7. Nightcrawler
The Pitch: The directorial debut of Dan Gilroy (writer of The Fall and The Bourne Legacy and brother of Tony Gilroy) follows a young man, Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), who becomes involved in the dark world of underground journalism in Los Angeles, recording grisly accidents and selling them to local news outlets.
The Buzz: Positive reviews have been flooding out the gate from the Toronto International Film Festival (80% on Rotten Tomatoes), praising Gilroy's direction and handling of the premise, making it less of a morality play and more a character study of a sociopathic, enterprising individual. Gyllenhaal has, however, earned the overwhelming share of the praise, with many commending it to be his best performance to date, a fact easy to believe from his clear commitment to the project, losing 20 pounds of weight to give himself a gaunt, stretched-thin visage. Will this earn Jake his second Oscar nomination? We've got our fingers crossed.
Release Date: October 31st (US & UK).