11. Joe
Grade: B-My Take: Director David Gordon Green has been (in)famous for being a tonally schizophrenic director. Bursting onto the scene with gritty, Southern realist fare (George Washington, All the Pretty Girls, and Undertow) that received much praise from the critics community, the director did a surprise 180 when he released the mainstream stoner comedy Pineapple Express. After following this with two more broad comedies that were considerably less successful, Green went back to his roots with Joe, a dark, bleak Southern realist tale about a blue-collar business man (Nicolas Cage) who tries to help a kid with a drunk vagrant for a father. The film wallows in the brutality and unforgiving nature of the lifestyle of the Southern Poor, exaggerating their negative aspects a bit too much, to the point where some of the characters are basically subhuman. It's interesting enough to keep your attention, and a few nice humorous moments break up the monotony, but Joe still spends far too much time belaboring the same point.
Oscar Prospects: Not eligible. The film's theatrical release in the United States is being handled by Roadside Attractions, who plan on making an indie spring release in 2014, which means it won't be eligible for any Oscar appreciation until the 2015 ceremonies. Even if the film had been eligible this year though, Joe wouldn't be appearing in any Academy Awards categories, and unless 2014 happens to be a highly unusual year for cinema (which it won't), Joe won't be an awards season player next year either.