Denzel Washington

The greatest movies of a great decade.

Denzel Washington and Rami Malek star in a sleepy cop thrilller.

Robert McCall must fight for his life against a seemingly endless stream of thugs after they murder someone close to him.

We didn’t see these nominations coming - but we’re glad they’re here.

Denzel Washington stars as an idealistic lawyer who makes questionable choices in the new thriller from the director of ‘Nightcrawler.’

You know the old saying about how it’s an honor just being nominated? It is. An Academy Award nomination is a win no matter the final outcome on Oscar night. For one thing, it guarantees a major boost in profile and an upgrade in the caliber of roles an actor gets offered. There’s no way, for example, that any Oscar nominee will accept the sorts of roles you’re about to see below.

After months of hype and controversy, the big night is finally upon us. The red carpet has been rolled out, the votes have been cast, and host Jimmy Kimmel has rehearsed all his best Matt Damon jokes. At last, the 89th Academy Awards have arrived.

It’s that time of the year again where we must set aside our personal opinions and favorites to try and guess which movies the Academy will deem the most culturally significant. A lot had changed since our initial Oscar predictions last December. Manchester By the Sea is no longer a Best Picture frontrunner, a race dominated by La La Land with Moonlight shortly behind. The days of calling Natalie Portman a Best Actress shoe-in last fall feel like a distant dream, and Lion and Hacksaw Ridge might just lend this year’s Oscars some surprising upsets.

Just when pundits had begun to reduce the Oscar fracas to a two-horse race between toe-tapping populist favorite La La Land and critically-adored downbeat character piece Moonlight, a possible spoiler has come out of nowhere. Last night, the 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards gave Hollywood’s union of performers a chance to recognize some of their own whom had done outstanding work over the past year. The most coveted award of the ceremony is the prize for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture, regarded by some as a bellweather for Oscar night, and it went to unexpected contender Hidden Figures.

While some actresses would shy away from letting their line deliveries get emotional enough that their spit and snot practically flies at the camera, Viola Davis is not some actresses. If you feel like you’ve heard the word “Oscar” more than enough when it comes to Davis and Denzel Washington’s Fences, get ready to hear it one more time: Viola. Davis. Is. Going. To. Win. Best. Actress. This. Year.