With the New York Film Festival over the Oscar race is heating up.
The festival opened with "Captain Phillips," which was always thought of as an Oscar contender. And just as many expected, after its premiere, it solidified its position in the race for Best Picture as well as Tom Hank's spot in the Best Actor race. A week after its premiere the movie also opened with a solid $26 million at the box office.
Another movie that also improved its Oscar chances was Spike Jonze's closing night film "Her." Critics were unsure about the film, especially after the director's last movie "Where the Wild Things Are." The film was universally praised with many calling it the new film to beat at the Academy Awards. Joaquin Phoenix also went on to make many pundits' lists as a potential Best Actor contender. The movie will be released in December and based on Jonze's past films, "Her" could be a big hit at the box office.
The one film, however, that disappointed at the festival was "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." The movie was once seen as a Best Picture contender but after its premiere critics wrote it off as a simplistic Hollywood film. With negative buzz and reviews it's unlikely the movie will end up with any nominations.
Films that continued their awards path at the festival include Steve McQueen's "12 Years A Slave," Alexander Payne's "Nebraska," J.C Chandor's "All is Lost" and Joel and Ethan Coen's "Inside Llewyn Davis." Meanwhile, Chile's foreign Film submission "Gloria" continued to impress critics. "Blue is the Warmest Color" also received buzz but many critics commented on the explicit sex scenes lessening its Oscar chances.
The Oscar nominations will be released on Jan 16, 2014.