Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards were just announced on Tuesday, which gives movie buffs plenty of time to catch up before the actual awards ceremony on March 4 (which means March 5 for us!). From riveting historical thrillers and biopics to mesmerising coming-of-age films, here are 11 Oscar-nominated movies you absolutely can’t miss in cinemas:
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Leading the way with no less than 13 nominations – including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Actress – is this visually stunning romance fantasy by Guillermo del Toro of Pacific Rim and Hellboy fame. Sally Hawkins plays a mute, lonely cleaning lady in a top secret government lab who discovers a classified experiment held captive in a water tank and her life is forever changed. It’s a cinematic tale about the purity of love and the ugliness of prejudice which you definitely won’t want to miss.
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This crime drama with black comedy undertones has already secured four Golden Globe wins under its belt, and is one of the major contenders for the 2018 Oscars with seven nominations including Best Picture. The story begins with a grieving mother’s bold act of painting controversial messages on three billboards leading into her hometown, directed at the town’s police chief (Woody Harrelson) who have not apprehended any culprits in her daughter’s murder. Frances McDormand’s spitfire performance earned her a Best Actress nom, which Woody and Sam Rockwell (who plays the chief’s racist, violent second-in-command) are both in the running for Best Supporting Actor.
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Also contending for Best Picture (and four other awards) is this affecting coming-of-age film that will make you laugh, weep and everything in between. It details the often tumultous yet deeply loving relationship between an outspoken young woman (played by Best Actress nominee Saoirse Ronan) in her final year of high school, and her equally strong-willed mother played by Best Supporting Actress Laurie Metcalf. Significantly, this female-fronted drama is written and directed by Greta Gerwig, who is the fifth woman in history to be nominated for Best Director. Kathryn Bigelow previously won in 2010 for The Hurt Locker.
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Speaking of coming-of-age movies, this slow-burning romantic drama based on Andre Aciman’s book of the same name captures another facet of a young person’s life – first love. It chronicles the relationship between Elio, a precocious young man played by Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet (who is, coincidentally, also in Lady Bird), and a dashing college student Oliver (Armie Hammer) who comes to stay with his family in beautiful sun-soaked northern Italy. The critically acclaimed movie is also nominated for Best Picture, while American songwriter Sufjan Stevens’s “Mystery Of Love” earned a nom for Best Original Song. You can catch it exclusively at The Projector.
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Is there anything Daniel Day-Lewis can’t do? In his latest Oscar-nominated historical drama (and perhaps his last?) the acclaimed actor plays Reynolds Woodcock, the renowned British dressmaker of the 50s, who meticulously sews and stiches couture dresses for members of London’s high society. His carefully tailored life unravels when he unwittingly falls in love with a young waitress, played by Vicky Krieps. Besides being well acted, it’s a timeless love story wrapped up in the finest cinematic appeal, and offers a sumptuous peek into the life of British fashion royalty.
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Sliding into the Oscar race with four nominations is this mockumentary-style biopic about one of the sporting world’s biggest scandals. Margot Robbie, who has been nominated for Best Actress, puts on her ice skates and transforms into Tonya Harding, the infamous US figure skater who was implicated in the conspiracy and attack on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan in the 1994 Olympic trials. Hilarious at times and deadly serious at others, it’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions that aptly represents Tonya’s life from Olympic talent to disgraced national figure. You also won’t want to miss Allison Janney’s electric performance as Tonya’s ruthless mother, LaVona Fay Golden, for which she earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination.
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Ridley Scott’s latest crime thriller was the object of discussion long before it even came out, as its original lead actor Kevin Spacey was axed from the film after sexual abuse allegations surfaced. Veteran actor Christopher Plummer was quickly cast and all of Kevin’s scenes had to be reshot, which seemed to work as the 90-year-old landed the movie’s sole Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In the movie loosely based on a true story, he plays a billionaire oil tycoon who refuses to pay the ransom when his teenage grandson is kidnapped. His daughter-in-law (Michelle Williams) and advisor (Mark Wahlberg) race against time as they work together to save her son.
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Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks star opposite each other in Steven Spielberg’s masterful political thriller drama about The Washington Post’s first female publisher, Katharine Graham (Streep) and editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks), who risk their freedom and jobs to expose government secrets about the Vietnam War that have been deeply buried for thirty years. It’s a stark reminder about the importance of journalism in bringing to light the truth, and both lead actors put on stellar performances, with Streep securing yet another Best Actress nomination.
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In case you missed its first release in March last year, Cathay Cineplexes have announced that they will be screening this gripping horror-suspense movie again this February. It’s not surprising, seeing that the movie is now a four-time Oscar nominee (including Best Picture and Best Actor). It depicts the harrowing experience of a young black man who goes to stay with his white girlfriend’s family for the weekend, but begins to realise that their overly friendly demeanour masks a terrifying truth.
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It’s been in cinemas since December 2017, but there’s still time to watch its all-star cast including Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and Zendaya defy gravity and perform show-stoppers in this dazzling and inspiring musical that will have you putting the soundtrack on repeat for days to come. Inspired by the life and imagination of famed show business pioneer P. T. Barnum, it’s a movie that celebrates individuality, love and acceptance, and although it wasn’t nominated in any of the major categories, we predict that it will win Best Original Song for “This Is Me”.
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If you love thrilling war dramas, this one’s for you. Gary Oldman gives his performance of a lifetime and is wholly unrecognisable as Winston Churchill, one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. It traces Churchill’s agonising early days as Prime Minister of Great Britain, leading a country on the brink of World War II as his own party plots against him. The movie has earned six nominations including Best Picture, Best Lead Actor and Best Cinematography.
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Text: Elizabeth Liew
Photos: TPGNews