As we conclude our Oscar preview segment today with Greg Rouleau's
(Reel True) insight into the Oscar-caliber films scheduled
for release in December, here's a chance to look back on the months of September, October and November. With all the makings of a formidable awards
season, these anticipated releases will close out the road to the Oscars.
Unbroken
Release
Date: December 25th, 2014
Starring: Jack O'Connell and Domhnall Gleeson
The
Scoop: Unbroken is the true story of Louis
Zamperini, an Olympic track star whose plane was shot down during World War
II. After 47 days stranded at sea, he then spent two and a half years in
Japanese POW camps. Angelina Jolie helms this biopic and it wouldn’t be
surprising if we see her name in the Best Director conversation, too.
Despite having only a couple of features to her directorial credit, she’s
wisely employed some of the top craft talent in the game with Roger Deakins as
DP, Alexandre Desplat scoring, and a screenplay written by the Coen
Brothers. Sadly, real-life Louie Zamperini passed away in early July of
this year, but from the looks of it we have a potentially great film to honor
his legacy.
Potential
Nominations: Assumed as
one of the powerhouses this season, it's reasonable to anticipated recognition
in the Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Score and
Cinematography.
Wild
Release
Date: December 5th, 2014
Starring: Reese Witherspoon and Gaby Hoffman
The
Scoop: Last year, Jean-Marc Vallée directed not one, but two
actors to their first Oscar nominations and wins when his Dallas Buyers Club duo of Matthew McConaughey and Jared
Leto took home gold on the big night. This year he returns with another
character driven piece called Wild,
which stars Reese Witherspoon as a woman who uses a 1,100-mile hike to recover
from a recent tragedy. Witherspoon already won a Best Actress for 2005’s Walk the Line but another win would make her
only the 13th woman
ever to win more than 1 Best Actress award.
Potential
Nominations: Vallée has shown he can elicit great performances so there's a strong chance we see an Oscar nod in
the Best Actress (Witherspoon) race, as well as a possibility with its Adapted
Screenplay.
Exodus: Gods and Kings
Release
Date: December 12th, 2014
Starring: Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton
The
Scoop: When the director of Gladiator decides to return to the world of
swords and sandals, it should be cause for jubilation, right? Well after a
string of recent misfires, the anticipation for Ridley Scott’s biblical epic is
accompanied by some trepidation. The
talent is surely there, with Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton in the leading
roles, and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul in support. The big question is, will the
storytelling be strong enough? With Steve Zailian penning the screenplay, it’s
one reason to remain optimistic. Exodus should at least be a fantastic
display of production values.
Potential
Nominations: Recognition
for Costume Design and Production Design seem like safe bets this early on, but
perhaps it could sneak into another technical race or two like Visual
Effects.
Inherent Vice
Release
Date: December 12th, 2014 (Limited Release)
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin and Reese Witherspoon
The
Scoop: It was recently announced that one of the major gala spots
at the New York Film Festival this year will be the premiere of Paul Thomas
Anderson’s latest, Inherent
Vice. Adapted from a novel by Thomas Pynchon, Joaquin Phoenix stars
as Doc Sportello, a quirky detective that investigates the disappearance of an
ex-girlfriend in 1970s Los Angeles. Anderson was able to elicit a great
performance out of Phoenix in his previous film, The Master, and there’s no
reason not to expect the same here. The cast also includes Reese
Witherspoon, Josh Brolin, Benecio Del Toro, and Martin Short. Early word
is that you can expect Vice to be a little zany, in a Big Lebowski sort of way, which could possibly make
it a tough sell with the Academy. Even if Vice is a little too eccentric for the
Academy it has the makings to be one of the best films of 2014.
Potential
Nominations: If Anderson's
film plays as many expect it will, it could be in for at least Best Picture,
Director, Actor (Phoenix), Adapted Screenplay and Score.
Mr. Turner
Release
Date: December 19th, 2014 (Limited Release)
Starring: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson and Dorothy Atkinson
The
Scoop: Another film that debuted at
Cannes earlier this summer was Mike Leigh’s Mr.
Turner. Leigh is no
stranger to awards season, with 7 nominations to his credit, he returns with
what appears to be major Oscar bait. This
period biopic about the life of eccentric painter, JMW Turner is exactly the
kind of film that registers with the older members of the Academy. Turner received strong reviews at the
Cannes festival, and Timothy Spall took home the Best Actor prize.
Potential
Nominations: It has a
fighting chance in Best Picture and Actor (Spall), but more likely a contender
in Original Screenplay, both Costume and Production Design as well as
Cinematography.
Big Eyes
Release
Date: December 25th, 2014
Starring: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz and Krysten Ritter
The
Scoop: Tim Burton hasn’t made a
live-action film that wasn’t a remake or adaptation of a play since 2003’s Big Fish. It’s a shame because the visionary
director has really shown some skill when focusing on character-driven
dramas. This year he
finally returns to that genre with Big
Eyes; the story of successful painter, Margaret Keane and the battle that
ensues with her husband over the ownership of her works. The couple is being portrayed by
five-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams, and two-time Oscar winner, Christoph
Waltz. Despite the talented
cast and backing of Harvey Weinstein, who has proven to be very influential
come awards season, it’ll most likely be an underdog throughout the winter,
unless early reception is incredibly strong. All in all, it’ll be nice to see
Burton back in this territory and Big
Eyes could be a welcome
holiday addition.
Potential
Nominations: It's
reasonable to expect a Best Actress nod for Amy Adams along with Best Score,
Production Design and Costume Design.
***
That concludes our 2014 Oscar Preview. A big thank you to Greg Rouleau for all
of his help
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