1. American Hustle
What Is It: Con men are recruited to assist the FBI in a fictional spin on the 1970's ABSCAM sting operation. American Hustle seemingly thrives on dysfunctional characters and black comedy scenarios, situations Director David O. Russell excels at with astounding expertise. Violence, sex, and drugs will all collide in this Scorcese inspired take on illegal crime and money.
Why It Could Win Awards: David O. Russells previous two films The Fighter and The Silver Linings Playbook were Oscar winners in acting, American Hustle takes portions of both casts in their prime and fuses them together to create something with even more panache as proven by a trailer that presents an entertaining and superbly crafted darkly humorous thriller. Every acting categorical slot contains a contender here with Christian Bale fresh off of his iconic embodiment of Batman, Bradley Cooper coasting even higher off of success found in The Silver Linings Playbook and The Place Beyond The Pines, Jennifer Lawrence riding off of her much deserved Oscar winning wave of momentum, and Amy Adams may even win Best Supporting Actress after coming damn close with a strong performance in last year's The Master. All signs point to American Hustle cementing itself as a modern masterpiece. Agree or disagree? Do you think I missed something? Comment below!