Considering the amount of films I was able to screen at the Telluride Film Festival, along with my heaving viewing schedule in September and October, I haven't had the chance, or need for that matter, to see many films since my last entry. On top of what I've already seen, I added Out of the Furnace, All Is Lost, and Dallas Buyers Club to my list in the month of November. That isn't to say there hasn't been some movement in the Oscar races.
I saw Out of the Furnace at a special screening at the Denver Film Festival, which was surprising because we were only the second public audience in the world to screen it. For a festival the stature of Denver that was quite the experience. On the whole the film was satisfying in a number of ways. The taught directing and script of Scott Cooper and the ensemble performance of Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Willem Dafoe, Woodly Harrleson, and veteran Sam Shepard in particular. The subject matter and pace suggest a modern day Deer Hunter with the Iraq War as the backdrop but the narrower scope of the film downplays that notion. As we saw last year 2014 has a deep field of players and although Furnace succeeds in many areas it might not do anything quite well enough to grab any serious nominations.
All Is Lost is a vehicle where sole credit lies with two people, actor Robert Redford and writer/director J.C. Chandor. Redford seems a lock at this point to capture a Best Actor nomination as the lost at sea survivalist. A role that could be overdone, Redford is calm and collected, all the whilst knowing there is little hope to escape demise. Chandor took a big risk transitioning from his first film Margin Call, chock full of witty dialogue and boasting a large talented cast, to a film with no dialouge and only one actor throughout. Thankfully he pulls it off and it will ultimately be a milestone in both Redford's storied and Chandor's budding career. Look for noms for Best Picture, Best Actor, Screenplay, and possibly Directing for Chandor.
Can the Best Actor race get any more crowded? In addition to Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years), Redford, Bruce Dern (Nebraska), and possibly Bale (Furnace) Matthew McConaughey turns in the performance of his career in Dallas Buyers Club. Playing the role of real life homophobic AIDS patient Ron Woodroof, McConaughey steals the screen with an emotionally powerful display of the resilience of the human body. McConaughey, who dropped almost 50 pounds for the role, uses his physical deterioration in perfect contrast with the strength of his character's will to live. Jared Leto, who hasn't graced the big screen in over four years, is almost unrecognizable in his harrowing performance as Woodroof's cross dressing business partner and eventual friend. Both are virtual locks for the Best Actor and Supporting Actor categories with real chances at winning the awards. Also look for Best Picture and Screenplay nominations, although due to the smaller nature of the story and script Dallas Buyers will be a dark horse to win.
The additions of All Is Lost and Dallas Buyers Club hasn't changed the front runner status of films like 12 Years a Slave or Gravity although it has lowered the probability of easy wins for either films. The Best Actor race is the most heated at the moment and until we see all the films to release in December the Best Picture race will be clouded. In the coming weeks we have Frozen (Best Animated Feature front runner), Saving Mr. Banks, American Hustle, Wolf of Wall Street, and Her all still to be released. Hopefully by late December, and once the Golden Globe noms are announced, we'll have a clearer picture.
