We at the New Republic couldn’t be more excited for the Academy Awards, which start at 8:30 pm EST on Sunday on ABC. (Red carpet coverage starts at 5:30pm.) I personally am dressing up, drinking champagne, and winning my Oscar pool. In case you aren’t sure who to root for, here are all the nominees we reviewed in 2015.
In Best Picture: Bridge of Spies: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks make the Cold War cool again; Brooklyn, a different kind of immigrant movie; Room, which heralded an end to torture porn; Spotlight, an homage to journalism past; and The Revenant, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio’s most grown-up role to date.
We also took a look at The Danish Girl, featuring Best Actor nominee Eddie Redmayne and Best Supporting Actress favorite Alicia Vikander; Carol, up for six Oscars including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress; Steve Jobs, with Best Actor nominee Michael Fassbender and Best Supporting Actress Kate Winslet; The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino’s latest; Joy, the Jennifer Lawrence vehicle; 45 Years, with Charlotte Rampling’s Best Actress turn; and finally Amy, the Best Documentary nominee that turned Amy Winehouse’s tabloid-ridden life into art.
And if your favorite category is Best Foreign Language Film, we’ve got you covered. Colombia’s first-ever nominee Embrace of the Serpent, Denmark’s A War; Theeb, Jordan’s first-ever nominee; France’s Turkish-language entry Mustang; and Hungary’s heavily favored Holocaust film Son of Saul.