Category: Screener Watch

I never got Weinstein’s Macbeth, but I’m glad to finally have this one even if I’m very critical of the push to put Mara in the corner (ergo Supporting Actress). Carol Stars: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy Director: Todd Haynes Premise: From IMDb: “Set in 1950s New York, a department-store…

Open Road is one of the big indies that is in this Oscar race something fierce, showing its bigger cousins a thing or two about Oscar campaigning. Spotlight Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian d’Arcy James, Billy Crudup, Rachel McAdams Director: Tom McCarthy Premise: From IMDb: “The true story…

Bleecker Street has done quite well this year in terms of Oscar poking. Will it carry through to Oscar Morning? That’s a big question right now. Trumbo Stars: Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Diane Lane, Elle Fanning, Louis C.K., John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg Director: Jay Roach Premise: From IMDb: “In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood’s top…

Showtime is following HBO’s lead and doing a good number of docs for Oscar consideration. Listen to Me Marlon Director: Stevan Riley Premise: From IMDb: “A documentary that utilizes hundreds of hours of audio that Marlon Brando recorded over the course of his life to tell the screen legend’s story.” Oscar Chances: Uncertain: In spite…

Music Box Films has its contender in the Documentary Feature race. Meru Director: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Premise: From IMDb: “Three elite climbers struggle to find their way through obsession and loss as they attempt to climb Mount Meru, one of the most coveted prizes in the high stakes game of Himalayan big wall…

What appears to be Universal’s final screener submission of the year, a film that didn’t seem to win much support from critics, but which Universal deserves praise for not hiding. By the Sea Stars: Angelina Jolie Pitt, Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Arestrup, Richard Bohringer Director: Angelina Jolie Pitt Premise: From IMDb: “Set…

The first physical Paramount screener (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was a download). Only one other film left on their awards site to go. The Big Short Stars: Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Melissa Leo, Marisa Tomei Director: Adam McKay Premise: From IMDb: “Four outsiders in the world of high-finance who predicted the credit…

Universal’s likely best shot at major Oscar nominations this year. Steve Jobs Stars: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg Director: Danny Boyle Premise: From IMDb: “Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at…

Focus Features has two major contenders they are offering this year. This is one of them. Suffragette Stars: Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Romola Garai, Natalie Press, Meryl Streep, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw Director: Sarah Gavron Premise: From IMDb: “The foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to…

Focus Features has two major contenders they are offering this year. This is one of them. The Danish Girl Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard, Ben Whishaw, Sebastian Koch, Matthias Schoenaerts Director: Tom Hooper Premise: From IMDb: “The remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and…

The Film Arcade isn’t a studio familiar to many, but they might just have an Oscar competitor on their hands. James White Stars: Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon Director: Josh Mond Premise: From IMDb: “James, a 21-year-old New Yorker, struggles to take control of his self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges.” Oscar Chances:…

Fox Searchlight has such a strong stable of contenders this year. Youth Stars: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, Jane Fonda Director: Paolo Sorrentino Premise: From IMDb: “A retired orchestra conductor is on holiday with his daughter and his film director best friend in the Alps when he receives an invitation from Queen…

Universal has very limited options with this film, the last of their 2015 stable to get a screener. Legend Stars: Tom Hardy, Emily Browning Director: Brian Helgeland Premise: From IMDb: “The film tells the story of the identical twin gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray, two of the most notorious criminals in British history, and their…

One of the few foreign language features to enter my mailbox this year. The Assassin Stars: Qi Shu, Chen Chang, Satoshi Tsumabuki Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien Premise: From IMDb: “An assassin accepts a dangerous mission to kill a political leader in seventh-century China.” Oscar Chances: Good: While it may not be much of a contender for…

A Netflix documentary entry, this one with slightly better chances than their other. Winter on Fire Director: Evgeny Afineevsky Premise: From IMDb: “A documentary on the unrest in Ukraine during 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.” Oscar Chances:…