2014's Most Underrated Films

Today I'm going to highlight the hidden gems of the year in my Most Underrated Films of 2014 list. Just to be clear, I generally hold specific criteria for a movie's inclusion in the top 5. The two parameters are a film's ridiculously low box office total (hovering around $5 million or less) as well as NOT being a viable awards season contender. In my honorable mention portion below, I open the door to films with slightly bigger name recognition. So here they are, 2014's most overlooked movies.Honorable Mention: Chef ($31.1 million, but wrongfully omitted from the awards season discussio

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2014's Most Underrated Performances

One of my annual year-end staples is to outline the most overlooked performances of the past year. It always begins with a preliminary list that I conjure up after scouring my database for all the films I've seen from that specific year. So far, in 2014, I have 95 films to choose from. And since this list focuses on the "underrated" performances, anything in Oscar contention is automatically nixed. More so than in the past, my preliminary list was quite lengthy this year with 17 exceptional roles that needed to be whittled down to 10. It was a difficult process, but here are my Most Underrate

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Rapid Reviews: Big Eyes and Top Five

As the cinematic year rushes towards its finale, the Oscar buzz surrounding Tim Burton's latest endeavor, Big Eyes, has certainly faded. While Amy Adams, a perennial awards season name, stands as the film's most likely contender, even she finds herself with a bit of a hill to climb now that Jennifer Aniston (Cake) has valiantly postured for that coveted fifth and final spot in the Best Actress race. Although I can't speak on behalf of Aniston's performance, mainly because her festival circuit film has somehow eluded me this year, I will say that Amy Adams gives yet another finely tuned and en

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Unbroken

Film: UnbrokenStarring: Jack O'Connell (Starred Up) and Domhnall Gleeson (About Time)Director: Angelina Jolie (In the Land of Blood and Honey)U.S. Release: December 25th, 2014 (Rated PG-13)Genre: DramaRuntime: 137 minutesPerception and reality are two completely different things. And unfortunately for Angelina Jolie's once-upon-a-time Oscar frontrunner, Unbroken, reality has officially set in. Based on the remarkable true story of an Olympic runner turned prisoner of war during the course of World War II, an adapted screenplay by the Coen brothers had all of Hollywood buzzing about the film's

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The Interview

Film: The InterviewStarring: James Franco (This Is the End), Seth Rogen (Neighbors) and Randall Park (HBO's Veep)Directors: Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (This Is the End)U.S. Release: December 25th, 2014 (Limited Release - Rated R)Genre: ComedyRuntime: 112 minutesBy now the enormous controversy surrounding the Sony hack and the theatrical release of The Interview is old news, therefore, catching the latest effort from the team that brought us This Is the End was right at the top of my Christmas morning wish list. Yet, rather than mocking themselves like they did in their 2013 end of the

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True Story and In the Heart of the Sea Trailers

In 2015 This Is the End stars Jonah Hill and James Franco headline the Sundance drama, True Story. Based on the real interconnection between Michael Finkle (played by Hill), a recently fired news journalist, and accused killer Christian Longo (Franco), an FBI's Ten Most Wanted who was found in Mexico living under the alias of Finkle. After Longo was finally captured and brought back to the U.S. to stand trial in the murders of his wife and three children, he met with Finkle and asked the unemployed reporter to tell the world what really happened. True Story appears to be a chilling drama we m

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Knight of Cups and Mad Max: Fury Road Trailers

Filmmaker Terrence Malick possesses a loyal cult following, so the niche crowd clearly rejoiced at a glance into the upcoming 2015 film, Knight of Cups, starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman. There are very few people who view the world and artistic expression like Malick, evident from his mind blowing 2011 Oscar Nominated film, The Tree of Life. But with this latest project, Malick finally appears to be tackling a modern-day setting for once, something which could be a nice change of pace for the director. I'm eager to see how it translates, but if you're looking f

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Selma

Film: SelmaStarring: David Oyelowo (Lee Daniels' The Butler) and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)Director: Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere)U.S. Release: December 25th, 2014 (Limited Release - Not Yet Rated)Genre: DramaRunning Time: 127 minutesTiming is everything. The current state of racial turmoil in the United States is abundantly clear and, much like the central figure in Ava DuVernay's freight-train of an Oscar contender, Selma, I'm a believer in universal peace and unconditional love. But with relatively recent outcomes in the deaths of unarmed African American individuals such as Trayvo

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The Best Seth Rogen & James Franco Films

November examined The Greatest Comedy Sequels and, in some ways, December's Movie List of the Month boasts a similar theme. Despite the middling reaction from early reviews, Seth Rogen and James Franco's controversy-stirring comedy, The Interview, is a must-see on my year-end checklist. Therefore, this month I'm ranking the best Seth Rogen and James Franco top-billed films.Honorable Mention: This Is the End, Neighbors and Rise of the Planet of the Apes#5. MilkJames Franco wasn't a driving force behind Gus Van Sant's 2008 biopic, Milk, but he offered a compelling side character that helpe

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Rapid Reviews: Inherent Vice and The Babadook

Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson's well-established career can be described as somewhat of a Jekyl & Hyde scenario. On one hand, Anderson has been the creative catalyst and visionary for highly regarded Oscar contenders of the past like There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights and Magnolia, each of which represent a truly impeccable level of filmmaking and storytelling. On the other hand, three of the director's last four features haven't quite lived up to the superior quality of his more prominent work. Yet, while the auteur's latest attempt, Inherent Vice, is a big step down from Anderson'

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Golden Globe Nominations: What They Mean

Hollywood listened closely this morning as the Hollywood Foreign Press released their annual Golden Globe Nominations. Unlike the Academy Awards, the Globes divide their Best Picture and Best Actor/Actress nominations separately into both comedy and drama categories, meaning there aren't many major performances and films getting left out of the awards show. Here's a look at the motion picture nominees and what we can take away from the crops of finalists.Best Picture - DramaNominees are: Boyhood, Foxcatcher, The Imitation Game, Selma and The Theory of EverythingBest Picture - Musical or Comed

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Dissecting the 2015 SAG Nominations

After sizing up the current state of the 6 major Oscar races with yesterday's Oscar Talk, we've been graced with the first "real" precursor awards this morning. The important Screen Actors Guild Nominations have officially been announced and, as usual, there are plenty of surprises in the acting categories.Let's begin with the Best Ensemble category. Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel receives a big boost with its inclusion in the top five. Many have given Ralph Fiennes a fighter's chance in the Best Actor race, but no one else from the film had been mentioned. Foxcatcher is the fil

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Oscar Talk - Part 2

A lot has changed with respect to the Oscar landscape since my Oscar Talk - Part 1 back on November 10th. Although I still haven't had the opportunity to see all of the awards season contenders yet, nearly every movie in the race has screened for some audience and, from those viewings, many assertions can be made. However, tomorrow will be the first true Oscar indicator with the Screen Actors Guild Nominations being announced, so you'll want to listen closely for which names are called. But before we get our first real look into the acting competitions with tomorrow's announcement, here's a g

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