Keepin' It Reel: November 2013

Oscar Watch

It's that time of year folks! Now that the war of the small screen has settled, viewers turn to the big screen every October and November as the Oscar race begins. Distributors always release their indie darling hopefuls with the biggest all-star casts at the end of the year to keep their potential nominees fresh for the eyes of the voters. Awards Season isn't just about Oscar either, it's a giant 4 month ordeal that includes awards ceremonies for all the guilds, special city awards, Independent Spirit Awards, British guilds weighing in, the Golden Globes, and of course... Oscar himself. If you are like most people, come january when Oscar noms go out, you will be sitting their flabber-gasted that you have never heard of any of the films that supposedly came out over the past year of 2013. Keepin' it Reel is here to make sure that this year, you will have all the tools you need to be the saaviest of all voters and so you can be the pretentious friend in your circle that says "what? you haven't heard of that movie, omg it was fantastic, the Coen Brothers did it again..." Over the coming months our reviewers will switch over to coverage of the biggest hopefuls and making sure you are up to date on whose winning the minor races all the way up to the big night on March 2nd. Why should you care about any of these films? Well, in my opinion as the editor of Keepin' it Reel, if you like entertainment... if you love movies... if you are passionate about this craft... why not take a little extra time out of your day to see movies that were truly crafted, not for the money, but for the sheer sake of the story. To see performances that will take your breath away, experience stories that will push the boundaries of your world view, and to marvel at the innovation of new skills of the trade. Oscar season may be pretentious to some, but to me, it's cinema for the love of cinema.

Enjoy.

The 32 Movie Guide to Awards Season

Copy and paste the following 32 feature titles on a sticky note on your lap top and try to see as many of them as possible all the way up to March 2nd. I've collected the best information from four different reputable Oscar watch sources to compile the most complete list of the "must-watch" films of 2013 in the 6 biggest categories. If you find you just have no time at all then make sure to watch 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and Captain Phillips because it look alike these 3 films will be the major players for Best Picture this year.

Front-Runners for:

Best Picture

Best Director

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress