Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #80-88

Scene from Bohemian Rhapsody

As 2019 reached its end, another decade of cinema had passed. It's amazing to think about how things have evolved since 2010 when the biggest controversies were about recognizing genre movies. Things look different now, especially as genre films like The Shape of Water and Parasite are winning Best Picture and the voting body looks incredibly different with each passing year. With this period in the books, it feels like a good time to celebrate their accomplishments by ranking all 88 titles nominated for Best Picture from worst to best with the goal of seeing which films are more likely to stand the test of time. Join me every Saturday and Sunday as I count them down, five at a time. It's going to be a fun summer looking back on what was, especially as we prepare for the decade ahead and an even more interesting diversity that we haven't even begun to think of.

Theory Thursday: Benedict Cumberbatch is Overrated

Benedict Cumberbatch in Zoolander No. 2

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. 

What "The Danish Girl," Says About the Oscar's Problematic Relationship with LGBT Movies

Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl

Last night, I decided to catch up on the missing links in my Oscar-nominated movies for this year. I decided to tackle director Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl: a film that I inevitably had high hopes for, if just because of what 2015 was symbolically in the LGBT community. Beyond America legalizing gay marriage, it was the time when we had multiple noteworthy trans celebrities, cinema was hitting new strides with Tangerine, and Transparent was continuing its yearlong (and arguably still going) success. Transgender culture is probably more accepted than it ever had been, and The Danish Girl could be the period to the sentence. Of course, that is problematic to say, but what became abundantly clear is that it was actually doing the opposite. Despite its romanticism, The Danish Girl featured stereotypes akin to the gay best friend with flamboyancy and a lisp. While it took some reading to fully understand why, it's generally one of the problems with The Academy's recent crop of nominees.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "The Imitation Game" (2013)

Benedict Cumberbatch

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.

Final Thoughts on This Year's Oscar Season

With that, we say goodbye to another Oscar season. While there has been plenty of wrap-up for this year's program, I have chosen to bring this season to a close with a summary of my thoughts not only on the winners in general, but of the season as a whole. Much like every year, there's a few highs and lows that make awards season so memorable. How did this year stack up to every other one? Well, frankly it wasn't my favorite despite the consistent media conflicts with race and the odd race between Boyhood and Birdman which saw the former only receive one win total. It wasn't the worst year, but considering its options, it did fine enough. Click the jump to read more.

The Highlights of the 87th Academy Awards Ceremony

The moment has come and gone. The 87th Annual Academy Awards happened at the Dolby Theater and handed out 24 awards throughout the night, including Best Picture winner Birdman. What were some of the highlights of the evening? The following is a list of the various moments that stand out above the rest and prove just why Neil Patrick Harris, and the show in general, was in top form and knew how to make the overlong program move fast enough to keep attentive while also lacking in self-involvement. It may have not been the best ceremony ever, but at least it was a lot better than most years.

A Rundown of This Year's Oscar Winners

It is sad to say, but this year's Academy Awards are officially behind us. Before we get started on predicting next year's big happenings, it's time to start on recapping the show in its entirety, including the highs and lows of the event. But before we get to the great stuff, how about we take some time briefly to recognize the winners. How well did you do? When all is said and done, I did very well considering all of my think pieces and various theories that pondered why Birdman was going to walk away the winner. The following is a rundown of my votes in each category paired side-by-side with the actual winner. Please feel free to share your results in the comments.

My Final Predictions for This Year's Academy Awards

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment is upon us. The Oscars is only a day away and it is time to place the final bets. While I have kept busy prognosticating and keeping track of who is likely to win, the races are a little more complicated than initially meets the eye. The Best Picture race couldn't be more complicated as it battles between Boyhood and Birdman. Still, it is great to see two very personal passion projects duking it out for top honor. While I will leave you to determine your own voting from the nominations, the following is a list of who I will be voting for in my final Oscar predictions for the year. Feel free to share yours in the comment section.

Check This Out: Alexandre Desplat Dissects "The Imitation Game" Score on Song Exploder

With the Oscars only a day away, it is likely that everyone has seen all of the nominees, or at least the ones that matter. With director Morten Tyldum's The Imitation Game racking up a lot of nominations, it is one of the prime competitors going for various awards, including Best Picture. However, there is one category that you should be paying attention to it in: Best Original Score. If you don't believe that the music is any good, check out this recent episode of Song Exploder, which details the impressive feats that composer Alexandre Desplat used to make the music pop.

A Few Thoughts on that "Brutally Honest" Oscar Voter

In an article published today on The Hollywood Reporter, an anonymous Oscar voter came forward to share their opinions. With the headlines promising a "brutally honest" take on the awards, it has caused a necessary amount of hoopla. Since ballot submission was closed off yesterday, there's plenty of speculation on what is going to happen in the remaining days before the awards are handed out. While this is unprecedented, what is more baffling is the simple dismissal of almost every film. While this could be indicative on who is likely to win, it also is more indicative of a stubborn fool who wants attention without getting blacklisted by the community.

A Ranking of This Year's Best Picture Winners

Scene from The Theory of Everything

I have done it! I have finally seen all of the Best Picture nominees for this year's Academy Awards. To say the least, it was an interesting year full of a nice if predictable variety of films. While we don't get nearly the garden variety that made 2013 such an exceptional year, we do get films that reflect the best of their genres and even features a wide variety of indie films standing a strong chance of winning the big awards. Cinema is inevitably changing in new and exciting ways that make this year particularly interesting. If for no other reason, its ambitions are massive and unpredictable in small ways. However, what did I personally think of all eight nominees? The following is a personal ranking of the Best Picture films from most favorite to least. Feel free to share yours in the comments.

A Look at this Year's Surprising Academy Award Nominations

Scene from Boyhood

After months of prognostication and other awards shows, the Academy Awards have finally announced all of their contenders for this year's ceremony. For the first time ever, there were two installments in which all 24 categories were presented to the press. In traditional fashion, there were plenty of surprises that made my hopes seem greatly miscalculated. Without further ado, here's the nominees as well as personal thoughts on each major category.

My Final Predictions for the Academy Award Nominations

Ladies and gentlemen, the day is upon us. Tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM, the Academy Awards will be announced. Who will make the final cut? It has been a very interesting year in regards to front runners with a mixed variety of results. In fact, it was very painstaking to try and whittle these down to a respectable few. I don't claim to be right, but I do hope that there's some surprises (and then some) in this year's race. The following is rundown of my final picks in 10 categories including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Review: "The Imitation Game" Tries to Be Important in Safe and Uninteresting Ways

Benedict Cumberbatch

One of the reasons that World War II has remained such a prominent subject in film culture is because of the massive scope that it encapsulates. Beyond the war and killing Adolf Hitler, it was about putting aside differences to do so. With stories ranging this year from The Monuments Men to Unbroken, the diversity continues to intrigue in director Morten Tyldum's The Imitation Game, which focuses on scientist Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he literally cracks the code on the Nazis. For a story with a complex core, it is unfortunate that so much of the layers above it feel too conventional

Predictions for the Oscars' Potential Best Picture Category

Scene from Boyhood

With the Oscar nominations only one week away, now seems like a good time to take into account the various categories and share personal thoughts on what stands a chance and what will likely not make the cut. The following is a rundown of the performers who I feel will most likely make it to the final five in the Best Picture race and who may be considered a potential threat for the category. Let me state that this isn't a prediction of who will win, simply who will get the nomination.

Predictions for the Oscars' Potential Best Actor Category

Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything

With the Oscar nominations only one week away, now seems like a good time to take into account the various categories and share personal thoughts on what stands a chance and what will likely not make the cut. The following is a rundown of the performers who I feel will most likely make it to the final five in the Best Actor race and who may be considered a potential threat for the category. Let me state that this isn't a prediction of who will win, simply who will get the nomination.

A Look at 2015's BAFTA Nominations

Scene from The Grand Budapest Hotel

With majority of the awards nominations currently out, it is time to prepare for the big leagues. With next week's announcement of the Academy Award nominations, it is time to recognize the British counterpart known as the BAFTAS. For many years, it has been the strongest representation of what the Oscars may look like, including various overlapping winners. With that in mind, there's a lot of pleasant surprises and a couple disparaging results mixed in. Even then, the race has continued to remain unpredictable in the best ways possible, leaving some hope for one of the most exciting Oscar years in quite some time.

Predictions for the Oscars' Potential Best Supporting Actress Category

Patricia Arquette in Boyhood

With the Oscar nominations only one week away, now seems like a good time to take into account the various categories and share personal thoughts on what stands a chance and what will likely not make the cut. The following is a rundown of the performers who I feel will most likely make it to the final five in the Best Supporting Actress race and who may be considered a potential threat for the category. Let me state that this isn't a prediction of who will win, simply who will get the nomination.

A Look at the 114 Candidates for the Best Original Score Category

Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar

With the recent announcement of the Best Original Song shortlist, there is also room for the Best Original Score category to be explored as well. Between these two, there is a lot of unpredictable results that could happen (see: Thomas Newman's back-to-back nominations for Skyfall and Saving Mr. Banks). This year is no exception, as there is one particular name that is missing from this list that you'll likely be mad about. Follow after the jump to see what made the cut and a few thoughts on what I feel will be sticking around for the final five.

A Rundown of This Year's Golden Globe Nominations

Joaquin Phoenix in Inherent Vice

Following the release of the SAG Award nominations yesterday, today marks the release of the Golden Globe Award Nominations. As with every year, this is one of the most interesting/baffling award as it recognizes the best with a few films that shouldn't even be there. Thankfully, this year isn't an exception and while there isn't that many, they pop up here and there to remind you why you love this drunken cousin of an award is special. Who made the cut? Who didn't? Check out the nominations after the jump.