Eight movies to watch before Sunday's Golden Globes

A Star is Born/IMDb

Awards season is upon us!

The 76th Annual Golden Globes take place in Hollywood this Sunday, and if you’re behind on some of the contending films, here’s a cheat sheet of what to watch before the big night and what awards they’re up for.

A Star is Born

Nominations:
– Best Motion Picture, Drama
– Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama — Lady Gaga
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama — Bradley Cooper
– Best Director, Motion Picture — Bradley Cooper
– Best Original Song — “Shallow”

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper turn up the heat in this the re-make of the Barbra Streisand classic (which is a remake of another 1937 movie). Directed by Cooper, the movie follows the story of a struggling singer, Ally (Lady Gaga), who becomes an international sensation after meeting country star on the decline, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper). The two fall in love, but struggle with their relationship as Ally reaches international fame and Maine battles his addictions to drugs and alcohol. The musical also features a soundtrack of the same name, including the Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Shallow.”

Roma

Nominations:
– Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language
– Best Director, Motion Picture — Alfonso Cuarón
– Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

Netflix is coming in hot with his one. Directed by Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity), the film takes place in the Roma neighbourhood of Mexico City amidst political turmoil in the 1970s. The story follows a Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a young domestic worker who works for a family in the middle-class area. Heavily inspired by a woman from Cuarón’s childhood, the film is the director’s most personal yet.

Green Book

Nominations:
– Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy — Viggo Mortenson
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture — Mahershala Ali
– Best Director, Motion Picture — Peter Farrelly
– Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

Academy Award winners Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali star in this period film. Set in 1962, Green Book follows Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) a world-class African-American pianist, as he’s about to embark on a concert tour from Manhattan through the Deep South. Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), an Italian-American from the Bronx, is hired to drive Shirley through the tour, and together, they must follow “The Green Book” to guide them to safe establishments for African-Americans.

The Favourite

Nominations:
– Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
– Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy — Olivia Colman
– Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture — Emma Stone
– Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture — Rachel Weisz
– Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

Step back into 18th century England with this black comedy starring Rachel Weiz, Emma Stone and Olivia Colman. A humorous look at the court of Queen Anne, who is best remembered in history for her diva-esque behavior, the film delves into the feud of two young women who compete to become the Queen’s favourite: Sarah, Duchess of Malborough (Rachel Weisz) and Abigail (Emma Stone), the daughter of a disgraced lord who quickly rises to the top of the court’s social scene.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Nominations:
– Best Motion Picture, Drama
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama — Rami Malek

A celebration of the iconic band Queen and their music, Bohemian Rhapsody is a scripted re-telling of the band’s rise to fame, as well as the life and solo career of famed lead singer, Freddie Mercury, played by Rami Malek. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film delves into the group’s revolutionary sound, and the band’s eventual reunion.

Vice

Nominations:
– Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy — Christian Bale
– Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture — Amy Adams
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture — Sam Rockwell
– Best Director, Motion Picture — Adam McKay
– Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

Vice is perhaps the most topical of this year’s nominations. The film stars Christian Bale (yes, of Batman) as former US Vice President Dick Cheney. A biopic, the Adam McKay directed film (The Big Short, Anchorman) charts Cheney’s rise to becoming, according to the press release, “the most powerful Vice President in [American] history.” Rounding out the cast are Amy Adams as Lynne, Cheney’s wife, Sam Rockwell as George W himself, and Steve Carell as former US Congressman and Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld.

If Beale Street Could Talk

Nominations:
– Best Motion Picture, Drama
– Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture — Regina King
– Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

Based on a 1974 novel by James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk is director Barry Jenkins’ follow-up to his Academy Award-winning Moonlight. The story follows Tish (KiKi Layne), a 19-year-old African American woman in Harlem, who tries to prove her fiancé Fonny’s (Stephan James) innocence for a crime he didn’t commit – all while pregnant with their first child. Regina King delivers a riveting performance as Sharon, Tish’s mother, earning a supporting role nomination. Though a heavy story, the film has been revered for its lush and colourful portrayal of 70s New York City.

BlacKkKlansman

Nominations:
– Best Motion Picture, Drama
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama — John David Washington
– Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture — Adam Driver
– Best Director, Motion Picture — Spike Lee

Produced and directed by Spike Lee, the film takes place in 70s Colorado Springs, and follows the city’s first African American detective, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), as he attempts to uncover the local Ku Klux Klan. Gaining the support of a jewish man, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), Stallworth begins to infiltrate the KKK group with the goal of ultimately exposing them. Alec Baldwin, Topher Grace and Corey Hawkins also star.

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