heart and humor, Moana is another gem from the studio known for going above and beyond. So say hello to one of the best Disney animated films and prepare to have a new soundtrack stuck in your head for awhile. Moana is great.

Will "Moana" Make Lin-Manuel Miranda the Latest EGOT Winner?

Scene from Moana

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, it is likely that you are familiar with the Broadway smash hit Hamilton, which focuses on the life of Alexander Hamilton through a blend of musical styles such as hip-hop. This past Sunday, it won 11 Tonys, including for its creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. While I don't cover theater, it is likely that Miranda is a name that will become recognizable to audiences by the end of this year if just because of the amount of projects his success has granted him. Among the most promising is Disney's new film Moana, which conveniently enough premiered its teaser trailer during Hamilton's big night. While the question could just be if this movie will be great, there's another question about Miranda becoming an EGOT: an impressive feat that he's one Oscar away from completing. While there's not much to go off of, it does look like there's at least a nomination in his wake.