Thursday, October 28, 2021

A Trick and A Treat: Halloween Kills and No Time to Die

 


Halloween Kills (2021):


What the latest entry into the Halloween Franchise lacks in invention, it makes up for somewhat in application. As the subtitle suggests, the "kills" really are the center of this film. Myers exhibits particularly gruesome brutality, which we can't deny might be a bit justified given the fact that the lead characters attempted to immolate him in the previous feature, which this film picks up immediately from. Halloween Kills has many good ideas going for it beyond the various home appliances that The Shape uses to inflict his carnage onto the trauma-ladened town of Haddonfield. It attempts to give us a deeper glimpse into Michael's psyche without over-explaining his motives in such a way that would dilute his ominous presence in Laurie Strode's life. It also brings back several key players from his first night of terror back in 1978, illustrated in some impressively competent flashbacks. These characters, along with Laurie's granddaughter, Allyson, encourage the citizens of Haddonfield to stand up against Michael and his blood-soaked fiascos. Watching Halloween Kills, one can't help but think of the country-wide community-centered protests that took hold in the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Still, the film's ultimate message when it comes to forming a unified front against tyranny, be it systemic police brutality or a deranged serial killer, is murky at best. The film both applauds this form of vigilante justice and decries it in uneven sweeps throughout its runtime. It features a more diverse cast than its predecessors but only really uses them to add to the body count. Out of the four major speaking roles given to black characters, three are killed, and the sole black survivor plays no significant role in the plot other than to be a low-brow face for the other characters to scream at. The film predictability kills off the eldest survivor of Michael Myers, Marion Chambers, first because, well, that's what happens to older adults in horror movies. While Lindsay's chase scene is a moment of shock, simply because she survives it, a rarity when anyone but Laurie is up against Michael, she ends the film just as afraid of Michael as she was when she was a child, if not more so. Most of the characters simply don't arc, and if this wasn't a film with so much pre-established history, that wouldn't be such a problem, but it is. Halloween Kills ends up being more of a narrative bridge than a film, with its essential function being to allow The Shape to create even more vengeance in the heart of the ultimate Final Girl until their inevitable (final?) confrontation in Halloween Ends (2022) next year. It hints at depth but never uses its favorite kitchen knife to really carve it out as deeply as it could have.  


No Time to Die (2021):

Daniel Craig's Bond era was never going to be an easy one to conclude. Unlike his predecessors, most of whom overstayed their welcomes in the Bondverse with less than stellar final outings, Craig and the entire 007 production team manage to craft a worthy conclusion to the 6th incarnation of this cinematic legend. Craig's portrayal of the British secret agent has progressively challenged many of the most famous archetypes we've come to associate with the character and franchise as a whole. Moneypenny no longer is a salivating secretary but a retired agent with a formidable wit that defuses his advances with effortless expertise. Q no longer just stands for Quartermaster, but queer as well. Madeleine Swann might not be the most memorable Bond Girl, but Lea Seydoux still succeeds in giving the interesting layers that allow her to rise above the sexist caricature that plagued actresses in the past who took the infamous title. The sole character that comes out of the film scathed is Safin, the film's villain who, through no fault of actor Rami Malek never sticks the way you'd like him to. This film has Bond wrestling so many personal demons the idea of adding a physical one almost seems like overkill, but then again, every Bond film needs someone planning to kill millions of people through elaborative means. Still, one can't help but wonder how potentially intriguing it would have been to have James go after a female villain for Craig's final outing. A female villain in the post-feminist Bond world that Craig and co have created would've undoubtedly been an alluring standout, toying with him in ways only a woman could, while Safin mostly just plays the same notes past villains have performed more resoundingly in previous instalments. He is more of an homage to the past in a film that hints at a more complex future for the decades-old yet still surviving franchise. When all is said and done, No Time to Die might not be as reinvigorating to the franchise as Casino Royale (2006) when helming this new chapter 15 years ago, but it is an indicator that Bond is adaptable and capable of living another day in the hearts and minds of viewers all around the world. 




Sunday, August 8, 2021

Old Fears, New Shyamalan

I kept going back and forth in late July about whether I wanted to see M. Night Shyamalan's new film, Old (2021) or not. This had nothing to do with personal feelings towards the filmmaker or the film itself. Many of Shyamalan's films have been staples of my cinematic education and have provided me general entertainment over the years. The premise of the feature very much pulled me in from the moment I saw the first Super Bowl ad for it. My reservations regarding the film were exclusive to the fact that I would be starting a new job soon, and I myself had already been mulling over the thought of my own mortality, which is obviously a central theme in this film. How slow life can be when you want it to be fast, but how frightening it can be when it answers your request and speeds things up. 


I worried about how much my life was about to change and whether the change would really be for the better. What if I failed? What if I succeeded? Would I be losing too much time away from my family, my friends, my writing? The numerous options that laid before me were feeling like too much to process in the middle of a Pandemic that wasn't quite finished with the world yet. It still isn't. Turning 26 during it all unnerved me to the nth degree, and I didn't know for certain if I wanted to watch a film that would potentially exacerbate those complicated emotions. 


But I decided to take a chance because getting older means you have greater opportunities to challenge yourself in ways you couldn't or never even conceived before. In many ways, that is what Shyamalan did himself with this ambitious film. 

 

The films by M. Night Shyamalan take hours to watch but often days to process, regardless of quality. His worlds are so strangely familiar to ours and yet decidedly different that it takes some brains quite some time to decide if they were even worth entering or not. Old was bound to be a polarizing film not only because of who made it but because of the time in which it is being released. As we all slowly but surely are returning to theaters (for now), our options have been quite limited in terms of what there is to watch now that we are back in those beloved seats. Much of what has been released is some form of previously established I.P. Old's release is coupled with that of Black Widow (2021), Jungle Cruise (2021), F9 (2021),  Space Jam 2 (2021), nearly all of which are a part of some preexisting franchise. Old is an original story, inspired by a French graphic novel but still untethered to a specific canon. If audiences are going to risk all of the mounting COVID variants for a "fresh" narrative, it better be one worth seeing.


When it comes to aesthetic pleasures, Old delivers aplenty. Michael Gioulakis's cinematography takes us to the sunny beach sides of the Dominican Republic and gives us the escapist freedom that so many were in need of this past year and a half, at least in Act One of the film. As the terrifying events start to unfold and progressively worsen, Gioulakis changes our visual relationship to this vacation paradise. It is suddenly menacingly imposing and inexplicably claustrophobic. Shyamalan's shot choices are often unusual. He shields us from much of the violence (though not all of it), trusting us to create certain images in our minds. We wish that he could give the same amount of trust to us when it comes to the often heavily exposition-ladened dialogue. Actress Nikki Amuka-Bird who plays the supporting role of psychologist Patricia Carmichael seems to have a natural ear for the once acclaimed writer-director's dialogue, and her lines tend to come across the most earnest regardless of her limited screen time. Still, what these characters says matters little in comparison to what they experience. The premise itself lends to the visual, not the auditory. Quite the contrary, as we get older, many of us tend to talk less and pay lesser attention to the words of others. Growing older is about what we see and what others see in us, not so much what they hear. 


Old has been accused of packing in too many ideas without enough storytime dedicated to exploring them. Ironically enough, this itself can be seen as a metaphor for the advancing years of life. We try to cram in as much living as we can into the relatively short time that we have on this earth that we don't always pause to appreciate the tiny nuances that life offers us to appreciate as we blaze forward past New Years and Birthdays, Christmases and Funerals. The pregnancy plot in this film definitely could've used more attention and exploration, as could the psychological implications of a child's mind maturing faster than nature ever intended. Certain character relationships would have benefited from more time, such as Chrystal and Kara's mother/daughter bond or Maddox and Mid-Sized-Sedan's emotional connection, but the same can be said for many of the interpersonal relationships in our own lives. It is almost as if Shyamalan has intentionally cut corners to articulate further the idea that what we want out of life, or in this case, a movie, is not always what we get from it. Much of what I expected from my first full-time job has turned out to surprise me. This isn't always a bad thing, but it can often be a difficult truth to grapple with, nonetheless. 


This isn't an attempt to justify or sanctify the work of a filmmaker who clearly cares very little about what people think and feels about his artistic vision. Rather, it is a wholehearted attempt to look deeper into a motion picture that raises up so many sensations despite imperfections. Even with evident narrative flaws, Shyamalayn is still able to elicit a sincere emotional reaction from us, awkwardness and all. Why is this? Because we are all getting old, and we don't need an otherworldly beach to get us there any quicker. It is happening with each and every passing day. Watching Shymalan's film might unsettle you. It might even anger you, but at the very least, let it encourage you to take action in life and stop waiting for a tomorrow that is not always guaranteed. Earn your tomorrows by living the most out of your todays; Shyamalan certainly has, and it has awarded him a rich, if not a contentious career that shows no signs of slowing down or withering away anytime soon. 

 

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Live, Work, Legacy: Why Pose should be Remembered as a Family Show



Television now looks very different than it has in the past. The screen has gotten wider, and the image on it clearer. The people and places in those images have changed in a number of ways as well. Our notions of what a television family is defined as has especially evolved over time. Where gay parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., were once trailblazers, they are now reasonably commonplace, either as lead or supporting characters. The Jeffersons and Cosby's are no longer the only black families we recognize on the screen when we also have The Johnson's. Television has become more reflective of the other side of the screen. Reflection does not equate to perfection, but it does give hope and show promise. This didn't happen by accident. It happened because the people behind the scenes changed too. No one got subtracted; instead, they multiplied and diversified.



When Pose arrived on our television screens in 2018, it was truly nothing like anything we had ever seen before. The largest transgender cast ever brought together in television history to tell a story untold heretofore across serialized entertainment. The Ballroom Scene was home for millions who sought refuge and support after having been casted out of their homes for being who they are: Gay, trans, too black, not enough white, etc. For whatever reasons, society felt fit to push them aside, but they refused to be forgotten or silenced. It was through these competitions, these performances, through the creation of an entirely new dance that they proclaimed their existence for any and all who would listen, even if that just meant themselves most of the time. They battled a plague with help from some, but nowhere near enough, including the so-called government sworn to protect them. The oath they shared with each other was far more powerful than a pledge of allegiance to a flag that refused to accept them, to honor their right of pursuit of happiness. The Ballroom Scene was a home, and like any home, it contained a family. 

What Pose understood best, beyond its ability to tell important underrepresented stories in an honest and true way, was that the family they were depicting wasn't that different from many others seen before on the television landscape. Sure, maybe on the glittery surface level of things, but beneath the trophies and wardrobe, beneath the ballroom floor lied something, dare we say it, conservative in nature—the nuclear family. Pose envisioned the American Dream but within the context of the black, brown, and queer bodies that continue not to be allowed equitable access to it up to this very day. 




Matriarchs have played a pivotal role in television since its very inception. From Carol Brady to Peg Bundy, from Lousie Jefferson to Gloria Delgado-Pritchett. They protect and defend their children's to the ends of the earth but aren't afraid to discipline them when warranted. They are doting wives but also autonomous in many ways, thanks to their female intuition. Blanca Evangelista displays all this and more. Mj Rodriguez brings her to life not by relying on sentiment but on earnest sensibilities instead. Her ability to connect with her children lies primarily in the fact that she lived their lives before, but unlike other television mothers, she didn't live it decades prior, but just a few short years ago. Blanca's belief in her children didn't always extend to herself, but she refused even to allow that to stop her from pursuing her dreams of raising a family towards greatness far beyond what she had initially conceived. It is her graceful patience that also allowed her to find a man worthy of her love and devotion. She gave affection to the abandoned, the rejected, and the repulsed. Though not as religious as some other television mothers of the past, she is, arguably, one of the most saint-like. Yet perfection was never in the cards for her. There will never be another television character just like her, although we can only hope and pray we are proven wrong. Everyone deserves to have a Blanca on their side. 




Blanca's parenting style directly contrasted with that of her own House Mother, Elektra, whose spare the rod spoil and beat the child (no, not literally) approach to raising her children was often perceived as heartless, but as the series progressed, we came to understand that Elektra's actions were anything but. She was preparing her children for the cruelty of the world outside the confines of the shelter she provided for them. Unbeknownst to either her or Blanca, she was giving her the life tools to become a woman and a parent from the day they first set eyes on each other at that fateful ball. Many women don't come to appreciate the sacrifices their mothers made for them until they become mothers themselves. This maternal animosity is very commonly utilized as a plot-trope throughout television history, and Pose utilized it just the same. Elektra did not get "nicer". We all just grew up and got a little wiser. We may not always agree with Grandma, but we know that her love for us is tried and true. Dominique Jackson never let a moment of screen time go to waste in her portrayal of Elektra Abundance-Wintour, be it through humorous wit or tear-inducing dramatics. She understood that this woman wasn't made to be liked but respected. 




Damon's aspirations, alongside his novice perception of the world around him, makes him the quintessential baby of the family. He dreams big but often wakes up to harsh realities. Ryan Jamaal Swain invokes both fortitude and fragility in bringing Damon to life, not just in his acting performance but his dancing as well. Every move of the arm, every sway of the leg oozes with purpose, a burgeoning butterfly from its cocoon. He very easily could've stayed in his horrid life of self-repression and homophobia but instead had the courage to escape it and land in a better home than the one he left could've ever given him, even with a mother who had less money and resources at her disposal than his so-called biological one. It is no wonder he clings to Mother Blanca like the youngest typically does to their mother bird. His mistakes made him real, and his triumphs made him our lovable hero. Swain is sorely missed in the majority of the final season due to a personal tragedy that befell him, but we can only hope he was able to access some of that strength and resourcefulness he brought to this diamond of a character to help get through his own personal ordeal. Damon's arc, despite being partially unfinished will stand as a testament to gay little boys of every color that dared to dream and work towards a better life. 




Angel is the embodiment of everything one hopes to find in a daughter. Doting, yet defiant. She is protective of what she has and hungry for what she desires most, a chance not just to exist but to prosper in her existence. She sheds plenty of tears along her path towards success, and despite Indya Moore's unabashed delivery, we still wish we could wipe each from her remarkable face. Her relationship with Papi might feel incestuous to some, but keep in mind that Alicia Silverstone literally falls in love with her step-brother in Clueless (1995). If you can accept that plotline, certainly you can make room for the blossoming love of these two lost souls. Angel, who thought one day she'd be the mother of a Ballroom House, instead becomes a mother to an actual child, one that she will no doubt imbue with all of her wonderful qualities. Not everyone is made to be a mother, but no one should be denied the chance of becoming one. Angel goes from the nurtured to the nurturer, as many daughters do when they grow up to become mothers themselves. 




Being the middle child is never easy, not that I would know, but by God does Lil Papi make the absolute most of it. He often steps to the sidelines to give his siblings the spotlights that he realizes they crave but never stops working to provide for his family and make his mother proud. This doesn't mean he always succeeds, but his faults endear him to his House Family and us as he uses them to grow from a thieving boy to an entrepreneurial man. Angel Bismark Curiel brings to life a character that so easily could've fallen into the obscurity of the background but instead shines as brightly as the individual family members he dotes on. He is sensitive without boastful pride, an antithesis to the toxic machismo archetype that too many men with his skin tone are subjugated. He loves a girl that others would harm for simply breathing. Papi was always someone in the middle, trying to find his place without taking up too much space, and he managed to make us smile and laugh while doing it. Men should aspire to him, and women should find solace in the hope that there are more others out there like him. He doesn't just make his mother proud, but us as well. 




Sometimes parents are given gifts they never would've otherwise dreamt of. These gifts are often called "the unplanned child." When Blanca started her family, she was a mother of three, and though open to having more children, never could she have expected to have one quite like Ricky. Though they had their rough times together and Ricky has made his more than fair share of questionable decisions, he proved to be a valuable asset to the House of Evangelista. The final season gave actor Dyllón Burnside a mountain of good material to allow the character to be expanded upon even further. Children can surprise you, and Ricky's maturity was no doubt a surprise to both Blanca and ourselves, but it proves that no one should be counted out in a family that exclusively breeds stars.  




Not everyone is as fortunate as to have an uncle that is as enlightened and wise as Pray Tell. He will yell at you when your wrong, and even sometimes when your right. He has been through more life in a month than you've lived in your entire existence. He's been in your shoes, felt them cut into his heels and strut down the ballroom floor despite the pain. Billy Porter doesn't "play" this character, he defines him, and the millions of souls both lost and thriving that he represents. He is unapologetically femme and yet exudes authoritative masculinity that cannot be wavered or denied. He is light and dark, soft and hard. He is queerness in preeminence and stands by his Trans Sisters with everything he has and then some. Few other shows have displayed the importance of the extended family members as Pose has. Pray Tell is not just an extension but an essential component to Blanca and her children's lives. Without him, they'd be lost and as often is the case in the family, the same is true vice-versa. There are family members whose influence far surpasses the mortal clock they've been given, often with less time than they deserved. Pray Tell will forever be an important and unsilenced echo in his family and the ones lucky and smart enough to allow his words to enter their hearts and homes.

 



Lula and Candy are the sarcastic aunts. They will be your closest allies or greatest enemies, depending on the paths you are choosing to take in your life, but you will always have a home inside their arms, even if they don't always hold them open for you. Candy's loss was an, unfortunately, necessary-suffering, not just because it brings a harsh light onto the dangers that impede the safety of black trans women's bodies, but also because if not for this loss, how could we fully appreciate the power of this family? How could we fully appreciate the power of our own? A family's greatest test is their survival following the loss of one of their kin. We see the Houses come together to honor her memory and set their differences aside while also reflecting on their own mortality. This is the gift Candy gave them in death, and it is one we as viewers should always cherish as much as those we have in our own lives that we'd never want to lose. Lula always had a comment to spare and, when in a good enough mood, a shoulder of support to cry on. Her journey through grief and addiction was rarely the center of the show's narrative, but it still managed to resonate with so many on a fundamental level. These are women we know in our lives, but what we don't always realize is beneath their brash exteriors lies bruised and battered souls, fighting every single day to make it in this world. 




Cubby and Lamar are the cousins. They are there to have fun with but also will rally around you in your times of need, mostly. They are far from perfect, but they are your family, and you share a bond with them that exceeds DNA. 




Television families will continue to evolve over time as they should. Our definition of what a family comprised of a few years ago might not be identical to what we identify as a family today. However, there are still essential components that stand the test of time and Pose proved time and again that it offered us unique but recognizable spins on these essentials throughout its three-season run. That is why at its core, Pose should not be just remembered as a "Trans Show" or a "Queer Show" or even the revered title of a "revolutionary show." To truly encapsulate and appreciate the significance of the narrative and its characters, Pose must be remembered as what it is: a show about a family, one not forged by blood but of necessity and transcendent commonality in their otherness. 




As one final note on such a groundbreaking television series as this, while my words may carry some weight and purpose, it's important to recognize that Pose wasn't written for me. That doesn't mean I, nor others like me, can't enjoy it. We most certainly can and should. However, for some, Pose acts as an all too real reflection of the traumas, triumphs and aspirations they've faced in a world mostly built against them. For people like myself, it is an educational experience as much, if not even more, than an opportunity to be entertained. While I and others have a right to have a seat at the table, we should be cognizant of when it is our turn to speak. For the past three seasons, it was Pose's turn, and the show spoke loud, proud and authentically. We should all do what we can to ensure that these voices continue to be heard and that their silencing is abolished, not their right to exist.

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Twelfth Times the Charm: Diane Warren: An Oscar Anomaly

 

Today is the big day. I think I speak for millions when I say this was the strangest year in cinema that we've had in quite some time. Ironically, this has less to do with what movies have come out and more with where we had to watch most of them, in our own houses. Tomorrow is "A Very COVID Oscars" (trademark pending), and everyone is excited to experience some degree of normalcy as we watch the Academy show us all how they are better than the Golden Globes in putting on a show that isn't riddled with self-conscious embarrassment. A very low bar indeed. 


This year, among many of the triumphant firsts, such as the first Asian and Muslim actors nominated for Best Actor and the first Asian woman nominated for Best Director, lies another underdog in an admittedly less popular category, Best Original Song. Diane Warren rose to prominence in the mid-1980s as a multi-talented songwriter. It took only a few short years for her to be recognized as a beacon of melodic and lyrical wonderment by the Billboard Charts and the Academy Awards. However, fate had other plans in mind for Warren's warbling. Eleven nominations later, and Warren has still not received a win, being foiled each year by songs just a few notches above hers in popularity, though not necessarily in musicality. Let's go through the musical journey that has led Diane and us to this day as we wait to see if one of the most renowned songwriters of this generation can finally bring home a statue that doesn't even have golden ears to enjoy her songs with like the rest of us. 


1. "Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship


Co-written with Starship Band member Albert Hammond for the movie Mannequin (1987). Admittedly, I have not seen this film yet, though I intend to, so I can't speak much to how the song resonates with the subject matter. I can speak to the fact that this is one of my parents wedding songs and is a prime example of Warren's musical prowess with its infectious and high-energy hook and all-encompassing declaration of an unstoppable love. It is undeniably 80s in sound and yet still resonates with nostalgic endearment to this day. The song is very much a template of what Warren't later work would achieve in terms of hypnotic memorability. Alas, this Oscar was snatched by the similarly nostalgic theme from Dirty Dancing (1988). It was the first, but certainly not the last time, that Diane's song would be overshadowed by box-office numbers, with the assistance in this specific case of Swayze's damn finely toned legs. 


2. "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion


Warren had already been collaborating with the Songstress for some time before they worked together to create one of the arguably best ballads of Dion's career for the film Up Close and Personal (1996). Though the film itself received lukewarm reviews, the song was a certified hit that helped solidify Dion as a household name until she'd go on the next year to do THAT SONG FROM TITANIC (1997), which deserves its own blog post. The song has obvious romantic connotations in connection to the film's subject matter, but Warren has admitted that the song's inspiration was, actually, her mother, whose endless support has helped her reach the stars. Here's hoping she has sufficient support tonight from the Academy as this time around, she was foiled by the only original song featured in the film version of Evita (1996) performed by Madonna, another powerful musician that Diane Warren has surprisingly never crossed musical paths with before. 


3. "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes


A year later, Diane would work with the then-upcoming artist, LeAnn Rimes, who she'd go on to work with again in numerous other film-related projects. Sung for the film Con Air (1997), the song is quintessential Diane Warren with its lush melody and impassioned lyrics professing the question of how one can endure life without the one they love. The short answer is, you listen to a lot of LeAnn Rimes to deal with it. Rimes and Warren stood no chance of being the victors in this round up against Titanic, but the song still became a stable of the 90s and is considered one of Rimes's most well-known vocal performances. 


4. "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith


Diane Warren was on a two-year losing streak at the Academy Awards that unfortunately didn't stop, despite the quality of work remaining above par. Aerosmith's rock ballad, originally intended for Celine Dion, was powerful vocally but powerless against the likes of duetting divas Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, who sung "When You Believe" for The Prince of Egypt (1998). 


5. "Music of My Heart by Gloria Estefan and NSYNC 


If this musical pair-up isn't strange enough, the director of this film, which is about a music teacher inspiring and improving the lives of her young impoverished students through the power of instruments, was the late and great Wes Craven, known primarily for horror films. The movie was a modest success, and the song encapsulates the devotion an effective educator has towards their pupils and the gratitude those pupils have for their educator in return. Phil Collins walked away with the Oscar instead for "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan (1999), a song that should make you cry just from reading the title, lest you are a soulless miscreant. 


6. "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill 


After having no Academy nominations in 2000, Diane returned to the red carpet with a ballad for her second Michael Bay project, this time an arguably better one, Pearl Harbor (2001). Sung by Faith Hill, most people interpret the song as being from the perspective of Kate Beckinsale's character. However, it's worth noting the lyrics have a kind of duality to them and could just as easily be inspired by the male friendship at the center of the film between Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett's characters. Diane continues to lose in style against another well-respected songwriter for the screen, Randy Newman, with his song "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters Inc (2001). If the Academy didn't have Randy and those monsters that year, there is little doubt Diane would've left with her first Oscar. 


7. "Grateful" by Rita Ora


In 2014, this marked Warren's first nomination in several years, and it must be noted that many felt she was strangely robbed of a nomination four years prior for "You Haven't Seen The Last of Me" from Burlesque (2010) even though the song garnered critical acclaim and won that year's Best Song Award at the Golden Globes. "Grateful", a self-empowerment anthem, was plagued by poor promotion by both the label and singer Rita Ora herself, something that Diane Warren was unafraid to express her qualms about on social media at the time. Honestly, with this being her seventh nomination without a win, you could hardly blame her for feeling a lack of support, a sentiment shared by the main character in the film Beyond the Lights (2014), for which the song was written.  


8. "Till it Happens to You" by Lady Gaga


Another rarest instance of collaboration for Warren, here she and Mother Monster cover a topic rarely discussed, let alone sung about, rape. Used for the documentary The Hunting Ground (2015), the song's haunting melody and starkly blunt lyrics make it clear that this is nothing to be subtle about the severity of this topic and Warren and Gaga's habit for grandeur in their musical works come in very much handy here. Gaga's performance of it was accompanied by a large group of survivors giving the already emotional punch of a song added depth and sober somberness. The song lost out on the award to Sam Smith's Bond Theme, and this may be the first year where Diane's loss is truly undeserved given the initial lackluster reception to Smith's theme by the media and general public when it was first released.  


9. "Stand Up for Something" by Common and Andra Day


Continuing off from the experimental nature of her last collab with Gaga, this tune found Warren teaming up with acclaimed rapper and actor Common to craft a song to honor Chadwick Boseman's portrayal of Thurgood Marshall in Marshall (2017). Andra Day brings the song to life with the necessary combination of tenderness and strength that it requires, and the results are worthy of the subject matter, even if they weren't worthy of the Academy Award, which went instead to "Remember Me" from Coco (2017). 


10. "I'll Fight" by Jennifer Hudson


The soul of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lives on in this anthemic number brought to life by the multi-blessed vocals of Jennifer Hudson. It is a high honor in life to be able to write a song dedicated to one progressive giant in the world of justice, while Warren has been twice blessed with such a responsibility. The year, Warren had little faith that she'd be able to beat out former collaborator Lady Gaga with her song "Shallow" from A Star is Born (2018). At least, Warren had a song on that film's soundtrack as well.


11. "I'm Standing With You" by Chrissy Metz 


If "Because You Loved Me" has undercurrents of maternal love to it, then this song is a tsunami of motherly affection. It is Diane's second song for a faith-based film after "Compass" for the movie Heaven is for Real (2014) was unable to secure a nomination. This song was done for the film, Breakthrough (2019), about a mother watching her son fight for his life on a hospital bed after a tragic accident. Chrissy imbues the song with everything it needs and more, and her stunning Oscar performance was only partially squandered by a bizarre directorial choice to not have the performer be given a proper introduction. Much like how the songwriter has never received a proper Oscar. 


12. "Lo Si (Seen)" by Laura Pausini 


The Life Ahead (2020), set in Italy, brings together a former prostitute who now tends to the children of other sex workers with a black street-orphan who is forced to be taken under her care. Through the time they spend together, they come to recognize the humanity in one another's existence, previously clouded by their own pride and prejudices. It is a familiar tale, but nonetheless, a beautiful and heartwarming one, especially when brought to life by the likes of screen legend Sophia Loren and phenomenal newcomer Ibrahima Gueye. The original English version of the song is written by Diane Warren, while accomplished singer-songwriter Laura Pausini co-wrote the Italian version. Pausini has additionally recorded the song in several different languages. In a year and a half of such global torment, a song such as this fits right at home. So many have felt unseen and forgotten in the midst of a global pandemic, so many left behind by society, by government, by sheer human failure. To hear Pausini's tender vibrato assure them, assure us, that we are seen and loved is truly a musical gift. The lyrics and melody are simple, as are so many of Warren's greatest achievements, and they certainly connect to the film's story. However, what Warren has on her side this year more than any other is that this song speaks to the universal here and now. We are all trying to be recognized and validated more than ever before because of the distinct sense of loneliness and disconnect that we've had to experience. It's not that they should be awarded the Oscar because they lucked out on the year and time the song got released. Nay, they should win because the song will continue to speak to our deep-seated desire for intimacy long after we are able to hug and congregate together again without these particular fears and trepidations. 


There is no irony lost on the fact that, if Diane Warren does claim her victory this evening at the 93rd Annual Academy Awards Ceremony, it will be for a song that is at its very core about recognition, appreciation and acceptance. Regardless, her music will continue to have a substantial and substantive impact on film history for the foreseeable future—best of luck, Diane. We see you.