Top Contenders for Best Picture Nominations 2015

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.