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10 Possible Oscar Contenders From The First Half Of 2015

2015 has flown by fast, and we're somehow already half-way through the year, which means it's time to start thinking about that most hallowed of Hollywood traditions: the Academy Awards. The latter half of the year is sure to be dominated by what is referred to as "Oscar bait," from prestige period dramas about individuals who challenged the conventions of their eras (that's The Danish Girl, Suffragette and Joy this fall) to thrilling adventure-dramas about individuals battling against the odds in order to survive (The Revenant, In the Heart of the Sea).

2) Carol

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Carol

Cate Blanchett is getting terrific buzz out of Cannes for her performance in Todd Haynes’ period romance about a dutiful housewife who falls for and begins a torrid affair with a female department shopworker (Rooney Mara). Though set in the ’50s, the story of a lesbian romance is highly topical right now with marriage equality in the headlines, and reviews have hailed it as an instant classic, gorgeously directed and luminously acted.

Particular praise has been lobbied at Haynes, who is primed to snag a Best Director nomination, and nods for Blanchett and Mara, costume designer Sandy Powell and composer Carter Burwell don’t seem out of the question either. In this first half of the year, few films have been as universally fingered as a contender.