20 Best & Worst Movies From 2017 Oscar Nominees

This weekend, the world of film will come to temporarily stand-still waiting for the same committee of old white men who make massive errors every year to once more announce which movies deserve to be considered the best of the year. To pay them their dues (as if they need it), this year has seen a more conscious acceptance that Hollywood is a spectrum of colours, and it's good to see the benchmark of cinematic quality is being judged more evenly.

And even if it wasn't, the Oscars would still be one of the most watched events on Hollywood's calendar. There's just something about the grandeur and the pride we steal in watching our favourites pick up awards and melt in emotional thank yous and posh couture. Plus there's nothing like the venom inspired when the Academy gets something "wrong".

When the credits rolls and the awards are all handed out, we'll have another batch of geniuses to herald (and who will be hoping to avoid the dreaded Oscar curse), and new films to appreciate in the exalted company of victors. Just imagine the expectations we can then lavish on everyone involved... You can almost taste the insane hype for what they do next already.

And though they might be being celebrated for their successes, but it's always nice to pelt talent on pedestals with their lowest points as well...

Best: The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Manchester By The Sea may see a stunning, pricked-nerve performance by Affleck, but he's arguably even better as Robert Ford. The same year he broke out with Gone Baby Gone, he showed more range with a more subtle, cowardly turn in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

His characterisation is irresistible and his transformation from devotee to unhinged monster is as captivating as it is horrible, and it's far more complex than he ever gets credit for.

Worst: Soul Survivors (2001)

Well before he was breaking out in 2007, Affleck was appearing in the likes of Soul Survivors, a stuck-in-the-90s supernatural slasher variant with a great cast that fell with a fetid thump in 2001.

Casey is entirely under-used, cast as the dead boyfriend, with a suitably lifeless performance surrounded by material that is ludicrous to the point of being almost unbelievable. The twist - that it literally was all a dream - is one of the most infuriating ever made.