10 Upcoming Movies That Are Already Getting Oscar Buzz

Every few years, the Academy likes to reward a large scale prestige war film. You've got movies like Braveheart, Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, for example. If Hacksaw Ridge had been better received (or just better, period), it likely would have been last year's.

And the reasoning is simple: they're usually popular among general audiences and, in the case of World War II films, come across as distinctly patriotic - which earns the Academy easy goodwill amongst critics who claim that Hollywood is too full of liberal elites. Dunkirk looks almost certain to be this year's model, with the potential to go all the way as Saving Private Ryan did nearly twenty years ago.

You have Christopher Nolan directing, which is an interesting but ultimately fitting choice, and a deep bench of first class actors, from Cillian Murphy to Mark Rylance to Tom Hardy. But above all, it contains an exciting and inspirational true story that is pretty difficult not to enjoy.

Also, it would be remiss not to mention to everyone who is reading this article from about five years ago and is super into One Direction, Harry Styles makes his film debut here.