Top Contenders for Best
Picture Nominations 2015
The
Revenant
Writer/director Alejandro González
Iñárritu of “Birdman” tells the story of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), a fur
trapper who's left for dead after being mauled by a bear in the mid-1800s. Will Leo finally gets his Oscar statue.
Brooklyn
During the 1950s, a young woman, Eilis
Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) moves from a small town in Ireland to Brooklyn, where she
has the opportunity for work, for a future and for love, in the form of
Italian-American Tony (Emory Cohen).
Carol
Female Brokeback Mountain on the
surface. Blanchett plays a woman in the midst of divorce who becomes the object
of a young store clerk's (Rooney Mara) affections in 1950s New York City.
Midnight
Special
Michael Shannon plays a father on the
run with his son after they learn the boy has special powers. Will Shannon finally
get his Oscar statue as well?
Silence
Martin Scorsese's new adaptation of
Shusaku Endo's novel where actor Andrew Garfield plays a Jesuit missionary sent
to find his mentor (Liam Neeson) who's accused of apostasy. Set in 17th century
Japan, a bad place for Christians, the story is powerfully violent.
Joy
The Silver Linings Playbook and American
Hustle team of David O. Russell, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper will
return late in the unlikely true story of Long Island housewife Joy Mangano
(Lawrence) who invented the miracle mop and holds dozens of patents today.
The
Light Between Oceans
Based on the acclaimed 2012 novel of the
same name by M.L. Stedman. It's the story of a post-World War II couple living
in a lighthouse who find a baby girl washed ashore in a boat. Will Michael
Fassbender get an Oscar? Also starring
Rachel Weisz and Alicia Vikander as the adopted daughter.
Queen
of the Desert
The
true story of British Renaissance woman Gertrude Bell (Nicole Kidman), who
helped define Arab political borders after the British invasion of Mesopotamia
and the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
The
Sea of Trees
The story takes place in Japan's in the
locally known "Suicide Forest" where an American (Matthew McConaughey)
and a Japanese man (Ken Watanabe) meet with the same goal in mind. Their random
encounter changes things for the men and leads to a struggle of another kind:
survival.
St.
James Place (a working title)
A cold war thriller from director Steven
Spielberg and written by the Coen brothers. A true story starring Tom
Hanks as U.S. lawyer James Donovan who oversees the negotiations to release
Francis Gary Powers, a pilot whose plane was shot down in the Soviet Union
Strong Contenders
The
Hateful Eight
Quentin Tarrentino delivers a 16th century western tale of 8 bounty hunters stranded in a Wyoming snow blizzard that leads to a plot of betrayal under one roof.
Grandma
Starring Lily Tomlin, a young a 35 year
old video game tester has to move in with her grandma that results in both women to come to terms with parts of their past and their future.
Truth
Robert Redford plays former CBS anchor
Dan Rather and Cate Blanchett will portray producer Mary Mapes centering on
Rather’s 2004 report on 60 Minutes a series of memos critical of President
George W. Bush’s Texas Air National Guard service.
Ricki
and the Flash
An aging woman, Ricki (Meryl Streep) chases
her dreams of becoming a famous rock star by abandoning her family. She gets a
last chance to put things right when her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) asks her
to visit Chicago and help their estranged, divorced-daughter Julie through a
difficult time.
MacBeth
Michael Fassbender and MarioN Cotillard
take on the lead roles in this modern Shakespeare adaptation of Scottish
soldier (Macbeth) and his friend (Banquo) are met by three strange witches
bearing prophetic greetings.
Possible Contenders
The
End of the Tour – John Cusack
plays magazine reporter recounts his travels and conversations with author
David Foster Wallace during a promotional book tour.
The
Walk - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
plays French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's crossing of Twin Towers of the
World Trade Center in 1974.
The
Martian – Matt Damon
plays Astronaut Mark Watney who is presumed dead on Mars after a fierce storm
and is left behind by his crew.
Knight
of Cups – Christian
Bale plays a screenwriter in LA who tries to make sense of the strange events
occurring around him.
Genius – Colin Firth plays Max Perkins's time
as the book editor at Scribner, where he oversaw great works.
A
Hologram for the King –
Tom Hanks plays a failed American businessman who looks to recoup his losses by
traveling to Saudi Arabia to sell his idea to a wealthy monarch.
Suite
Fançaise – Margot Robbie
plays a woman during the early years of German occupation of France where romance
blooms between her and a German solider named Bruno von Falk.
In
the Heart of the Sea – Ron
Howard Directs Chris Hemsworth remake – reimagining of Moby Dick.
Me
& Earl & the Dying Girl
- Jon Bernthal plays a teenage filmmaker befriends a classmate with cancer.
Slow
West – Michael Fassbender
plays in the story of a 16-year-old boy on a journey across 19th Century
frontier America in search of the woman he loves, while accompanied by mysterious
older traveler named Silas.
Trumbo - Bryan Cranston plays Hollywood
screenwriter Dalton Trumbo who career comes to an end when he's blacklisted in
the 1940s for being a Communist.
Demolition – Jake Gyllenhaal – Naomi Watts in the
story of an investment banker struggles to understand his emotional disconnect
after the tragic death of his wife who is rescued from his loss by a woman he
meets in a chance encounter.
Icon
– Lee Pace plays an
Irish journalist who becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong's performances
during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances.
Suffragette – Helena Bonham Carter – Meryl Streep
in the story of the underground foot soldiers of the early feminist movement.
The
Danish Girl – Eddie Redmayne
plays true story of Danish artists Einar Wegener and his wife Gerda and their
tender portrait of their marriage with the question of what do you do when someone you love wants to
change?
Life – Robert Pattinson plays a photographer
for Life Magazine who is assigned to shoot pictures of James Dean.
