Coming Soon...HORROR at the Oscars!

Over the past seven months, I have embarked on a Best Original Song project, reviewing all 82 years of that Oscar category's nominees. I don't plan on tackling another adventure like that for a while, not until the coming awards season is wrapped up. I have, however, very much wanted to do one more project before exclusively focusing on the 2016 horse race (in addition to my usual film reviews) and October, with Halloween not too far off on the horizon, is the perfect month to do it.

During October, I will be taking a fond look back at the Oscar history of my very favorite film genre...horror.

As a film buff who was raised on horror - and whose parents somehow had no qualms about renting R-rated slasher films for him as a young lad (in addition to milder mainstays like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Killer Klowns from Outer Space) - I have long been enamored with this genre. My father got me into the classics - the Universal monster movies and Hammer horror flicks (which, let it be known, also sported some of the most drop-dead gorgeous women to ever grace the big screen) - while my mom was all about the '70s horror, plus Freddy Krueger, Chucky, Leprechaun and so on.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of course, unfortunately, did not opt to recognize any of the films of those horror franchise legends. Looking back, however, there are a number of surprises and eyebrow-raisers in terms of what horror pictures the Academy did nominate. Awards buffs know the critically acclaimed likes of The Exorcist and Jaws were embraced but just wait 'til you see which of the Universal monster movies the Academy honorned in technical categories - and no, it ain't Dracula or The Bride of Frankenstein.

During this small-scale Oscar Flashback, which I plan to break down in four chapters over four weeks, I'll be looking back at every single horror film nominated for an Oscar, including the well-known, Oscar-winning contenders, the nominated short subjects of the genre and the real duds that made it into Oscar night with a single nomination. I'll also discuss the horror films that struck out with the Academy, despite precursor attention, and the unimpeachable classics that failed to make any awards dent at all.

Note that it's entirely possible, if not likely, that I will gloss over a film that was nominated or a true juggernaut of the genre that deserved Oscar love. That's what the comments section is for - enjoy and respond away!

But just remember, on my blog, no one can hear you scream...

2016 Oscar Nomination Predictions (September)

With my Best Original Song project behind me, I am (at last!) ready to squarely focus on this year's Oscar horse race. (That is, in addition to my usual movie reviews and one small, spooky October project that I'll reveal more info on in the coming days.)

The 2016 Oscar race has already, to put it mildly, proven an exciting and fascinating one. It's no surprise the likes of La La Land and Manchester by the Sea were whole-heartedly embraced on the festival scene but I for one did not expect such raves for Jackie or even Nocturnal Animals. A number of potential Oscar contenders have already garnered domestic releases - among them, Sully, Hell or High Water, The Jungle Book and Florence Foster Jenkins - and we'll see if they can hang on amidst the onslaught of Oscar-bait about to flood the big screens over the coming months.

There remain many unanswered questions.

Will, for instance, Martin Scorsese's Silence actually see the light of day? (At this point, I am going to presume Paramount gets the film out on time and predict it in a number of categories...but I suspect it's a real coin flip.)

Then, there's Fences - will it prove a threat in not only Lead Actor and Lead Actress but also Picture and Director, or could it go the way of middling stage-to-screen adaptations like The History Boys and Proof? Likewise, is Billy Lynn another Ang Lee winner or have we perhaps been overestimating the picture all along? These are two potential-juggernauts but, unlike La La Land and Manchester by the Sea, we really haven't a clue yet how strong the pictures are. Same goes for Rules Don't Apply, Passengers and Allied.

Of course, there's also The Birth of a Nation. Has all of the controversy surrounding Nate Parker's college rape trial left the picture dead in the water, or can Parker and Fox Searchlight still make a success out of it? For now, I remain skeptical but anything is possible in what no doubt will be a true roller coaster ride of an awards season.

With that said, here are my first full Oscar predictions of the 2016 season, ranked from most to least likely to garner a nomination. I'll be updating them once a month from here on out. Of course feel free to comment and offer up your own thoughts and predictions!

Best Picture

1. La La Land
2. Manchester by the Sea
3. Fences
4. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
5. Jackie
6. Loving
7. Silence
8. Arrival
9. Hidden Figures
   ---
10. Allied
11. Lion
12. Nocturnal Animals
13. Rules Don't Apply
14. The Birth of a Nation
15. Moonlight

Best Director

1. Damien Chazelle, La La Land
2. Ang Lee, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
3. Denzel Washington, Fences
4. Martin Scorsese, Silence
5. Denis Villanueve, Arrival
   ---
6. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
7. Jeff Nichols, Loving
8. Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals
9. Warren Beatty, Rules Don't Apply
10. Pablo Larrain, Jackie

Best Lead Actor

1. Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
2. Denzel Washington, Fences
3. Ryan Gosling, La La Land
4. Joel Edgerton, Loving
5. Joe Alwyn, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
   ---
6. Tom Hanks, Sully
7. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nocturnal Animals
8. Michael Keaton, The Founder
9. Andrew Garfield, Silence (Hacksaw Ridge if Silence not released)
10. Dev Patel, Lion

Best Lead Actress

1. Emma Stone, La La Land
2. Natalie Portman, Jackie
3. Viola Davis, Fences
4. Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
5. Ruth Negga, Loving
   ---
6. Amy Adams, Arrival
7. Taraji P. Henson, Hidden Figures
8. Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
9. Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane
10. Isabelle Huppert, Elle

Best Supporting Actor

1. Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
2. Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
3. Warren Beatty, Rules Don't Apply
4. Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
5. Liam Neeson, Silence
   ---
6. Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
7. Peter Sarsgaard, Jackie
8. Steve Martin, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
9. Stephen Henderson, Fences
10. Mykelti Williamson, Fences

Best Supporting Actress

1. Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
2. Naomie Harris, Moonlight
3. Kristen Stewart, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
4. Nicole Kidman, Lion
5. Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
   ---
6. Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women
7. Felicity Jones, A Monster Calls
8. Annette Bening, Rules Don't Apply
9. Elle Fanning, 20th Century Women
10. Laura Linney, Nocturnal Animals

Best Original Screenplay

1. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
2. Jeff Nichols, Loving
3. Damien Chazelle, La La Land
4. Noah Oppenheim, Jackie
5. Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee, Rich Moore, Jim Reardon and Josie Trinidad, Zootopia
   ---
6. Ron Clements and John Musker, Moana
7. Barry Jenkins and Tarell McCraney, Moonlight
8. Warren Beatty, Rules Don't Apply
9. Steven Knight, Allied
10. Asghar Farhadi, The Salesman

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. August Wilson, Fences
2. Jean-Christophe Castelli, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
3. Jay Cocks, Silence
4. Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals
5. Allison Schroeder, Hidden Figures
   ---
6. Luke Davies, Lion
7. Eric Heisserer, Arrival
8. Whit Stillman, Love & Friendship
9. David Birke, Elle
10. Justin Marks, The Jungle Book

Best Animated Feature

1. Zootopia
2. Moana
3. Sing
4. The Red Turtle
5. Finding Dory
   ---
6. Kubo and the Two Strings
7. Sausage Party
8. The Secret Life of Pets
9. April and the Extraordinary World
10. Miss Hokusai

Best Cinematography

1. Linus Sandgren, La La Land
2. John Toll, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
3. Bradford Young, Arrival
4. Rodrigo Prieto, Silence
5. Seamus McGarvey, Nocturnal Animals
   ---
6. Bill Pope, The Jungle Book
7. Charlotte Bruus Christiansen, Fences
8. Elliot Davis, The Birth of a Nation
9. Greig Fraser, Lion
10. Don Burgess, Allied

Best Costume Design

1. Mary Zophres, La La Land
2. Joanna Johnston, Allied
3. Albert Wolsky, Rules Don't Apply
4. Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh, Love & Friendship
5. Consolata Boyle, Florence Foster Jenkins
   ---
6. Madeline Fontaine, Jackie
7. Sandy Powell, Silence
8. Sharen Davis, Fences
9. Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, The Birth of a Nation
10. Colleen Atwood, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Best Film Editing

1. Tom Cross, La La Land
2. Thelma Schoonmaker, Silence
3. Tim Squyre, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
4. Joe Walker, Arrival
5. Hughes Winborne, Fences
   ---
6. Joan Sobel, Nocturnal Animals
7. Jennifer Lame, Manchester by the Sea
8. Steven Rosenblum, The Birth of a Nation
9. Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders, Moonlight
10. Jeremiah O’Driscoll, Allied

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. Florence Foster Jenkins
2. Rules Don't Apply
3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
   ---
4. Love & Friendship
5. Hidden Figures
6. La La Land
7. Star Trek: Beyond
8. Jackie
9. Hail, Caesar!
10. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best Original Score

1. Opetaia Foa’i, Mark Mancina and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Moana
2. Michael Giacchino, Zootopia
3. Johann Johansson, Arrival
4. Jeff and Mychael Danna, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
5. Justin Hurwitz, La La Land
   ---
6. Howard Shore, Silence
7. Mica Levi, Jackie
8. Thomas Newman, Finding Dory
9. Alexandre Desplat, Florence Foster Jenkins
10. Henry Jackman, The Birth of a Nation

Best Original Song

1. "City of Stars," La La Land
2. "We Know the Way," Moana
3. "Audition," La La Land
4. "How Far I'll Go," Moana
5. "Go Now," Sing Street
   ---
6. "Victory," Hidden Figures
7. "The Great Beyond, Sausage Party
8. "Can't Stop the Feeling," Trolls
9. "Try Everything," Zootopia
10. "Drive It Like You Stole It," Sing Street

Best Production Design

1. David Wasco, La La Land
2. Jeannine Oppewall, Rules Don't Apply
3. Dante Ferretti, Silence
4. Gary Freeman, Allied
5. David Gropman, Fences
   ---
6. Stuart Craig, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
7. Anna Rackard, Love & Friendship
8. Geoffrey Kirkland, The Birth of a Nation
9. Jean Rabasse, Jackie
10. Mark Friedberg, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

Best Sound Editing

1. La La Land
2. Arrival
3. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
5. Silence
   ---
6. Moana
7. Allied
8. Passengers
9. Deepwater Horizon
10. Captain America: Civil War

Best Sound Mixing

1. La La Land
2. Arrival
3. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
4. Silence
5. Moana
   ---
6. Allied
7. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
8. Passengers
9. Zootopia
10. Deepwater Horizon

Best Visual Effects

1. Arrival
2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
3. Passengers
4. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
   ---
6. The Jungle Book
7. Captain America: Civil War
8. A Monster Calls
9. Star Trek: Beyond
10. Deadpool

Best Documentary Feature

1. The 13th
2. Gleason
3. The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger
4. Equal Means Equal
5. Newtown
   ---
6. Three Days of Terror: The Charlie Hebdo Attacks
7. Fire at Sea
8. Miss Sharon Jones
9. By Sidney Lumet
10. Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World

Best Foreign Language Film

1. The Salesman (Iran)
2. Death in Sarajevo (Bosnia)
3. Elle (France)
4. Sand Storm (Israel)
5. Ma'Rosa (Phillippines)
   ---
6. United States of Love (Poland)
7. Julieta (Spain)
8. From Afar (Venezuela)
9. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Finland)
10. Barakah Meets Barakah (Saudi Arabia)

Oscar Flashback - Best Original Song

Beginning in March, on the heels of the last film awards season, I embarked on my first "Oscar Flashback" project by reviewing and ranking all 82 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars. I started with 1934, the year Fred and Ginger's "The Continental" took home the first prize in this category, and, over the seven months since, ventured all the way through to 2015, when Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall" became the latest original tune to claim victory.

Along the way, I've revisited and, in many cases, discovered a vast array of incredible (and, admittedly just as often, not-so-exemplary) music. I went from the likes of "Over the Rainbow" and "Moon River" to "Lose Yourself" and "Let It Go." There were powerful pieces like "Streets of Philadelphia" and "The Way We Were" and stinky cheese like "You Light Up My Life" and "Say You, Say Me." And as for Maureen McGovern's two Oscar-winners from The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, well, let's not even go there.

I want to thank everyone who has joined me on this entertaining journey through Oscar history and for your comments, which were often lengthier and, I would argue, more insightful than my own. If you're a crazed Oscar junkie like myself and haven't yet had a chance to check out my reviews, please do when you have a chance and, of course, feel free to offer up your own input.

As for the future of the Oscar Flashback, while I'll be focusing almost exclusively on the 2016 awards season from here on out (with a small October project TBA, plus my usual movie reviews), I will almost certainly want to do this again next year, once the coming Oscars have come and gone. If you have any suggestions for a follow-up project, please don't hesitate to let me know! I truly cannot wait to do this again.

With that said, here are a bunch of rankings and links on the Best Original Song project...

Top 10 Best Original Song winners...

1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
3. "Streets of Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
4. "Lose Yourself," 8 Mile (2002)
5. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
6. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
7. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
9. "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," Dirty Dancing (1987)
10. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Top 10 Best Original Song nominees (non-winners)...

1. "Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
2. "The Look of Love," Casino Royale (1967)
3. "Town Without Pity," Town Without Pity (1961)
4. "The Man That Got Away," A Star Is Born (1954)
5. "Alfie," Alfie (1966)
6. "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow," A Mighty Wind (2003)
7. "Circle of Life," The Lion King (1994)
8. "Belle," Beauty and the Beast (1991)
9. "Come Saturday Morning," The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
10. "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe," Cabin in the Sky (1943)

Top 10 most egregious Best Original Song snubs...

1. "Pure Imagination," Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
2. "Theme from New York, New York," New York, New York (1977)
3. "I Believe I Can Fly," Space Jam (1996)
4. "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls," Valley of the Dolls (1967)
5. "How Deep Is Your Love," Saturday Night Fever (1977)
6. "Part of Your World," The Little Mermaid (1989)
7. "I'm Old-Fashioned," You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
8. "Goldfinger," Goldfinger (1964)
9. "Grease," Grease (1978)
10. "A Hard Day's Night," A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Full ranking of every Best Original Song winner...

1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
3. "Streets of Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
4. "Lose Yourself," 8 Mile (2002)
5. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
6. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
7. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
9. "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," Dirty Dancing (1987)
10. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
11. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
12. "Let the River Run," Working Girl (1988)
13. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
14. "Under the Sea," The Little Mermaid (1989)
15. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
16. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," The Lion King (1994)
17. "Beauty and the Beast," Beauty and the Beast (1991)
18. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
19. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
20. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
21. "Fame," Fame (1980)
22. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
23. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
24. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
25. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
26. "Take My Breath Away," Top Gun (1986)
27. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
28. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
29. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
30. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
31. "A Whole New World," Aladdin (1992)
32. "My Heart Will Go On," Titanic (1997)
33. "Let It Go," Frozen (2013)
34. "Flashdance...What a Feeling," Flashdance (1983)
35. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur (1981)
36. "I Need to Wake Up," An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
37. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
38. "Colors of the Wind," Pocahontas (1995)
39. "Falling Slowly," Once (2007)
40. "You Must Love Me," Evita (1996)
41. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)," Dick Tracy (1990)
42. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
43. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
44. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
45. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
46. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
47. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
48. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
49. "Skyfall," Skyfall (2012)
50. "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart (2009)
51. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," Hustle & Flow (2005)
52. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
53. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
54. "Writing's on the Wall," Spectre (2015)
55. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
56. "I Just Called to Say I Love You," The Woman in Red (1984)
57. "Up Where We Belong," An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
58. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
59. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
60. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
61. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
62. "Al otro lado del río," The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
63. "Things Have Changed," Wonder Boys (2000)
64. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
65. "Into the West," The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
66. "Glory," Selma (2014)
67. "Man or Muppet," The Muppets (2011)
68. "We Belong Together," Toy Story 3 (2010)
69. "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
70. "If I Didn't Have You," Monsters, Inc. (2001)
71. "You'll Be in My Heart," Tarzan (1999)
72. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
73. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
74. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
75. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
76. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
77. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
78. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
79. "When You Believe," The Prince of Egypt (1998)
80. "Say You, Say Me," White Nights (1985)
81. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
82. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

Links to my reviews of 82 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars...

2015: Someday, Diane Warren, You'll Get This
2014: Everything Is Awesome at the Oscars!
2013: Sorry Bono, Idina's Got This
2012: Adele Heals 007's Oscar Wounds
2011: Longing for the Rainbow Connection
2010: Ahem, Where Is Cher?
2009: Where the Wild Things Weren't
2008: Slumdog Hits the Oscar Jackpot
2007: Falling for "Falling Slowly"
2006: Dreamgirls No Match for Melissa
2005: Give Dolly an Oscar Already!!
2004: Counting Crows? Why, Academy, Why?!?!
2003: A Mighty Wind Blows the Oscars
2002: The Academy Loses Itself
2001: Randy Newman Catches a Break
2000: Attack of the Swan!
1999: Phil Collins' Oscar-Winning Sleeping Pill
1998: Whitney and Mariah Belt to Victory
1997: Titanic Steamrolls the Oscars
1996: Space Jam on the Sidelines
1995: The Long, Long Randy Newman Losing Streak
1994: The Lion King Rules the Oscars
1993: Songs from the City of Brotherly Love
1992: Whitney Wakes Up the Oscars
1991: Beauty and the Beast (and Bryan Adams)
1990: Sondheim Goes Home with Oscar
1989: A Love Letter to Howard Ashman
1988: Carly Simon's Grand Oscar Moment
1987: The Year We Had the Times of Our Lives
1986: The Year That Took Our Breath Away
1985: The First Time Madonna Was Robbed
1984: Stevie Ain't Afraid of No Ghostbusters (Or Kevin Bacon)
1983: The Great Barbra Streisand-Jennifer Beals Duel
1982: I Love You, Dorothy Michaels
1981: "Endless Love, from the Endless Movie Endless Love"
1980: Don't Mess with Dolly
1979: That Time Norma Rae Squashed Kermit
1978: Disco Dominates the Oscars
1977: No Bee Gees, No Liza, No Dice
1976: When Barbra Beat Rocky and Satan
1975: Divas Live '75! Barbra, Diana, Olivia and...Keith?
1974: Another Maureen McGovern Disaster
1973: Misty Watercolor Oscar Memories
1972: Not Even Gene Hackman Can Save This
1971: The Willy Wonka Robbery
1970: Julie Andrews Stops the Show
1969: Here Comes Liza!
1968: Hitler Was Robbed!
1967: Burt Bacharach vs. Baloo the Bear - The Ultimate Showdown
1966: Dionne Warwick Did It Better
1965: Nat King Cole's Swan Song
1964: When the Oscars Snubbed Bond and the Beatles
1963: It's a Meh, Meh, Meh, Meh Category
1962: Walking on the Wild Side
1961: Sorry, Holly Golightly...
1960: Wait, Where Are Blair and Tootie?
1959: The One Where I Finally Pick a Sinatra Song
1958: Gigi? Seriously, Academy?
1957: The Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds
1956: Doris Day ne déçoit jamais
1955: Long Before Patrick and Demi...
1954: The Biggest Robbery Since Brink's
1953: Jerry Lewis Ruins Everything
1952: The Snubbin' of Singin' in the Rain
1951: Ah, To Be Young, Rich and Pretty
1950: The Ultimate Battle - Nat King Cole vs. Cinderella's Fairy Godmother
1949: Warming Up with Esther Williams
1948: Doris Day's Delightful Debut
1947: The Oscar Win Disney Won't Speak Of
1946: A Jolly Train Ride with Judy
1945: Vera-Ellen Steals the Show
1944: That Time Bing Hijacked Judy's Trolley
1943: God Bless Ethel Waters
1942: My Apologies to Bing and Judy...
1941: All Hail Those Andrews Sisters
1940: Pinocchio, Bing, Fred, Mickey and Judy, Oh My!
1939: That Glorious, Untouchable Rainbow
1938: Oscar Memories
1937: Searching for Snow White
1936: When the Tunes Were Like Heaven
1935: Before Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga...
1934: Bing vs. Fred & Ginger x2

Review: "Don't Think Twice"

I have to say, pumped as I am about this coming Oscar season, I haven't been terribly enamored with 2016's movie offerings. I've given a tinsy-winsy five films a higher grade than B+ and even my favorite film of the year (until this weekend), The Nice Guys, I only gave an A- and had a handful of qualms with. Nothing had left me head-over-heels.

That is, until (at last!) checking out Mike Birbiglia's second directorial effort (after 2012's Sleepwalk with Me), Don't Think Twice. It is handily the finest film I've seen in 2016 and it would have to be a uber-boffo Oscar season for this not to make my final top 10 of the year.

The picture, the All About Eve of improvisational comedy movies, often recalls the likes of Tootsie and Noises Off. It is also so. much. better. than fellow films of this genre like Punchline, Funny People and Mr. Saturday Night. Heck, Don't Think Twice simply has to be among the greatest pictures ever made about comedians.

In the film, Birbiglia portrays Miles, the elder statesman of the New York improvisational comedy troupe The Commune, who, for more than a decade, have been working their tail off at a tiny Manhattan theater, to modest-at-best fanfare. Miles, as he so often likes to put it, came "inches away" from once being cast on Weekend Live, a variety program that's a dead ringer for Saturday Night Live.

At one Commune show, a couple of Weekend Live producers stop by and invite members Jack (Keegan-Michael Key) and Samantha (the film's MVP Gillian Jacobs) to audition for their show. Jack, who has a penchant for showing off and upstaging his fellow Commune pals, nails his audition, while Samantha, who's shy to the idea of comedy superstardom, bails on auditioning altogether.

Jack's hire awakens loads of passive-aggressive resentment from the rest of the Commune, especially from Miles, who trained Jack in the art of improv, and leaves Samantha feeling lost at sea. Making matters all the more uneasy is announcement of the closure of The Commune's hole-in-the-wall venue.

Even if there's not a real "A-lister" among them, Don't Think Twice sports one of the most exciting ensemble casts I've seen grace the screen in a while. Beyond Birbiglia, Key and Jacobs, there's also Kate Micucci, Tami Sagher and, in a role that demands just as many dramatic as comic chops, Chris Gethard. Jacobs is particularly incredible here, devastatingly good on the impressions side (of Katharine Hepburn and Gena Rowlands, no less!) but also crafting an amazingly complex and engrossing character.

As for Birbiglia, I often found myself in real awe of just how pitch-perfect his screenplay is here. He has such an ear for dialogue, like a funnier Alexander Payne, delivering just as many thought-provoking lines as side-splitting ones. Sans his adorable work in last year's Trainwreck, I admittedly wasn't all that familiar with Birbiglia going into Don't Think Twice. After seeing this treasure of a picture, I'm eager for everything Birbiglia (and Jacobs!), past and present.

A

Review: "Sully"

Clint Eastwood is responsible for directing a handful of my all-time favorite pictures. I consider Unforgiven one of the finest westerns, not just in recent years but of all-time, rivaling even the greatest John Ford films. Million Dollar Baby is also a plenty powerful picture, as is Eastwood's fun and scary directorial debut, Play Misty for Me. Then you have The Bridges of Madison County, my favorite film of 1995, with my all-time favorite Meryl Streep performance - it's a truly exquisite, heartbreaking picture, directed with a beautifully gentle touch.

At the same time, Eastwood has delivered his fair share of duds too, from the clumsy and inert Bronco Billy and The Rookie, to overbaked Oscar bait like Changeling, Hereafter and J. Edgar.

Sully, Eastwood's latest effort - and let it be known first that I still consider the filmmaker a total badass, regardless of my coming comments - falls somewhere in the middle of not only the director's filmography but also leading man Tom Hanks'. It's a workmanlike, not terribly remarkable picture that, no pun intended, never quite takes off.

While Eastwood's film is not extraordinary, the events of January 15, 2009 most certainly were - that of Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's successful emergency landing in the Hudson River after a pesky flock of geese flew into and destroyed both engines on U.S. Airways Flight 1549. All 155 passengers and crew, including First Officer Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart, doing his best work since Rabbit Hole), survived the ordeal and Sully was quickly thrust into the national spotlight as a beloved hero.

Despite this showering of praise, Sullenberger was challenged in the days following the event by the National Transportation Safety Board, whose members floated the possibility that Sullenberger may in fact have had sufficient power to land the plane at an airport. Much of the picture focuses on the pilot's efforts to prove otherwise, all the while trying to cope with this overwhelming overnight fame.

It's easy to see why Eastwood was attracted to this awe-inspiring story - and why not cast the indomitable Hanks as Sullenberger - but the film never packs a real punch. The event itself is well-choreographed and convincing but the picture is edited in a way that somewhat undercuts much of the tension - just as you're about to get on the edge of your seat, Eastwood cuts away from the action, and beyond the event and the film's finale (involving different simulations of the landing), the proceedings here often border on the lethargic. Flashback scenes touching on Sullenberger's pilot training seem to be out of an entirely different picture altogether.

Hanks is so understated as Sullenberger that he nearly fades into the background. It's commendable work but hardly among his finest. Eckhart breathes more life into the film and has better dialogue to boot (the writing here tends to recall a middle-of-the-road TV movie). But it's just sad to see heavyweights like Laura Linney (as Sullenberger's wife) and Anna Gunn (as one of the NTSB staffers) saddled with such thankless material.

Moviegoers love their Eastwood and Hanks, so this'll probably rake in upwards of $100M, but Sully is nowhere near the most interesting work either man has done.

C+