8. Rush
Grade: BMy Take: Rush is a throwback to the type of bread-and-butter action/drama hybrid that Ron Howard built his directorial reputation on back during the 1990's. Films such as Backdraft, Apollo 13, and Ransom proved Howard an adept director of movies made for the masses with just enough artistry behind them to earn some legitimate kudos from critics and cinephiles (a master of the middlebrow if you would). Howard then moved on to more self-consciously weighty material in the 2000's with films like A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, and Frost/Nixon to good-to-mixed results depending on who you ask, but he returns to form with Rush. The film's appropriately up-tempo pacing, its limited but effective use of race scenes, and two strong performances from Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl are all strengths of the film that show some adroit direction. Unfortunately, the genre's clichéd tropes are not totally avoided, which when combined with the film's slightly de-saturated digital look, lend Rush a slightly schlocky feeling. Nevertheless, Rush is a solid picture, the type of solid movie that has almost gone out of existence in this bifurcated era of film production.
Oscar Prospects: The film had a lot of pre-screening buzz going into the festival circuit, particularly since Rush appears to be Universal's only real potential awards season player, but despite receiving generally positive notices out of Toronto and Telluride, the film has since fizzled into background white noise. To be a serious contender, the film needed some resounding support from the public, which in the United States, it did not get. This was most unfortunate for its Oscar hopes, particularly since two of its awards season competitors, Prisoners and Gravity, debuted to surprisingly successful numbers both preceding and proceeding Rush's debut. With Captain Philips and 12 Years a Slave on deck, and possibly bigger premieres in the waiting, its easy to see how Rush will become but a distant memory. However, not all hope is lost, as I will expect Rush to (rightfully) show up in the sound categories. There are also many who are championing Daniel Bruhl's strong performance, so depending on how the critics and public receive some of his contenders performances that have yet to be seen, Bruhl's name may get Rush some more high-profile Oscar attention come nomination morning.