It was a great year for movies. While superhero movies took a step back, original stories and animation dominated the box office in 2023. Fans flocked to movie theaters to see Barbie and Oppenheimer, and Barbenheimer became a cultural phenomenon. 2023 saw many well-known directors, including Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Greta Gerwig, Yorgos Lanthimos, and David Fincher, all of whom had films were released.

As the year draws to a close, awards season is about to get into full swing. Many critics groups and organizations have already given out awards. The Golden Globes and the Critics Association Awards recently announced their nominations. However, the Academy Awards remain the premier awards ceremony for the film industry.

Some films are still in theaters, but Oscar-worthy films can be seen at home. Check out the five Oscar contenders for 2024 that you can watch right now.

In 2018, Bradley Cooper proved he can be a serious filmmaker with "A Star is Born." The musical romance grossed over $400 million at the box office and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning Best Original Song for "Shallow."

In 2023, Cooper will return for his second passion project, the biopic of composer Leonard Bernstein, Maestro He will return to direct for the second time.

Cooper, who co-wrote the script with Josh Singer, plays the role of Bernstein, the famous American composer who became the most honored top musician in history. While the film depicts a defining moment in Bernstein's career, "Maestro" focuses on his relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). Early reviews have praised Cooper and Mulligan's performances and Cooper's direction. Maestro will likely receive multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), Best Actress (Mulligan), and Best Makeup and Hair. If there is one nomination Cooper would like to receive, it would be for Best Director, one of the most competitive categories this year.

Streaming on Netflix

What was the last Christmas movie released in theaters? Unfortunately, the answer may be two films from 2003: Elf and Love Actually. It's too early to tell, but Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" has a chance to become a Christmas classic: set in 1970, Paul Giamatti, who is reuniting with Payne for the first time since 2004's "Sideways," stays on campus during the Christmas break, He plays Paul Hanham, a hated professor at a New England prep school who is forced to supervise "holdover" students who have nowhere else to go for the holidays.

While on vacation, Paul forms unexpected friendships with Angus (Dominic Cessa), a 15-year-old in danger of expulsion, and Mary (Davine Joy Randolph), the school's African American cook who recently lost her son in Vietnam. The performances of the three leads have been highly praised, and Giamatti and Randolph are expected to receive Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

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Set in New York City, this A24 romantic drama features three great performances, an excellent script, and a bittersweet ending. The film in question is Past Lives, written and directed by Celine Song in her directorial debut. The film tells the story of two childhood sweethearts, Nora Moon (Greta Lee) and Hye-sung (Teo Yoo), and the changes in their relationship over the course of 24 years.

After decades apart, Nora and Hye-sung reunite in New York City and spend several days together reexamining their lives and contemplating their future. Past Lives" is a beautiful drama about saying goodbye to your younger self and accepting who you are now. Past Lives has several potential nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Lee. However, the most likely Oscar winner would be Best Screenplay (Song category).

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When Universal released the first teaser trailer for "Oppenheimer" in July 2022, it was accompanied by a countdown to the release date and a warning that "the world will change forever." The trailer was accurate. Oppenheimer" was a summer blockbuster.

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer" stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist who helped develop the first atomic bomb during World War II. The film follows Oppenheimer's complex life, chronicling his meteoric rise as an American hero until his subsequent disqualification and downfall by the government.

"Oppenheimer" is arguably Nolan's best film, highlighting his strengths as an excellent storyteller and technical genius. Oppenheimer is likely to receive a double-digit Oscar nomination and is a strong contender for Best Picture.

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The world is a better place when Martin Scorsese releases a film. Four years after The Irishman, Scorsese directed and co-wrote the highly anticipated The Killer of the Flower Moon. Based on the 2017 book by David Grann, "The Killer of the Flower Moon" is a tale of murder, betrayal, and heartbreak in 1920s Oklahoma, where a ruthless crime boss murders members of the Osage Nation for their oil and wealth.

The story centers on Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio). A war veteran, he returns home to work for his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro), the central figure in the murders. Despite being used by his uncle for financial gain, Ernest falls in love with and marries Molly Burkhart (Lily Gladstone), a member of the Osage Nation who sees the suffering of the tribe and wants to put an end to it.

Don't let the three-and-a-half-hour running time scare you. Scorsese's careful, graceful, and respectful treatment of an unspeakable tragedy, "To You and Your Friends in Flower Blossoms" is a masterpiece. It should be nominated for nearly ten Academy Awards, and Gladstone is a leading contender for Best Actress.

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The "bar" in Barbenheimer is Barbie's. This iconic Mattel character was adapted into a live-action version in Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig from a script co-written with Noah Baumbach. Starring Margot Robbie as Barbie, a tall, blonde, beautiful doll who lives a perfect life in Barbie Land. The main character, Ken (Ryan Gosling), does his best to win Barbie's heart.

One day, Barbie experiences an existential crisis and her perfect world is turned upside down. To solve the problem, Barbie goes with Ken to the real world, where she discovers the joys and harsh realities of human life.

"Barbie" is a smart, witty film with as much heart as it does laughs. Barbie has captivated audiences around the world and is currently the highest grossing film of 2023 with $1.4 billion. Barbie has just set a record 18 Critics' Choice Awards, and will undoubtedly be nominated for quite a few Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Robbie, Best Supporting Actor for Gosling, and Best Original Screenplay for Gerwig and Baumbach.

Stream on Max

In 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse became the first animated film in the Spider-Man franchise. The film centered on Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a Brooklyn teenager who transforms into Spider-Man after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Into the Spider-Verse was critically acclaimed and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. This summer, Miles returned to cinemas with the sequel, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse.

Reunited with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Miles is transported to the multiverse where he meets hundreds of spider-people fighting to protect their respective worlds. Led by Miguel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac), the spiders form the Spider Society.

When a new enemy threatens the fate of the Multiverse, Miles takes matters into his own hands to do what he thinks is right, even if it means antagonizing the Spider Society. Across the Spider-Verse had to clear a high hurdle, and it did so with flying colors. Thanks to its heartfelt story and eye-popping visuals, "Across the Spider-Verse" is a frontrunner for Best Animated Feature and has a legitimate shot at a Best Picture nomination.

Streaming on Netflix

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