Category: Oscar Preview

We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Nebraska There are few directors working today who are as universally respected as Alexander Payne. Beginning as early as 1996, Payne was flirting with Oscar recognition with Citizen Ruth. The film, starring Laura Dern was warmly received and was on several…

We had three films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Thor: The Dark World It’s the weekend’s number one film and it has all the earmarks of another Marvel blockbuster; however, success at the box office does not an Oscar nominee make. As in the first year Thor appeared, the Academy…

We had four films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Ender’s Game The critics were not enraptured, but audiences seem modestly pleased. The opening weekend should ensure that it’s not immediately discarded as an Oscar contender, but unlike the blockbusters of Michael Bay, Ender’s Game may suffer the same struggles that…

We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Blue Is the Warmest Color In May of this year, a daring picture of love between two young women carried home the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, a prize for the first time shared with the two young actresses…

We had three films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. 12 Years a Slave Steve McQueen has been quietly amassing a stellar filmography and in spite of the plaudits his last film, Shame, received, he has been an Oscar no-show. 2013 should prove to be the year all that changes. With…

We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Captain Phillips Contrary to popular belief, Paul Greengrass isn’t an Oscar magnet. Sure, he earned a surprise Oscar nomination for Best Director in 2006 for his film United 93, which was not nominated for Best Picture; and his work on the…

We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Gravity It’s been a long time since a science fiction film has so grabbed the collective imaginations of both audiences and critics that it is entirely conceivable that Gravity could become the first of its genre to win Best Picture, though…

We had two films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs The first film was an Oscar no-show and when a sequel’s predecessor fails to earn a nomination, that typically spells trouble. However, in a year like this, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 has…

We had two films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Prisoners With a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 73 from MetaCritic, the word out of Telluride was accurate. The film is good. The problem is that most say it’s bleak or even brutal in its depiction of two couples…

We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Herb & Dorothy 50×50 Without seeing the documentary short list, it’s impossible to tell what films will end up as Oscar nominees. However, a film like Herb & Dorothy 50×50 extols the virtues of artworks following two public-sector workers who spent…

We had no films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

We had no films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

We had one films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. The Grandmaster While the film is about the real life mentor of some of the most prominent Japanese martial arts stars ever appearing on the big screen, the film could also be seen as a statement on the legacy of its…

We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Lee Daniels’ The Butler Lee Daniels has had the best of luck and the worst of luck when it comes to the Academy. His first film, Precious was a surprise hit and earned six nominations including for Best Picture. It won…

We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations. Elysium The weak box office paired with the weaker critical support suggests the film that could have been a second Best Picture nominee for neophyte director Neill Blomkamp, has pretty much pushed the film out of the playing field. While Best…