10 Most Oscar Bait Movies From The 2015 Awards Season

The annual awards season, and in particular the Oscars, are becoming an ever-more predictable affair. Easy access to up-to-the-minute bookie's odds and near-blanket coverage in the weeks leading up to the ceremony means there's rarely any actual surprises in the Dolby Theatre that night in late February. It's got to the point that if you're come out of the big night shocked by any of the developments, you've clearly just not been paying attention. At least this year it's an exciting form of predictable. The big hitters (Boyhood, Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel) are far from your typical Oscar contenders, having built hype slowly over the year to take on and best the more targeted prestige pictures. Still, this awards season hasn't been without its fair share of Oscar bait. You know the films - a period piece staring a properly British actor that deals with some form of prejudice, directed by a popular, but safe, director and with an Executive Producer credit for Harvey Weinstein. You see, while most filmmakers rightly view any awards recognition as a bonus, for some it's the singular goal, with every day on set beginning with a mental draft of their inevitable acceptance speech. The imminent success of Boyhood (or Birdman, depending on who you listen to) should show that movies like this are no longer the sure-fire winners producers think they are (turns out quality filmmaking is the best way onto that stage), hopefully meaning in years to come there won't be as many films so one-tracked as these ten.