A24 A-to-Z: #1. "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III" (2013)

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.

Ranking the Oscar Winning Mothers (Since 2010)

Scene from Room

With today marking Mother's Day, it only feels right to pay some sort of tribute to the women who helped to raise and make all of us the people that we are. For many, it is a joyous celebration that is met with feasts an gifts. In the case of the Oscars, it is one of the most nominated professions in the organization's existence. To say the least, there aren't too many years where an actress portraying a mother hasn't at very least been nominated somewhere - thus making a thorough listing of every performance a tad difficult. That is why I am choosing to focus on the Oscar-winning mothers since 2010. While the limitations would suggest that there wouldn't be many, there's actually seven between the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress category. The following is a ranking of these mothers, who in some way embody the complex and rich tapestry of what their jobs entail.

Birthday Take: Patricia Arquette in "Boyhood" (2014)

Patricia Arquette

Welcome to The Birthday Take, a column dedicated to celebrating Oscar nominees and winners' birthdays by paying tribute to the work that got them noticed. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive retrospective, but more of a highlight of one nominated work that makes them noteworthy. The column will run whenever there is a birthday and will hopefully give a dense exploration of the finest performances and techniques applied to film. So please join me as we blow out the candles and dig into the delicious substance.

The Worst Moments of the 87th Annual Academy Awards

Neil Patrick Harris

With the Oscars officially behind us, it is time to wrap-up the highs and lows of the season. Where the previous post saw an exploration of everything that the show did right, this is a look at the few flubs that maybe didn't work out. It was a hard year to judge because unlike the meandering that dominated last year's ceremony, this year ran like clockwork despite running long and featured a lot of soapbox moments. The following is a look at the moments that maybe didn't work so well at this year's Academy Awards, including some coverage of the best red carpet moment of the ceremony.

A Theory on Why Patricia Arquette Will Win Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette

With the Oscars closing in, it's time to finalize the votes for who is likely going to win the top prizes. While I have already discussed the three pronged Best Picture race (Selma, Birdman, Boyhood), but now it is time to get into the other big categories. Over the next few days, I will be sharing quick pieces on who is likely to win in each of the major categories as well as any discussion of a potential upset. Coming up is a piece on why Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) is pretty much going to walk away with the Best Supporting Actress trophy on Oscar night.

Calm Down, "Boyhood" is Not Racist

Ellar Coltrane

It is likely that if you've been paying attention to the Oscar season, you'll know how much director Richard Linklater's Boyhood is expected to win at Sunday's awards ceremony. What you'll also probably be aware of is the controversy that has risen in the past week revolving around the film's alleged racism. If this comment makes you step back for a second, it's for a good reason. While the film doesn't feature a single act that is necessarily offensive, a writer over at Latino Rebels is taking offense to the depiction of Mexicans in the film. While her points are valid, it is really hard to back up her opinion with assurance.

A Theory on Why "Boyhood" Could Win Best Picture

Ellar Coltrane

As I wrote in the past with articles on Selma and Birdman, I feel like there is a three way tie for Best Picture between these two and director Richard Linklater's Boyhood. Where Selma captures a historical drama with a modern poignancy and Birdman captures cinematic passion through technique, neither has the emotional core that has made Boyhood a runaway hit during awards season. True, between Boyhood and Birdman, the honors have been almost predominantly split with the Best Picture equivalents looking like 26 to 22 wins. Still, with the BAFTA win this past Sunday, Boyhood is looking to be the clear favorite for a lot of reasons. The most notable of which is that it is ripe with ambition and wasn't made to be an Oscar darling, but just an impressively crafted film.

Check This Out: A Short Documentary on the Making of "Boyhood"

Like most people, I consider director Richard Linklater's Boyhood to be one of the year's best films. It is more than a nostalgic look at adolescence. It is also definitive of the technology era in ways no other film has been able to achieve. With countless accolades already to its name, it has yet to be seen how it will play this awards season. Even then, its legacy is already being mapped out with the most ambitious shooting schedule in recent history. For those that can't wait for it to hit DVD and blu ray next month, Hulu has recent released a short making of EPK that is definitely worth checking out.

Review: "Boyhood" Delivers a Powerful Coming of Age Scrapbook of the Technology Era

Ellar Coltrane

The concept of time is a fickle thing that everyone takes for granted. Oftentimes, the years blur together, creating indistinguishable moments that define our personalities, relationships, and beliefs. For decades, film has tried to effectively explore this through character studies that are varying degrees of success. Still, with most of the stories having a fabrication and oftentimes plot holes or contrivances, it seemed like we've reach the epitome of this technique. Then, with one of the most basic concepts imaginable, director Richard Linklater unleashed a new, innovative architecture with Boyhood. Exploring the life of Mason Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) from ages 6-18 while being filmed in real time, he created a profound character study that embodies youth in a decade that predominantly has felt indistinguishable. He has created the thesis for the 00's. 

The Trailer for Linklater's "Boyhood" Gives Hope of Cinema's Ambitious Future

Ellar Coltrane

If there is one film out there that has been the talk of the town from this year's Sundance Film Festival, it is Richard Linklater's Boyhood. Following a collection of actors, the story shows the growth of a boy (Ellar Coltrane) from his youth through the next 12 years of his life. As the recently released trailer shows, it is a passion project unlike any other. Where films are often delayed due to contract disagreements, this one was the most logical: reality and time. But will all of the effort live up to a quality product?