Oscars Preview: 30 Movies to Watch Before the Nominations Come Out!
By Emily Scott
Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) in LA LA LAND. Photo credit: Dale Robinette
The 2017 Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 24! Here are 30 movies you should watch to get prepared for the Oscar season.
Oscar season is fast approaching, which means that you’re officially behind on movie-watching. We always mean to watch all the great movies over the previous year. But then, there’s work and commitments, and life gets in the way. Sometimes you’d rather forego the hard-hitting drama and go see the Ghostbusters remake. And that’s okay!
But when it comes down to the wire, we all would like to see the best films of the year. And this year it’s especially exciting! After several years of #OscarsSoWhite, 2016 has been an amazing year for people of color in film. From the intensity of Moonlight, to the inspiration of Hidden Figures, to the sheer joy of Moana, we have been so happy to see a shift towards telling the stories of people of color.
At the same time, we’ve seen a bunch of outstanding female characters come out of this most recent season. Louise Banks, Mildred Loving, Jackie Kennedy, Rose Maxson, Florence Foster Jenkins and more – it’s been a year of women who think differently, love fiercely, and persevere through the most incredible circumstances. Each one shows us all the amazing things ways women can live, and all the amazing things they can do. The diversity of this year’s Oscar contenders make us happy and hopeful, and we can’t wait to see who will take home the gold!
So here are 30 movies you need to watch before the Oscar nominations come out! You’ll get a brief synopsis, a rundown of all the major creative players – director, writer, actors, etc. –, and a short compilation of what critics think of it so far. Finally, there will be a list of awards the movie could be up for.
So break out your personal predictions list and take a look at what’s playing in your area! And don’t forget to check streaming services – some of these movies are on Netflix already! Then check out the early morning nominations on January 24 to see how you did, and reevaluate for the 2017 Academy Awards on February 26 at 8:30 EST on ABC! Happy Oscar season!