I’m so sick of the Oscar race (and particularly of reading Oscar nominee suck-up pieces on Hitfix.com) that I’m not even going to post the winners in the Oscar Balloon, as I’ve done in the past. I’ll just post them as a story and that’ll be that. Instead I’ll be re-posting HE’s Projected/Likely 2014 Highlights roster. Before it goes up I’m asking once again for additions and suggestions. Which films belong under the Presumed High-Pedigree, Respectable Second Tier and Third-Tier Megaplex categories? I’ve obviously made my determinations but maybe I’ve got a few wrong.
Presumed High-Pedigree: Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Inherent Vice, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s Birdman, Ridley Scott‘s Exodus, Bennett Miller‘s Foxcatcher, David Fincher‘s Gone Girl, Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar, J.C. Chandor‘s A Very Violent Year, Jean Marc Vallee‘s Wild (i.e., the Reese Witherspoon hiking drama), Noah Baumbach‘s While We’re Young, Terrence Malick‘s Knight of Cups (or the other “intersecting love triangles” Austin-based film that still doesn’t have a title…or both), Matt Reeves‘ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jeff Nichols‘ Midnight Special, Tim Burton‘s Big Eyes, Noah Baumbach‘s Untitled Public School Project, Phillip Noyce‘s The Giver, Mike Leigh‘s Mr. Turner, Todd Haynes‘ Carol, Justin Kurzel‘s Macbeth, Angelina Jolie‘s Unbroken. (20).
Already Positively Reviewed: Wes Anderson‘s The Grand Budapest Hotel (Berlin Film Festival review here), Lynn Shelton‘s Laggies, Jason Bateman‘s Bad Words, Richard Linklater‘s Boyhood, Craig Johnson‘s The Skeleton Twins, Damien Chazelle‘s Whiplash. (6)
Respectable Second Tier: Clint Eastwood‘s Jersey Boys, Maya Forbes‘ Infinitely Polar Bear, Dan Gilroy‘s Nightcrawler, Thomas Vinterberg‘s Far From The Madding Crowd, Tommy Lee Jones‘ The Homesman, Woody Allen‘s Magic in the Moonlight, John Curran‘s Tracks (Mia Wasikowska-Adam Driver Australian trek film), Steve James‘ Life Itself, Charlie McDowell‘s The One I Love, David Cronenberg‘s Maps to the Stars, Thomas McCarthy‘s The Cobbler, Wally Pfister‘s Transcendence, Theodore Melfi‘s St. Vincent de Van Nuys, Anton Corbijn‘s A Most Wanted Man, David Dobkin‘s The Judge, Untitled Cameron Crowe, Craig Gillespie‘s Million Dollar Arm, Richard Shephard‘s Dom Hemingway, Nick Cassavetes‘ The Other Woman. (19)
Possible Cannes 2014 Highlights: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s Birdman [see above]. Tommy Lee Jones‘ The Homesman [see above], Fatih Akin‘s The Cut, Mathieu Amalric‘s The Blue Room, Olivier Assayas‘ Clouds of Sils Maria, Bertrand Bonello‘s Saint Laurent, Nuri Bilge Ceylan‘s Hibernation, Dardennes brothers‘ Two Days, One Night, Laurent Cantet‘s Retour a Ithaque, Michel Hazanavicius‘ The Search. (10)
Third Tier (i.e., Possibly Respectable Megaplex Movies): Darren Aronofsky‘s Noah, Doug Liman‘s Edge of Tomorrow, Gareth Edwards‘ Godzilla, Evan Golderberg and Seth Rogen‘s The Interview, David Ayers‘ Fury, Antoine Fuqua‘s The Equalizer, Joe Carnahan‘s Stretch, Ivan Reitman‘s Draft Day (beware-of-Reitman factor), Luc Besson‘s Lucy (probable crap), Shawn Levy‘s This Is Where I Leave You, Phil Lord and Chris Miller‘s 22 Jump Street, Seth McFarlane‘s A Million Ways to Die in the West, Andy and Lana Wachowski‘s Jupiter Ascending, Spike Lee‘s Sweet Blood of Jesus, Ryan Gosling‘s How To Catch A Monster (aesthetic judgment in question after starring in The Place Beyond The Pines, The Gangster Squad, Only God Forgives). (15)
