7 Oscar Nominated Movies the World Has Fallen in Love with ...

1. The Butler

Apparently Oprah gave quite the powerful performance in The Butler. This movie focuses on the life of Eugene Allen, as played by Forest Whitaker. Eugene was a butler in the White House who was witness to some of history’s greatest 20th century events. It has been nominated for Best Picture, and a bunch of other awards. Here’s to hoping this one of those 2014 Oscar nominated movies that wins!

2. The Wolf of Wall Street

Despite being a HUGE Leonardo DiCaprio fan, I still haven’t seen this movie. According to my friends who have, it has the potential to make you laugh, cry, and gasp. As the title suggests, it focuses on a Wall Street mogul who is rather ferocious. Disturbingly, it is based on real events. I just can’t get enough of reading articles about where and how the whole movie was filmed, there are some great stories out there! DiCaprio is up for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work in this movie.

3. Captain Phillips

The praises of Captain Phillips are sort of being overshadowed by lots of other movies, so I felt it is worth a mention. It focuses on the true story of a man kidnapped by pirates while working on the Indian Ocean. We all hear of these stories in the news, so I am not amazed that this film is up for a few nominations. Piracy is absolutely terrifying and must present a difficult situation to play out, so I am sure Barkhad Abdi is well deserving of the Best Actor in a Supporting Role he has been nominated for!

4. The Croods

I am sort of disappointed in myself for not seeing this yet! I have watched the trailer a few times on TV thinking, “Yeah, I’ll go see The Croods,” and then I never get around to it. The Croods is about a pre-historic family coming to terms with the changes in the world around them. It’s all about modernizing and looks simply adorable. It is up for Best Animated Feature.

5. Nebraska

Nebraska is based on a simple and heartwarming idea: the story of an old man who has passed his prime and is struggling to come to terms with what is left of his life. At one point, Woody’s son finds him wandering around in traffic as he tries to collect money for a sweepstakes scam. A lot of themes are explored, like alcoholism and broken family ties. Nebraska is up for Best Directing.

6. 20 Feet from Stardom

I think it’s nice to focus on documentaries when it comes to Oscar nominees, because they bring as much to our lives as high action thrillers do. It touches on a topic few of us think about: what life is like for backing singers. Much like singers, these people want to be stars. However, they’re supporting the work of those who are instead. I think the painful and beautiful aspects of this are well worth your viewing time! This documentary is up for Best Documentary Feature.

7. The Hunt

Now for our Foreign Language film feature! This is another one I am yet to see. However, I am dying to because it touches on quite a controversial topic: what happens when someone is wrongly accused of sexual assault. It very much focuses on the mass hysteria that unfolds from such events, so it is high on my list of foreign films to watch.

Now that we know what is what as far as the Oscars are concerned, it is time to get watching! This year’s awards are the 86th, and I am sure that they will be fabulous with Ellen DeGeneres at the helm presenting. It’ll be interesting to see whether those pipped to win actually do. If you are a lover of an Oscar nominee, what is it?