How Joaquin Phoenix Encouraged Me To Start The Oscar Buzz

Joaquin Phoenix

Among the many winners at last night's Academy Awards was Best Actor winner Joaquin Phoenix (Joker). For months following the release of the divisive film, he's been the category front-runner and in the process has excelled at giving some of the most memorable speeches. For as much as Brad Pitt made his run seem polished and charismatic, Phoenix chose to make his feel from the heart, addressing whatever issues came to mind. Who could forget his speeches detailing Australian forest fires, or the more recent backlash at The Academy where he called out their lack of diverse nominations? There is so much to take from Phoenix that it kind of makes up for the fact that I wasn't that impressed with his Oscar-winning performance. To me, Joker was mediocre and lacked any real substance that it was vying for. However, his win had a lot more power than simply recognizing a movie or an actor. Phoenix's win sort of brought a certain narrative regarding The Oscar Buzz to a close.

My Top 25 Favorite Films of the Decade

Scene from The Master (2012)

The following is an excerpt from my new e-book "A Decade Now Available for Streaming: Celebrating the Films That Helped Define the 2010's," which is currently available for $2 on Amazon. It's a celebration of the best films of the past decade, including these 25 films that stand out as something special to me personally. If you want to read more, the e-book goes into detail on 75 more films that defined the decade and made going to the cinema an exciting past time. 

Ranking Amy Adams' 5 Oscar Nominated Roles

Amy Adams in Arrival

Today marks actress Amy Adams' 42nd birthday. Over the course of an impressive career, she has played everything from Disney princess to the wife of a cult leader. To say the least, her range is endless, and she continues to produce quality work on an almost annual basis. With the potential for a sixth nomination this fall with director Denis Villeneuve's alien invasion movie Arrival, there's no better time to be an Adams fan. While we wait for her next film to win us over, the following is a ranking of her current five Oscar nominations, of which shows off her charisma as well as argues the case as to why she doesn't have an Oscar yet. She more than deserves one.

Happy 1,000th Entry!: A Look at My Favorite Films Since 2012

Scene from The Master

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that this marks the 1,000th entry from The Oscar Buzz. Over the past 3.5 years, I am proud to have covered all things Academy Awards as well as expanding to its history and my own personal tastes. It has been a fun ride, and I hope to continue to provide insightful content for my readers. For now, I thought that I would do as I do with every odd anniversary and celebrate by sharing a little bit more about me through film. In this case, I am going to share my 10 favorite movies since 2012 when this blog first started up. Admittedly, it's hard to narrow down the list, but these 10 films in some ways represent what I look for in films. Some of them extend beyond Oscar-nominated fare. Some of them were ironically inches from winning Best Picture. Whatever the case, these are the ones I enjoy. If you'd like, feel free to share your favorite film of the past few years and why that is in the comments below.

Birthday Take: Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master" (2012)

Joaquin Phoenix in The Master

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.

Check This Out: Band Releases Free Album That Set Paul Thomas Anderson Monologues to Music

As you likely know, I love director Paul Thomas Anderson's oeuvre. He has released a lot of the best cinema from over the past 20 years from Boogie Nights to last year's Inherent Vice. One of the perks is the iconic monologues that seem to crop up in every one of his films. It's impossible to think of There Will Be Blood without "I drink your milkshake." It's not the same without The Master arguing about its cult status. Well, if you've ever wondered what these craftily worded monologues sound like set to music, you can thank Colburn Sound Express, who have just released an eight track download that combines them to a varying genres of music.

Paul Thomas Anderson to Debut Jonny Greenwood Documentary at NYFF

Jonny Greenwood

It's no secret that I love Paul Thomas Anderson as a director. His work has been some of the high points of every Oscar season, even as films like The Master and Inherent Vice fail to get the momentum they deserve. However, another key reason that Anderson is particularly great is because of his collaborators, specifically composer Jonny Greenwood. Over his past three films, the two have created some of the most intense and immersive soundtracks to grace the film world. That is why it makes plenty of sense that Anderson will be releasing a new documentary about his collaborator this Fall with premieres at upcoming festivals. 

My Top 10 Favorite Amy Adams Movies

Amy Adams

Today is Amy Adams' 41st birthday. While I try to remain objective to all performers, there are few that I have publicly rooted for as much as her to eventually win an Oscar. With an impressive track record of 5 nominations, she seems overdue for something at this point. It also helps that I consider her to be one of the most charismatic and enjoyable actresses currently working. With an impressive career that features an array of great performances ranging from princess movies to dark dramas, she embodies what a great actress should be. So to honor her birthday, I have decided to highlight my personal top 10 favorite performances of hers that reflect why she is so great.

The Directors Project: #25 - Paul Thomas Anderson

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.

Megan Ellison on "The Master"

Yesterday on Twitter, Annapurna founder Megan Ellison took to her account to mention several things. Among them, the producer of such Best Picture nominees as Her, True Grit, American Hustle, and Zero Dark Thirty made a reference to one of the young studio's most widely talked about films (and the inspiration for The Oscar Buzz). In the post (above), she talks about The Master and her real intentions for making it. As anyone who has seen the film will likely attest, this comment is one of the most heartwarming examples of craft winning over commerce (the film made a little under twice its budget at the box office). 

While this is arguably "not news," it is a comment that greatly warms my heart to hear and small proof that Ellison is one of the most interestingly challenging producers in Hollywood right now. Though you probably could tell for someone who also funded Spring Breakers and Killing Them Softly. Even if you have opposition to some of these titles, her work is audacious in ways that The Weinstein Company used to be. Anyways, I just used this as an excuse to reference The Master and this awesome little post.

Reasons Why Daniel Day Lewis Doesn't Deserve A Best Actor Statue

Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln

As I have long established on this blog, I feel like director Steven Spielberg's historic drama Lincoln is a little on the overrated side. While the buzz around it winning Best Picture has diminished, a few things haven't. True, I root Spielberg to take Best Director, but there seems to be something more definite. Something that I have never quite been able to accept. True, it is largely due to an insane dedication to The Master and more specifically Joaquin Phoenix, but there is more to it than that. Why is Daniel Day Lewis the clear runaway hero for Best Actor?  

Predictions: Who Should Get a Best Picture Nomination in 2013?

2012's Best Picture Winner, cast and crew for The Artist

We are in an exciting time for Oscar enthusiasts. We are officially one week away from the announcement of this year's nominees. In order to contribute some thoughts, I will be going down the major categories (Acting, Directing, and Best Picture) and predicting who will be the most likely to get nominated, as well as a few tidbits on why I agree with these decisions. Be warned that every story that I am going to write in relation to predictions will not actually feature any bias towards who should win. However, I will be detailing why I think each should be nominated. Also stay tuned for post-coverage in which I will actually be sharing my thoughts on the nominations and solidify who I believe should win in each category.

Predictions: Who Should Get a Best Director Nomination in 2013?

2012's Best Director winner Michael Hazanavicius (The Artist)

We are in an exciting time for Oscar enthusiasts. We are officially one week away from the announcement of this year's nominees. In order to contribute some thoughts, I will be going down the major categories (Acting, Directing, and Best Picture) and predicting who will be the most likely to get nominated, as well as a few tidbits on why I agree with these decisions. Be warned that every story that I am going to write in relation to predictions will not actually feature any bias towards who should win. However, I will be detailing why I think each should be nominated. Also stay tuned for post-coverage in which I will actually be sharing my thoughts on the nominations and solidify who I believe should win in each category.

Predictions: Who Should Get a Best Actor Nomination in 2013?

2012's Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist)

We are in an exciting time for Oscar enthusiasts. We are officially one week away from the announcement of this year's nominees. In order to contribute some thoughts, I will be going down the major categories (Acting, Directing, and Best Picture) and predicting who will be the most likely to get nominated, as well as a few tidbits on why I agree with these decisions. Be warned that every story that I am going to write in relation to predictions will not actually feature any bias towards who should win. However, I will be detailing why I think each should be nominated. Also stay tuned for post-coverage in which I will actually be sharing my thoughts on the nominations and solidify who I believe should win in each category.

Predictions: Who Should Get a Best Supporting Actress Nomination in 2013?

2012's Best Supporting Actress winner Octavia Spender (The Help)

We are in an exciting time for Oscar enthusiasts. We are officially one week away from the announcement of this year's nominees. In order to contribute some thoughts, I will be going down the major categories (Acting, Directing, and Best Picture) and predicting who will be the most likely to get nominated, as well as a few tidbits on why I agree with these decisions. Be warned that every story that I am going to write in relation to predictions will not actually feature any bias towards who should win. However, I will be detailing why I think each should be nominated. Also stay tuned for post-coverage in which I will actually be sharing my thoughts on the nominations and solidify who I believe should win in each category.

Predictions: Who Should Get a Best Supporting Actor Nomination in 2013?

2012's Best Supporting Actor winner Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

We are in an exciting time for Oscar enthusiasts. We are officially one week away from the announcement of this year's nominees. In order to contribute some thoughts, I will be going down the major categories (Acting, Directing, and Best Picture) and predicting who will be the most likely to get nominated, as well as a few tidbits on why I agree with these decisions. Be warned that every story that I am going to write in relation to predictions will not actually feature any bias towards who should win. However, I will be detailing why I think each should be nominated. Also stay tuned for post-coverage in which I will actually be sharing my thoughts on the nominations and solidify who I believe should win in each category.

What Happened to "The Master"?

Amy Adams

*This will be my last piece for The Oscar Buzz for 2012. I want to thank everyone for making its brief existence so far much more successful than I planned. What I established as a website just to talk about the Oscars has evolved into something that I enjoy doing. Do know that I probably will be back later this week writing more, but I figured now was as good of a time as any to thank you, the reader, for choosing to join me. Here's hoping that success continues to be granted to this blog in 2013, and may the best movies win.

This entry marks the 50th entry in The Oscar Buzz. With that in mind, I thought that I would look back at the one film that started it all for me: director Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, which is my second favorite movie of 2012 and features probably the best Joaquin Phoenix performance of his career. After initially a strong start with Oscar Buzz, it fell behind colleagues like director Ben Affleck's Argo and Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty. Even in the acting fields, Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman have fallen upon hard times. It has gotten plenty of nominations, but not as many wins, despite making almost every critic's Top 10 lists. Today's installment is a personal analysis on what happened to The Master to move it from a strong contender to just another nominee.

Golden Globe Nominations 2013 Are Here, and Guess Who Got Ignored?

It is an exciting time for movie awards fanatics. With all of the nominations coming out, we are only a month away from when we finally get a peek at what will be nominated for this year's Academy Awards! Unfortunately, the Golden Globes have always been perceived in some way as a predecessor to the event and for no good reason. Each year, they mistake celebrity for quality with very few wins for the right people. However, that's kind of why they are my favorite whipping boy. I love to criticize their choices with a heavy hand. The following is a look at the nominations that were released this morning and my brief opinions about each category.

Will the Word of Mouth Success of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" get the Film Oscar Nominations?

Left to right: Quvenzhane Wallis and Dwight Henry

Check out my review for the film here.

It has been quite a year for indie films in regards to awards season. Director Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master managed to win over critics and place Joaquin Phoenix as a top contender (though his comments may cause problems) and has gotten a few record breaking titles attached to its legacy. However, long before The Master was winning over audiences, there was director Benh Zeitlin's Beasts of the Southern Wild, which saw one of the most original stories of the year with an equally engaging cast, thus making it the indie film that could. However, is the early praise of the film able to sustain now that we're seeing all of the big shots starting to compete?

A Few Words from my Best Actor Pick for 2012

Joaquin Phoenix

As readers will know, I am a strong believer that Joaquin Phoenix's performance in director Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master will walk away with a Best Actor statue this year, or at very least a nomination. His performance is so dynamic and I haven't seen any that have come close. Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln may come close (it has yet to be seen), but at the very least, Phoenix is a wonderful conundrum of a performer. From his gonzo-faux-documentary I'm Still Here a few years back to him messing with audiences at Venice, he is never one to do the obvious. This is why recent statements only add to what makes him an endearing actor.