THE POPE’S 2013 OSCAR® PREDICTIONS

I’ve spent the year discussing which movies I like and why.  Here I predict to whom the Academy will give its highest honors and why.  I’ll also let you know when I’m just guessing, so you can adjust your expectations accordingly.  In the 20-plus years that I’ve participated in Oscar pools, I’ve won money in about 3.  Clearly you should seek out someone else’s advice, but here goes nothing.

Best Picture:

AMERICAN HUSTLE

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

GRAVITY

HER

NEBRASKA

PHILOMENA

12 YEARS A SLAVE

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Most prognosticators agree that the race has come down to AMERICAN HUSTLE, GRAVITY and 12 YEARS A SLAVE.  I agree.  While it’s possible the three will beat each other up just enough for a surprise winner to emerge, that scenario seems doubtful.  Under that assumption, the long shot seems to be AMERICAN HUSTLE.  While it’s my favorite, it also has many detractors.  Everyone seems to love GRAVITY, but it may not be prestigious enough for the Academy.  Therefore, I predict 12 YEARS A SLAVE will win.

Should Win:     AMERICAN HUSTLE

Will Win:           12 YEARS A SLAVE

Overlooked:     BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuaron, GRAVITY

Steve McQueen, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Alexander Payne, NEBRASKA

David O. Russell, AMERICAN HUSTLE

Martin Scorsese, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Conventional wisdom suggests this award belongs to Alfonso Cuaron and his remarkable technical achievement.  I have no quibble with that.  His storytelling skills here are mean and relentless.  However, I would prefer seeing David O. Russell win for his head-spinning and emotionally-relevant take on the scam movie.  Although I predict Cuaron will win, there’s a chance that McQueen could sneak in if 12 YEARS A SLAVE is, as I predict, the Best Picture winner.

Should Win:     David O. Russell, AMERICAN HUSTLE

Will Win:           Alfonso Cuaron, GRAVITY

Overlooked:     Paul Greengrass, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Best Actress:

Amy Adams, AMERICAN HUSTLE

Cate Blanchett, BLUE JASMINE

Sandra Bullock, GRAVITY

Judi Dench, PHILOMENA

Meryl Streep, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Cate Blanchett is fantastic in this role.  The only thing that could (remotely) affect her chances of walking away a winner is the cloud of scandal caused by the Woody Allen abuse accusations.  I also wouldn’t mind if Amy Adams won, but Blanchett seems a lock.

Should and Will Win:    Cate Blanchett, BLUE JASMINE

Overlooked:                 Julie Delpy, BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Best Actor:

Christian Bale, AMERICAN HUSTLE

Bruce Dern, NEBRASKA

Leonardo DiCaprio, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Matthew McConaughey, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

This is the strongest acting category in years.  With the exception of Leonardo DiCaprio, who was fearless but undisciplined, I would be happy with any one of the nominees walking up to the podium on Oscar night.  Bruce Dern deserves it not just for this movie but for his catalogue of work.  Christian Bale keeps getting better and better, so I trust his chance will return.  Put a gun to my head, and I’d choose Chiwetel Ejiofor for carrying us through a tough, tough film.  But I suspect that Matthew McConaughey will win gold this year, and that’s just fine.

Should Win:     Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Will Win:           Matthew McConaughey, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Overlooked:     Michael B. Jordan, FRUITVALE STATION

Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawkins, BLUE JASMINE

Jennifer Lawrence, AMERICAN HUSTLE

Lupita Nyong’o, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Julia Roberts, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

June Squibb, NEBRASKA

Early in the awards season it was presumed that Jennifer Lawrence would win her second Oscar in two years.  Now I wouldn’t be so sure.  She was wonderful to be sure, but so were Sally Hawkins and June Squibb (my secret, dark horse favorite).  But Lupita Nyong’o was devastatingly good and deserves to and will win.

Should and Will Win:    Lupita Nyong’o, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Overlooked:                 Oprah Winfrey, LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER

Best Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Bradley Cooper, AMERICAN HUSTLE

Michael Fassbender, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Jonah Hill, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Jared Leto, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Jared Leto started out as the front-runner in this category and never looked back.  He will win, but I believe Barkhad Abdi is a better choice, matching Tom Hanks beat for beat.

Should Win:     Barkhad Abdi, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Will Win:           Jared Leto, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Overlooked:     Matthew McConaughey, MUD

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, PHILOMENA

Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Billy Ray, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

John Ridley, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Terence Winter, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Billy Ray’s thoughtful action film CAPTAIN PHILLIPS certainly deserves a nomination and, in my opinion, deserves to win.  However, my second choice would be John Ridley’s bracing 12 YEARS A SLAVE.  And, because the film’s a Best Picture front-runner, Ridley will prevail.

Should Win:     Billy Ray, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Will Win:           John Ridley, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Overlooked:     Danny Strong, LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER

Best Original Screenplay:

Woody Allen, BLUE JASMINE

Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Spike Jonze, HER

Bob Nelson, NEBRASKA

Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, AMERICAN HUSTLE

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB is a mess, and Woody Allen won only a few short years ago for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS and is under the cloud of accusation.  Spike Jonze’s HER won this year’s WGA Award and is considered the favorite.  However, because I believe AMERICAN HUSTLE will otherwise be shut out, I predict that Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell win.  I would prefer if Bob Nelson’s NEBRASKA won, but that seems a long shot.

Should Win:     Bob Nelson, NEBRASKA

Will Win:           Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, AMERICAN HUSTLE

Overlooked:     Ryan Coogler, FRUITVALE STATION

Best Animated Film

THE CROODS

DESPICABLE ME 2

ERNEST & CELESTINE

FROZEN

THE WIND RISES

Should Win:     I haven’t seen any of these films and have no preference.

Will Win:           FROZEN

Best Foreign Language Film

THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN (Belgium)

THE GREAT BEAUTY (Italy)

THE HUNT (Denmark)

THE MISSING PICTURE (Cambodia)

OMAR (Palestine)

Should Win:     The only nominee I saw was THE HUNT, and it was no great shakes.

Will Win:           THE GREAT BEAUTY

Best Documentary Feature

THE ACT OF KILLING

CUTIE AND THE BOXER

DIRTY WARS

THE SQUARE

20 FEET FROM STARDOM

The only nominee I saw was THE ACT OF KILLING, and it was a stunner.  I’m guessing that film is too disturbing to give an Oscar to, so the Academy will honor THE SQUARE, about the Egyptian uprising against the government.

Should Win:     THE ACT OF KILLING

Will Win:           THE SQUARE

Best Cinematography

Roger A. Deakins, PRISONERS

Bruce Delbonnel, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

Philippe Le Sourd, THE GRANDMASTER

Emmanuel Lubezki, GRAVITY

Phedon Papamichael, NEBRASKA

Emmanuel Lubezki was robbed for CHILDREN OF MEN in 2006.  This is the Academy’s chance to rectify that error.

Should and Will Win:    Emmanuel Lubezki, GRAVITY

Best Film Editing

AMERICAN HUSTLE

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

GRAVITY

12 YEARS A SLAVE

Because Best Editing almost always goes to the Best Picture winner, I’m going with 12 YEARS A SLAVE here.

Should Win:     AMERICAN HUSTLE

Will Win:           12 YEARS A SLAVE

Best Costume Design

Catherine Martin, THE GREAT GATSBY

Patricia Norris, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Michael O’Connor, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

William Chang Suk Ping, THE GRANDMASTER

Michael Wilkinson, AMERICAN HUSTLE

The Academy loves Catherine Martin and may give this to her for THE GREAT GATSBY.  However, I’m going to predict that they give it to 12 YEARS A SLAVE as part of the victory wave.  If I’m wrong, this is going to be a long night.

Should Win:     Michael Wilkinson, AMERICAN HUSTLE

Will Win:           Patricia Norris, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Best Production Design

AMERICAN HUSTLE

GRAVITY

THE GREAT GATSBY

HER

12 YEARS A SLAVE

There’s a chance this one could go to GRAVITY, but I suspect the Academy plans to give it plenty of other technical awards.  So 12 YEARS A SLAVE it is.

Should and Will Win:    12 YEARS A SLAVE

Best Original Score

William Butler and Owen Pallett, HER

Alexandre Desplat, PHILOMENA

Thomas Newman, SAVING MR. BANKS

Steven Price, GRAVITY

John Williams, THE BOOK THIEF

The Academy has been fond of electronic scores of late (see THE SOCIAL NETWORK, in example).  And, since the film will likely be shut out in other categories, it will get this as a token.  Or, this could be part of a GRAVITY technical wave.  But I hope not.

Should Win:     Thomas Newman, SAVING MR. BANKS

Will Win:           William Butler and Owen Pallett, HER

Best Original Song

“Happy,” DESPICABLE ME 2

“Let It Go,” FROZEN

“The Moon Song,” HER

“Ordinary Love,” MANDELA: A LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

I don’t care much for this category.  I liked the U2 song, but I suspect the song from FROZEN will win.

Should Win:     “Ordinary Love,” MANDELA: A LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

Will Win:           “Let It Go,” FROZEN

Best Sound Mixing

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

GRAVITY

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

LONE SURVIVOR

Now we come to the categories which I believe GRAVITY will dominate.

Should and Will Win:    GRAVITY

Best Sound Editing

ALL IS LOST

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

GRAVITY

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

LONE SURVIVOR

See above.

Should and Will Win:    GRAVITY

Best Visual Effects

GRAVITY

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

IRON MAN 3

THE LONE RANGER

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

This one is a slam dunk.

Should and Will Win:    GRAVITY

Best Makeup

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA

THE LONE RANGER

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB could win in this category because it is more “prestigious,” but since when has this category been a bastion of prestige (see the Eddie Murphy remake of THE NUTTY PROFESOR)?

Should Win:     DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Will Win:           JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA

Best Documentary Short Subject

CAVE DIGGER

FACING FEAR

KARAMA HAS NO WALLS

THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE

PRISON TERMINAL: THE LAST DAYS OF PRIVATE JACK HILL

I’m guessing.

Will Win:           THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE

Best Animated Short Subject

FERAL

GET A HORSE!

MR. HUBLOT

POSSESSIONS

ROOM ON THE BROOM

I’m guessing again.

Will Win:           GET A HORSE!

Best Live Action Short Subject

AQUEL NO ERA YO (THAT WASN’T ME)

AVANT QUE DE TOUT PERDRE (JUST BEFORE LOSING EVERYTHING)

HELIUM

PITAAKO MUN KAIKKI HITAA? (DO I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING?)

THE VOORMAN PROBLEM

I’m guessing yet again.

Will Win:           HELIUM

THE BEST AND WORST OF 2013: BELIEVING WHAT WE WANT TO BELIEVE

It’s hard to believe another movie year has come and gone.  Yet here we sit on the cusp of Oscar® night 2014 and await the verdict of a relatively small group of people as to which films and/or artists are the so-called “best” in the calendar year 2013.

But as per usual, before that happens, I offer up my personal selections (primarily as to films) for the same.  The purpose of this and of the reviews I have endeavored to diligently post throughout the year is 1) to verify critical consensus or 2) to question critical consensus or, most importantly, 3) to point out films that, due to small advertising budgets or unfair critical treatment, you should consider seeking out.  Here I must confess that I haven’t seen enough films, or at least not a wide enough variety.  Resources are limited, and too often I use other critics and the Academy Awards® as a guide.  I will endeavor to do better next year.

As I look over this year’s list of favorite films, the one common thread seems to be that of belief, and, more specifically, how beliefs affect our actions and our reaction when, as is sometimes/often the case, our beliefs do not match up with reality.  You’ll find these examples in the list of films that follows:

• A mass murderer who believes his actions lawful because the genocide was state sponsored.
• An FBI agent who believes he’s one step ahead of the con artists he’s entrapped.
• An addled old man who believes he’s won a million dollars from a mail order sweepstakes.
• Slave owners who believe that treating human beings as property does not corrupt their soul.

And list could go on.

My reviews do not profess to be in-depth analyses.  I operate under the assumption that most of you prefer to read (and, let’s be honest, I prefer to write) short, digestible reviews.  However, if you find yourself longing to “go deep,” I recommend two exceptional books.  The first is Robin Woods’ Hitchcock’s Films Revisited, and it’s really two books in one.  The first half contains reviews of seminal Hitchcock films that Woods wrote in the 1960s when he was a proponent of the auteur theory.  In the second half, as the title suggests, Woods revisits most of these films from his new Marxist and feminist perspective.  The second book is A Cinema of Loneliness by Robert Kolker, which examines the filmmakers Arthur Penn, Oliver Stone, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Robert Altman.  Either of these books will give you much to digest.

Thanks to everyone who has read my reviews over the past year (and for some, much longer).  Particular thanks to Corey Nathan and David Fruechting, who are my biggest proponents on Facebook®.  I should also note that my reviews do not pop out of my head fully formed (wouldn’t that be nice!).  Most evolve through discussions with some insightful and passionate friends.  And so I must thank Dale Becker, Sterling Belefant, Trinh Dang, Julius Galacki, and Jeff Thomas for letting me borrow some of their ideas.  The following folks, in addition to being great sounding boards and passionate filmgoers, are also great friends and deserve profound thanks:  Pilar Alessandra, Cathleen Alexander, Nina Berry, Maria de la Torre, John Mark Godocik, Caroline and Michael Hick, Paul Millet, Michael Musa, Peter Shultz, and Cheri Waterhouse.  And there are others – Valerie Ahern, César Alvarez, Naomi Catalano, Tara and Adam Collins, Pat Dodson, Carrie and Corey Elliott, Jim Myers and Meriam Harvey, Pam and Scott Paterra, Kurt Ramschissell, James Serpento, Maritza Suarez, Brenda Thorson, and Frank Woodward – whose thoughtfulness, generosity and friendship mean more to me than I can adequately express.

Finally, I have to thank my mother and father, David and Vanette Pope, who have supported me without fail in all my endeavors, as well as my siblings, Tammy, Scott and Amy, just for being who they are.  Last but not least I must thank my niece and nephews, Devin, Mikayla, Sam and Levi, who have renewed my hope for the future. 

And now I offer you The Pope's Picks for 2013.  At the very least I hope they inspire you to see movies you might not otherwise consider.  If I have done that, then my work here is done. 

Brian Pope

February 28, 2014
 **********************************

THE BEST OF 2013
(in alphabetical order)

THE ACT OF KILLING  This brilliant documentary follows two perpetrators of the mass Indonesian genocide in the 1960s as they unapologetically recreate their atrocities for posterity, and it shines a shattering light on the human capacity for denial and on society’s ability to justify and internalize the most cruel and repellent of acts.

AMERICAN HUSTLE  David O. Russell perfects the long con in this intoxicatingly entertaining comedy elaborated from the 1978 ABSCAM sting operation.  By emphasizing emotional acuity over plot intricacies, he elevates his film into an exploration of trust and the double-edged sword of belief with a touching gravitas.

BEFORE MIDNIGHT  Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke dive deep into the complex vagaries of long term relationships as we revisit Céline and Jesse nine years after BEFORE SUNSET.  They look with unblinking compassion on a marital crisis with an honesty that’s harrowing but also profound and affirming.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS  Director Paul Greengrass and writer Billy Ray fashion this fact-based story of a Somali pirate hijacking of an American freighter into a taut nautical thriller that smartly shows the tragic trajectory of desperation, ponders the qualities of leadership, and acknowledges the devastating human toll of violence.

FRANCES HA  Evoking the spirit of the French New Wave, director Noah Baumbach finds an apt stylistic fit for this episodic story of a free-spirited woman finding her own way into adult responsibility.  The luminous Greta Gerwig gives Frances a daft blend of whimsy, guilelessness and self-absorption that’s impossible to resist.

FRUITVALE STATION  Ryan Coogler refuses to get on a soapbox in this heartbreaking chronicle of the final day of Oscar Grant III, a young black man shot to death on a subway platform by a transit officer.  He turns outrage into sadness by focusing on little details, and Michael B. Jordan’s performance adds depth to the tragedy.

NEBRASKA  The harsh, bleak landscapes of Alexander Payne’s best film since ELECTION reflect the inner life of its surly protagonist, and Bruce Dern projects regret from Woody’s watery eyes.  And yet, despite these unwelcoming environs, Bob Nelson’s screenplay finds warmth and tenderness in the smallest acts of kindness.

THE SPECTACULAR NOW  Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber’s beautiful adaptation of Tim Tharp’s novel perfectly captures the portentous period between an open future and a closed past, and director James Ponsoldt elicits raw, tender performances from Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley that feel refreshingly true.

STORIES WE TELL  Actress turned filmmaker Sarah Polley turns the camera on her family to piece together the life of her late mother, and the journey becomes one of revelation and self-discovery.  Using every means at her disposal, she explores the idea of personal history as storytelling and creates the year’s most moving film.

12 YEARS A SLAVE  Director Steve McQueen and writer John Ridley tell the harrowing true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man kidnapped into slavery.  Ridley employs a formal period speaking style, and McQueen a rigorous visual formality to show how the institution of slavery corrodes the soul and corrupts all it touches.

Runners-Up of 2013

THE CONJURING

GRAVITY

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

PHILOMENA

SHORT TERM 12

Honorable Mentions: BLUE JASMINE; ENOUGH SAID; HER; LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER; MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM; MUD; SIDE EFFECTS

THE WORST of 2013
(in alphabetical order)

THE BOOK THIEF  The powerful young adult novel is made bland like cold oatmeal or an after school special set in Nazi Germany.

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB  Strong performances are severely weakened by a clumsy, dated script and ham-fisted direction.

THE HEAT  Director Paul Feig turns the camera on and walks away, resulting in an overlong comedy that’s not as funny as it thinks it is.

MAN OF STEEL  What starts as an intriguing origin story becomes a sensory assault and, worse, undermines Superman’s core principles.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS  J.J. Abrams puts the final nail in the coffin of the STAR TREK franchise.  Next up:  STAR WARS.  

THE POPE'S PICKS AT ON THE PAGE

Michael Musa and I join Battleship Pretension's David Bax and noted screenwriting teacher Pilar Alessandra at her On the Page podcast to discuss the 2013 Oscar-nominated screenplays.  Just copy the below link into your browser and click on the Oscar podcast.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id262077408

Enjoy.

HER (2013)

Spike Jonze’s feature directorial choices can safely be called strange. From BEING JOHN MALKOVICH’s comedic tale of body possession to ADAPTATION.’s self-referential solipsism to the surreal yet tactile WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, Jonze has displayed a singular vision both insular and oddly familiar. So it should come as no surprise that his latest directorial effort (which he also wrote) is a whimsical science fiction romance about a man who falls in love with his computer operating system. In an unspecified future Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) works at a company that composes personal letters for people unable or too busy to do so themselves. In his spare time he wanders a futuristic Los Angeles plugged into his smartphone or plays holographic video games in his living room or procrastinates in signing divorce papers sent by estranged wife Catherine (Rooney Mara). Despite living in this bustling city, Theodore has little human contact. Married friend Amy (Amy Adams) encourages him to go on a blind date, but it ends disastrously due to a reluctance to engage emotionally or otherwise. When a revolutionary new operating system becomes available which adapts to a customer’s desires, from voice to personality, Theodore snaps it up. Thus Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) becomes a part of his life. At first she functions like an electronic administrator, prioritizing correspondence and organizing files, but her dulcet voice and demeanor soon entice Theodore into personal exchanges and confidences, leading to friendship and romantic love. Jonze makes this unlikely conceit work with clever writing and his sensitive direction of a winsome Phoenix and an unseen yet tangible Johansson. Despite the film’s speculative elements, however, our wire-crossed lovers face mostly familiar relationship obstacles. That changes when Samantha hires a surrogate to facilitate physical intercourse, which takes the film briefly into uncharted territory. But Jonze bails out before exploring that dynamic. And while he deserves credit for asking audacious questions, Jonze and the film never quite follow through.

FRUITVALE STATION (2013)

In the early morning of January 1, 2009, while returning home with friends via Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) from New Year’s Eve festivities in San Francisco, 22-year-old Oscar Grant III was pulled off the train at Fruitvale Station by BART police after a fight. In front of myriad witnesses the young black man was handcuffed, pushed face down on the platform, and fatally shot in the back at point blank range by a white officer who claimed to have mistaken his sidearm for his taser. The incident incited outrage and protests. Writer/director Ryan Coogler mutes the hyperbole and focuses primarily on the 24 hours leading up to the fateful encounter. Oscar (Michael B. Jordan) feels as though he’s at a crossroads. He has spent time in prison for selling drugs, and his effort to stay straight is being sorely tested after losing his job. Girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz), with whom he fathered precocious Tatiana (Ariana Neal), wants him to stop chasing other women and fully commit. By and large Oscar’s December 31, 2008, is not much different than any other final day of the year. He drops Tatiana off at her day care and Sophina at her job, then he goes to the grocery where he used to work to pick up fresh crabs for his mother Wanda’s (Octavia Spencer) birthday dinner that evening and to beg his former boss for another chance. He gasses his car, buys a card for his sister to sign, and ponders selling a stashed bag of marijuana before thinking better of it. He picks up Sophina and Tatiana, and they arrive at the birthday and make final NYE plans. We know how the evening will end, so even Oscar’s most mundane moments feel pregnant with loss and sadness. Yet Coogler never tries to heighten these scenes. He also makes no attempt to sanctify Oscar, and the marvelous Jordan shows us the frightening temper and troubled soul of this flawed man, but also his small steps toward normalcy and his kindness. Throughout this quietly powerful film Oscar is never more or less than recognizably human. Coogler tells his story subtly, without assigning blame, and transforms what could have been an easy polemic into heartbreaking tragedy.

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (2013)

The Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) are reliably idiosyncratic filmmakers. They’ve run the gamut from the broad comedy of RAISING ARIZONA to the tripwire suspense of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN to the deeply personal A SERIOUS MAN. They write all the films they direct and have edited every one since FARGO. Their latest quirky gem is a melancholy odyssey through the folk music scene circa 1961. It opens with prickly protagonist Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaacs) finishing his set in the smoky Gaslight. He chats with the proprietor before being summoned to the stage door where a shadowy man with a grudge abruptly pummels him. The reason for the assault is not clear, but Llewyn’s response suggests he expects the attack or is at least resigned to it. He does not protest that there has been a mistake, he simply says, “It’s what I do.” And for the next ninety minutes we find out exactly what that is. He wakes up on the couch of an apartment that clearly is not his. He slips out the door, guitar case in hand, and, as the door locks behind him, the house cat darts out. Llewyn’s solo act success has proved about as elusive as the cat (whose name is the film’s most whimsical joke). When he’s not trying to retrieve the ginger tom from New York’s wintry streets and return it to his owner, Llewyn begs his manager for money, scrapes up session work, and crashes at the homes of folk singing couple Jean (Carey Mulligan) and Jim (Justin Timberlake), his sister Joy (Jeanine Serralles), or any newfound acquaintance with space. He takes a job driving an abusive jazz musician named Roland Turner (John Goodman) to Chicago, hoping, while there, to hand his record to influential manager Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham). In the end Llewyn only succeeds in being true to himself. He misses every chance due to bad luck, negligence, carelessness, or stubbornness. And despite talent and artistic integrity, he can never succeed because, as Grossman flatly states, “There’s no money in it.” Although the Coen brothers never cut Llewyn a break, they still relate to and have affection for him, and the mesmerizing Isaacs shines as their sad-eyed surrogate.

PHILOMENA (2013)

Former correspondent and government spin doctor Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) now works as a freelance journalist but struggles to find a subject that pleases his editor Sally Mitchell (Michelle Fairley) until Philomena Lee’s (Judi Dench) story falls into his lap. In 1952 a young and pregnant Philomena (Sophie Kennedy Clark) was sent to an Ireland convent. During her stay with the nuns she was worked hard as penance for her sin and to earn upkeep for her and her son. She looked forward each day to the one hour she was allowed to spend with her toddler. But even that was taken from her when a family adopted the boy, whisking him away without ceremony. For decades she never stopped thinking about and looking for him, despite the release she signed and the convent administration’s stonewalling. Now Philomena hopes Sixsmith can help find her lost son, and he, in turn, hopes to tell a powerful human-interest story. They begin at the convent, and the intervening years have not softened its intransigence. But the writer picks up a trail that leads to the United States, and it’s off to the colonies for the mismatched duo. The script by Coogan and Jeff Pope, adapted from Sixsmith’s book “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee,” mixes disparate styles and tones, from that of the oppressive Catholic convent life to that of a journalist exposing potential scandal to an odd couple road movie to a whimsical fish out of water story. However, the conflicting attitudes toward faith and forgiveness that Philomena and Sixsmith each apply on this quest bind these elements together. Her troubled past could readily turn any mere mortal against God or at the very least the Church, yet she remains a devout Catholic with an endless capacity to forgive. On the other hand he, a professed atheist, remains profoundly cynical about religion in general and the Catholic Church in particular. Yet through this journey they attain understanding and, perhaps, a reluctant acceptance. Under Stephen Frears’ sensitive, understated direction the film refuses to become sappy or overly sentimental, and Dench and Coogan give pitch perfect performances.

BLUE JASMINE (2013)

Every year writer/director Woody Allen proffers a new cinematic offering. But which one will we get this time – the romantic fantasy of MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, the bittersweet romance of VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA or the bitter cynicism of MATCH POINT? The answer lies between the last two, but closer to the latter. Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) has come untethered. We meet her on a flight from New York to San Francisco in the middle of a monologue with an older female companion. Based on the intimate details revealed we presume this is her mother or other close relation. They part ways, and it becomes clear she has been talking to a stranger. Jasmine is a recovering socialite set adrift from her life of luxury when husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) kills himself in prison after being indicted for securities fraud. For years she feigned ignorance of or turned a blind eye to any wrongdoing while reaping the benefits that came with immense wealth. Now, pleading poverty but with little indication of being sufficiently chastened, Jasmine moves into the cluttered Mission apartment of sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins), who, along with bitter ex-husband Augie (Andrew Dice Clay), numbered among Hal’s victims. When she isn’t working as a dentist’s receptionist or taking a class in interior design, Jasmine sulks in her room, drinks, and criticizes Ginger’s crass but well-intentioned fiancé Chili (Bobby Cannavale). Feeling down after losing her job, she grudgingly accepts a party invitation. There she meets lonely diplomat Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard), and soon the luxurious life to which she had been accustomed seems possible again. Allen has found his modern day Blanche from Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” in Jasmine. Her denial has become so ingrained, so vital to herself and her self-image that the truth of her husband’s deception shatters her already fragile mind. Blanchett’s tour de force captures this losing struggle so beautifully that our schadenfreude turns to pity. Allen relies too heavily on coincidence, but his film is an apt reflection of our sadly misguided society that often equates material trappings of wealth and privilege with human worth.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (2013)

Tracy Letts’ big screen adaptation of his acclaimed 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, a family dysfunction comedy-drama set during a sweltering Oklahoma summer, has pedigree coming out its ears. Meryl Streep stars as Violet Weston, the sharp-tongued, pill-popping, booze-swilling matriarch suffering from mouth cancer, with Sam Shepard as her reflective, womanizing husband Beverly. When he disappears one morning, it prompts an unwanted reunion of the extended Weston clan. Julia Roberts plays bitter Barbara, whose marriage to Bill Fordham (Ewan McGregor) has its own fidelity issues. Juliette Lewis is unstable daughter Karen, whose low self-esteem pairs her with smarmy fiancé Steve Huberbrecht (Dermot Mulroney). More reliable daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) keeps an eye on her mother but longs for the day when she can run off with secret boyfriend and first cousin Little Charles Aiken (Benedict Cumberbatch), who’s considered slow by his brash mother Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale) and guileless by his gentle father Charles (Chris Cooper). Abigail Breslin, as the Fordham’s daughter Jean, and Misty Upham, as housekeeper Johnna, round out the intimidating cast. Director John Wells tries to open the film up visually but is limited by a talky script that confines its major scenes to the Weston dining table. At least Letts’ dialogue tastes rich and substantial, albeit seasoned with an unsavory mixture of unsuppressed resentment and bile. The actors tear into this verbal red meat with the gusto of a starving horde, leaving little left. Once the carnage ends, the remaining bones offer scant meaning or purpose but for feasting itself. Streep and Roberts get the juiciest lines, while the remaining cast members (with notable exceptions in the excellent Cooper and Martindale) feel like high-profile cameos. Letts’ stage play clocked in at over three hours, while this film runs a slim two. Perhaps in excising so much Letts lost something vital in translation. And Wells seems unclear whether this is Greek tragedy or dark comedy, exacerbating the lack. Thus, despite all the strong ingredients, the final dish remains insubstantial and unsatisfying.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (2013)

Paul Greengrass is a director of kinetic action. The immediacy of his visual style in the second and third BOURNE installments gave equal momentum and tension to wonks in the situation room and agents fighting in the field. He used this style with devastating effect in the difficult UNITED 93, but it failed him in the clumsy, politically naïve GREEN ZONE. With a nautical setting and trademark handheld camera, Greengrass is on terra firma in his latest white-knuckle thriller. Based on the non-fiction book “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea” by Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty, Billy Ray’s taut screenplay recounts the fateful 2009 encounter off the Horn of Africa between a small band of Somali pirates led by Muse (Barkhad Abdi) and Rich Phillips (Tom Hanks), captain of the Maersk Alabama. Though the filmmakers waste no time getting to the attempted hijacking and kidnapping, they offer insight into the day-to-day workings of the cargo freighter and also a glimpse into the desperation which drives the Somalis as they strive to appease violent, demanding warlords. The film’s first half establishes Phillips leadership abilities. He repels an initial attack but cannot withstand a second. Once the Somalis breach the ship, we watch with anxious admiration as our resourceful captain uses every available means to stop the intruders from gaining control of the vessel. Muse’s leadership qualities are those of a typical action hero: courage and tenacity. In the real world, however, these have their limits. The pirates must give up their bounty on the cargo, abandon the freighter via its lifeboat and take Phillips as hostage instead. The film’s second half chronicles the tense, close-quarter negotiations between Phillips, Muse and the U.S. Navy as the noose tightens inexorably on the pirates. Hanks’ performance is his best in years, and the remarkable Abdi matches him. Greengrass and Ray dare to provide a reason (not an excuse) for the Somalis’ actions. In doing so, they challenge us to understand and feel compassion for the pirates, which elevate the story’s foregone conclusion to one of human tragedy.

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013)

In 1985 little was publically known about HIV/AIDS except that it was primarily a “gay disease.” Few outside the medical profession understood that the virus was transmitted via bodily fluids through shared needles and unprotected sex, regardless of proclivity. Imagine the shock Texas electrician and rodeo rider Ron Woodruff (a gaunt Matthew McConaughey) feels when he’s diagnosed with AIDS. This confirmed drug user, frequenter of prostitutes, and unrepentant homophobe hits grief’s denial stage running until library research confirms the accuracy of Dr. Sevard’s (Denis O’Hare) diagnosis. Meanwhile Big Pharma requests the hospital conduct clinical trials of the experimental drug AZT, and Sevard agrees despite skepticism from underling Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner). Woodruff wants to participate in the trial, but there’s no guarantee he will be given the drug. He turns to the black market to obtain AZT, but that supply runs out. In desperation (and near death) he travels to Mexico and comes under the care of Dr. Vass (Griffin Dunne), an expatriate who warns against AZT and gives Woodruff a series of supplements unapproved by the FDA that seem to help. Because there are many more back in the U.S. like him Woodruff makes a deal with Vass to sell the supplements in Dallas and enlists the help of Rayon (Jared Leto), a transgender patient of Eva’s, to spread the word and help run a buyers club. The demand is enormous and the results positive, and it begins to affect the AZT trials to the dismay of Big Pharma. Soon the FDA puts up roadblocks and the DEA threatens to shut the club down. McConaughey gives a physically demanding and ferocious performance, and Leto shines in his small but showy role. The familiar, pedantic script written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack hamstrings both, however. And Jean-Marc Vallée does neither the material nor the actors any favors with his heavy handed, obvious direction, letting poor Garner furrow her eyebrows in concern for much of the film. Woodruff’s true story is a worthy one, but it and the cast deserve a better vehicle than the one with which they’ve been saddled.

LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER (2013)

From humble origins as a sharecropper’s son, Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) becomes a White House butler for numerous U.S. Presidents beginning with Dwight Eisenhower (Robin Williams) around the time he sent troops to enforce the desegregation of public schools. So begins director Lee Daniels’ entertaining and unruly odyssey of civil rights and race relations in America. Danny Strong’s shrewd, episodic script (based on Wil Haygood’s article about the life of Eugene Allen) drops in on major moments in history but shows them primarily from Cecil’s observations in the workplace and his personal clashes at home. As the Kennedy (James Marsden) and Johnson (Liev Schreiber) administrations grapple with racial violence in the South, Cecil and wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) worry about activist son Louis (David Oyelowo) and his involvement with the Freedom Riders. After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and with the Vietnam War’s escalation by the Nixon (John Cusack) administration, the close knit Gaines family begins to fray. Louis flirts with the Black Panthers, and youngest son Charlie (Elijah Kelley) heads overseas to fight for his country. Cecil also struggles for equal pay for the black White House staff, which includes Carter Wilson (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and James Holloway (Lenny Kravitz), with a quiet, persistent campaign. The Reagan (Alan Rickman) administration finally agrees to the pay increase, but its refusal to denounce apartheid sows seeds of concern in the butler. The First Lady (Jane Fonda) invites the Gaines to attend a state dinner as guests, but it is readily apparent to them that their presence is more for show than a meaningful gesture. And shortly thereafter Cecil retires. With its unstable mix of domestic drama, history lesson, and self-conscious stunt casting, the film shouldn’t work. Yet it does, due in large part to rich, committed performances by the remarkable Whitaker and the surprising Winfrey. By limiting their story to snapshots of turbulent times viewed both up close and from afar, Daniels and Strong show us where we’ve been, how far we’ve come, and the distance that remains.