Reese Witherspoon Finds Herself on the PCT in "Wild"

It's been somewhat of a rocky road for Reese Witherspoon ever since she won her Oscar for 2005's "Walk the Line". Though she's found box office success with films like "Four Christmases", she hasn't done anything that's lived up to the immense promise she showed in films like "Election" and "Legally Blonde". Not to mention that whole D.U.I. fiasco.

But if there's anything fallen actors/actresses have taught us in recent years, it's that comebacks are possible. Witherspoon smartly moved away from center stage and took supporting roles in the critically adored "Mud" and this year's much discussed "Inherent Vice", and worked behind the scenes as a producer to get "Gone Girl" made. All of this, led to the inception of Witherspoon's own personal project: the big screen adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's memoir "Wild", the story of Strayed's 1,100-mile journey on the Pacific Coast Trail.

Reese Witherspoon & Benedict Cumberbatch: Serious Oscar Threats

About a month ago when "The Imitation Game"'s trailer debuted, there were some that thought that the film was one to watch on the Oscar circuit. A film backed by Harvey Weinstein featuring the internet's hero (and recent Emmy nominee) Benedict Cumberbatch about WWII (the Academy's favorite topic) is certainly something to watch out for. 

However, after watching the trailer, I felt like the film was very "been there done that", in the same way that I felt "The King's Speech" was, especially since this year we have film's like "Birdman" and "Interstellar" and even Disney's adaptation of dark musical "Into the Woods" on the horizon; in comparison, the film is reductive, it doesn't seem to be any different from the numerous amount of films that covered this subject matter before it. Besides, we have Angelina Jolie's WWII epic "Unbroken" coming out, which seems to be as every bit of inspirational and uplifting as The Imitation Game. 

According to many of those who caught the film at the Telluride Film Festival this past week, however, the film is a major player, and a real threat at winning some top awards.

Reese Witherspoon gets Wild

Trailers upon trailers upon trailers.

In the midst of a comeback of sorts, Reese Witherspoon has a busy year ahead of her. Teaming up with "Dallas Buyers Club" director Jean-Marc Vallée backed by Oscar heavyweight Fox Searchlight, "Wild" will certainly be one of the films in the Academy Award conversation this year.

The film is based on a true story, adapted from the popular best selling memoir written by Cheryl Strayed.

This looks to be Witherspoon's meatiest role in years (since her Oscar win for 2005's "Walk the Line"), certainly more so than her role in "The Good Lie". The film looks beautifully shot, and with the hot momentum of Dallas Buyers Club (those 3 Oscar wins and a nomination for Best Picture are nothing to ignore), this film could be even more financially successful, and rake in more awards. Partnered with her supporting turn in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice", this should almost definitely land Witherspoon a nomination in Best Actress.

Take a look at the trailer below. Wild will be released December 5th.

The Fault In Our Stars: A Flawed Showcase for Shailene Woodley

I've been trying to make up my mind about  the film adaptation to John Green's widely popular novel "The Fault in Our Stars" ever since I saw it Thursday night. Critics are raving (82% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences ate it up ($65 mill worldwide opening weekend), but I've been divided on it since I left the theater. I went in a virgin, for the most part. I knew the film's plot, however, I did not know any of the quotes, character names or ending; the army of white girls surrounding me and my friend knew the story inside and out while we knew close to nothing.

What I did know, however, was that I wasn't going to love the film. The trailer had me rolling my eyes at least 7 times (John Green's writing/representation of teenagers has always had me rolling my eyes; I know no one like the characters he writes). While this wasn't a black and white representation of adolescence romance that had been done to death, it seemed utterly pretentious. And though full of emotion, that's pretty much what I got by the end of the film. However, what saves the film from slipping into complete, and utterly reprehensible territory is the charisma of Shailene Woodley, and her remarkably mature performance.