11. Demolition
The Hype: Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée has enjoyed tremendous success with his last two movies: Dallas Buyers Club was nominated for Best Picture and won three Oscars (including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor), while Wild received nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Why should anyone expect anything but more of the same with his latest drama, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a man trying to repair his life after his wife dies in a car crash. Appearing alongside Gyllenhaal are two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts and Oscar winner Chris Cooper.
Why It's Lost The Oscar Race: This one really stings given the potential, but after its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, Demolition was subject to
heavily mixed reviews , with Gyllenhaal receiving broad praise but most conceding that they wished the film in general was as good as him. The emotional plot twists were especially divisive with reviewers, and it's not too surprising that the initial presumed awards season release date has since been pushed to next April, which is essentially Fox admitting that the film doesn't measure up to expectations and won't be campaigned for awards season.
