While you may have checked out the Oscar nominee list [1] last month and recognized pretty much every movie, there are likely a few films that you had never even heard of before, and not even because they hadn't been nominated for other awards [2] yet. "Why haven't I heard of a movie Marion Cotillard is so good in she deserves a nomination?" you may have asked yourself. "What is this Mr. Turner that's up for a bunch of awards?" you probably wondered. Not to worry: we have answers.
Mr. Turner
Source: Sony Pictures Classics [3]
- What it's nominated for: Best cinematography, best production design, best costume design, best original score
- What it's about: Timothy Spall plays 19th century British painter British artist J. M. W. Turner in this biopic about his life, which was directed by Oscar-nominated director Mike Leigh.
- Why you probably hadn't heard of it yet: The British film was a smaller film festival entry (it was a hit earlier at Cannes) and only just got a limited release in the US in late December in just 39 theaters. However, it earned another reason for you to know about it [4] when the nominations were announced.
- The trailer:
Two Days, One Night
Source: IFC Films [5]
- What it's nominated for: Best actress for Marion Cotillard
- What it's about: In this Belgian film, a woman (Cotillard) gets fired from her job at a solar-panel factory and then learns that her co-workers agreed to let her go in exchange for bonuses. She takes two days and one night to convince them that she should keep her job.
- Why you probably hadn't heard of it yet: The subtitled foreign film was released in a paltry five theaters in the US on Christmas Eve, with Cotillard as the only name recognizable to American audiences. Interestingly, the film was submitted by Belgium in the best foreign film category but was not nominated for that.
- The trailer:
Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me
Source: PCH Films [6]
- What it's nominated for: Best original song for "I'm Not Gonna Miss You"
- What it's about: It's a documentary about country singer Glen Campbell and his struggle with Alzheimer's.
- Why you probably hadn't heard of it yet: Most likely because it's a documentary that was under the radar this year.
- The trailer: