Oscar Season Begins! The 5 Movies You Need To See This Fall
It’s September, and for movie buffs like myself, it’s the time that a bunch of Oscar hopefuls start hitting theaters. Thanks to The Toronto Film Festival and the early reviews that have come out of it, I’ve compiled a list of 5 movies that you won’t want to miss!
THE MASTER– The most recent work of Paul Thomas Anderson starring a number of Oscar Winners and Nominees, including Joaquin Phoenix (WALK THE LINE), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (CAPOTE,DOUBT) and Amy Adams (THE FIGHTER, DOUBT), THE MASTER has gotten a lot of buzz because the story follows the creation of Scientology. It has also won a bunch of awards – in fact THE MASTER won so many other awards at the Venice film festival that it did not qualify for the festival’s best picture prize (yes…at the Venice film festival there is an awards limit per film). It is already being fitted for a spot in the best picture category on Oscar night and is poised to sweep the acting awards at the major award ceremonies. THE MASTER is set to hit theaters September 21st.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK– Starring Bradley Cooper (THE HANGOVER), Jennifer Lawrence (WINTERS BONE, THE HUNGER GAMES), Robert Deniro, Chris Tucker (RUSH HOUR) and Jacki Weaver (ANIMAL KINGDOM). SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK follows Pat (Cooper), a man who has just been released from a stint in a mental instition, as he returns to live with his parents (Weaver and Deniro) and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. That’s when he meets Tiffany (Lawrence), a women with plenty of issues of her own. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is directed by Oscar nominatted director David O. Russell (THE FIGHTER) and is reaching the peak of oscar buzz for its stars Cooper and Lawrence and for its director. More recently SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK took home the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, which is the festival’s highest honor (won in the past by THE KING’S SPEECH and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE). SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is set to hit theaters in November.
THE SESSIONS– The triumphant return of Helen Hunt (AS GOOD AS IT GETS), THE SESSIONS follows a disabled man (John Hawkes), who wants to finally lose his virginity at the age of 38 after being confined to an iron lung. He hires a professional sex surrogate (Hunt) to help him with the process and gets help from his Priest (William H. Macy) and his therapist (Moon Bloodgood). Based on a true story, with power house performances from Hawkes, Macy and Hunt, THE SESSIONS has done very well on the festival tour and has earned rave reviews thus far. THE SESSIONS will come out October 19th.
LINCOLN-Daniel Day Lewis has become an actor that acts once every few years, and rightfully so. He embodies every character he plays and earns every award nomination he gets. So when we heard that Daniel Day Lewis was appearing in Stephen Spielberg’s LINCOLN, there was plenty of excitment that surrounded the project. Now with a massive cast and an awe inspiring trailer, the excitement has reached a fever pitch. Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Sally Field, Jackie Earle Haley and David Strathairn highlight the incredible cast. Directed by Steven Speilberg with a script by Tony Kushner (MUNICH), LINCOLN follows president Abraham Lincoln at the end of the civil war, as he struggles with his cabinet and the politics involved in abolishing slavery. Try to not get chills as you watch Lewis become the 16th President of the United States. LINCOLN is set to hit theaters in November.
CLOUD ATLAS– Directed and written by Lana and Andy Wachowski (THE MATRIX) and Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN). CLOUD ATLAS stars Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving (V FOR VENDETTA), Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon and Jim Sturgess (ACROSS THE UNIVERSE) among many others, and is a multi layered, beautifully shot drama about how the actions and events of one person can deeply effect the past, present and future. It is as one reviewer calls it “A three hour mental workout with an emotional payoff” and one that should be seen. CLOUD ATLAS hits theaters in late October.