5. 12 Years a Slave
Grade: A-My Take: If cinema up to this point has largely avoided the touchy subject of slavery in America, that will cease to be the case once 12 Years a Slave sees wide release. The film, based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a free African American man living in New York who is tragically tricked into involuntary servitude and hard labor in the Deep South during the heyday of slavery in the 19th Century, is a stark, no non-sense look at the hellish institution that dominated Southern culture and lifestyle. As you may have heard, the film can be a tough watch, as director Steve McQueen takes an unflinchingly determined approach to the cinematic realization of the horrors of slavery. The film is given depth through its tremendous ensemble, led by the riveting lead performance of Chiwetel Ejiofor and highlighted by the mesmerizing cruelty (and insanity) of Michael Fassbender's performance. The film's staunch objectivism and singular focus on the brutality of slavery (particular in the film's first half) gives 12 Years a Slave a slightly docu-drama feel that prevents me from christening it an outright masterpiece as some have, but nonetheless, it's still a powerful film that will be remembered for some time to come.
Oscar Prospects: About the same prospects Rockstar Games had of making a profit on Grand Theft Auto V. If you are an avid follower of the Oscar blogosphere, then you'll know after its debut at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals (the latter of where it won the festival's coveted Audience Award), 12 Years a Slave took the pole position in the race for Best Picture, with some more excitable pundits even going so far as to call the race over. Since then, with its impressive opening box office figures, Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity has stolen some of its thunder, but here are some absolute certainties. 12 Years a Slave will receive nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (Steve McQueen), Best Actor (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Best Supporting Actor (Michael Fassbender), Best Supporting Actress (Lupita Nyong'o), Best Adapted Screenplay (John Ridley), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design. It's very possible the film will receive nominations for Best Score, Best Makeup and Hair Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and possibly even a second Best Supporting Actress nomination for Sarah Paulson. The real question for 12 Years a Slave though is not how many nominations it will get, but how many Oscars can it win?