16 Movies You Should Watch If You Care About Award Season

If you only see a handful of nominated films, Boyhood has to be one of them. It's already swept the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice awards for best picture, director, and best supporting actress for Patricia Arquette, and it's got a ton of Oscar noms going for it, too. Plus, it was President Obama's favorite movie of the year.

The breakout of award season, indie Birdman has amassed a ton of nominations (it's leading the Oscar tally), most notably for Michael Keaton, who just got his first Oscar nomination for the role. Even if he doesn't win the Academy Award, it's worth seeing as the film that brought us Keaton's comeback.

Even though the film has garnered a nomination for only one star, Julianne Moore is all but a lock to win the best actress Oscar for her role as a woman with early-onset Alzheimer's. She just won the Golden Globe, Critics' Choice, and SAG award, and it's looking like she'll round the bases for the Oscar.

J.K. Simmons seemed like the dark horse to get nominated for best supporting actor, but now that he's already won several times for his riveting performance, it's looking like he'll also take home the Oscar. This movie is a must-see regardless. Do yourself a favor and see the most entertaining award season movie.

Maybe you saw it back in March, but if you skipped Wes Anderson's comedic caper, see The Grand Budapest Hotel now. Its momentum has heated up with Golden Globe and Critics' Choice wins for best comedy, and it locked down that best picture Oscar nomination. It's been out on DVD since Summer, but Fox Searchlight will also be rereleasing the film this month in light of the accolades.

Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are both deserving of their Oscar nominations, and Redmayne's chances of win may have risen with his SAG award victory. This is one of those award season movies that checks a lot of boxes: it's a biopic, it's entertaining, it's romantic, and it's moving. It's a must-see for sure.

Benedict Cumberbatch is another actor who's racked up nominations for his role. Most recently, he received the Oscar nod (as did the film's director, Morten Tyldum).

Reese Witherspoon has been racking up nominations all award season long, and now she has an Oscar nomination, too — as does her deserving onscreen mom, Laura Dern. Check this one off your list for their moving, beautiful mother-daughter relationship.

With six Oscar nominations, American Sniper was a surprise, since it hadn't been on other lists prior to that. But with nods for best picture and best actor for Bradley Cooper, it's suddenly become an award season must-see.

Though Bennett Miller's true-crime tale is not an upbeat joy to watch, Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo really earn their Oscar nominations. And though he may be out of the running for awards, Channing Tatum also turns in an excellent performance.

Though it's up for just one nomination for Marion Cotillard, best actress is a big one. Aren't you curious about the movie you hadn't even heard of until now?

David Oyelowo may have been snubbed by the Oscars for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr., but the triumphant film is still up for best picture.

Not just a box-office success, Gone Girl turned into an award season movie with lead Rosamund Pike scaring us all the way to an Oscar nomination.

Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt made this one an award season contender — though only Streep's name ended up on the Oscars list.

Robert Duvall became a front-runner in the supporting actor race, locking down nominations at the SAGs, Golden Globes, Critics' Choice, and the Oscars. He probably won't win, but it's worth seeing if you're trying to see all the contenders.

Jake Gyllenhaal didn't get an Oscar nomination for his creepy lead role, but the film did get a best original screenplay nomination. See it for that and for the fact that it's an entertaining thrill ride.