15 Actors Deserving of Oscars Attention (But Probably Won't Get It)

Unlike the Best Actress field, which is pretty damned boring and uninspiring this year, the Best Actor race is not only tight, but a healthy mix of veterans and those making their first real push for gold. We can probably count on Tom Hanks sailing in for Captain Phillips, along with Robert Redford for All is Lost, assuming his momentum holds up. Chiwetel Ejiofor seems like a lock for 12 Years a Slave, while Matthew McConaughey and Bruce Dern have the inside track for the final two spots. What do they have to worry about? Leonardo DiCaprio may slip in now that everybody has finally seen what he does in The Wolf of Wall Street, and maybe Christian Bale and his hairpiece can get in for American Hustle.

As usual, though, there are a ton of actors who are on the outside looking in with no shot at anything, whether it's as Best Actor or in the Best Supporting field. And this year it was especially tough just trying to limit my choices to fifteen. So I had to be especially strict not to include anybody who is even remotely in the awards discussion, which unfortunately meant keeping out James Franco for Spring Breakers. Believe it or not he and his gold grills and cornrows have been getting a little bit of a push, so he's off the list. But is anybody talking about Isaiah Washington for his magnetic, deeply troubling performance as John Allen Muhammad in Blue Caprice? Gael Garcia Bernal was the face an entire movement in the Chilean political drama, No, but lack of awareness and the early release date have left him forgotten. Miles Teller and Ben Foster turned up the heat in The Spectacular Now and Ain't Them Bodies Saints respectively, while Simon Pegg has never been forced to act with more nuance than he does in The World's End. Sam Rockwell quietly had one of the best years of his career with A Single Shot and The Way Way Back, two movies that couldn't be more different, while nobody was more charismatic than Riz Ahmed The Reluctant Fundamentalist.  Dwayne Johnson went dramatic in Snitch but it was his coke and 'roided up performance in Pain & Gain that was the real showstopper, and it's sort of sad that Joaquin Phoenix is being passed over for Spike Jonze's Her. Nobody else spent more time alone on screen while carrying the emotional and physical burden of a romantic couple.

So here we go. Feel free to leave a comment or email me with your thoughts, criticisms, second opinions, whatever. And be sure to check out all of our end of the year coverage here. 

Skylan Brooks- The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete



 Dwayne Johnson: Pain & Gain



Simon Pegg- The World's End



Jake Gyllenhaal- Prisoners



Sam Rockwell- A Single Shot & The Way Way Back



Dennis Quiad- At Any Price




John Gallagher Jr.- Short Term 12



Ali Mosaffa- The Past



Ben Foster- Ain't Them Bodies Saints



Mads Mikkelsen- The Hunt



Riz Ahmed- The Reluctant Fundamentalist



Miles Teller- The Spectacular Now



Gael Garcia Bernal- No



Isaiah Washington-Blue Caprice



Joaquin Phoenix- Her

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Review: 'At Any Price' starring Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron

How much does the American Dream cost? What is one willing to give up in order to achieve it? The answer is pretty much right there in the title of acclaimed director Ramin Bahrani's At Any Price, a brilliant morality tale that further establishes him as one of today's finest filmmakers.  Bahrani's first three films, Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, and 2008's Goodbye Solo, told uniquely American stories through the lens of the immigrant experience. But here he turns his insightful eye on the small-town Midwest, where family legacy is of paramount importance, and success is measured by hard work and desire.

What happens when the next generation has no intention of following in prior's footsteps? What happens when the pervasive influence of big business and steeper competition begins to encroach on one's ability to survive? In the heartland of Iowa, Henry Whipple (Dennis Quaid) is a reasonably successful farmer, tending land that has been in his family for generations. It's his dream to be the top grower in the entire state, but he's constantly chasing after the top guy (Clancy Brown), who always seems to have the upper hand. After splurging on an extra 200 acres, Henry hopes to pass it off on his sons to tend as their own, but his oldest son Grant has skipped town for parts unknown, and his other son Dean (Zac Efron) has a dream of racing in NASCAR.

Henry wishes Dean were more like him, while Dean isn't as different from Henry as he thinks. They butt heads over everything, and Henry isn't exactly the most attentive listener. He's a salesman through and through, someone who puts on a false smile and is always looking for a way to close a deal. Taught by his father "When a man stops wanting, a man starts dying", Henry cheats on his wife (Kim Dickey) with the sexy Meredith (Heather Graham), and schemes to cheat the giant agribusinesses by reusing his genetically modified seeds. Dean enjoys his life as a big fish in a small pond, hanging out with his girlfriend Cadence (Maika Monroe) and racing the dirt tracks in hopes of winning a contract.

It's a simple story of family melodrama told in the classic, intimate style of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, or better yet, All My Sons. Bahrani has always been good at making the location an integral character in the story, unearthing the many truths and myths of the local culture. He explores, in much better fashion than Matt Damon's Promised Land, the soft underbelly of our farmer class. Swallowed up and twisted by the expanse of industry, what had been a respectable, fundamentally American building block is now just a cold business like any other. You either evolve or die. Destroy the farmer next to you, or be destroyed by him. Their dreams can never be allowed to stand side-by-side with yours. This obsessive need for competition is an integral piece of the intricate puzzle Bahrani weaves, and we see it play out between father and son in many different ways.

Dennis Quaid rarely disappoints, but he gives the performance of his already-great career. The charm we've come to know and love from him is there, but corrupted and phony. He's perfect in every single frame, and the film is made instantly better whenever he's on screen. Contrary to popular belief, Zac Efron can act when given the opportunity, and he does good work here when Dean is enjoying his time as a local celebrity. Efron doesn't do brooding malcontent quite as well when called upon, though. The real find may be Maika Monroe as Cadence. She's had a few small roles here and there, and will appear opposite Emma Watson in The Bling Ring, but her time on screen, whether its with Quaid or Efron, are simply electric. Cadence is a girl many would presume has no future beyond the town's city limits, but she's smarter and more ambitious than is readily apparent.

Bahrani can get a little heavy-handed with the metaphors, and sometimes the melodrama steers into All My Children territory. A final act twist changes the complexion of the entire film in a bad way, piling on one final hurdle that is about ten shades too dark. Bahrani doesn't ask any easy questions, and certainly doesn't offer up any easy answers. Tough, engaging, and brutally honest, At Any Price is one of those quiet gems you hope others will have the opportunity to discover for themselves.

Trav's Tip: Be sure to check out my interview with Ramin Bahrani where he talks about his inspirations for At Any Price, how it relates to his earlier work, and his love of Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master.

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Will Forte and Tim Robbins join 'Jackie Brown' prequel, 'The Switch'

All of the talk surrounding Quentin Tarantino right now can only be a good thing for the producers of The Switch, even though the director has nothing to do with it. However, it is based on the Elmore Leonardo novel which served as a prequel to Rum Punch, which Tarantino adapted into Jackie Brown. Got all that? We haven't heard anything about it in a couple of months, but now a major change in the cast shows that it's still progressing along quite nicely.

Tim Robbins and Will Forte are replacing Ty Burrell and Dennis Quaid in the film, which already boasts the talents of Jennifer Aniston, John Hawkes, Yasiin Bey(aka Mos Def), and Isla Fisher. The film takes place fifteen years before Jackie Brown, following prison buddies Ordell(Bey) and Louis(Hawkes)as they scheme to kidnap the wife(Aniston) of a wealthy real estate developer, only to get more than they bargained for in the process. Robbins will play the rich guy, while Forte is a witness to the kidnapping. In case you forgot, Ordell and Louis were played in Jackie Brown by Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro.

Written and directed by Dan Schechter, The Switch is set to begin filming next month. [Variety]

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Zac Efron to star in 'Are We Officially Dating?"; new clip from 'At Any Price'

He may have failed miserably with the saccharine Nicholas Sparks romance, The Lucky One, but that hasn't slowed down Zac Efron in the least. Actually, he's done a better job than most not letting himself get pigeonholed by taking on a healthy mix of fluff that keeps his fans happy, while also dabbling in films that will play large on the festival circuit. Today we're getting a look at both sides of the coin as the actor joins a rather bland sounding romantic comedy, plus we've got a clip from At Any Price, the film he just completed with Goodbye Solo director Ramin Bahrani.

First off, Deadline reports that Efron will star in the terribly-titled romantic comedy, Are We Officially Dating?  Tom Gormican will direct based on his own Black List approved script, and the story follows three friends in New York City who find love just after making a pact to remain single. Uggghhhhh. Production begins next month in Manhattan.

Lee Daniels' The Paperboy isn't the only film Efron's got working its way through the festival circuit right now, but it is the only one where he gets a golden shower from Nicole Kidman.  The other, less urine-centric film is At Any Price, the latest from Ramin Bahrani, who gave us the excellent dramas Chop Shop and Goodbye Solo. So far the word from out of Venice has been glowing, with much of the high praise lavished on Efron and Dennis Quaid, who share the screen as father and son whose lives are at a cross purposes. Quaid wants Efron's character to take over the family farm, which is currently in dire straits due to an investigation by the government. But those plans run counter to Efron's dream of being a NASCAR racer. The newly released clip gives us a taste of the simmering tension between the two. Looks pretty good to me.

At Any Price doesn't have a release date, but that will likely change soon. Check out the clip below....

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Jennifer Aniston and Dennis Quaid join 'Jackie Brown' prequel, 'Switch'

Yeah, you read that right. Jennifer Aniston is starring in Switch, but this one has nothing to do with her surprisingly tolerable 2010 comedy that dealt with Jason Bateman's misplaced sperm. No, this is the Dan Schecter directed adaptation of the Elmore Leonard crime novel, The Switch, which also turned out to be a prequel to Rum Punch. That book was adapted by Quentin Tarantino into the movie we know as Jackie Brown. Confused? It's not that difficult, really.

The roles of longtime prison buddies Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara, previously played by Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro, will now be tackled by Mos Def and John Hawkes. The story shows how the two met behind bars, then came up with a get rich quick scheme once released from the joint. The plan involves kidnapping Mickey Dawson(Aniston), the wife of a rich but dirty real estate magnate(Quaid). However when he refuses to pay the ransom in hopes they'll just kill her, the two criminals team up with the wife to take all of her husband's money. Yep, this is an Elmore Leonard story alright.

I like some of the choices Aniston has been making lately, and she seems to be more willing to take chances and do more with the persona crafted for herself. Horrible Bosses was a step in the right direction, and now so is this. Deadline notes that the deals aren't done yet, but should be wrapped up shortly.

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