Review: "The East" is a Bold and Ambitious Yet Distant Political Thriller

Left to right: Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgard

As we enter the summer season, it is time to notice those films that could stand a chance at the Oscars. As I stated in a recent post, there are some that stand a chance (so far, Frances Ha has sadly been axed). The East being one of the more prominent ones, if solely because of its political activism narrative that draws back on former nominees like All the President's Men. However, upon watching the film, it may seem bolder to nominate The East simply because it isn't a typical political thriller. It has a lot of bizarre things going on at its core.

A Look at Summer Films with Academy Award Potential

Still from Much Ado About Nothing

With the summer movie season heating up, there is a good chance that The Oscar Buzz may hit a dry spell. True, I once stated that June was the turning point for cinema. It would be that moment in which films suddenly stood a modicum of a chance to burst out onto the scene and get some Oscar attention. While The Great Gatsby showed us some hope, few films seem worthy of an entire entry around the speculation. Films like Star Trek Into Darkness and this week's Fast & Furious 6 at best are Best Sound Editing and Best Special Effects contenders. Still, over the summer months, I have decided to take a look at films that may have potential to break the mold and may be the buzz when nominations are announced next January. Maybe not all of these will be Best Picture material, but if they're even close, we're in for a very interesting ceremony.