2018 Nominee Watch – September 14th

It's the second weekend of September and it looks like there is something for everyone this weekend. If you're into action, look no further than The Predator. For psychological thriller, check out A Simple Favor. If hard hitting drama is more your speed, look for White Boy Rick and for a historical biopic, you can go see Unbroken.

There is also an extensive list of limited release films of all varieties, some including big name actors like Nicholas Cage, Julianne Moore, Emma Thompson, and Stanley Tucci just to name a few.

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The Predator
I never got to see the 2010 version of this film with Adrien Brody other than recently catching the last five minutes on television and it's been a long time since I've seen the original Schwarzenegger version so I'm coming at this somewhat blind. From what I've seen an read, it seems like the titular characters are pursuing their hunting games on earth, and it's up to a ragtag bunch of soldiers and mercenaries to stop them.

This is certainly not your father's Predator, but from the very red band trailer below, you can definitely expect plenty of action, fancy predator vision shots and a much livelier dialog with the inclusion of comedian Keegan-Michael Key (Keanu, Let's Be Cops).

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Now, this film is not without some controversy already leading up to the release. Actress Olivia Munn (X-Men Apocalypse) was outspoken about acting opposite ​Steven Wilder Striegel (a convicted sex offender and friend of director Shane Black) in the film and initially commented that she felt alone in that none of her cast mates spoke out against his casting in the film. Co-star Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, Marshall) tweeted support for Munn earlier this week, however many have criticized his statement as too little too late.
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Ultimately, this may have a small impact on how well the film does at the box-office, but I don't see any impact on potential for Oscar nominations in January. The only areas where I see potential here are for things like sound mixing and editing as well as visual effects.

A Simple Favor
What I initially thought was a sort of romantic comedy from director Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, The Heat) turns out to be anything but. Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) plays Stephanie who is thrust into the life of fellow mom Emily (Blake Lively) who lives a much more lavish lifestyle. After Emily suddenly disappears, Stephanie begins to search for her, but starts uncovering deep secrets from her past.

This feels like one of those carefully constructed trailers where the entire purpose is to throw the viewer off the scent of what's really going on in this film and to that end, I'm skeptical that it will be able to deliver on the promise of suspense and intrigue.

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A look back through Feig's previous films show that he has been cranking out comedies for several years including Bridesmaids, Spy, and The Heat. He clearly loves working with Melissa McCarthy in these films so it will be interested to see how much of a departure this film is from his previous work.

I also like Kendrick taking on a different type of role than Pitch Perfect's Beca. She seems so synonymous with that franchise over the last five years that I look forward to seeing a different side of her as well.

When all is said and done, I don't foresee any major Oscar nominations for this film. It will entertain and unless the twist ending is one in the style of The Sixth Sense (which I doubt) it would be hard pressed to get any buzz for categories at the Oscars.

Unbroken: Path to Redemption
If you know anything about the story of Louis Zamperini, you know this film will grab you by the heartstrings and not let go. The film, a follow up to 2014's Unbroken which chronicled the story of Zamperini up to the end of his captivity in Japan during WWII, picks up where the first film left off and covers his return to America and the development of his Christian faith after attending a Billy Graham church revival.

Likely a different tone than the first film, it has been described as a "spiritual sequel" to the original and while still based on the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, the cast is different and we no longer have Angelina Jolie in the director's chair or the Coen brothers in charge of the writing duties.

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I have no doubt this will be a powerful film, but can't help feeling that more than even a normal sequel, it won't live up to the original. Unbroken was nominated for three Oscars including Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. The difference here is the material. Before we were focused on the brutality of surviving the war, now we are back in the externally safe environs of America but with new internal demons to battle.

Unlike its predecessor, I do not see this film receiving any Oscar nominations in January.

White Boy Rick
In what was originally supposed to be a limited release followed by a wide release next week, White Boy Rick is steamrolling into theaters across the country this weekend and boy does it look like a while ride!

I'm a little curious that Matthew McConaughey isn't getting more Oscar buzz for this role. After his Oscar win for his leading role in Dallas Buyers Club in 2013, it's been a while since he's been in a film with such gravity. While it is based on a true story, the images we see throughout the trailer are almost too crazy to be believed. How could someone i their teens become known as a drug kingpin, street hustler, and even an FBI informant, all while starting off following in his father's footsteps? While I'm sure we won't get the full story in this film, I trust that there will be plenty to talk about after seeing the film.

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​As I mentioned above, there is little to no buzz for McConaughey in this film though I feel like he is the film's best chance at an Oscar nomination. The other area where I see limited potential is in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. The film is loosely based on an article published by The Atavist magazine in 2014 about Rick so I assume it would fall into the Adapted Screenplay category as opposed to Original Screenplay.

Limited Releases

• American Chaos – Director Jim Stern embarks on a journey to discover why people across America are so obsessed with Donald Trump during the presidential election of 2016 and looks to see if they still feel the same way now that he is in office.
• American Deep State – Another look at politics, corruption, and conspiracies during the 2016 Presidential election.
• Another Time – A man tries to figure out how to travel back in time to prevent the girl he loves from meeting her boyfriend.
• Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco – Documentary look at fashion designer Antonio Lopez and how he changed fashion drawing in the 1970s.
• Armed – A federal marshal fights with personal demons after being exposed to chemical agents during a raid.
• Bel Canto – Julianne Moore (The Hours, Still Alice) stars as an opera singer taken hostage during a performance for a wealthy man in South America.
• A Boy. A Girl. A Dream – An L.A. DJ and an aspiring film maker learn about themselves and their dreams on election night 2016.
• The Children Act – Emma Thompson plays a judge tasked with the fate of an ailing boy in need of a life-saving blood transfusion while her marriage to Stanley Tucci crumbles due to her intense focus on her work. Available now on Amazon Prime.
• The Dawn Wall – The story of free climber Tommy Caldwell as he tries to scale the Dawn Wall of El Capitan, long thought to be an impossible climb.​

• Don't Leave Home – A woman is hired to create a sculpture at a remote English island, but finds something sinister.
• Hale County This Morning, This Evening – An intimate look at black lives in a small southern town.
• He's Out There – A woman and her young daughters are terrorized by a psychopathic killer while on vacation at a remote lake house far from their husband and father.
• I Think We're Alone Now – Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Elle Fanning (Super 8, Maleficent) fight to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.
• The Land of Steady Habits – Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One, Ready Player One) struggles to connect with his son. (Netflix)
• Letter from Masanjia – One man's fight to expose the evils of the Masanjia labor camp in China.
• Lizzie – Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry) and Kristen Stewart (Twilight, Snow White and the Huntsman) star in a psychological thriller about the famous murders of the Borden family.
• Mandy – Psychological thriller starring Nicholas Cage (Face Off, The Rock) as a man bent on destroying the evil that killed the love of his life.
• MDMA – A young college student starts making drugs in the university lab and finds herself trapped in a world she didn't expect.
• Museum – A group of criminals attempt to steal native artwork from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
• Patient Zero – A man infected with a deadly virus attempts to find the first patient in order to find a cure. Starring Stanley Tucci (Hunger Games) and Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones)
• The Public Image is Rotten – British rocker John Lydon discusses the development of the band Public Image Ltd.
• The Riot Act – A psychological thriller with mystery and deception set against the backdrop of the American Civil War.
• Science Fair – National Geographic films presents a documentary about several young scientists attending the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair with dreams of changing the world.
• The ToyBox – A mysterious force goes on a killing spree against a family who drives their camper to a remote area.
• Where Hands Touch – A creative look at race through the lens of a black girl raised by a white mother in Nazi Germany during WWII.
• A Wizard's Tale – A young man ventures to a fantasy land seeking help to save the amusement park owned by his family.
• The Basement – Horror film about a man kidnapped and tortured by someone with multiple personalities. (September 15th)
• Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable – Documentary look at the life and work of street photographer Garry Winogrand. (September 19th)
• World of Darkness – Documentary look at the world of role playing games and the popular culture that stems from them. (September 19th)