Time to grab the popcorn because this year’s 86th Academy Awards nominated movies are both exciting and can satisfy many different moviegoers. American Hustle, 12 Years a Slave and Gravity are the leading nominees with 9 to 10 nominations each.
These movies range from subjects of slavery in the 1800s and con artists to astronauts in space. All of the movies have well-known, award winning actors and actresses along with newcomers that are up for best actor or supporting actor. Many of the movies are based on true stories of Wall Street stockbrokers, con artists, slaves, scientists and captains of ships. Here are the top six must-see movies that should be at the top of your list this week.
American Hustle is an unpredictable drama about con artists in 1980 that help an FBI agent catch the world’s greatest con man. With a star-studded cast of Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams and more, it is definitely one of the top Oscar movies to watch. This must-see movie is for those who like surprises. It is a true story about the investigation into the political conflict of wealthy investors paying off public officials. The New York Times says, “American Hustle giddily embraces the excesses of its era, from spandex to ’staches, though it’s a farce that speaks as well to this tarnished age.”
The next film that should be on your calendars to see before March 2, is 12 Years a Slave. It is set in 1841 and is about a New York born African American man who is free but later kidnapped in Washington D.C. before being sold into slavery. Chiwetel Ejofor, Michael Fassbender have fantastic performances, which show the extreme realities of the slavery era and the story of Solomon Northrop.
If you like space dramas, then director and screenwriter Alfonso Cuaron’s, Gravity, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, should definitely be at the top of your list. The Guardian exclaims, “This is a glorious imaginary creation that engulfs you utterly, helped by superlative visual effects design from Tim Webber, cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki and production design by Andy Nicholson.” This drama is about an engineer, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), and an astronaut (George Clooney), who pursue a shuttle mission in space that goes horribly wrong, leaving them floating into blackness.
The next couple of movies with up to five nominations, including Best Picture, and take fourth, fifth and sixth place in the must-sees, are Dallas Buyers Club, Wolf of Wall Street, and Captain Phillips.
Get ready to see Matthew McConaughey take on the role of Ron Woodroof, a Texan rodeo cowboy and party animal who gets diagnosed as HIV-positive in Dallas Buyers Club. McConaughey’s character heads to Mexico to find alternative illegal drugs and treatments that will help him beat his now 30-day life expectancy. McConaughey lost 50 pounds for this role and gave a great performance that expresses the feeling of courage and victories in his character’s treatment for AIDs.
If you are in the mood for sex, drugs and Wall Street, The Wolf of Wall Street is the movie for you. The Wolf of Wall Street is a true story about a man named Jordan Belford who starts his own brokerage firm called Stratton Oakmont, which makes millions of dollars with investors on Wall Street. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character enjoys the money with parties on yachts with women and drugs.
Captain Phillips is the last must-see on the list. It is an action and adventure film about Richard Phillips, a cargo ship captain who surrenders himself to Somalian pirates in order to free his crew. Rolling Stone Magazine praises Tom Hanks performance, saying “Hanks, who has been tremendous throughout, hits a new career peak when the captain succumbs to post-traumatic stress. This is acting of the highest order in a movie that raises the bar on what a true-life action thriller can do.” If you are up for dangerous adventure, this is a movie for you.
The Oscar movie list does not end here; there are many other movies with many nominations that are praised by the critics, including Her, Philomena, Nebraska, Saving Mr. Banks, Blue Jasimine, Frozen and many others. These top six movies and other nominees will definitely get you prepared for the Oscars on March 2!
