7. Demolition
Why It's Desperate: Another drama from Oscar-friendly filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club, Wild) in which a put-upon protagonist attempts to win control of their life back following personal turmoil, Demolition stars the evidently Oscar-hungry Jake Gyllenhaal alongside dual Oscar-nominee Naomi Watts and Oscar-winner Chris Cooper.
Will It Succeed?: It's actually impossible, because following the movie's TIFF premiere and middling reviews, Demolition's general release was actually pushed back to April, disqualifying it from 2015 awards contention. Yes, it could still vie for a few Oscars next year, but an April bow is always bad news for awards as people (especially Oscar voters) tend to have short memories, and Fox will know this, which means they simply aren't going to campaign the film. More than any other film on this list, Demolition is decisively dead in the water.
