Soundtracking: The 2019 Oscar Original Song Bake-Off

by Chris Feil

One of the biggest headlines among the Monday release of Oscar's shortlists among nine categories was a popstar omission from the season's splashiest musical. Yes, it turns out Taylor Swift will have to wait to lift up to Oscar's Heaviside Layer as "Beautiful Ghosts" (the original track she cowrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber from Cats) was left off the list of songs that will advance towards hopeful nominations. But perhaps "Ghosts" is a strong reminder that these days doesn't clear the runway for popstars or new songs for preexisting musicals as easily as we might expect.

But among the lineup of hopefuls are films huge and small, expected names and a few genuine surprises - and it may be a more competitive field than originally expected. Let's run down the fifteen songs that did make the lineup and their chances at a nomination...

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Renee Zellweger Will Be A Worthy Oscar Winner

by Murtada Elfadl

When a performance becomes an undeniable front runner for awards, sometimes the chatter becomes all about that and we lose a sense of why it became a juggernaut in the first place. January promises to be full of trips to podiums at awards shows for Renee Zellweger as Judy. However before we start analyzing the speeches, let’s take a look back at the the performance itself. A merging of three aspects, Zellweger’s performance is deserving of accolades...

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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 3

By Spencer Coile

Look out, world! Midge Maisel is growing up! At least, season 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel would like you to believe that. Balancing an impending divorce and a cross-country comedy tour, our plucky heroine (Rachel Brosnahan) is back for another season. With her manager Susie (Alex Borstein) in tow, not to mention her disapproving parents (Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle) breathing down her neck, Midge definitely has something to prove. But to whom? 

Known for her rat-a-tat tight dialogue and snappy performances, Amy Sherman-Palladino has cornered the market on a very particular style of sitcom; one that is simultaneously cozy and overstuffed. Packed to the brim with supporting characters and elaborate set pieces, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is bursting at the seams with potential - for growth, for progress. But like any series that had a stellar first season and a somewhat middling second, season three has to make a choice: change with the times or remain stagnant… 

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Review: A Hidden Life

by Cláudio Alves

Though I'm an atheist, I've long been fascinated with stories of faith and spirituality. When it comes to cinema, this is especially true. It's difficult to not be drawn to Bergman's reveries about a cruel God, Dreyer's religious ardor or Bresson's catholic severity. They move and engage, they challenge and inspire, even when the viewer doesn't believe in the cosmic orders they take for granted. Terrence Malick is a good name to add to that list. After all, the Philosophy professor turned filmmaker has dedicated much of his career to the transmutation of the soul into film. He creates spiritual odysseys out of light and color, intuitive editing and ephemerous scripts, star-studded casts and beautiful cinematography.

His style is so specific it's become prone to parody and his self-important themes can feel alienating. A Hidden Life exemplifies all of this to the extreme and, in some ways, it seems to announce itself as the ultimate Terrence Malick project…

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Yes, No, Maybe So Top Gun: Maverick

by Murtada Elfadl

It’s been almost 34 years since Top Gun (1986) made Tom Cruise one of the biggest stars in Hollywood history. And now he’s back in Top Gun:Maverick. We don’t know if anyone was asking for this very belated sequel but it’s coming in 2020. Apparently this time he is the trainer, training a new batch of Top Gun fighter pilots and mentoring his friend’s son (Miles Teller). Yep Teller is playing the son of Anthony Edwards and we assume Meg Ryan. Will they make a cameo? 

Let’s give the trailer the Yes, No, Maybe So treatment...

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