2. American Hustle
Christian Bale. Bradley Cooper. Jeremy Renner. Amy Adams. Jennifer Lawrence. Robert De Niro. They're all part of an unbelievable ensemble cast for the true story film
American Hustle. The film tells the story of an FBI sting operation called Abscam, which led to the indictment of U.S. congressmen. That cast is more than enough to get me in to the theater, but when you add in the fact that David O. Russell is calling the shots, it just adds to the anticipation. Russell has emerged as one of my favorite directors in the past few years after seeing
The Fighter and
Silver Linings Playbook. He has found incredible success with the Oscars of late, as his previous two films were nominated for 15 awards combined including Best Director and Best Picture for both. Russell's cast members obviously enjoy working with him since
The Fighter and
Silver Linings Playbook earned a stunning seven combined acting nominations and three wins (Bale and Melissa Leo for
The Fighter; Lawrence for
Silver Linings Playbook). This one will be one to watch out for once awards season rolls around. Could Russell see an Oscar breakthrough this year and win a Best Director trophy? We'll see.