The Hidden Gems of Oscar Season
Written by Nick Moore
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! With the kids jingle bell… oh wait. It’s not time to sing Christmas carols just yet. The month of October has barely begun, and people are already getting into the holiday mood? Surely, it can not be for Christmas or Thanksgiving. There’s even enough time for children to pick out the spookiest costume at the local Walmart. Then that only leads out one last season many people look forward to for the entire year, and that is OSCAR SEASON!!!!!
Ah yes. That is the true meaning behind Andy Williams’ classic tune. It is the time of the year when fans of films know they will be getting their money’s worth, as they are seeing the best in film for the of the past 12 months (other than summer). With most of the anticipation and spotlight going towards Steve Jobs, The Revenant, Carol, Spectre, Star Wars, and so much more, it is very easy to overlook some of the films these Hollywood companies have to offer. So forget about the obvious Oscar bait with Johnny Depp and the joyfully overrated Jennifer Lawrence. Buy a ticket, get your popcorn ready, take a seat, and enjoy the “hidden gems” of the 2015 Academy Awards season.
By the Sea
What better way to dive into the bottom of the movie pool than with the power-couple of the business: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. That’s right. For the first time since Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), the two are sharing the big screen in this upcoming drama about a couple going on a far abroad vacation trying to save their marriage before it is too late.
This will mark Jolie’s third directoral film [In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011) and Unbroken (2014)], and possibly her first try at an academy award since 2009's Changeling. As for Pitt, this is not his only movie of the Fall/Winter season. He will starring with Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling in The Big Short.
Nothing has been said by any critic (as of October 8), so this movie is still floating in the ocean, waiting to be seen if it is good enough to be harvested on the red carpet.
In the Heart of the Sea
Continuing withe the ocean trend here is the true story behind the classic tale of Moby Dick. based off a 2000 novel by the same name, the film will bring moviegoers aboard the Essex ship as they sail the seven seas (not literally) until a sperm whale attacks their ship, sinking it to the bottom of the ocean, leaving the crew shipwrecked and lost at sea for three months. This then lead the few survivors to force themselves to cannibalism.
Chris Hemsworth trades in his hammer for a sword, as he leads the cast against the angry whale. Along the way is Director Ron Howard, who has not been nominated for his work in quite some time, last time being Frost/Nixon (2009). Is the duo of Hemsworth and Howard strong enough for this time around with the Oscar judges to bring home the golden man?
99 Homes
Since Marvel is taking over the character of Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield is moving away from masked vigilante and is now kicking people out of their own house. 99 Homes stars Garfield and his family being evicted from their household by a businessman played by Michael Shannon. Garfield’s character then has to work for Shannon in evicting others to win back his house, but the more gets close with the “licensed, real estate broker” the more trouble he gets into. It is a deal with the devil for this family man.
“You think America gives a flying rats about me or you? Mm mm,” Shannon’s character says in the films. “America doesn’t bail out losers. America was built by bailing out winners.”
The film available to be seen on limited release on Sept. 25. critics and audiences have raved about it, top to bottom. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a certified fresh rating of 92 percent. Both Garfield and Shannon have been applaud for their roles in the film. The Worldwide release is scheduled for this Friday, Oct. 9. So do not miss out on the web-slinger making his way back to the drama scene.
Snowden
Joseph Gordon-Levitt looks to make it clear with everyone that he is one of the next best actors of this generation. The actor has already starred in last Friday’s release of The Walk. His portrayal in the upcoming will film Snowden will be a much bigger challenge, as Levitt plays an NSA Contractor turned most wanted man in America.
This Biopic is based off of Edward Snowden who leaked leaked classified information from the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. The information revealed numerous global surveillanceprograms, many run by the NSA and the Five Eyes with the cooperation of telecommunication companies and European governments.
Director Oliver Stone should bring audiences to their feat for the first time since JFK (1991), where he was nominated for an a Academy Award for Best directing. Could this not only be the comeback Stone has been waiting for, but the triumphant rise of Gordon-Levitt? Just wait for it to be leaked on to the internet by the real guy.
Trumbo
Walter White has returned… sort of. More of Bryan Cranston is making the move from television to the big screen as he plays screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. The film depicts the events of Trumbo’slife when he was accused of being a communist and was blacklisted in Hollywood. Trumbo and nine other writers set off to fight against J. Edgar Hoover and the U.S. Government over the freedom of writing movies. Simple as that. A comeback story for the Hollywood writers.
Fun little fact: the director of Trumbo, Jay Roach, is also the director of the Austin Powers trilogy. Roach is now taking on a serious time in Hollywood’s darkest days, where the consequences could be high if he gets one bit of the story wrong. His career could be in jeopardy, but that is what makes a movie much better: The fear and adrenaline rush.
So can the guy who turned James Bond groovy make fans of Heisenberg give up the meth for new performance from Cranston with an illegal typewriter?
That is it for my account of what is barely publicized that should be getting more attention than they are now. If I missed any that anyone believes should belong in the category, please leave a note anywhere on the story. I’ll be glad to add it to my own personal list of films to see for the next three months.
So until then, see you at the movies!
