The awards season is in full swing, and there is no shortage of worthy contenders for some of the most coveted awards. With the 74th Annual Golden Globes already wrapped up, eyes are now set on the 89th Academy Awards for the next set of big winners.
The nominations are still underway, but some films are already making noise as strong contenders for the coveted Oscar for Best Picture.
With a whopping 336 contenders eligible for nomination in the Best Picture category, the Academy has its work cut out.
Before it trims that number down to a significantly smaller pool of nominees by Jan. 24, let's take a look at the movies that could grab that prized golden statuette.
Hell or High Water
In a world obsessed with futurism, Hell or High Water is a neo-Western heist movie set after the 2008 financial crisis. After gaining much praise at the Cannes Film Festival earlier in the year, the movie ended up as one of the year's highest grossing indie movies. Starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine, Hell or High Water could be in the running for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Jackie
Jackie, though not quite successful in the box office, is critically acclaimed as it tackles the rarely discussed aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
A woman constantly thrown into the limelight as the president's wife and discussed simply for her wardrobe, Jackie Kennedy's story is rarely heard. Slightly controversial, the movie unravels the emotional struggles after JFK's assassination that greatly affected a wife, mother, and family.
Lion
Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Lion is a tearjerker about a young Indian adoptee's search for his biological family. Starring Dev Patel as the longing young man and Nicole Kidman as his loving adoptive mother, the movie premiered at the 2016 Toronto Film Festival and tugged at many heartstrings.
Fences
Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson, Fences is already racking up nominations from various award-giving bodies. Starring equally talented, award-winning actors Viola Davis and Denzel Washington and set in the 1950s, the movie tackles the struggle of a family whose patriarch is embittered by lost chances to fulfill his dreams.
Arrival
A movie that most definitely cannot be written off as a typical science fiction movie, Arrival's success in the box office is well earned. Though the premise is not quite new, with extraterrestrial ships landing on Earth and the race to save humanity, critics were quick to praise the film's seamless combination of thrilling action and philosophical touches.
Manchester By The Sea
Already nominated for Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globes, Manchester By The Sea tackles grief in the face of loss. Actor Casey Affleck successfully portrays a grieving brother and a doubtful guardian when his 16-year-old nephew is left to his care. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and has since bagged numerous nominations and a Golden Globe win for Case Affleck as the Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama.
Moonlight
Moonlight is going for gold, as it won the award for Best Most Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes. The film dramatically tackles a multitude of provocative issues through the story of a queer, black young man and his struggles growing up in Miami. Moonlight is not your run-of-the-mill coming-of-age story; it is definitely a strong contender for Best Picture in the 89th Academy Awards.
La La Land
The musical has won big in previous award shows: it bagged seven major awards in the Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture for a Comedy/Musical. Amusing with its award-winning music and acting, La La Land's merits come not just from its vibrant musical numbers, but also from its presentation of the sometimes gritty reality and many hurdles that come along with reaching for a dream. Already successful at the Golden Globes, will La La Land have another stunning night at the Academy Awards?
