Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Battle of the Sexes" (2017)

Scene from Battle of the Sexes

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.

The Oscar Buzz is Celebrating Its Sixth Anniversary!

Scene from Pygmalion (1938)

On this day six years ago, The Oscar Buzz launched as a place for me to discuss everything related to awards season. It was 2012 and it stemmed largely from an interest in discussing everything related to the Paul Thomas Anderson film The Master. Things have evolved since then and in 2018, the blog has covered a lot of ground both in Oscar history, as well as attempts to branch out into other subject matters ranging from the Tony Awards to chronicling the entire output of A24 studios. It's a daunting task that I love to put upon myself. But on these anniversary entries, I have one tough question: how do I open up? These entries are about discussing who I am as an individual more than just my opinions on film. It's easy some years, where variables can lead to cutesy lists (for instance, last year was about the year with the five Best Picture nominees that best represented me). But where do I go with six? It's difficult. However, I have decided to look at something that I don't discuss too often: the double-nominee. What film adaptation stands out as saying something integral about who I am? In this particular case, I am going back to the work of George Bernard Shaw and the adaptations Pygmalion and, in its musical form, My Fair Lady.

The First Trailer for "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" Saddles Up Another Wacky Coen Brothers Film

Scene from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

There are few directors who have the unpredictable track record of brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It seems like every time they release a dark and gritty movie like No Country for Old Men, it's immediately followed by a farcical gem like Burn After Reading. Even their most recent film, Hail Caesar!, is a Hollywood satire that has a subtext about the power of a metaphorical religion within the studio system. So, where do you go from a film that encapsulated every genre possible and turned it into one of their silliest films yet? Well, you go back to the genre that earned you some clout. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs started out as a TV series for Netflix, but comes to audiences now as an anthology film about a cowboy going on wacky adventures. If the first trailer is any sign, it's a different take on the genre than something like True Grit. Much like Hail Caesar!, it's downright farcical.

Surprise! Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Legend, and Tim Rice are All EGOT Winners Now

Left to right: Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Legend, and Tim Rice

While the Emmy Awards ceremony that everyone knows and loves will be airing next week, last night was a night that's just as important to people who love TV. The Creative Arts Emmys are meant to honor the best in TV production in categories that aren't as interesting to audiences expecting more commercial categories, such as acting in dramas and comedies. However, it's a shame that the ceremony wasn't more of a big deal, as it marked a rare but exciting occasion for fans of awards history. With the win for Outstanding Variety Special, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Legend, and Tim Rice all ascended to the status of EGOT winners, marking the most to win not only in a single year, but even a single night. It was quite a night, though the asterisks for accomplishment don't stop there.