Wondering what all the fuss is about the Oscar-nominated films this year? Read our brief synopsis on all eight of them.
The eight films nominated for best picture
at the Academy Awards this year have not all been huge box office
successes and may not have been on your radar.
Here's a quick guide to what each film is about.:: The Big Short
Christian Bale in The Big Short
It follows an eccentric hedge fund manager, played by Christian Bale, who discovers how unstable the US housing market is because it is based on high risk subprime loans.
He realises he can bet against the housing market and puts millions into credit default swaps. He attracts the attention of other greedy opportunists such as banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) and hedge fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell)
Together, these men make a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America.
:: Bridge Of Spies
Mark Rylance
Abel is convicted but Donovan convinces the judge not to give him the death penalty just in case he is needed in the future for a prisoner swap.
Sure enough in 1960 Francis Gary Powers is shot down over Soviet territory and taken prisoner. Donovan is asked to act as the intermediary and travels to East Berlin to negotiate a deal.
:: Brooklyn
Saoirse Ronan
The film, set in 1952, is based on Colm Toibin’s nobel and was written by Nick Hornby and directed by John Crowley.
Eilis sails to New York where she starts a new life in Brooklyn, which is home to many Irish immigrants.
The drama follows her as she battles homesickness, discovers American fashion and falls in love.
Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters and Emory Cohen also star in this beautiful film which tugs at the heartstrings as it explores love, loyalty and identity.
:: Mad Max: Fury Road
Theron and Hardy
Charlize Theron plays Furiosa, a woman who rebels against a tyrannical ruler who keeps female prisoners as his “wives”.
She flees his community in post-Apocalyptic Australia in search of her homeland, with the help of other women, a psychotic worshipper (Nicholas Hoult) and a drifter named Max (Tom Hardy).
The film’s elaborate costumes and crazy vehicles have secured the film production and costume design awards already this season.
:: The Martian
Matt Damon is nominated for his role in The Martian
However, he has survived and finds himself alone on the Red Planet with only meagre supplies and no way of telling NASA that he is alive.
Watney uses a series of ingenious ideas to feed himself and survive.
NASA soon learns that he is in fact alive and a plan is devised to bring him back home.
Sir Ridley Scott directed the film which also stars Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig and Kate Mara.
:: The Revenant
The Revenant has already seen success this awards season
He is left in the care of John Fitzgerald, played by Tom Hardy, who betrays him and leaves him to die in a shallow grave.
Glass nurses himself back to health and sets off on a journey to find Fitzgerald and get his revenge.
Directed by Alejandro G Inarritu the cast endured freezing conditions during shooting in Canada and Argentina.
:: Room
Brie Larson won the Golden Globe and BAFTA for Room
Joy allows Jack to believe that only Room and its content are “real” and that the rest of the world exists on television.
However, as she devises a plan for the pair to escape, she decides to tell him about the outside world.
:: Spotlight
Rachel McAdams is named in the supporting actress category
Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Michael Keaton play journalists who discover an ongoing cover-up of the abuse of dozens of people by the Boston Archdiocese.
The stories they uncovered and published earned The Globe the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
