TV & Film
It’s only November, but Oscar season is already fully underway. Most of the relevant movies have already screened on the festival circuit, and with the big three festivals in Toronto, Venice, and Telluride already over with, awards predictors have already begun taking guesses at which films are poised to take home a statuette or three. Even with the Academy Awards still several months away, some films have already shown themselves to be a cut above the rest, and a few yet-to-be-released features have given movie fans reasons to project them as Oscar contenders.
To help you readers navigate the messy, murky world of Oscar season, we’ve compiled a list of eleven must-see films if you want to keep up with the awards talk.
A bit of a clarification here: This compilation isn’t meant to be a “Best Films of 2015” list. Films like Mad Max: Fury Road and Inside Out (both of we which we here at Vantage enjoyed very much) weren’t snubbed; they’re just not poised to win any of the big awards, because the Academy is notoriously averse to science-fiction and animated features, among others. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be focusing on films that appeal to the Academy’s tastes, while still being solid in their own right.
Beasts of No Nation (Dir. Cary Fukunaga)
In a field stocked with heavyweights, Cary Fukunaga—best known for executive producing that one True Detective season we all loved—throws his hat into the ring with Beasts of No Nation, which has gotten rave reviews everywhere it’s been screened. Chronicling the story of a young boy forced to join a band of mercenaries in a war-torn African country, the film features strong performances all around, but especially from Idris Elba, whose portrayal of a despotic African tyrant has put him in the early lead for Best Supporting Actor.
Bridge of Spies (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks. That’s everything you need to know right there, but on top of that, it’s also co-written by the Coen brothers and based on the U-2 Incident—the shooting down of a United States (US) U-2 spy plane from Soviet airspace during the Cold War. The Spielberg-Hanks tandem has been responsible for some great cinema (such as Saving Private Ryan and The Terminal), and the director has always handled period pieces with emotional sensitivity and a keen eye for drama. This is the kind of movie the Academy loves, and Bridge of Spies figures to be another Spielberg-helmed example of Oscar-bait done beautifully right.
Brooklyn (Dir. John Crowley)
Saoirse Ronan is one of the most charming actresses of her young generation, but in Brooklyn, she also shows herself to be one of the most versatile. Playing the part of an Irish girl who immigrates to America to find better fortunes, Ronan navigates the treacherous emotional waters that come with being a young immigrant alone in a foreign land with mature restraint and incredible nuance, and her layered performance gives the film a strong emotional center. In a stacked Best Actress field, Ronan’s turn stands out for its complexity and unflinching authenticity.
Carol (Dir. Todd Haynes)
Let me introduce what may be the most acclaimed movie of 2015. Receiving a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival (arguably the most prestigious in the world), Carol seems destined for an Academy Award windfall. Following the illicit romance of a middle-aged socialite (Cate Blanchett) and a young store clerk (Rooney Mara), the film is a showcase for its two incandescent leads, as well as for Todd Haynes’s ‘50s-inspired direction and cinematography. While Mara ended up taking home the Best Actress prize at Cannes, it will be Blanchett, only two years removed from her Oscar win for Blue Jasmine, who will be up for the award come March. Both her and Mara, who will be in the Supporting Actress race, are heavy favorites, and for good reason.
The Danish Girl (Dir. Tom Hooper)
Depicting the story of Lili Elbe, one of the first people in history to receive gender reassignment surgery, The Danish Girl is Oscar bait at its finest. The Academy loves gender issues and historical biopics, and Tom Hooper’s direction style has nabbed him an Academy Award before for The King’s Speech. Throw in 2014 Best Actor winner Eddie Redmayne in the titular role—as well as Alicia Vikander, this year’s breakout movie darling, as his artist wife—and you’ve got a film that’s sure to contend come awards season.
The Hateful Eight (Dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Three years removed from his acclaimed Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino returns to the Western with The Hateful Eight, albeit with a different flavor. Instead of a revenge romp across a lush, antebellum America, most of this movie seems to be set in a desolate winter, with characters less concerned with vengeance than with their own survival. Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Tarantino regulars Michael Madsen, Samuel Jackson, and Tim Roth, as well as indie stalwarts like Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh, the film seems quintessentially Quentin, and, as all awards prognosticators know, that can’t be anything but a good thing.
Joy (Dir. David O. Russell)
The third installment in the unofficial David O. Russell-Jennifer Lawrence film series, Joy puts J-Law’s Academy Award-winning talents front and center, crafting a sprawling, character-filled narrative around her titular inventor and business magnate. While the film hasn’t been released yet, the trailer already gives the world a glimpse of the layers Lawrence injects into all of her roles. Perhaps the most talented young actress working today, Lawrence seems to be poised for another Best Actress nomination, and if things break right, she might even find herself taking home another trophy come March.
The Revenant (Dir. Alejandro G. Iñarrítu)
After directing last year’s Best Picture winner (Birdman), Alejandro Iñarrítu follows it up with The Revenant, an immaculate-looking feature about a betrayed fur trapper (Leonardo DiCaprio) hunting down the men who killed his son. Set in the gorgeous wintry fields of the 19th-century Dakota territory, the film is a visual feast, and most of the credit goes to cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who has taken home the Best Cinematography prize two years running with Birdman in 2014 and Gravity in 2013. While Iñarrítu and the famously Oscar-less DiCaprio don’t figure to take home any statuettes for themselves, Lubezki has a great chance at his third straight award, which would make him the first Director of Photography (DoP) to accomplish such a three-peat. From the trailer alone, he seems pretty deserving.
Room (Dir. Lenny Abrahamson)
As an ardent member of the Brie Larson Fan Club, I’m personally very excited for this one. An adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s popular novel of the same name, Room follows a mother (Larson) and her son (Jacob Tremblay, who is equally revelatory), as they are held captive for seven years by a local lunatic, escape, and struggle with re-entering the outside world. While the actress has been on critics’ radars since her 2013 tour de force on Short Term 12, her performance in Room, which drew rave reviews in both the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, has placed her firmly in the thick of the Best Actress conversation. It’s a good year to be a Brie Larson fan.
Spotlight (Dir. Tom McCarthy)
In its 87-year history, the Academy has never awarded the big prize to a newsroom drama, despite several worthy candidates—All the President’s Men, Broadcast News, and Zodiac, to name three—having come along over the past nine decades. This might very well soon change, with Spotlight emerging as the early favorite to take home the crown. Based on the real-life Pulitzer-winning titular Boston Globe staff that broke the Massachusetts Catholic sex abuse scandal, the film has found a rapturous reception everywhere from Venice to Telluride to Toronto. Boasting a loaded ensemble cast that includes Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, and Mark Ruffalo, the film is a feast of wonderful performances, all set to a frenetic, obsessive storytelling pace. A lot can change over a few months, but right now, there isn’t a safer bet for Best Picture.
Steve Jobs (Dir. Danny Boyle)
While Hollywood’s first stab at a Steve Jobs biopic didn’t go over very well, Steve Jobs gets at the heart of what made the Apple CEO such an engaging figure: His abrasive brilliance. Written by Aaron Sorkin—who’s won an Oscar for a film about a difficult genius before with The Social Network—and featuring supporting turns from acclaimed thespians like Kate Winslet and Jeff Daniels, the film is nonetheless very much Michael Fassbender’s show. Perhaps the best under-40 actor working today, Fassbender seems poised to capture his first Academy Award for this engrossing, decades-long portrayal of one of the greatest, most complicated minds in modern history.
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