Magnolia and Magnet, sister companies, sent out their annual bounty of screeners for end-of-year consideration. In all, eighteen DVD’s arrived in the mail. Below is an alphabetical list (not separated by company).

ABCs of Death (Magnet)

Stars: Multiple
Director: Multiple
Premise: From IMDb: “A 26-chapter anthology that showcases death in all its vicious wonder and brutal beauty.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
38% (4.9 average rating) (60 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
43 out of 100 (16 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (Magnolia)

Director: Drew DeNicola
Premise: From IMDb: “Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me is a feature-length documentary film about the dismal commercial failure, subsequent massive critical acclaim, and enduring legacy of pop music’s greatest cult phenomenon, Big Star.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
93% (7.2 average rating) (30 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
69 out of 100 (15 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Blackfish (Magnolia)

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Premise: From IMDb: “Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.”
Oscar Chances: Strong: This is one of the documentaries everyone is talking about this year. It’s touched off a national zeitgeist in the movement to ban cruel captivity of orcas.
Rotten Tomatoes:
98% (7.9 average rating) (97 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
83 out of 100 (33 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Drinking Buddies (Magnolia)

Stars: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston, Ti West, Jason Sudeikis
Director: Joe Swanberg
Premise: From IMDb: “Luke and Kate are co-workers at a Chicago brewery, where they spend their days drinking and flirting. They’re perfect for each other, except that they’re both in relationships. Luke is in the midst of marriage talks with his girlfriend of six years, Kate is playing it cool with her music producer boyfriend Chris. But you know what makes the line between “friends” and “more than friends” really blurry? Beer.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
81% (6.8 average rating) (91 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
71 out of 100 (32 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Europa Report (Magnet)

Stars: Christian Camargo, Embeth Davidtz, Anamaria Marinca, Michael Nyqvist, Daniel Wu, Karolina Wydra, Sharlto Copley, Dan Fogler, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Director: Sebastian Cordero
Premise: From IMDb: “An international crew of astronauts undertakes a privately funded mission to search for life on Jupiter’s fourth largest moon.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
79% (6.7 average rating) (70 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
68 out of 100 (25 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Evocateur: The Morton Down Jr. Movie (Magnolia)

Director: Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, Jeremy Newberger
Premise: From IMDb: “Before entire networks were built on populist personalities; before reality morphed into a TV genre; the masses fixated on a single, sociopathic star: controversial talk-show host Morton Downey, Jr.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
86% (7.2 average rating) (28 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
70 out of 100 (14 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Good Ol’ Freda (Magnolia)

Director: Ryan White
Premise: From IMDb: “A documentary in which Freda Kelly looks back at her career as lifelong secretary for The Beatles.”
Oscar Chances: Minor: It could be a contender, but the it needs broad support from critics to get there.
Rotten Tomatoes:
81% (6.4 average rating) (26 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
60 out of 100 (14 critics; as of 11/4/13)

A Hijacking (Magnolia)

Stars: Pilou Asbaek, Soren Malling, Dar Salim, Roland Moller, Gary Skjoldmose Porter, Abdihakin Asgar, Amalie Ihle Alstrup, Amalie Vulff Andersen, Linda Laursen, Keith Pearson
Director: Tobias Lindholm
Premise: From IMDb: “The crew of a Danish cargo ship is hijacked by Somali pirates who proceed to engage in escalating negotiations with authorities in Copenhagen.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
95% (7.9 average rating) (93 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
82 out of 100 (26 critics; as of 11/4/13)

The Hunt (Magnolia)

Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrom, Susse Wold, Anne Louise Hassing, Lars Ranthe, Alexandra Rapaport, Sebastian Bull Sarning
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Premise: From IMDb: “A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son’s custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie.”
Oscar Chances: Strong: It’s one of the film’s most frequently mentioned as an assured Best Foreign Language Film nominee. It could even be a surprise contender for a screenplay nomination and, were it not such a bountiful year for American actors, Mikkelsen might even be a contender.
Rotten Tomatoes:
95% (7.9 average rating) (106 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
76 out of 100 (30 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Kiss of the Damned (Magnet)

Stars: Josephine de La Baume, Milo Ventimiglia, Roxane Mesquida, Anna Mouglalis, Michael Rapaport, Riley Keough, Ching Valdes-Aran
Director: Xan Cassavetes
Premise: From IMDb: “The vampire Djuna resists the advances of Paolo, but soon gives in to their passion. When her trouble-making sister unexpectedly comes to visit, Djuna’s love is threatened, and the whole vampire community becomes endangered.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
63% (6.1 average rating) (27 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
48 out of 100 (12 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Muscle Shoals (Magnolia)

Director: Greg Camalier
Premise: From IMDb: “A documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as “I’ll Take You There”, “Brown Sugar”, and “When a Man Loves a Woman”.”
Oscar Chances: Minor: If the Academy better appreciated music documentaries, it might be a contender.
Rotten Tomatoes:
97% (7.6 average rating) (67 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
75 out of 100 (23 critics; as of 11/4/13)

No Place on Earth (Magnolia)

Director: Janet Tobias
Premise: From IMDb: “A cave exploration in Ukraine leads to the unearthing of a story of World War II survivors who once found shelter in the same cave.”
Oscar Chances: Uncertain: The documentary doesn’t seem to be very popular, but it has all the hallmarks of an Academy favorite.
Rotten Tomatoes:
77% (6.6 average rating) (35 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
58 out of 100 (15 critics; as of 11/4/13)

A Place at the Table (Magnolia)

Director: Kristi Jacobsen, Lori Silverbush
Premise: From IMDb: “A documentary that investigates incidents of hunger experienced by millions of Americans, and proposed solutions to the problem.”
Oscar Chances: Uncertain: Can the “sequel” follow its predecessor’s lead to an Oscar nomination? If critics have their say, probably not.
Rotten Tomatoes:
89% (7.3 average rating) (57 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
68 out of 100 (19 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Prince Avalanche (Magnolia)

Stars: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch
Director: David Gordon Green
Premise: From IMDb: “Two highway road workers spend the summer of 1988 away from their city lives. The isolated landscape becomes a place of misadventure as the men find themselves at odds with each other and the women they left behind.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
83% (7.1 average rating) (96 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
73 out of 100 (29 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Shadow Dancer (Magnolia)

Stars: Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen, Domhnall Gleeson, Gillian Anderson
Director: James Marsh
Premise: From IMDb: “Set in 1990s Belfast, an active member of the IRA becomes an informant for MI5 in order to protect her son’s welfare.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
81% (6.9 average rating) (84 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
71 out of 100 (23 critics; as of 11/4/13)

To the Wonder (Magnolia)

Stars: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem
Director: Terrence Malick
Premise: From IMDb: “After falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Their church’s Spanish-born pastor struggles with his faith, while Neil encounters a woman from his childhood.”
Oscar Chances: Weak: Apart form the film’s cinematography (a favorite category for recognition from Malick’s films), it’s unlikely this movie sees any major Oscar traction.
Rotten Tomatoes:
44% (5.6 average rating) (147 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
58 out of 100 (41 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Touchy Feely (Magnolia)

Stars: Rosemarie DeWitt, Ellen Page, Scoot McNairy, Allison Janney, Ron Livingston
Director: Lynn Shelton
Premise: From IMDb: “A massage therapist is unable to do her job when stricken with a mysterious and sudden aversion to bodily contact. Meanwhile, her uptight brother’s floundering dental practice receives new life when clients seek out his healing touch.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
36% (5.4 average rating) (42 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
52 out of 100 (16 critics; as of 11/4/13)

Venus and Serena (Magnolia)

Director: Maiken Baird, Michelle Major
Premise: From IMDb: “Ever since Venus and Serena Williams started playing in tennis tournaments, they’ve provoked strong reactions – from awe and admiration to suspicion and resentment. They’ve been winning championships for over a decade, pushing the limits of longevity in such a demanding sport. How long can they last? In Venus & Serena, we gain unprecedented access into their lives during the most intimidating year of their career. Over the course of 2011, Venus grappled with an energy-sapping autoimmune disease while Serena battled back from a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Neither Venus nor Serena let their adversities hold them back. They drew their greatest strength from each other.”
Oscar Chances: None
Rotten Tomatoes:
77% (6.8 average rating) (30 critics; as of 11/4/13)
Metacritic:
65 out of 100 (15 critics; as of 11/4/13)