After a tiresome blockbuster summer, the autumn began and with it the official kick-start to the most palatable time of the year for cinema lovers, the awards Season. From now until March our screens will be packed with prestige titles, whose commercial fortune would depend on how they shape their campaigns to reap the multiple rewards and accolades offered by festivals, critics and industry associations around the globe, building up their case in search of the golden goal: the Academy’s Oscars.
Audiences can look forward to be spoilt for choice by a terribly crowed release schedule, with over 150 films being released in the UK up to the end of the year. Despite this figure including films for all tastes and niche markets, it is still and unbelievable high number which will condemn many worthy titles to oblivion, hidden among the big promotional campaigns of the strongest.
If you follow the news, the holy trinity of pre-season festivals (Venice-Toronto-Telluride) seem to have already fulfilled their gatekeeping role by giving the thumbs up to a small group of contenders. (Gravity; 12 Years A Slave; Captain Phillips ;The Coens’ Inside Lewellyn Davis and Philomena seem to be this year’s victors) and thawing the chances of others (August: Osage Country or Labor Day were received with mixed reviews).
Moreover, the most competitive Oscar race ever, as harvey Weinstein recently declared it, has already claimed a few victims, “Foxcatcher’ and ‘Grace Of Monaco’ being moved to 2014, with growing rumours about Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’ despite being postponed a few weeks, not being ready for the Christmas deadline. Among the few already launched, ‘Diana’ was drowned in a sea of terrible reviews.
But Diana aside, mere mortals are just starting to watch the titles that will compete to grab their attention. We’ll be monitoring the ups and downs of the season with an improvised Contenders’ Top 40 –check below- as we get to watch them. We begin with an countdown of those films released earlier in the year that may have a chance in one or more categories, as well as other long shots that will not have enough fuel to cross the finishing line, but may collect some smaller honours in the way.
The first two solid contenders, already earning raves in our screens, are Woody Allen’s best film in two decades, ‘Blue Jasmine’ ★★★★★, whose story of a financial fraudster’s widow forced to downgrade her NY upper class lifestyle to a humbler San Francisco’s working class one as she move to live with her sister trying to rebuild her life, surprises in many levels. We suspect that if Woody could make it to the Best picture shortlist with something fluffier like ‘Midnight In Paris’, he may have a strong chance to repeat, if not better, the achievement this time. Cate Blanchett has shaped herself as the one to beat in the best actress race and the whole cast shines, particularly Sally Hawkins’ good natured foster sister. The veteran author’s screenplay is also his sharpest and more fine-tuned to reality in decades.
The second contender is Ron Howard’s ‘Rush’ ★★★★,a director profusely rewarded by the Academy who has made his best film to date about the legendary Formula 1 rivalry between James Hunt and Nicki Lauda; its biopic shortcomings are amply balanced by the top-notch cinematography and production. The camerawork places you in the middle of the races, whereas the escalating rivalry is told at vertiginous pace. As well of a bunch of technical nominations, German actor Daniel Bruhl could earn a place in the supporting category; despise his role being as prominent as Chris Hemsworth’s. In a smaller, but not less important area, among the competition for the Foreign Language gong, Italy’s choice ‘The Great Beauty’★★★★★, sadly left empty-handed at Cannes, will enjoy a lot of critical support. Paolo Sorrentino’s social radiography of contemporary Rome honours its title as one of the most beautiful films of the year.
In a couple of weeks, the London Film Festival will bring some of the most talked-about films of the season to our screens and from that moment on, a big weekly shake-up is to be expected. Check the race’s early birds and long shots Top 40 here.
 | BLUE JASMINE ★★★★★ Woody Allen This time is for real. Allen’s best film since ‘Everybody Says I Love You’ surprises in many levels. If he could make it to the best picture shortlist with something like ‘Midnight In Paris’, he may have a strong chance to repeat the achievement this time. Cate Blanchett is shaping herself as the one to beat in the actress race and the whole cast shines, particularly Sally Hawkins as her good natured foster sister. The writing is also his sharpest, more fine-tuned to reality in decades. |
 | 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 for 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, as well as the sound and production categories and a superb cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle. |
 | THE GREAT BEAUTY ★★★★★ Paolo Sorrentino Italy’s choice for the foreign language Oscar is indeed a work of beauty. Sorrentino’s best work to date shows like an X-ray of Roma's decadent society, underlined by comparison against the city's cultural heritage. Told through the eyes of a writer who came to the city in search of inspiration, published an acclaimed debut novel and got sucked in the jet set lifestyle. Critical yet compassionate; hectic yet meditative. It was sadly left empty handed at Cannes, which will probably gain it a lot of extra critical support at the end of the year. |
 | BEFORE MIDNIGHT ★★★★ Richard Linklater Unexpected last instalment closing this unique trilogy which has lifted the romantic comedy genre to new, more adult heights. Delpy and Hawke recaptured the magic of their character’s relationship, now well established and with twin daughters of their own. Circumstances have evolved, but their over analytical ways remain intact. With widespread critical acclaim and a former screenplay nomination, its writing is again a strong candidate for recognition, while the French star is bubbling under in the best actress race. |
 | 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 some shocking secrets hiding 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 as well as finding a place in every shortlist with the top documentaries of the year. |
 | WADJDA ★★★★½ Haifaa Al-Mansour One of the favourites for the Foreign Language 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 as that’s not socially acceptable, to look at a wider picture of discrimination faced by women in the traditional Arab society. Charming, poignant and cleverly overcoming the strong censorship of her country, Wadjda has conquered audiences everywhere it has been released. |
 | THE ACT OF KILLING ★★★★★ Joshua Oppenheimer & Anonymous & Christine Cynn Hailed by every peer, from Herzog to Morris, this unique documentary offered some of the paramilitary heads, now national heroes, responsible for the Indonesian communist massacre a chance to re-enact their war crimes; an opportunity they happily embraced filming themselves as stars of action blockbusters or sophisticated musicals. The process took them to finally face the consequences of their actions. Expect this to scoop nearly every accolade reserved for this genre. |
 | 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 Villeneuve (Incendies) has forged a superior children kidnapping thriller that resonated big with audience and critics, has a cast formed by six former nominees and one winner and boasts a fantastically claustrophobic cinematography by long time overdue master Roger Deakins. |
 | MUD ★★★½ Jeff Nichols Man of the year Matthew McConaughey more than confirms his career’s quality shift with three movies which could grant them plenty of joys: the lead in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and supporting roles in Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’ and in this Mississippi-based coming of age drama, one of the biggest indie box office successes of 2013., It was apparently the first screener sent this year to Academy voters, which has proven very effective in the past. |
 | FRANCES HA ★★★★ Noah Baumbach Another acclaimed indie gem, this infectious comedy not far away from the universe of hip TV series ‘Girls’ is former original screenplay nominee Baumbach’s best work to date, but is its star and co-writer Greta Gerwig the one who’s deservedly getting all the compliments. Both screenplay and acting races are seriously overcrowded, but if nothing else, plenty of end of the year critical acclaim and spirit award love is guaranteed. |
 | THE HUNT ★★★★ Thomas Vinterberg Dogma alumnus Vinterberg returned to form and provided Mads Mikkelsen with a breakthrough, Cannes winner role as the kindergarten assistant victim of a witch hunt after being falsely accused of child abuse. It piled the awards last years all across Europe and is the Denmarks’s submission for the Foreign Language gong. One of the works with the highest profile in contention, it will cause no small shock if it doesn’t get in the final shortlist. |
 | BLACKFISH ★★★½ Gabriela Cowperthwaite This shocking study on the intelligence of whales and the effects captivity has in their behaviour was a hit at Sundance and everywhere it got released. It also brilliantly, although sometimes verging on sentimentality, builds up the case against their commerce and exploitation in water parks. With a record 151 documentaries eligible this year for the Oscar, ‘Blackfish’ faces strong competition, but the wide appeal of its subject and the way it proves its point will make it stand out from the crowd. |
 | AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS ★★★½ David Lowery Another Sundance favourite, the hushed dialogues and gorgeous cinematography of this debut earned comparisons to Malick’s Badlands . A similar storyline about a young couple’s crime and the love triangle they form with the local sheriff after the guy takes the heat and goes to prison will surely be remembered by critics and independents (The Gothams has just nominated it) in their best of mentions. Its cinematography and Rooney Mara’s heading an excellent cast are the areas more likely to get recognition. |
 | THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES ★★★★ Derek Cianfrance The ambitious follow-up to ‘Blue Valentine’ saw Cianfrance repeating collaboration with Ryan Gosling, next to a stellar cast. One of the biggest indie hits of the year, despite not getting the universal acclaim of its debut, a heavily moral and deterministic story about the sins of the fathers carried on by the sons told through an audaciously structured screenplay might take it at least all the way to the Spirit awards and some end of the year best shortlists. |
 | THE GREAT GATSBY ★★★ Baz Luhrmann Dropping from last year Oscar race and placed as the Cannes opener instead, Luhrmann’s folly shone at its most baroque in this energetic adaptation of the literary classic, where as its custom with the Aussie filmmaker every single detail of its production design was taken care in breathtaking detail, which could earn it a few Oscar nods in the technical races. Its stylized costumes nearly prompted a Belle époque renaissance in the high street last spring. |
 | UPSTREAM COLOR ★★★★ Shane Carruth Already one of the favourites for the Gothams, Primer’s long awaited follow-up delivered an even more mind-blowing experimental proposition that conquered everyone from its Sundance premiere. Its puzzling narrative about a couple whose lives are affected by a strange parasite; a brilliant cinematography and an unique personal vision rather unrivalled in today’s American indie scene propelled it into one of the year’s critical darlings. |
 | WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKI LEAKS ★★★★ Alex Gibney This prolific documentarian is in a roll, with ‘The Armstrong Lie’ ready for release and two acclaimed works recently in our screens, ‘Mea Maxima Culpa’ and this compelling look at the rise of Julian Assange’s online organization, leading to the biggest release of classified information ever. After the motion picture with the same subject, ‘The Fifth State’, failed to portray it in a credible way, it has gained further notoriety. |
 | THE WAY, WAY BACK ★★★ Nat Faxon & Jim Rash Another Sundance hit turning teenage isolation, dysfunctional families and unexpected friendships into the feel good indie movie of the summer. Blessed with a terrific cast (Rockwell; Collette; Janney; Carrell etc.), it could be another contender for Spirit awards and critics’ choices. |
 | BOY EATING THE BIRD'S FOOD ★★★★ Ektoras Lygizos A young classical singer’s descent into poverty, his failing to find a job and how caring for a bird pet becomes his only link to keep some dignity in this harrowing look at the human cost of the financial crisis that has piled up awards across the European festival circuit. Among the hopefuls in a terribly crowded Foreign Language Oscar category, Greece's submission is a minor gem with the emotional power to defeat heavier weights. |
 | ELYSIUM ★★★ Neill Blomkamp Although comparisons against his Oscar nominated ‘District 9’ were not favourable and some of its biggest aces (Jodie Foster) weren’t put to a very good use, ‘Elysium’ displayed some more relevant political metaphors about the growing social divide and the private health system as well as being an excellent spectacle and a notable box office hit. Memorable baddie Sharlto Cooper and an excellent production could earn it some awards love. |
 | OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL ★★★ Sam Raimi The team that brought us an alternative adaptation of ‘Alice In Wonderland’ repeated the successful formula with ‘The Wizard Of Oz’, replacing Tim Burton with Sam Raimi at the controls. Another huge box office success, if its predecessor found Oscar glory with its rather ugly Art Direction as well as Custome Design, this visually far more accomplished work could easily repeat the achievement. |
 | PACIFIC RIM ★★★ Guillermo Del Toro Narrowly avoiding a US box office flop, Del Toro’s love letter to the Kaiju genre went to become the highest grossing action movie of the year, thanks to its enormous Success in the Asian markets, guaranteeing a sequel in the process and making it easier to build a case for its jaw dropping technical accomplishments to be honoured by the professional guilds. |
 | MONSTERS UNIVERSITY ★★★ Dan Scanlon Although Pixar keeps on failing to reach previous heights, the prequel to the much loved Monsters, Inc. was one of the biggest hits of the summer and enjoyable enough not to fully disappoint, if hardly offering anything to rave about. A particularly weak bunch in contention for the Animated category helps to almost clear its way to a nomination. |
 | THE WALL ★★★★ Julian Pölsler Another Foreign Language underdog, the Austrian selection is a philosophical and touching adaptation of Marlen Haushofer's novel in which a woman visiting the Alps finds herself separated from all human contact by a mysterious invisible wall and the re-evaluation of her life that follows. Martina Gedeck of ‘The Life Of Others’ fame superbly carries the film. |
 | STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS ★★★½ J.J. Abrams Our favourite summer blockbuster didn’t fare as well in the box office as its studio was expecting, but as far as franchises go its sharp storyline development; tons of visual excellence and a fantastic turn by Benedict Cumberbatch kept the rebooted saga far above the competition and added some excitement to a terribly dull blockbuster season. Whether those strengths are enough to crack it into the technical races is yet to be seen. |
 | ERNEST & CELESTINE ★★★★ Stéphane Aubier & Vincent Patar & Benjamin Renner Perhaps the longest shot in the very weak animation race, this French Cesar winner combines an old-fashioned charming style with a powerful message against prejudice and social intolerance through a deceitfully simple story of against the odds friendship between a mouse and a bear. Truly heartwarming. |
 | DESPICABLE ME 2 ★★★ Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud The original one passed completely unnoticed by the Academy, but its global success prompted a sequel that’s become the highest grossing film of the year worldwide. This alone has made the minions a force hard to ignore in the Animation field this time. |
 | 42 Brian Hegeland One of the surprises of the summer at the American box office, this well received biopic of legendary player Jackie Robinson was ignored internationally, as most baseball related films do. In the UK had a week-long stay in very few theatres. However, there’s buzz surrounding a recovered Harrison Ford for supporting actor and Hollywood loves a comeback. |
 | 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 might pop up in independent and critics’ end of the year shortlists. |
 | ONLY GOD FORGIVES ★★★ Nicolas Winding Refn The longest shot in this list is the follow-up of Refn’ much loved ‘Drive’, universally panned since it premiered at Cannes as a futile exercise in style over substance. However, many voices have risen since praising its terrific cinematography, asphyxiating atmosphere and Kristin Scott-Thomas’ superb performance as a mafia-like clan matriarch. |