Courtesy of Starwars.com

After a slow summer at the cinema, it’s finally fall movie time; the time when we look forward to the Oscars and watching grand movies. Last year, movies such as Birdman and American Sniper stole the show, winning many Oscar nominations and bringing home the metal.

Some movies can define a generation and this year, we look toward four movies that are projected to steal the show at the Oscars. They are: Black Mass, The Revenant, The Hateful Eight and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Starting with Black Mass, Johnny Depp plays Boston gangster Whitey Bulger who has a brother who is a complete contrast to him. Oscar-winning actor, Benedict Cumberbatch plays Bulger’s brother, a Massachusetts state senator named William Bulger. Whitey ends up becoming an FBI informant to take down rival gangs in Boston. The movie is primarily based on a true story of how Whitey Bulger became an informant in one of the most deadly gang rivalries not only in Boston, but in the U.S.

Next is The Revenant. This film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, who is out for vengeance against the group of men who tried to kill him in this action-packed western movie. The director of The Revenant is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the man who directed and won an Oscar for Birdman.  This film is projected to compete head to head at the Oscars with Black Mass and many movie critics say DiCaprio could finally win his first Oscar for this movie.

Moving Along, The Hateful Eight. This film is the dark horse for an Oscar award. It is directed by critically acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino who has directed movies such as Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, and Reservoir Dogs.  This movie is another western film with Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell. These two clash as bounty hunters fighting for shelter as a blizzard is coming. The film takes place around the mid to later 1800’s, which hasn’t been a popular genre for some time. Tarantino is looking to revive the genre with this western shooter.

Lastly, for someone who is not into westerns and crime movies, we have Star Wars: The Force Awakens. After the first six star wars, the seventh one is directed by J.J. Abrams instead of George Lucas who created the franchise. Some are very excited for the seventh edition of this futuristic action saga. But others are criticizing it; some think that the movie will not live up to its predecessors.

Overall, all these movies look to be worth the watch: they are directed by critically acclaimed directors, and are all projected to be big hits at the Oscars. This year is the year of crime and action movies, and the Oscars should be fun to watch this year.