Every Best Picture Nominee of the 2010's Ranked: #6-10

Scene from Parasite (2019)

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: An Appreciation Post on Jon Bernthal

Jon Bernthal in The Punisher

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. 

Theory Thursday: "The Wolf of Wall Street" is the Most Influential Film of the Past 5 Years

Scene from The Wolf of Wall Street

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. 

Ranking Leonardo DiCaprio's 6 Oscar Nominations

Leonardo DiCaprio

There are only six days until this year's Academy Awards. There's a lot of speculation as to who is likely to win in every category. However, the one that seems to be getting the most traction is Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor in The Revenant. Considering how long people have argued that the charismatic 41-year-old actor has deserved an award, some see it as an overdue legacy award. But does he deserve it for this film? With six days to go and since he has earned six Oscar nominations (five for acting), it feels like an appropriate time to rank his performances based on what should've gotten him this honor.

No Gold for Leo: Or Why We Need a Best Stunt Performer Oscar Category

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant

It seems like I have been extremely harsh on one film this past Oscar season: director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's The Revenant. It started with its problematic production and continued with false allegations of bear rape and my own belief that it shouldn't even be Oscar nomianted. However, there is one reason that it bothers me more than anything else: it's Leonardo DiCaprio's worst role. For those who are quick to accuse me of underselling his sacrifices, I am not. The issue here is that we're mistaking stunts for acting. You see, there is a grand difference, and I intend to prove why DiCaprio's performance was not acting - but instead an outdoors version of Fear Factor (and you wouldn't give Joe Rogan's show an Oscar now, would you?), and that this whole facade to get him an Oscar is a great example of nonsensical favoritism.

Theory Thursday: Leonardo DiCaprio is the Last Traditional Movie Star

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant

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. 

Birthday Take: Terence Winter in "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013)

Left to right: Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio

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.

Can Superhero Blockbusters Be Best Picture Nominees?

Scene from The Avengers: Age of Ultron

It is way too easy to lobby complaints at the Academy for being out of touch with popular audiences. In fact, the last major blockbuster film to warrant any major Oscar buzz was director James Cameron's Avatar in 2009. The technical spectacle captivated audiences, broke box office records and convinced the Academy to lavish it with nominations and wins. Yes, there have been other big budgeted films like the introspective Life of Pi or the debauchery-filled The Wolf of Wall Street that have been nominated, but let me ask you something: will we ever see a day when a real superhero blockbuster movie gets recognized with so much as a Best Picture nomination? 

The Directors Project: #3 - Martin Scorsese

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.

A Case for C.G.I. Actors Getting Their Own Oscar Category

Andy Serkis

It is a question that gets lobbied around a lot, especially in the same vein as Best Stunt Performer. As technology has become more embraced by the film community, it seems strange that the Academy doesn't embrace this change. Maybe it could be that the special effects are in some respects "invisible" and aren't immediate. In some cases, the performers are "invisible" as well underneath computer generated imagery that replaces the trips and wires with glorious creations. In the case of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Andy Serkis is replaced by a towering brute named Caesar. Serkis has made a career out of being "invisible" and has thankfully gotten a reputation as being skilled at it simultaneously thanks to roles in Lord of the Rings as Gollum, or in King Kong as... you know who. However, the thought that his work will go unnoticed seems barbaric in a lot of circles. It is a discussion that may likely be risen this weekend once again when one of the most acclaimed films of the summer is released. Should there be a Best C.G.I. Performance Oscar category initiated?

Why Can't Summer Blockbusters Make it Into the Best Picture Race?

If there is one thing to be said about the quality of films in 2014, it is that we are doing far greater in terms of general output. Whether it is the blockbusters Godzilla or animated films How to Train Your Dragon 2, there is an immediacy and sense of craft that has made the summer season worth investing in again. There may be some duds, but that comes with the territory. However, does all of this quality output stand any chance of making it into the Oscar race next year? It just has to because with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes coming out next week, there is a great chance that we will once again be banging on doors and calling for attention to these blockbusters.

My Official Oscar Votes for 2014

With the Oscar ceremony this upcoming weekend, the time to see all of the Oscar nominees is dwindling down. For me, there are many notable categories where I unfortunately came up short. With that said, I also had the opportunity to see majority of the nominees in the major categories, which allowed me to have a more invested take. What follows is a reassessment of my initial votes, which have since changed. This will not be a rehashing of every nominee, but an abbreviated version of the list with any additional thoughts listed.

A Closer Look at the Best Adapted Screenplay Nominees

Closing out our dissection of the big Oscar categories, here is a look at the Best Adapted Screenplay nominees. Much like the Best Original Screenplay selections, this year's batch features an impressive and diverse group of nominees that reflect the best in bring a film's story to life. Some are vivacious with profane bliss (The Wolf of Wall Street) while others explore slaver (12 Years a Slave) and long term guilt (Philomena). It is an interesting group and while less interesting than its counterpart category, it is as open a race.

A Closer Look at the Best Supporting Actor Nominees

Much like the Best Actor race, this year's Best Supporting Actor nominees feel like a broad mix of talents that each highlight a different portion of charismatic performances. From transsexual (Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club) to boat hijacker (Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips) to a crack smoking broker (Jonah Hill - The Wolf of Wall Street), this feels like a crazy selection just on paper. However, the lack of one performance standing out makes it an exciting year that keeps the category from feeling as closed off as some of the others. 

A Closer Look at the Best Actor Nominees

One of the most difficult races at this year's ceremony to predict is going to be the Best Actor race. Along with a scandalous moment in which CNN supposedly revealed this year's winner, this race has lead to plenty of discussion, and for good reason. Each performance delivers a slightly different skill that makes it better than the next. Its only issue is that in a year where the playing field almost feels too even, it leaves plenty of surprise for Oscar night and has already launched numerous think pieces such dissecting each nominee. The following is my look at the field as well as who I think should win as well as why.

A Closer Look at the Best Director Nominees

*Note: While I had previously publicized that I was covering all of the categories in a look at the Best Picture race, I have decided to dedicate posts to each of the main categories (Best Picture, Best Director, Acting, and Writing fields). I will be critiquing each nominee as well as ranking them in order of preference.

One of the more exciting things about this year's Oscar nominations is that there is uncertainty in the front runner. While speculation has it that American Hustle may be a potential upset, there is still Gravity and 12 Years a Slave proving to be roadblocks. Even The Wolf of Wall Street, despite controversy, is capable of thriving on its notoriety into some unforeseen glory. A lot of that has to do with the directors behind the camera. This year's selection is an impressive mix of fast-paced adrenaline to meditative slowness to stylistic nostalgia. Each of the five Best Director nominees have something unique to offer, and that may be the most exciting of all.

A Closer Look at the Best Picture Nominees

Much like every other Academy Award enthusiast out there, there is great pride in reaching the point when the nominees go from being names to actual discussion pieces. For me, that includes watching every Best Picture nominee before the big day and being able to dissect my overall thoughts on the categories. What films were fueled more by bias than actual quality? There were a few this year. However, upon reflection, I noticed that I have ran into a strange issue this year: I don't consider too many to be "overrated" when it comes to this category. In fact compared to last year, which I still believe was far more interesting, this line-up is rather excellent and diverse. I still loathe the nine nominees of the 5-10 sliding scale, but with that aside, this is another excellent year for the category.

A Look at the Oscar Nominees of 2014 and the Many, Many Surprises

This morning, the Oscar nominations were announced and there was more than a fair share of surprises. With plenty of snubs to go around, the final cut is an impressive mix that much like the Golden Globes, shows that there isn't a definitive front runner as initially predicted all the way back in September. However, there's a strange emergence of competition that seemed unlikely as well. Here is a look at the Oscar nominations for 2014 and brief thoughts on every category. To say the least, my Oscar predictions were far from perfect.

Calculating the Golden Globe 2014 Winners

Left to right: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler

Last night saw the Golden Globes ceremony take place hosted once again by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. The show itself had plenty of memorable moments and with the hosts managing to do what Ricky Gervais couldn't (not outstay their welcome), it was a night that managed to pack a lot of surprises, notably for those rooting on 12 Years a Slave to dominate in every available category. In fact, there wasn't a single film that really "dominated," though it has raised questions on how the Oscar race could change (read my nominee predictions here). As it stands, things look less concrete going forward.

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.