FOR OUR CONSIDERATION: from Sundance, Berlin and SXSW (2013)

Ain't Them Bodies Saints

"Director and writer David Lowery avoids every cliche from the action-thriller, romance and noir handbooks, transmitting a palpable sense of the pain caused by forced absence from a loved one. (...) Bradford Young's stunning cinematography is like a moving canvas (...) Daniel Hart's score makes us feel like we are living through an extended dream of a song. The performances, too, are superb. Casey Affleck, as Bob, shows himself again to be a master of the criminal outsider. (...)  Mara, freed of her dragon tattoo, combines grace with groundedness (...) The supporting cast are pitch-perfect (...) The film is so singular, it's hard to place. At times, its elegiac visual quality evokes Terrence Malick, but Lowery's scripting is tighter and more accessible. His is truly a fresh voice, exhilarating to hear."

by Sebastian Doggart in Guardian [UK]

"While the sun-dappled images are cut to a mesmerizing banjo and cello score, one has to face facts that the bulk of what’s actually on screen are mostly shots of people looking sullen and talking around the topic. The film is challenging, but those that give it close attention will be rewarded with a fulfilling emotional climax. (...) The point of this film is the spell it weaves and, by and large, it is successful. It’s the music, it’s the cinematography, it’s the score, it’s Casey Affleck’s hollow speaking voice — they all add up to something that resembles a fever dream facsimile of an eventful movie. (...)  David Lowery is, no question, a talent worth watching."

by Jordan Hoffman in Film.com

"A beautiful, densely textured elegy for outlaw lovers separated by their own misdeeds, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints will serve most decisively to put director-writer David Lowery on the map as one of the foremost young standard bearers of the Malick and Altman schools of impressionistic mood-drenched cinema. This poetically told Texas crime saga is deeply and, to be honest, naively sentimental at its core, which creates something of a drain on its seriousness. (...) But that said, and for all its derivative poetics -- as many exteriors as possible were shot during or just after magic hour, a la Malick -- the film is a lovely thing to experience and possesses a measure of real power. Emerging cinematographer Bradford Young does his most impressive work yet (...) Affleck delivers a milder variation on one here, to stronger effect; one monologue he delivers to himself in a mirror is particularly striking. Pretty quiet through most of the film, Mara has a gravitas that makes her rewarding to watch no matter what, or how little, she’s doing."

by Todd McCarthy in The Hollywood Reporter

OSCAR POTENTIAL CATEGORIES

• Best Picture
• Best Director (David Lowery)
• Best Actor (Casey Affleck)
• Best Actress (Rooney Mara)
• Best Supporting Actor (Ben Foster)
• Best Cinematography
• Best Original Score

BUT...
It sounds "too art-house" for the AMPAS tastes and David Lowery doesn't benefit from the "estabilished name" factor that helped The Tree of Life, but a nod for Cinematography and Best Original Score is something I can see happening for an art-house movie like this one. Sundance buzz may disappear easily, if it doesn't get a specialized distribution and award campaing.

Before Midnight

"A marvel of narrative compression, the screenplay (like “Sunset,” written by Linklater, Hawke and Delpy) is equal parts naturalism and exposition, strategically updating the audience on the characters’ busy lives while keeping immediacy and spontaneity at the fore. (...) Honoring all that was memorable about its forebears while taking the story to new depths of catharsis, “Before Midnight” stands as a unique and uniquely satisfying entry in what has shaped up to be an outstanding screen trilogy (not to preclude the possibility of a fourth chapter). (...) Delivering vanity-free turns in which no apparent effort has been made to disguise wrinkles or sagging eyelids, the actors have melded so completely with their roles as to seem incapable of a false note; rewardingly, Hawke for the first time seems to truly match Delpy in emotional stature. The lightly self-reflexive script includes more than a few references to and examples of role play, reminding viewers of the artificiality of two characters who couldn’t seem more authentic."

by Justin Chang in Variety

"“Before Midnight” manages to be an emotionally astute and tremendously enjoyable conclusion to this rather improbable trilogy. (...) There is just as much walking and talking in this entry, and the scripting by Linklater and his two leads remains as sharp as ever, if anything bolstered by the interim experiences of those involved. Beyond their enjoyable banter, “Midnight” skillfully acknowledges the compromises that make — and potentially break — a relationship (...) In a movie that could arguably stand on its own, the third act is a perfectly queasy inevitability, but as the culmination of two films and 18 years invested, it corresponds with the progression of titles and emotional maturity, following the hopes of “Sunrise” and regrets of “Sunset” with the suitable darkness of doubt and raising the stakes in kind."

by William Goss in Film.com

"It’s funny when the second sequel to a studio movie can be the indie event of Sundance. (...) This may be Richard Linklater’s best movie. I’m going to watch Dazed and Confused again when I get home to be sure, but it’s definitely the best Before movie. At this point, after so many dialogue movies, his actors have it down to accommodate his long takes. (...) Before Midnight just destroyed me. These discussions are so deep, and it’s not about endorsing any worldview. It’s about being sensitive to those you love. That’s harder to make a movie about though. Everyone wants resolution and that’s easier to see in victory. When the endgame is love and support, it’s painful to get there and Before Midnight takes us on that emotional journey in 105 minutes."

by Fred Topel in CraveOnline

OSCAR POTENTIAL CATEGORIES:

• Best Adapted Screenplay

BUT...
Are Academy members missing or getting tired of the love story between Jesse and Celine? Before Sunset scored a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination, but Before Midnight sounds a but less "exciting" movie than the previous ones.

Child's Pose

"As watchable as daytime drama, Child’s Pose is an on-target, tragi-comic portrait of a domineering mother who sees a chance to regain control over her adult son when he faces manslaughter charges for reckless driving. Though dramatically a little too pat for comfort, the screenplay by Razvan Radulescu and director Calin Peter Netzer is admirably handled, with wicked moments of humor balancing out a truly dramatic finale. (...) More than anything else, it is Gheorghiu’s un-self-conscious, realistic character study of the emotional tyrant Cornelia that keeps the engine running on a compactly written drama."

by Deborah Young in The Hollywood Reporter

"A film about loss told through the duel themes of death and rejection, Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer's Child's Pose (Pozitia copilului, 2013) is a raw and unflinching film, smothered by the unconditional love of a mother. (...) Netzer allows his camera to stalk Cornelia with such an intrusive and intense glare that the film initially feels like a police procedural, taking down all the evidence and recording every incident of this tragic event. Successfully conveying the internal anguish and fragile state of mind of both its compelling protagonist and the film's intimate supporting cast, Child's Pose is a movie that simmers with domestic conflict and almost suffocates you in its domineering sense of urgency. Whilst this efficient and highly effective approach helps immerse the audience into this fractured household, it's the phenomenal performance of Gheorghiu (...) A suffocating and overbearing drama, Child's Pose cuts to the bare bone of maternal love. Yet despite Netzer's harsh and clinical approach, his gentle use of humour and the most sincerest of intentions create a deeply compassionate film about the emotionally crippling effects of loss"

by Patrick Gamble in Cine-Vue

"Noted scripter Razvan Radulescu delivers his strongest screenplay for some time with “Child’s Pose,” Calin Peter Netzer’s dissection of monstrous motherly love. (...) Radulescu (credited with Netzer for the screenplay) has presented controlling mothers before, notably in “First of All, Felicia,” but here he’s really captured the domineering nature of the breed, rendering Cornelia as a complete figure rather than simply a one-dimensional harridan. (...) “Child’s Pose” is a tighter film than Netzer’s previous “Medal of Honor,” and the helmer seems to have benefited from his collaboration with Radulescu. Like many of his compatriots, the director has an excellent hand in guiding actors; ironically, high viewer expectation means Gheorghiu’s terrific work is almost taken for granted."

by Variety staff in Variety

OSCAR POTENTIAL CATEGORIES

• Best Foreign Picture (ROMANIA)

BUT...
Best Foreign Picture is a mistery until the countries reveal their submissions. Winning the Golden Bear of Best Film of Berlin Film Festival is no joke and reviews are solid, but how many great movies weren't eligible for Best Foreign Picture because they weren't submited? Too many!

Don Jon

"Don Jon relates a kind of second coming-of-age story about Levitt's character Jon (...) Though Don Jon is Levitt's directorial debut, it would be a disservice to describe the film using words like "for a first-time director." Don Jon is a masterful work of writing, directing and acting, period. It is a sexy, funny, and wholly insightful expose of exactly what young people are doing wrong as they build relationships. (...) As Jon's father, Tony Danza may have found himself in a career-sparking breakout feature role similar to Travolta's turn in Pulp Fiction. Johansson grew up in New York City, and plays a perfect Jersey-American Princess. Moore, arguably the strongest performer in the cast, brings an honesty and sensuality to her role that makes everything click. (...) Levitt himself is an actor I've long considered among the finest of his generation.  His performance did not suffer from the pressure of directing Don Jon, and his direction is first-rate.  It's no wonder the movie made such waves at Sundance.  It's worthy of the praise."

by  Mike Saulters in Slackerwood

"We've seen Gordon-Levitt play lots of memorable characters before, but none like "Don" Jon Martello, a character he created entirely from scratch, not only developing him as an actor, but as a writer and director as well. (...) you really need to know what a good screenplay is before you can write one yourself, and the screenplay for "Don Jon" is absolutely brilliant. (...) Johansson is surprisingly funny as Barbara, who knows she's sexy and uses it to put lots of demands on Jon (...) a very funny performance by Tony Danza (...) A truly original character piece, hilariously funny and poignant, "Don Jon" may be tough to market to mass audiences, but there's enough humor and heart that more people will be able to relate to the characters than they'll care to admit."

by Edward Douglas in ComingSoon.net

"Vulgar, hilarious and charming (...) And regardless of some of its life-lesson platitudes in its last act -- especially some show-don’t-tell follies in key moments -- “Don Jon’s Addiction” is funny, deeply entertaining and engaging. An assured directorial debut as we’ve seen in recent years, Gordon-Levitt’s comedy is vibrant and poignant and moves like a shark with nary a dull second. (...) JGL’s camera swerves around with PTA-like swish-pans and then loosely goes hand held for moments of raw intensity between various lovers. (...)  Danza is balls-out funny as the stereotypical New Jersey father (...) Johannson convincingly pulls off the role of the spoiled, control-heavy empress. But Moore is particularly exceptional, and her emotionally complex character is a surprise treat. Filled with heat, emotion, verve and humor, Jon’s journey to sexual fulfillment is certainly not the most obvious rom-com path to redemption (...) “Don Jon’s Addiction” is a beguiling romantic comedy with a heart, soul and pulse that will pleasure you for a full 90 minutes with hardly breaking a sweat."

by Rodrigo Perez in The Playlist

OSCAR POTENTIAL CATEGORIES:

• Best Supporting Actor (Tony Danza)
• Best Supporting Actress (Scarlett Johansson)
• Best Supporting Actress (Julianne Moore)
• Best Original Screenplay

BUT...
Porn addiction is a controversial subject and the Academy may not like it (do you remember Shame's Oscar snub?). It's a comedy and the Oscar tend to fall in love for crying/depressing scenes better than a big couple of laughs and a smile and directorial debuts aren't a "safe bet" for the AMPAS. There's no way to deny how the raves and star-power of the cast may benefit the movie, but it needs to be a box-office success in order to be a contender during the next awards season.

Fruitvale

""Fruitvale," an incredibly moving and confident first feature written and directed by Ryan Coogler. (...) Played by up-and-comer Michael B. Jordan ("Chronicle") with enormous restraint and pathos to spare, Grant develops into a deeply sympathetic young man over the course of the movie, which makes the imminent climax particularly tough to watch. Coogler's camera captures the details unavailable to the recording devices that captured Grant's death -- namely, the whole story. (...) "Fruitvale" is largely sustained by Jordan's career-making performance and the way Coogler uses it to analyze his subject (...)  It's a fascinating investigation into the contrast between media perception and intimate truths. (...) When the full impact of Grant's death comes to the fore for the people closest to him, "Fruitvale" generates tears to express the same rage found in the protests following the tragedy. It makes the cause personal."

by Eric Kohn in The Playlist

"Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale puts us through a day in the life – the final day – of Oscar Grant, who became the victim of a police shooting back in 2009. By the time that day is over, a viewer may have a heavy heart in wondering precisely just what was fact and what was fiction but there is little doubt at how emotionally effective Coogler’s version of the story actually is. (...)  Holding the screen with a combination of unforced humanity and strength in both calm and outrage, Jordan does justice to more than just a facsimile of the real Grant, but a generation of young African-Americans pigeonholed as a reflection of the worst of society. Also very good is Octavia Spencer who, with each small role since her Oscar-winning turn in The Help (including a hilarious self-deprecating turn on 30 Rock), continues to prove that she is not going to fit into cheap melodrama and forced sass. (...) Though it is impossible to deny that unless you go into Fruitvale simply looking to discredit it, the film works in connecting the viewer to the horrors of senseless violence that are happening every day in America"

by Erik Childress in Film Threat

"The sort of material that you might more readily expect to be covered in a documentary -- the true story of a senseless police shooting that takes the life of yet another young urban black man -- instead has been made into a powerful dramatic feature film in Fruitvale. (...) Another reset in Coogler’s shrewdly structured screenplay jumps back to New Year’s Eve 2007, which finds Oscar being visited in San Quentin by his mother. (...) Coogler stages the chaos with a breath-shortening combination of frenzy and ambiguity, with the latter providing enough legal wiggle room for the cop to eventually get off with a light sentence, furthering the sense of injustice. It’s an awful tale, fraught with political, social and moral weight symbolic of numerous contemporary ills, and one with an unshown ugly aftermath of violent protests that further sullied Oakland’s reputation. As Oscar, Jordan at moments gives off vibes of a very young Denzel Washington in the way he combines gentleness and toughness; he effortlessly draws the viewer in toward him. (...) Spencer brings her gravitas to the proceedings as his stalwart mother."

by Todd McCarthy in The Hollywood Reporter

OSCAR POTENTIAL CATEGORIES:

• Best Picture
• Best Director (Ryan Coogler)
• Best Leading Actor (Michael B. Jordan)
• Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer)
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Editing

BUT...
I know things are changing in a positive way, but taking the big prize of Sundance Film Festival isn't a guarantee of Oscar recognition (for example, Like Crazy ended totally snubed). Fruitvale is about a controversial subject and the AMPAS sometimes tends to stay away from movies with this kind of messages. 

Kill Your Darlings

"A mysterious Beat Generation footnote is fleshed out with skilled performances, darkly poetic visuals and a vivid rendering of 1940s academia in “Kill Your Darlings.” Directed with an assured sense of style that pushes against the narrow confines of its admittedly fascinating story, John Krokidas’ first feature feels adventurous yet somewhat hemmed-in as it imagines a vortex of jealousy, obsession and murder (...) Still, even if it doesn’t fully connect the dramatic dots, the film is impressively realized on a scene-by-scene basis. Scholarly inclined viewers may well quibble with the authenticity of the central performances, but there isn’t a single one that feels less than fully engaged. (...) DeHaan, so frighteningly charismatic in last year’s “Chronicle,” makes Lucien a simultaneously alluring and troubling figure."

by Justin Chang in Variety

"Fortunately, Kill Your Darlings switches tones at a certain point and becomes a heartbreaking portrayal of actual 1944 events that would inevitably shape the lives of some of the generation’s greatest writers. While the pacing of the screenplay isn’t perfect, the performances in Kill Your Darlings keep its quality high. Carr goes from truly insufferable to genuinely sympathetic throughout the film, thanks to the perfect performance by DeHaan. (...) Kill Your Darlings is a two-toned film, with one half being remarkably more emotional and hard-hitting than the other. Incredible performances remain consistent throughout, until the film’s terrific ending."

by Emily Estep in We Got This Covered

"(...) did we really need another Beat Generation film? To my surprise, I guess the answer is yes, with KILL YOUR DARLINGS being the best film, by far, I've ever seen about any of these writers. (...) Even as Harry, Radcliffe always seemed like an incredibly talented actor, and the way he totally transforms himself into Ginsberg is astounding. (...) For his part, DeHaan is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. He exploded onto the screen with CHRONICLE, and absolutely blew me away in the soon-to-be-released PLACE BEYOND THE PINES. As Carr, he again gets to play a bit of a brooding misfit, but this fits DeHaan (a dead-wringer for a young Leonardo DiCaprio) to a tee. (...) It's a really good film that deserves an audience"

by Chris Bumbray in JoBlo's Movie Emporium

OSCAR POTENTIAL CATEGORIES

• Best Supporting Actor (Dane DeHaan)

BUT...
The Academy ignored brilliant performances in other "Beat Generation" movies (Franco in Howl and Garrett Hedlund in On the Road), so things may be hard for DeHaan in order to get some major award recognition. At least, Kill Your Darlings is getting much better reviews than the other movies about the same writers, so there's some hope for DeHaan and what seems to be his (almost untalked) breakthrough performance.

The Spectacular Now

"Adapted from Tim Tharp's novel by the (500) Days of Summer team of Scott Neustadter and Michael H Weber, The Spectacular Now is an absorbing coming-of-age tale (...) Ponsoldt elicits remarkably strong performances from his two young leads, who display a depth of feeling that's breathtaking in its simplicity and honest. There's an inherent chemistry here that's both disarming and refreshing (their love scene is astonishingly tender). Teller is better known for the anarchic lo-fi party romp Project X (and Fame), but here he's exhibiting something quite profound. Similarly, Woodley, in only her second feature role after Alexander Payne's The Descendants, delivers a naivety so gentle, it could at any moment be shattered. (...) Young adulthood is rarely portrayed with such conviction, in a manner that connects with both its core teen audience and a wider adult demographic."

by Ed Gibbs in Guardian [UK]

"That’s not to say The Spectacular Now is groundbreaking stuff. There are broken hearts, a prom dance, and familiar final-act revelations. But written by the screenwriters of (500) Days of Summer, the film injects some hard-won poignancy into the tale of a young man wavering on the precipice of adulthood. Because of its occasionally serious approach, The Spectacular Now will require careful handling from specialty distributors, but with a pair of rising stars, Miles Teller (Project X) and Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), and an emotionally satisfying story, the film could achieve some potentially spectacular sales in the US. (...) Actor Miles Teller—who stole a couple scenes in 2010’s Rabbit Hole—carries The Spectacular Now with a hefty dose of charisma and just the right shades of vulnerability, which eventually build to a heartfelt catharsis. Likewise, Woodley wonderfully expresses the reckless excitement of young love with her beaming brown eyes, counterpoised by a more serious side."

by Anthony Kaufman in Screen International

"James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now, which is perhaps the most important adult-oriented film about the victories and woes of high school life in the last decade. (...) The lead in Ponsoldt's latest is Teller. (...) In The Spectacular Now, he chews up every scene he's in. His performance as the cool Sutter is effortless and the most entrancing portrayal of a calm but persevering high schooler I've seen in years. (...) Shailene Woodley co-starred in last year's hit, The Descendants. (...) She may play the harmless loser here, but Aimee's determination to win at life is incredibly endearing. This is due to Woodley's onscreen charisma. Big things are coming her way. (...) This is the most important coming-of-age movie you'll see this year. It's so beautiful it hurts my feelings."

by Chase Whale in Twitch

OSCAR POTENTIAL CATEGORIES:

• Best Leading Actor (Miles Teller)
• Best Leading Actress (Shailene Woodley)

BUT...
I think the AMPAS thinks high-school dramas aren't prestigious enough, no matter how beautiful and honest they are (for example, Ghost World only got one nod and The Perks of Being a Wallflower was totally snubed). Teller can be considered "too young" for a Best Actor nomination (according to the Academy's standards) while Woodley may actually get recognized, since the Academy likes a good Sundance babe once in a while.