16 Oscar-Worthy Movies to See Before the 2019 Academy Awards
Nov 16, 2018
2018 saw the release of so many good movies that you'd be forgiven for having barely put a dent in the year's theatrical offerings. But now that awards season is approaching, it's crunch time, and we've put together a cheat sheet of some of the films likely to show up for the film industry year's grand finale, the 2019 Oscars. Check out 18 of the most likely contenders that you should make sure to see before the trophies are given out. (Photos via Daniel McFadden/Universal Pictures + Tatum Mangus/Annapurna Pictures + Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures + David Lee/Focus Features)
A Star Is Born (October 5): The Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper-starring film was getting Oscar buzz before it was even released, and since its premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, the hype has reached a fever pitch (with box office results to match). So far it's favored for Best Picture, Best Actress (Lady Gaga), Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), and potentially Best Director (Cooper) nods. (Photo via Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures)
First Man (October 12): After nabbing the Best Director Oscar in 2016 for La La Land, Damien Chazelle could see a repeat with his follow-up, a drama about Neil Armstrong and America's involvement in the space race in the '60s. Star Ryan Gosling is also likely to get a Best Actor nom, and it's probable we'll see it in the Best Picture category, too. (Photo via Daniel McFadden/Universal Pictures)
If Beale Street Could Talk (November 30): Barry Jenkins' directorial follow-up to Best Picture winner Moonlight follows an African-American woman trying to clear the name of her wrongly convicted husband before the birth of their child. It's a likely Best Picture contender for 2019, meaning a very probable rematch between Jenkins and First Man director Chazelle following the unforgettable La La Land/Moonlight mixup in 2016. Regina King is also favored for a Best Supporting Actress nomination. (Photo via Tatum Mangus/Annapurna Pictures)
Black Panther (February 16): Despite the quick postponement of the new Popular Film Oscar category that was expected to favor blockbusters like Black Panther in 2019, the Ryan Coogler-directed epic made major waves and is still a hopeful shoo-in for some major hardware. A Best Picture nod would be well-deserved, as would nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Michael B. Jordan and Best Director for Ryan Coogler. (Photo via Matt Kennedy/Marvel Studios)
Beautiful Boy (October 12): Oscar buzz surrounded both Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet early on for this drama about a father and son struggling through the son's drug addiction. While reviews out of festival season cooled the hype a little, there's still a good chance that the costars will be included in the Best Actor and Supporting Actor categories, respectively. (Photo via Francois Duhamel/Amazon Studios)
The Favourite (November 23): Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz topline this period drama about Queen Anne's reign in the early 18th century. It sounds like classic Oscar fare, and while the stars will likely find representation in the Best Actress and Supporting Actress categories, a Best Picture nomination isn't out of the question either. (Photo via Yorgos Lanthimos/Twentieth Century Fox)
Widows (November 16): Director Steve McQueen's heist drama seems likely to earn star Viola Davis another Best Actress nomination for her role as the unlikely ringleader of a group of robbers. (Photo via Merrick Morton/Twentieth Century Fox)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor (June 8): If the biographical documentary on the late Mister Rogers' Neighborhood icon Fred Rogers doesn't win Best Documentary Feature, it should at least win the Biggest Tearjerker Oscar. That's totally an Oscar, right? (Photo via Lynn Johnson/Focus Features)
On the Basis of Sex (December 25): This Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic will just barely make the eligibility cutoff date, but we wouldn't be surprised to see it in a few categories next year. While Best Actress competition is always stiff, star Felicity Jones could wind up with her second leading role nomination following 2015's nod for The Theory of Everything. (Photo via Jonathan Wenk/Focus Features)
Vice (December 25): Oscar veteran Christian Bale is a probable Best Actor nominee for his transformation into Dick Cheney, and the Adam McKay-directed feature could also end up in the Best Picture category. (Photo via Matt Kennedy/Annapurna Pictures)
BlacKkKlansman (August 10): Spike Lee's based-on-a-true-story feature about a Black police officer infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan seems like a sure bet for the Best Picture category. (Photo via David Lee/Focus Features)
Boy Erased (November 2): Nicole Kidman is likely to follow her 2017 Best Supporting Actress nomination for Lion with another in the same category for Boy Erased, a timely and traumatic story of a boy forced into gay conversion therapy by his religious parents. (Photo via Focus Features)
The Hate U Give (October 5): Amandla Stenberg's powerful performance as 16-year-old Starr Carter, whose life is changed when her unarmed best friend is fatally shot by a police officer, could earn her a Best Actress nomination. The YA-novel adapted film, which tackles timely issues of racial inequality, has also earned some Best Picture buzz. (Photo via Erika Doss/Twentieth Century Fox)
Incredibles 2 (June 15): After a 14-year wait for the beloved Pixar film's sequel, it's probable that Incredibles 2 will, at the very least, score a Best Animated Feature nomination, if not the win. (Photo via Disney-Pixar)
Mary Queen of Scots (December 7): Stars Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie were both nominated in the Best Actress category at the 2018 Oscars (for Lady Bird and I, Tonya, respectively), and could make it two years in a row for their turns in the historical drama. (Photo via Liam Daniel/Focus Features)
A Quiet Place (April 6): Horror films aren't traditional Oscar fare, but the unconventional A Quiet Place could break through in 2019. John Krasinski just might see himself included in the Best Director race, while star Emily Blunt has a chance at Best Actress consideration. (Photo via Paramount Pictures)
