Oscar Contenders: Who is Up and Who is Down?

"American Hustle" racked up 10 nominations last year, and you can attribute that to buzz 100%. By the time nomination ballots were filled out, the film had been anointed as the frontrunner by the New York Film Critics Circle (the first major group to hand out awards). The NYFCC blatantly changed their awards date to be the first, before the Los Angeles critics and before the National Board of Review, but this was no accident. It's universally accepted that the group wanted to establish their impact as an organization, and they did by shoving American Hustle firmly into the race. They gave the film Best Picture, Screenplay and Supporting Actress honors, with director David O. Russell coming in 2nd to Steve McQueen, and Amy Adams placing 2nd to Cate Blanchett. The film had a strong early reception from industry insiders, all of which had taken place before anyone of importance had actually seen the film.. and thus it walked away with 10 Oscar nominations. But when voters and audiences sat down to watch the film, the reception had become more divisive. In the end, it walked away with 0 Oscars of those 10 nominations. This is an example of how buzz and hype can build your film up, but also how it can tear you down.

Hype now dominates the Oscar race. What films have the most hype? What are people on the internet talking about? Which films are being talked about the most? Following a film's buzz is arguably the best way to guess where its Oscar standing is. It's been about a month since we last sat down and looked at the Oscar race. Several high profile contenders have been released since, but have they stuck their landing? Let's see where they stand. 

Christopher Nolan Reaches for the Stars in Interstellar

Sci-Fi is enjoying something of a resurgence at the moment, one that began last year with Alfonso Cuaron's brilliant "Gravity". Though undoubtedly one of the most popular genres out there, these stories have always felt anything but human; the familiar themes that we are exposed to in other genres (such as love, jealousy, grief) always bat second to the eye-popping visual effects employed throughout, a serious case of style vs. substance.

What was so special about "Gravity", was that despite being a film filled with revelatory, groundbreaking technology, at its center was an all too familiar theme: survival. Though faced with a lack of oxygen and metal hurtling at dangerous speeds, Dr. Ryan Stone (played superbly by Sandra Bullock in the best performance of her career) had a bigger challenge facing her; believing in herself enough to find her way back to Earth. Cuaron may have placed us all in an unfamiliar setting, but the story was one everyone could relate to.

So it should come as no surprise then, that the man who redefined the superhero genre is one to continue this Sci Fi renaissance. As he did with "The Dark Knight", director/writer Christopher Nolan brings a gritty, emotional realism to an almost outlandishly cartoon-like genre.

A Most Violent Year Rears its Head

The buzz on director/writer J.C. Chandor ("Margin Call", "All is Lost") has been suspiciously low the last few months. Though there have been some "reports" about the film's acting being incredible (I wouldn't expect anything less from the new Meryl Streep, Jessica Chastain, but that cast is incredible; Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks also star), nothing else about the film has been released. Distributor A24, though relatively new, is not really much of an awards player; though they did manage some critics' awards wins for James Franco last year, their Oscar pull is weak. That all could change, however; the trailer and a poster for the film has finally been released, and it's promising.

Interstellar Could Be Christopher Nolan's (Oscar) Breakthrough

"The Dark Knight snub" is a term that many Oscar pundits and fanboys alike have attributed to the expansion of the Best Picture field; when "The Reader" was nominated over The Dark Knight in 2008, many took it as a flat out snub. It was one of the most (if not the most critically acclaimed film of the year), and received 8 other nominations, including a win for Heath Ledger's now iconic performance as the Joker. Nolan himself was also left out of the Best Director lineup, even though he received a nomination from the Director's Guild, and other major critical precursors.

After the expansion of the Best Picture category (from 5 to 10 films), his follow up film "Inception" received a nomination, but Nolan was once again snubbed from the directors in the Academy, despite once again being recognized by his fellow directors at the DGA.

Based on the early reports and first trailer, it seems that Nolan is bringing a level of A-game we haven't yet seen from him; Interstellar looks to be Nolan's most visually, and thematically cohesive project yet, and a the new trailer confirms that this is going to be the film that may just finally get him that elusive Oscar nomination.

Early Oscar Predictions

With this year's Cannes Film Festival finished, we have (un)officially began the 2014 Oscar season... which makes my brain hurt because it doesn't even seem like that long ago that I was watching Lupit Nyong'o and Jennifer Lawrence duke it out for Best Supporting Actress. But as it does every year, Oscar season seems to start just as it ends.

Interstellar Trailer

I had the privilege of not only seeing "Godzilla" last night, but the new trailer for Christopher Nolan's upcoming Sci-Fi film, "Interstellar" starring Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway.

Christopher Nolan's Interstellar lands its First Trailer

That's right everyone, after his epic conclusion to The Dark Knight Trilogy, Christopher Nolan has assembled an all-star cast lead by Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, and Ellen Burstyn.

Though the trailer isn't big on details (which it more than makes up for with gorgeous cinematography, and a voice-over by McConaughey), the official synopsis released by Paramount and Warner Bros states:

"When a wormhole (which hypothetically connects widely-separated regions of spacetime) is newly discovered, a team of explorers and scientists embark on a voyage through it to transcend previous limitations on human space travel."

The Hollywood Reporter said in addition to the official synopsis, "The plot is believed to involve time travel and alternate dimensions, but other details are being kept under wraps."

The film is slated for a November 7, 2014 release, which puts it smack dab in the middle of the Oscar race. Inception racked up some major nominations back in 2010, and The Dark Knight should've been a Best Picture Nominee was snubbed for Best Picture and Best Director, though it landed some major wins and nominations (including a win for Heath Ledger as The Joker). 

Could it be just a commercial thing though? Or will it actually play into the circuit. McConaughey, Hathaway, and Chastain's involvement doesn't hurt, and Nolan has been close to a Director nomination for quite some time. Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity could lessen the "sci-fi" bias that's existed within the Academy for so long now, as it's a top tier contender this year. 

You can watch the trailer below.