October 2014 should go down as one of the best months in cinema history. On the one hand, the box office has been on fire, surpassing its monthly record. As for the quality of these titles, though, it is hard to think of another 31-day period that saw so many exceptional releases.
The phenomenal lineup of films this autumn also reminds us of the upcoming awards season. Due to the extensive number of titles receiving critical acclaim, it is inevitable that there should be a big pile-up of movies and performances as soon as the major awards ceremonies start releasing their “for your consideration” campaigns. Since the National Board of Review is only a few weeks away from kicking off the awards race, We Got This Covered is taking a look at some of the major contenders that will be going for gold at the Oscars on February 22, 2015.
Last year, the Best Picture race went right down to the wire, with sci-fi odyssey Gravity and the gripping true story 12 Years a Slave both earning a plethora of awards, although it was the latter that took home the top honor. Both of those films started their theatrical runs in October. However, the former’s box office success and critical acclaim, matched with the latter’s historical scope and festival awards, were easy Best Picture bets at this point in 2013.
To pick the films that could get a lot of Academy attention is not easy, as there are just so many possible contenders. Plus, without screenings of A Most Violent Year, The Gambler, Unbroken, Into the Woods and other late-year titles, it is hard to forecast how audiences, critics and, ultimately, Academy members will react to them.
For now though, here are some early Oscar predictions that we’re feeling pretty confident about…