Composing Greatness: #11. Thomas Newman - "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013)

Scene from Saving Mr. Banks

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Birthday Take: Thomas Newman in "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013)

Scene from Saving Mr. Banks

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.

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: "Saving Mr. Banks" is a Delightful Treat for Fans of Old School Disney

Emma Thompson

There is a novelty of films that take place behind the scenes of beloved films. In a sense, they serve less as an analysis of the creators, but more as reasons to just watch the original films. The purposes get lost and almost feel like pointless fan service. In a sense, a film about beloved Disney film Mary Poppins is bound to be full of in-jokes and kitschy moments for the several who have fallen in love with the Julie Andrews character. Even if director John Lee Hancock can never expect to outshine the charm of the iconic musical, Saving Mr. Banks at least manages to give his behind the scenes story plenty of purpose.

A Look at "Saving Mr. Banks" and Why it Will Be a Front Runner

Tom Hanks

For those that have been reading The Oscar Buzz in the past few months, I have claimed from time to time to have a vague theory as to how director John Lee Hancock's Saving Mr. Banks is going to sweep the ceremony, provided that patterns hold up. While I am excited to be disproved by the recent buzz around 12 Years a Slave, I still believe that the film has the potential to be one of the big films. It is not based off of any quality mark, but just a look at recent trajectory based on the past few years of Best Picture winners. While I doubt that it will win, here is an elaborate theory as to why I believe that we're looking at one of the biggest contenders and don't even realize it yet.

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.