"Ex-Machina": Quietly Engaging, Nothing You Expect

Oscar Isaac is an actor that hasn't quite had his 'breakout' moment, despite being game enough. His performances (each one different from the last) in 2013's "Inside Llewyn Davis" and last year's "A Most Violent Year" were more than strong enough to warrant a leap into the A-List, however, he has stayed frustratingly under the radar.

That's not to say he has stopped trying. Though he is certainly being primed for a huge shift into superstardom with his role in the new "Star Wars" film later this year, Isaac is back with another fiery performance in a small indie.

Halfway Mark: Worthy Oscar Contenders from the first Half of the Year

Today officially marks the halfway point of 2014, if you can believe it. I don't know about the rest of you but I feel as if this year has been a blur, and I can say that about a lot of the movies that have come and gone through the last few months.

There has been only one movie from this year, thus far, that's challenged anything on my top 10 list from last year (a truly banner year in film unlike one we've had in awhile). That being said, there are truly some memorable performances, and even details about those films that were standouts, even if the overall product wasn't as great as its little pieces.

So read on, to see a few worthy contenders I feel deserve to remain in the conversation come awards season time.

Under the Skin is Unlike Anything You Will Ever See; A Modern Masterpiece in Every Way

It’s been 10 years since Jonathan Glazer’s last film, “Birth” starring Nicole Kidman, opened to maddeningly polarized reviews. “Under the Skin”, his third feature, marks his return to the film world. Glazer had planned to direct the film after the release of his debut feature, “Sexy Beast” back in 2000, and originally co-wrote the film to star Brad Pitt as one of two aliens disguised as farmers. However, he ended up choosing to instead tell the story from an alien’s perspective of society, and decided to make that alien a female, scrapping the Brad Pitt character. 

Scarlett Johansson, dressed in a shaggy yet short, brunette wig complete with a fur coat, skinny jeans and cute heels, portrays the mysterious female alien (her name is never given). She drives around various towns and areas in Scotland in her white van, stopping every so often to talk to lonely men walking the streets. Her story for stopping is different with every man she stops for. Sometimes she tells them she’s running an errand, sometimes she’s lost, but no matter what she tells them she’s doing, her intent is to get them into her van, and home with her. Though it’s never explicitly stated, reading between the lines will tell you that there is a promise of sex, which excites her potential suitors. Once their inside, however, it’s clear that sex is not what’s going on. 

ScarJo Continues Career Renaissance with Luc Besson's "Lucy"

As I mentioned months before, it seems ScarJo is experiencing something of a revival in her career. It kicked off with her enthusiastic, full-bodied performance in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's "Don Jon" and followed her to Oscar buzz for her voice only performance in Spike Jonze's "Her" as an Operarting System named Samantha.

Now, Johansson is back with 3 pictures, each more different from the next. Besides her much raved about work in "Under the Skin" that will be released this weekend, she's got Captain America 2 next week where she will reprise her strong-willed Black Widow character. And if that wasn't enough, she's headlining an action thriller directed by Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional) entitled "Lucy".

Scarlett Johansson Makes Men Disappear in Under the Skin

Johansson follows up Don Jon and Her with a completely different performance as a man-eating alien. 

Scarlett Johansson is having something of a career renaissance lately, and I couldn't be happier about it. After a "better than advertised" performance in Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" in 2012, Johansson followed up with back to back great turns in Joe Levitt's "Don Jon" and Spike Jonze's "Her'. In both films, Johansson acted with ferocious energy that hasn't been seen since before her career slump, post- Lost in Translation Oscar buzz (remember when she won a BAFTA for Leading Actress that year?).

Fact of the matter is, after uninspired choices like "The Nanny Diaries" or "The Island", Johansson is back to making very inspired and brave acting choices, and overall seems very excited about the performances she's giving (unlike sleepwalking through roles like "The Black Dahlia" or "The Other Boelyn Girl").

She was (unfairly) overlooked for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar (an award she should have won) this year for her voice-work (yes, she's that good as just a voice) in Her, but that doesn't seem to be stopping her from choosing tricky roles and delivering energetic performances.

So that's why I (and others) are thoroughly excited about her next film; Johansson will appear as the lead in Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin", distributed by A24 (the same company who distributed Spring Breakers and The Bling Ring). In the film, Johansson plays a beautiful alien searching for men, or rather their flesh.