13 Movies From 2015 Already Guaranteed Oscars

11. Joy

Nominations: David O. Russell's last three movies (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle) have all been nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Screenplay (either Adapted or Original). In addition, these three films have scored a total of 11 acting nominations between them, with the latter two getting nods in all four acting categories. In short, O. Russell is one hell of an actor's director, and so expect a nod for Jennifer Lawrence (Best Actress), and assuming both of their roles take a back seat to Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro might both end up with Best Supporting Actor nods (just like when Melissa Leo and Amy Adams both received Supporting Actress nominations for The Fighter). Best Production Design and Best Costume Design are also possible depending on how much the period detail sticks out, but it's just a possibility really. Given how much the Academy loves O. Russell, that's at least 7 nominations. What It Could Win: These three movies only won three Oscars between them, all for acting, so it's safe to say that they're the best shot here. Lawrence could take her second Oscar home, though may get beaten out by Cate Blanchett unless it's a real firecracker performance. What It Will Win: If De Niro's work is strong, the Academy might want to give him his first Oscar in 35 years. In that case, 1 win is probably all it will get.