Oscars 2019 Best Picture contenders: Which movies are Academy Award nominees?
From Black Panther to Vice.
Awards season is upon us – the Golden Globes has been and gone, and now we have the BAFTA and Oscars nominations to mull over.
Here are the eight movies that are up for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards.
Black Panther
There are endless stories of Hollywood execs insisting that movies have to have white, straight and preferably male leads in order to turn a profit. Marvel's Black Panther stomped all over that cliché, mixing superhero tropes with a thoughtful exploration of race and imperialism that is currently the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time.
It's rumoured that fears over whether Ryan Coogler's movie would make the Best Picture list spurred the move to introduce the new popular film Oscar category, but hopes are still high that it might make the former nevertheless.
BlacKkKlansman
John David Washington and Adam Driver star in Spike Lee's 'based on a true story' movie, and while it's about an African-American cop who infiltrated the KKK in the 1970s, there's a connection to the current state of race relations in the US.
BlacKkKlansman received a standing ovation at Cannes that lasted – depending on who you ask – anywhere between five and eight minutes (whatever the case, it was long). Its best picture nomination is a first for Lee (who was shortlisted for Best Original Screenplay and Best Documentary Feature in the '90s), and a statement from the Academy that they 'get' what's going on.
Bohemian Rhapsody
Initial reviews labeled Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody as a mediocre movie with some standout scenes and a great performance from Mr Robot's Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury.
But a stellar box office performance coupled with not only the Golden Globe for Best Actor (Drama) but also Best Motion Picture (Drama) has led to speculation that it might get more Oscar love than anyone expected.
The Favourite
The Lobster's Yorgos Lanthimos is a comedic take on the rivalry between two cousins to be the favourite of the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne (played by Olivia Colman).
Brilliant performances from Colman and Oscar winners Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz had people sitting up and paying attention from the start. As Lanthimos' most mainstream movie yet, the stylish and sophisticated comedy might not be the 'favourite', but discount it at your peril.
Green Book
Peter Farrelly's take on the friendship between pianist Don Shirley and his driver Tony Vallelonga (Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen) as they journeyed through the Deep South in the 1960s became a surprise crowd pleaser when it won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.
Dogged by controversies – including the family of Shirley calling it a "symphony of lies" – Green Book nevertheless took home Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Musical or Comedy) for Ali, and is considered a strong Oscar contender.
Roma
Alfonso Cuarón received three nominations and two wins for his last feature, 2013's Gravity. He's coming back down to Earth in a big way for his follow-up Roma, the tale of a year in the life of a family in Mexico City in the early '70s (what is it with movies set in the '70s this year?).
Perhaps the clearest sign that Netflix is really becoming a Hollywood power player, the film debuted with a limited run in cinemas before hitting the streaming service. With two Golden Globes and seven BAFTA nominations in the bag, it's looking like an increasingly strong contender for the big Oscar prize.
A Star Is Born
Lady Gaga stars alongside Bradley Cooper in the third remake of the legendary romantic drama – which Cooper is also directing. This version of the story casts Cooper as a hard-drinking country star, and Gaga as the ingénue who threatens to eclipse him.
It's lost a bit of its momentum, but it had a very warm reception, and people love Gaga's ingénue Ally. It hasn't received as much love at awards so far, but can the Academy resist the Hollywood touchstone about how goshdarn hard it is to be a star?
Vice
Adam McKay's biopic (formerly known as 'Backseat') sets the stage for Christian Bale's latest shocking transformation – this time into former US Vice President Dick Cheney.
The movie is a who's who of Oscar winners and nominees, including McKay, Bale, Amy Adams (six nominations and counting), Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell, and McKay's last movie, The Big Short, scored five nominations (and a win) – including a nod to Bale. We didn't love it, but it's got momentum.
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