Top 15 Must-See Oscar Bait Films

I'm not a big-shot Hollywood Insider (SURPRISE!), so when I did my 15 Must-See List Back at the beginning of the year, I missed some movies. Some of these films would have certainly made it on the list, so I thought I would make a new list for you to peruse. Here are some of the films that will be released in the next three months that look like the kind of films that the Academy just loves to throw awards at, and, coincidentally, I really want see. WARNING: the words Oscar-winner and Oscar-nominee are going to be used a lot in this list.

15. Nebraska (Nov. 22)

The ONLY reason this is so low is because I haven't seen more than this cleverly written two-minute clip. However, Director Alexander Payne has helmed five films, and the last four of them have managed to gain at least one nomination, Payne winning two of them for writing. Though, he didn't write this one, it's hard to imagine he would just pick any script to direct, and the Buzz from Cannes is tremendous. Lead actor Bruce Dern even won best actor. Let the Oscar buzz begin!

14. Dallas Buyers Club (Dec. 6)

This film is rife with Oscar potential! Terminal illness (see: "Philadelphia"), the little guy taking on the health care system (see: "Sicko"), an actor losing a ton of weight for a role (see: "The Fighter"), Jared Leto as a cross dresser... ok, that one is new. Nonetheless, this is "based on a true story", and that usually helps in the Oscar area. Then again it was co-written by one of the writers of "Mirror Mirror", so we'll see.

13. The Fifth Estate (Oct. 11)

Speaking of biopics, here is one that will probably wind up being largely controversial. While some the real life Julian Assange to be a hero, others consider him a major villain. So, whichever side this movie takes, or seems to, there is going to be some backlash. However, I expect great things from Oscar-winning director Bill Condon ("Gods and Monsters") and Hollywood's newest sweetheart Benedict Cumberbatch (who should get his first Oscar nod this year.

12. The Book Thief (Nov. 15)

Honestly, this film could be utter schlock, but this trailer at least gives me some hope. BAFTA and Emmy-winner Brian Percival ("Downton Abbey") directs a script from screen writer Michael Petroni ("The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys"), based off of the best-selling novel by Markus Zusak. I haven't read this book, but with subject matter like Nazis and book-burning, it at least seems like it could rise above the schlock of films based off of young adult novels ("Mortal Instruments", "Beautiful Creatures"). However, "The Boy in Striped Pajamas" and "Jakob the Liar" were a couple of misguided Holocaust films aimed at younger audiences.

11. Her (Dec. 20)

Oscar-nominated director Spike Jonze ("Being John Malkovich") has directed three of my all-time favorite films, and is hopefully looking to do it again with an off-beat romantic comedy about a writer (Oscar-nominee Joaquin Phoenix) falling in love with his new operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). This would be higher, but this is first time writing a feature on his own, and I am a little standoffish about that. We'll get to see if he is as good on paper as he is behind the camera.

10. August: Osage County (Dec. 27)

Director John Wells has won six Primetime Emmy Awards, and only has one feature-length film under his belt. However, I love the play that this film is based on, and there are more than a few names in this cast that I am excited to see play these roles (is that Benedict Cumberbatch again?!). I am a little sad to see Meryl Streep playing the monstrous lead in this film. I think it shows a lack of imagination from Hollywood (SURPRISE!), and is one of the few reasons this is so low on the list.

9. Gravity (Oct. 4)

I have been a fan of Alfonso Cuaron from the first time I saw his Oscar-nominated coming-of-age film "Y Tu Mama Tambien" (Original Screenplay). Here he enlists Oscar-winners George Clooney ("Syriana") and Sandra Bullock ("The Blind Side"... YAWN!) to play a couple of astronauts adrift in space after an accident. The early buzz has been overwhelming, and Cuaron's last feature, "Children of Men", is so haunting and perfect, that it's hard to imagine that we've waited seven years for anything less.

8. All is Lost (Oct. 18)

The only name in this cast list for this tale of survival-at-sea is Robert Redford (Oscar winner - "Ordinary People"). That is it. Oscar-nominated writer/director J.C. Chandor ("Margin Call") is taking to the deep blue sea to put an entire film on the shoulders of one of the most capable actors in the history of film. If this is near as lonely and full of despair as "Open Water", one of my favorite survival films, I think we may be in for a real treat.

7. 12 Years a Slave (Oct. 18)

Director Steve McQueen may not have an Oscar nomination yet, but his first two features, "Hunger" and "Shame", were both nominated for BAFTA's. He has also employed a cast that is awards fodder from top to bottom for this film about a free man who is captured and turned into a slave, including his lead, Chiwetel Ejiofor, who has been nominated for three Golden Globes. I think it might be time for them all to get a boost come this awards season. OH! And there's Benedict Cumberbatch again!

6. Captain Phillips (Oct. 11)

Two-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks ("Philadelphia", "Forrest Gump") is playing the kidnapped captain of a shipping freighter in this Paul Greengrass (Oscar nominee for "United 93") helmed picture. This story is based on real events worked out well for Greengrass the last time, so I hope for good results this time.

5. American Hustle (Dec. 13 - limited, Dec. 25 - Wide)

Merry Christmas! We're getting a new film from Oscar-nominated director ("Silver Linings Playbook", "The Fighter") and writer ("Silver Linings Playbook" again) David O. Russell. This time he is setting his sights on a fictionalization of the FBI Abscam Operation. He has also stacked the deck with a core of actors that have all been nominated (Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Amy Adams) or won (Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence) for acting in his previous films. It's hard to see where this is going to go wrong.

4. The Monuments Men (Dec. 20)

In the past eleven years George Clooney has directed four fantastic films (I like "Leatherheads", so shut up!), and has been nominated for two of them (Director/Screenplay - "Good Night, and Good Luck" and Screenplay - "Ides of March"), and he has also won a Best Picture Oscar for producing "Argo. So when I see he is doing a war dramedy based off of a true story with an ensemble cast that has plenty of wins and nominations between them, it's hard to not want to see it.

3. The Counselor (Oct. 25)

Let me get this straight: Oscar-nominee Ridley Scott ("Thelma & Louise", "Gladiator", "Black Hawk Down") is directing a film written by Pulitzer Prize winner Cormac MacCarthy, whose book "No Country For Old Men" was the basis of a Best Picture winner of the same name, and it features a cast including Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, and Dean Norris. I hope this crime thriller ends up in my top ten of the year.

2. The Wolf of Wall Street (Nov. 15)

If you say the name Martin Scorsese (Oscar-Winner "The Departed"), I try to figure out the fastest way to give him my money. Put Leonardo DiCaprio (Oscar-nominee "The Aviator") in that film, the money almost falls out of my pocket. It also seems the script is being handled by Emmy-Winning Sopranos writer and creator of "Boardwalk Empire", Terence Winter. This sounds like a true winner, guys.

1. Inside Llewyn Davis (Dec. 6)

I feel like all I need to say is, "The new film from the Coen Brothers!" to justify why this is my number one. So... THE NEW FILM FROM THE COEN BROTHERS!!!

Honorable Mentions:

Rush (Sept. 27) - Thor and the German Sniper from "Inglorious Basterds" race against each while Oscar-Winner Opie Taylor directs.

Don Jon (Sept. 27) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt writes and directs himself in a film where he watches porn instead of having sex with Scarlet Johansson.

Machete Kills (Oct. 11) - I have a strong feeling that this will get at least one nomination... Why are you laughing?

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (Nov. 29) - This looks like a good biopic, but the trailer didn't really pique my curiosity. Probably because Morgan Freeman isn't in it.

Out of the Furnace (Dec. 6) - The previous Batman plays a man who is looking for his down-on-his-luck boxer brother, played by the actual brother of the new Batman.

Saving Mister Banks (Dec. 20) - It's a movie about Mary Poppins starring Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. However, the guy who directed "The Blind Side" is doing it. YAWN!

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Dec. 27) - Ben Stiller is directing: YAY! Ben Stiller is starring: He directs himself pretty well, I guess.