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10 Upcoming Movies With Serious Oscar Buzz

The 86th Academy Awards won't be held until March 2nd next year, but I say it's never too early to start speculating about how this year's line-up might look like. In terms of potential candidates for Best Picture, the first half of 2013 has been almost entirely barren, with only a few long-shot candidates like Jeff Nichol's drama Mud and Richard Linklater's romantic trilogy-capper Before Midnight.

7. Captain Phillips

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Tom Hanks could earn a Best Actor nomination for his role as the titular captain of a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates in this true-life drama. The trailers have highlighted Captain Phillips‘ thrilling story more than Hanks’ performance thus far, but such a hefty role could be a slam-dunk for Hanks, who has built his career around anchoring character-driven dramas like Cast Away and Forrest Gump.

Director Paul Greengrass is known for his shaky-cam style, which I can’t see meshing well with the Academy, but there’s always a possibility that the compelling story could launch Captain Phillips to the awards circuit. Check out the trailer below:

Apart from a very possible Best Actor nomination for Hanks, it’s hard to gauge whether Captain Phillips will be a significant player at this year’s Oscars. I’m giving the movie the benefit of the doubt and saying it could be a contender for Best Picture, especially considering that last year’s true-life hostage drama, Argo, played so well.

Captain Phillips opens October 11.