Composing Greatness: #6. "Titanic" (1997)

Scene from Titanic

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.

Composing Greatness' Next Subject Is... James Horner!

Scene from Titanic

After a longer than expected hiatus, it's time for the return of Composing Greatness. The column recognizes the best in movie music composition by analyzing the work of greats through their Oscar-nominated work. Past subjects have included such figures as John Williams, Rachel Portman, and Thomas Newman. In the latest installment, I thought that I would shift focus to someone whose work holds a significant place in pop culture in a different way. This Oscar-nominated composer not only received nominations for three Best Picture winners but also worked on two of the highest grossing movies in box office history. Who is this amazing talent? Read on to find out!

Best Song: "My Heart Will Go On" (1997)

Scene from Titanic

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Ranking Oscar-Nominated Films With More Than 10 Wins

Ladies and gentleman, the time is upon us. In only a short 10 days, this year's Academy Awards ceremony will be held and we'll know for sure who is this year's Best Picture. Will it be The Revevenant? The Big Short? Spotlight? Who knows for sure. With that said, it's time to countdown to the big day by highlighting the final moments of double digits for Oscar prognosticators. Kicking things off will be films that won 10 or more Oscars. Which of the few is better than them all? You'll have to read on to find out.

"The Force Awakens" is Officially the Highest Grossing Film in United States

Scene from Star Wars: The Force Awakens

For many, today is a triumphant moment in pop culture. While it has broken almost every other record in its path, today is the day that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has officially become the highest grossing movie in the United States. While this seems impressive, add on the fact that this is the first time in 18 years where director James Cameron hasn't held this honor; first with Titanic in 1998 (the first film to gross a billion dollars), and then again with Avatar (the first film to gross two billion dollars) in 2010. While it still has a ways to go to beat the international box office, its status has at least been set as, and Steven Spielberg would agree based on his predictions, that this would be the biggest movie of all time.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is the Quickest Film to a Billion Dollars at the Box Office

Scene from Star Wars: The Force Awakens

There is an old expression for very popular movies: Everyone and their mother has seen it. In the case of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, that may very well apply. Even if there are those out there who haven't seen it, the box office receipts point to an overwhelming sign of popularity. While many have long pitted the latest entry to be a success, it wasn't likely to be quite like this. Over the course of its first two weeks (12 days to be precise), the film has become the fastest film to cross a billion (yes, with a b) dollars worldwide. In America, its intake is only second to Jurassic World's cumulative gross. At this rate, it may very well be the highest grossing film from 2015 before it reaches the New Year. 

Should "The Force Awakens" Be Nominated for Best Picture?

Scene from Star Wars: The Force Awakens

It seemed inevitable, but director J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened to predictably big business. If there was a box office record, it was likely beaten by now. The reviews are overwhelming, some even calling it the best of the franchise in over 30 years. In fact, it's tied on critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes with the original for highest rated. While many have likely seen it (a few times even) and have discussed it to death, there's one argument that does seem ripe for the taking: can the film get any Oscar traction? There have been hints of it, but nothing really seemed plausible until this past week when the hype matched the film. Now, it seems like anything is possible.

Nothing But the Best: "Titanic" (1997)

Scene from Titanic

Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.

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. 

Why I Don't Believe That "Mad Max: Fury Road" Will Get a Best Picture Nomination

Scene from Mad Max: Fury Road

There's no denying the unpredictable impact that director George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road has had on the zeitgeist. It's become its own cultural phenomenon with people adopting the lingo and calling Charlize Theron's Furiosa one of the greatest female characters of the year. It's a film made by a mad man and one that is just as entertaining as the notion. However, there's one thing that I could never quite get on board with. For everyone calling this the Best Movie of 2015, I don't think that it transcends to The Academy. While they have added Tom Hardy to their members list, their latest push to make it a Best Picture contender feels a little... off. It's fun, but I have trouble embracing this campaign as anything but wishful thinking.

Do Historical Dramas Need to Be Entirely Accurate?

Scene from Stonewall

There's been something that I have secretly been hoping for this Oscar season. I have hoped that there would be a strong representation of gay culture. Of course, there's The Danish Girl and Carol leading the pack while hopefuls like Freeheld have faded from bad reviews. However, there's likely not to be a film more perplexing than that of director Roland Emmerich's Stonewall. More than these three films, Stonewall felt like a film that wanted to matter for a lot of reasons, specifically at capturing the intensity and historical aspects of one of the LGBT community's most important events. Much like how Selma captured the plight of the 60's Civil Rights movement, I hoped that this would be some unexpected masterpiece. Is it? Well, the film currently holds a low 8% on critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes for a variety of reasons. So, be honest with yourself, was Stonewall good intention or just one of the most misguided Oscar-bait movies in years?

Check This Out: James Cameron's Tribute to the Late James Horner

As movie fans will likely know, director James Cameron remains a technical challenger of the cinematic landscape. Over his long career, he has reinvented how we see the medium in various ways. Among them are his three collaborations with composer James Horner (Aliens, Titanic, Avatar), who died in a plane crash yesterday at the age of 61. While I have already reported on the composer's legacy and how Titanic almost didn't have "My Heart Will Go On," there's been one voice who we haven't actually heard from: Cameron himself. In a touching letter to The Hollywood Reporter, the director shares his personal thoughts on Horner's career and his collaborations with him.

The Story of How "My Heart Will Go On" Almost Didn't Happen

Left to right: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic

With the passing of composer James Horner, it seems appropriate to look on a man whose output helped to shape contemporary film history. Having done everything from A Beautiful Mind to Braveheart, he was a prolific composer to always enjoyed a challenge. However, for his most successful score, there's a strange and beautiful history behind it. The beloved theme song "My Heart Will Go On" almost didn't happen. Chalk it up to stubbornness to create history with a little bit of disobedience on Horner's part.

R.I.P. James Horner (1953-2015)

On Monday, June 22, film composer James Horner died in a plane crash around Los Padres National Forest in California. He was an advocate for aviation and was one of many who owned personal planes. In a way, it was like the music that he composed for various epics with their soaring, enchanting beauty that took us someplace unexpected. His prolific output made him a household name and his collaborations with director James Cameron meant that he scored the two highest grossing films in history: Titanic and Avatar. What the legendary composer leaves behind is an impressive body of work that redefined how music was used in film and how it could impact our emotional responses. 

The Directors Project: #40 - James Cameron

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.