Much has happened since our last chart. US festivals such as Palm Springs; AFI and Santa Barbara have played their precursor role by mostly rewarding the acting or directing of the three big players to date: 12 Years A Slave; Gravity and the just arrived to UK screens Saving Mr Banks ★★★½, which has captivated critics and will likely do the same for audiences. Emma Thompson is superb as the uptight writer of Mary Poppins and the story of the long and difficult relationship between her and Walt Disney, trying to convince her of adapting her novel for the big screen, is told with an old-fashioned charm that remembers the classic, saccharine-coated, style trademark of the studio’s best work. Becoming a box office hit, it could easily turn into the Oscar frontrunner, as its clean all-family appeal and reference to an episode of cinema’s story will be well received by the Academy’s old guard.
The Spirit Awards revealed their nominations confirming as well 12 Years Of Slave as the indie favourite, scooping a total of seven in a week in which the film has become the most successful English language speciality release in the States. Among a very spread list of nominees Nebraska has also seen its hopes raised with six; All Is Lost has four and Fruitvale Station, Inside Llewyn Davis, Short Term 12 and Blue Jasmine earned three nominations each. Frances Ha only received two, including best film, but her star and co-writer Greta Gerwig was shockingly snubbed; Also there The Spectacular Now and Mud, which will be awarded with the Robert Altman Award to film’s director, casting director and whole cast.
On the flip side, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints; summer hit The Way, Way Back and The Place Beyond The Pines were ignored, so unless a miracle happens their chances has been nearly shut down.
Predictably they have also nominated Blue Is The Warmest Colour ★★★★★ as best foreign language picture. This exquisitely observed masterpiece shows the sexual awakening and first love of a lesbian teen girl. The Palm D’Or winner has been surrounded by multiple controversies, not so much for the explicit scenes it contains as for the ongoing battles between director and actresses. Already an art-house success both sides of the Atlantic, the terrific performance of Adele Exarchopoulos will carry on winning the admiration of everyone who’s seen it.
Other strong contenders just arrived to our shores include Lee Daniel’s The Butler ★★★½, recovering most of the form he showed on his awarded ‘Precious’ after the debacle that was The Paperboy. Daniels has recruited half of Hollywood for the a tale based in the life of the White House longest serving black butler, used here to showcase the evolution of racial equal rights in the states in a light, but determined and very entertaining way. Forest Whittaker’s excellent performance is a likely candidate for recognition and Oprah Winfrey is already the favourite to win best supporting actress accolades. Less accomplished in order to claim awards Ridley Scott’s The Counsellor ★★★ is not the unmitigated disaster that many people claims. A violent, dark atmosphere pervades on this morality tale about a drug baron’s lawyer, temped into the other side of the law. Funnily, its greatest selling points are the film’s biggest problems. Cormac McCarthy’s screenplay is full of holes as the renowned writer tries to fit his literary and philosophical musings in the dialogues with little fortune. Its spectacular cast (Cruz, Bardem, Diaz, Fassbender, Pitt…) is barely taken advantage of with some characters close to caricature.
Last but not least, the first of the influential critics ‘polls (Cahiers Du Cinema and Sight & Sound) have also been published. Both named ‘Strangers by the Lake’, ‘Gravity’ and ‘A Touch Of Sin’ among their favourites. The later also adding support to the case of ‘The Act Of Killing’ and ‘The Great Beauty’.
You can check our updated Awards Race chart, here.
 | 12 YEARS A SLAVE ★★★★ Steve McQueen The acclaimed British director’s controversial take on slavery and life in the plantations remains the critical frontrunner after being named best director at Palm Springs and scooping seven nods at the Spirits, more than any other film. Cast and production design keep on earning raves and it’s already the biggest English language indie at the box office. |
 | GRAVITY ★★★★★ Alfonso Cuarón Hailed as a masterpiece with even the highbrowed Cahiers du cinema featuring it on its Top 10, Cuaron’s ambitious sci-fi opus continues to smash the global box office while Sandra Bullock piles up the honours (Palm Spring and Entertainer Of The Year) and his son and co-writer Jonas unveils the short about the radio conversation between Sandra and the Eskimo, ‘Aningaaq’, hotly tipped also for an historical father/ son multiple nomination. |
 | SAVING MR. BANKS ★★★½ John Lee Hancock Emma Thompson is superb as the uptight writer of Mary Poppins and the story of the difficult relationship between her and Walt Disney, trying to adapt her novel. Grazed with an old-fashioned charm that remembers the classic, saccharine-coated style trademark of the studio. Becoming a hit, it could easily be the one to beat, as its reference to cinema’s story will be well received in the Academy. The rest of the cast, including Hanks, in contention for both lead and supporting this year, is equally good. |
 | CAPTAIN PHILLIPS ★★★★ Paul Greengrass Exhaustingly tense and gripping, this Somali pirates hijacking drama based on true events is the most accomplished US thriller in ages. Paul Greengrass takes his directorial style one step further and provides Tom Hanks with his best role in years. Rave reviews and box office success also guarantee its status as one of the year’s favourites and certain best picture nominee. |
 | BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR ★★★★★ Abdellatif Kechiche France’s selection rules has prevented the Palm D’Or winner to go for the Foreign Oscar, but this exquisitely observed masterpiece championed by Spielberg and showing the sexual awakening and first love of a lesbian teen girl is an art-house success both sides of the Atlantic and will be a fixture in the season. the Spirits, likely the Globes and perhaps Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux performances may be further rewarded. |
 | INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS ★★★★½ Coen Brothers The Coens went out of their comfort zone again to portrait Greenwich Village’s bohemian folk scene in the sixties with this story of a young musician’s quest for his ever elusive big break. Surprisingly, it feels like the brothers at their most classic. Winner of Cannes’ grand prix,. The film, Oscar Isaac and its cinematography are up for Spirits, but surprisingly the siblings were snubbed. Its star-studded soundtrack is another of its aces. |
 | BLUE JASMINE ★★★★★ Woody Allen Allen’s best film in two decades surprises in many levels. If he made it to the best picture shortlist with Midnight In Paris, he may have a strong chance to repeat the achievement. The writing is also at his sharpest. Cate Blanchett’s career was honoured in Santa Barbara and looks like the one to beat in the actress race, The typically strong cast shines, particularly Sally Hawkins as her good natured foster sister. 3 Spirit nods and The honorary Cecil B. De Mille award at the Globes await. |
 | THE BUTLER ★★★½ Lee Daniels Recovering most of the form he showed on his awarded Precious, Daniels has recruited half of Hollywood for the a tale based in the life of the White House longest serving butler, used here to showcase the evolution of racial equal rights in the. Forest Whittaker’s excellent performance is a likely candidate for recognition and Oprah Winfrey is already the favourite to win best supporting actress. |
 (Photo Agatha A. Nitecka) | THE SELFISH GIANT ★★★★★ Clio Barnard A worthy heir of British social realism’s legacy, Barnard joins the country’s directors premier league with this devastating tale of school rejects turned scrap collectors; a contemporary take on an Oscar Wilde story, blessed with two heart-breaking performances by its two lead children. Earning honours everywhere it’s shown AFI; BIFA; Stockholm and a BFI screenwriting fellowship are in her shelves. |
 | THE ACT OF KILLING ★★★★★ Joshua Oppenheimer & Anonymous & Christine Cynn From Herzog to Morris, all hail this unique work which offered some paramilitary heads, now national heroes, responsible for the massacre in Indonesia a chance to re-enact their war crimes; an opportunity they happily embraced filming themselves as action blockbusters or sophisticated musicals stars in a process that took them to realize the consequences of their actions. As well as being up for most documentary honours, S&S poll has chosen it as the best film of the year. |
 | PHILOMENA ★★★ Stephen Frears Pleasant tear-jerking human interest tale of elderly woman looking for his son, taken away from her by the nuns in the internship she was sent to. Another high in Frears’ career; gives Judi Dench the perfect vehicle for a new claim at the Oscar and Steve Coogan a good counterpart role, as well as a chance to get in the screenplay race. There are bigger fish this season, but few will pull the audiences’ emotional strings as strongly. |
 | BEFORE MIDNIGHT ★★★★ Richard Linklater Unexpected last instalment of this unique trilogy lifting the romantic comedy genre to new heights. Delpy and Hawke recaptured the magic of their character’s relationship, now well established and with twin daughters of their own. Circumstances evolved, but their over analytical ways remain intact. With a former screenplay Oscar nomination, its writing is again up for a Spirit, as is the French star, still bubbling under in the best actress race.. |
 | WADJDA ★★★★½ Haifaa Al-Mansour One of the favourites for the Foreign Oscar, the first film directed by a Saudi female and shot entirely in the kingdom cleverly uses the deceptively simple story of a girl saving to buy a bicycle, and the rejection she faces for that’s not socially acceptable, to look at a wider picture of women discrimination in Arab society. Charming, poignant and cleverly overcoming the strong censorship of her country, Wadjda has conquered audiences everywhere and is up for the best debut Spirit.. |
 | ENOUGH SAID ★★★½ Nicole Holofcener The US indie filmmaker fifth feature is arguably her best; currently a box office hit, this superior rom com about the difficulties that age brings to dating has a heartfelt screenplay and two towering performances by TV favourite comedian Dreyfuss and the late Gandolfini, whose onscreen chemistry is the film’s main attractive. As the Academy’s last chance to reward a superb actor, makes it a work not to be dismissed. Spirit noms for him and Holofcener’s screenplay. |
 | FRANCES HA ★★★★ Noah Baumbach Another acclaimed indie gem, this infectious comedy, not far away from the universe of hip TV series ‘Girls’, is former screenplay nominee Baumbach’s best work to date, but star and co-writer Greta Gerwig is the one who’s deservedly getting all the compliments. She looks like the year’s biggest underdog. Worringly, the Gothams snubbed it and the Spirits nominated it just for best picture. S&S poll featured it in the Top 5. |
 | GLORIA ★★★★½ Sebastián Lelio Paulina Garcia should be piling up awards for her terrific, bittersweet portrait of woman in her middle-age embracing life and trying to look for a new chance in love. Chile’s submission to the Foreign Oscar was also rewarded in Berlin and looks set to conquer the popular vote wherever it gets a release. Its screenplay is also a force to be reckoned, although sheer competition in that field might be a tough obstacle to overcome. Nominated for the foreign spirit, it needs a qualifying run to opt to other categories. |
 | THE GREAT BEAUTY ★★★★★ Paolo Sorrentino Italy’s choice for the Oscar is indeed a work of beauty. Sorrentino’s best film to date feels like an X-ray of Roma's decadent society, aggravated by comparison against the ancient city's cultural heritage, through the eyes of a writer who came in search of inspiration, published an acclaimed debut novel and got sucked in its jet set lifestyle. Critical yet compassionate; meditative yet hectic. It was left empty handed at Cannes, but so far both the Spirit and S&S critics poll mentioned it. |
 | THE HUNT ★★★★ Thomas Vinterberg Dogma alumnus Vinterberg returned to form and provided Mads Mikkelsen with a breakthrough, Cannes winner role as the kindergarten assistant falsely accused of child abuse, victim of a witch hunt. Last year it piled on European awards and is Denmarks’s submission for the Foreign Language gong. One of the highest profile titles in contention; is up for the foreign spirit and it will cause no small shock if it doesn’t reprise this fate at the Oscars. |
 | TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM ★★★★½ Morgan Neville A joyous tribute to the role of female back-up singer in pop history; Neville’s superb assemble of performance footage seems initially shaped as an anthology of early girl bands to later delve in four personal stories of amazing talents that remained out of the spotlight and their unfulfilled dreams. A true crowd-pleaser Sundance audience favourite and Spirit nominee, it should become one of the strongest contenders in the Documentary field. |
 | THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN ★★★½ Felix Van Groeningen Belgium choice for the Foreign Language Oscar is as unexpected as it is terrific. A devastating drama set in the world of a Bluegrass band whose lead couple lose their daughter to leukaemia. Flashbacks of their relationship and intimate moments with their daughter go backwards and forwards punctuated by a good selection of country music. The most nominated film at the European awards, the country connection could be crucial to gain support stateside. |
 | UPSTREAM COLOR ★★★★ Shane Carruth Another of the favourites for the Gothams and up for director and editing at the Spirits, this long awaited follow-up to ‘Primer’ delivered an even more mind-blowing, experimental offering that took everyone by storm from its Sundance premiere. Its puzzling narrative about a couple whose love lives are affected by a strange parasite; a brilliant cinematography and an unique personal vision rather unrivalled in today’s American indie scene confirms it as one of the year’s critical darlings. |
 | THE ROCKET ★★★ Kim Mordaunt Australias’submission for the Foreign Oscar is a cute crowd pleasing comedy, shot in Laos and telling the misadventures of a kid who builds a rocket to win local competition and put an end to the family curse they he brought upon. Featuring some picturesque characters including a local James Brown impersonator, under its sweet comic heart there are hints at more serious matters such as Lao’s bomb clearing problem. Won Audience award at AFI which can only boost its chances. |
 | STRANGERS BY THE LAKE ★★★★ Alain Guiraudie France’s strange choice for the Foreign race, ‘Renoir’, has deprived far better and more talked about films of an international boost, among them this Hitchcock-influenced thrilling drama about a killer in a gay cruising site, conceived as a clever metaphor for gay sexuality courting with the danger of death. Explicit and compelling, it’s one of the year’s critical favourites, film of the year for Cahiers du Cinema and Top 10 in S&S. |
 | COMPUTER CHESS ★★★★ Andrew Bujalski Mumblecore gets nerdy in this Sundance awarded, terrifically funny comedy set in the early day of software with a bizarre competition between companies developing chess playing programs. Adding a touch of retro authenticity with his black and white cinematography, this is one of the most original works of 2013. Two nominations for the Spirits won’t be the last mentions it’s getting. |
 | MUD ★★★½ Jeff Nichols Matthew McConaughey amply confirms his career’s quality shift with three movies which could grant them plenty of joy: lead in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and supporting in Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’ and in this Mississippi-based coming of age drama, one of the biggest indie hits of 2013. The first screener sent this year to Academy voters, which has proven very effective in the past; its director is up for the spirit and next to the cast will also be the recipient of the Robert Altman award. |
 | SHORT TERM 12 ★★★½ Destin Cretton Focusing in the open wounds of the kids and their carers in a foster centre, Cretton has shaped one of the most solid US indies of the year that despite its emotional subject, mostly succeeds on avoiding sentimentality. Brie Larsen is one of the underdogs in the crowded best actress race and a strong contender at the Spirit and other independent awards, alongside Keith Stansfield. |
 | THE SPECTACULAR NOW ★★★ James Ponsoldt Earnest, moving and familiar story about the pains of adolescence boasted by a superior screenplay and fine performances by its two young leads; particularly good is The descendant’ Shailene Woodley who amply validates all the promise she showed in Payne’s Oscar nominated film. Another indie underdog in the race likely to surprise if picked by a few precursors. So far, the spirits have nominated Woodley and the film’s screenplay. |
 | THE GRANDMASTER ★★★½ Wong Kar-Wai The Hong Kong master surprised with this, on paper, register change, taking its exquisite predilection for visual detail to the world of martial arts. Faithful to his style and embroiled in oriental philosophy, this slow-paced Kung-Fu master saga is narratively challenging and boasts another prodigious display of dazzling cinematography. Its high profile should give it a tactical advantage in the Foreign Language race. |
 | DON JON ★★★ Joseph Gordon-Levitt Another actor taking the director’s seat, ‘Don Jon’ is a broad, but quite original comedy about porn addiction. Levitt wisely surrounds himself with an impeccable cast of old (Tony Danza) and new stars (Julianne Moore and an excellent Scarlett Johansson who’s having an atonement year thanks to a string of rather good roles in finely picked projects) The latter is probably the film’s biggest chance for recognition, although the Spirits have also nominated it for best first screenplay. |
 | A TOUCH OF SIN ★★★★ Jia Zhangke More a critical darling than an awards player, this film composed by multiple stories taken from newspapers raises symbolic concern at the violent sociocultural changes capitalism has brought to China. This is Zhangke’s most accessible work to date. Not surprisingly China has chosen some other film to represent it. However, has won a number of festivals is up for the Spirit and both Cahiers and S&S polls feature the film high in their rankings. |
 | IDA ★★★★½ Pawel Pawlikowski Sober look at some of the scars in Polish history, shot in exquisite black and white about an orphan novice putting faith to the test when allowed to visit an auntie, her only relative alive, to track her parents' fate. Winner of the official competition at the London Film Festival, it marks a well received return to form by Pawlikowski and should carry on collecting honours across the festival circuit, recently Gijon, Camerimage, etc., until its release next year. |
 | THE GOLDEN DREAM ★★★★ Diego Quemada-Diez Another regular at Festival’s prize lists, this former Ken Loach collaborator debuts with a moving account of three kids trip from the slums of Guatemala to the US border dreaming of a better life. The naturalistic approach helps highlighting the succession of abuses, trouble and despair they will encounter instead on their journey. |
 | STORIES WE TELL ★★★★½ Sarah Polley The child actress turned successful auteur earned an original screenplay nomination with her debut, ‘Away from Hell’, and even if the follow-up was a bit of a disappointment, this documentary digging in her family’s past to unveil the shocking secrets behind a curtain of myths and half-truths is her best work to date. It could see the young Canadian being honoured for her writing again as well as a place in every shortlist with top films of the year. |
 | RUSH ★★★★ Ron Howard From a director profusely rewarded by the Academy, the tale of legendary Formula 1 rivalry between James Hunt and Nicki Lauda more than counterbalances the typical biopic shortcomings with a furious pace and astonishing technical skill making you feel like you’re inside the races. Hemsworth gives a solid performance, but it’s Daniel Brühl who could impact the acting races. Sound and production categories and a superb cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle too. |
 | PRISONERS ★★★ Denis Villeneuve Despite genre movies not always being the Academy’s cup of tea; a plot with too many twists and the moral controversy surrounding Hugh Jackman’s character taking justice on his own hands, the Canadian director is a former foreign language Oscar nominee (Incendies) and has forged a superior childrens ‘kidnap thriller that resonated big with audience and critics; its cast features six former nominees and one winner and boasts a fantastically claustrophobic cinematography by long time overdue master Roger Deakins. |
 | THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE ★★★ Francis Lawrence In only two weeks, the second instalment of the popular teen book trilogy is firmly on its way to become the biggest box office success of the year, which always helps opening the gates of the Academy, at least for recognition in technical fields. Jennifer Lawrence perfectly balances her crowd pleasing star turns with more serious Oscar contender roles, this year she will likely be competing in the supporting race for her turn in ‘American Hustle’. |
 | SPRING BREAKERS ★★★½ Harmony Korine Although James Franco’s campaign for supporting actor didn’t get much traction, Korine’s shocker features high in Cahiers du cinema and even John Waters’ best of lists. The account of a group of teenage girls’ rites of passage holiday with its graphic depiction of an hedonistic world of drug, alcohol and sex abuse they get thrown into makes it an easy target for controversy as well as good food for thought. |
 | IN A WORLD... ★★★½ Lake Bell Perhaps too small a player for the big awards league, but Lake Bell has managed to establish herself as someone to follow with this original comedy about the quirky world of voiceover artists. Received with excellent reviews, it could pop up in independent and critics’ end of the year shortlists. The Spirits have nominated her for best first screenplay. |
 | MUSEUM HOURS ★★★★; Jem Cohen Another minor gem that may not go and compete in the big league, but may surprise earning a number of mentions; experimental filmmaker Jem Cohen reflects about the way we interact with art and others; the comfort of strangers and other poetic musing through the friendship of a museum guard in Vienna with a lonely American visitor. Unusually warm and touching this is one of the most underrated works of the year. Up for best editing and the John Cassavettes gongs at the Spirits. |
 | WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKI LEAKS ★★★★ Alex Gibney Currently on a roll with ‘The Armstrong Lie’ ready for release and two acclaimed works recently in our screens, Gibney offers a compelling look at the rise of Julian Assange’s online organization, which led to the biggest release of classified information ever. It has gained further notoriety after the motion picture of the same subject, ‘The Fifth State’, failed to portray it in a credible way. In an extremely competitive year for documentaries, this is the highest profile one among PGA nominees. |