13 Awards Season Movies You Should Watch

By Marriska Fernandes, ETCanada.com Staff. 12 Jan 2023 2:50 PM

Awards season is in full swing as the best films of 2022 nab the prestigious trophies at the upcoming Oscars, Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice Awards. While those glitzy ceremonies take up headlines over the next three months, we have rounded up the movies that need to be on your radar. From Stephen Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” to Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking”, here are the movies everyone’s talking about.

Searchlight Pictures

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Merie Weismiller Wallace/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

Paramount Pictures

A24

A24

Paramount Pictures

DVV Entertainment

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'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery'
Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.
In Rian Johnson's follow-up to "Knives Out", this film follows world-famous detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) and his eclectic crew of friends. The ensemble cast also includes Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista.

Nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards

Where to Watch: Netflix
'The Banshees of Inisherin'
Searchlight Pictures
From writer-director Martin McDonagh ("In Bruges"), the films follows lifelong friends (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) who find themselves at an impasse when one of them abruptly ends their relationship, leading to alarming consequences for both.

Won Best Picture at the Golden Globes, and Colin Farrell won Best Actor as well. The film has also earned the same nominations at the Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: Disney+
'Avatar: The Way of Water'
©2022 20th Century Studios
Set a decade after the first film, the sequel follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Ney'tiri (Zoe Saldana), who have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together on Pandora. However, when threatened, they leave their home and take shelter with the water tribe of Pandora and learn to speak the language of the sea while fighting a war against the humans.

Nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: In theatres
'Elvis'
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
From his rise to fame to his unprecedented superstardom, this biopic chronicles the life of rock 'n' roll icon Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) as he maintains a complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), and one of the most influential people in his life -- Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge).

Nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes, where Butler also won for Best Actor. The film has been nominated in the same categories at the Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: HBO Max
'The Fabelmans'
Merie Weismiller Wallace/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film follows Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), who falls in love with movies after his parents take him to see "The Greatest Show on Earth". Equipped with a camera, Sammy starts to make his own films at home, much to the delight of his supportive mother (Michelle Williams) and father (Paul Dano).

Won Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Steven Spielberg won for Best Director. The film has also earned the same nominations at the Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: In theatres
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Paramount Pictures
After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) continues to push boundaries as a test pilot. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, including a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.

Nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: Paramount+
'Everything Everywhere All At Once'
A24
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the multiverse film follows an aging Chinese immigrant (Michelle Yeoh) who can’t seem to finish her taxes and is swept up in an insane adventure, in which she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.

Nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: Prime Video
'Women Talking'
© 2022 Orion Releasing LLC. All Rights Reserved
Based on an adaptation of Miriam Toews’ acclaimed novel of the same name, director Sarah Polley's "Women Talking" follows a group of women in an isolated religious colony who struggle to reconcile with their faith after a series of sexual assaults. They have three options: leave, stay and do nothing, or stay and fight.

Nominated for Best Picture at the Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: In theatres
'Aftersun'
A24
Set in the early 2000s, the film follows Sophie, an 11-year-old Scottish girl, on vacation with her father (Paul Mescal) at a Turkish resort on the eve of his 31st birthday.

Won Best Picture at the Toronto Film Critics Awards.

Where to Watch: In theatres
'Babylon'
Paramount Pictures
From writer-director Damien Chazelle, the film is set in 1920s Los Angeles and led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, following the lives of ambitious dreamers in Hollywood.

Nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: In theatres
'Tár'
© 2022 Universal Pictures. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Renowned musician Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) is days away from recording the symphony that will elevate her career. When all elements seem to conspire against her, Lydia's adopted daughter Petra becomes an integral emotional support for her struggling mother.

Nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: In theatres
'RRR'
DVV Entertainment
From India’s S. S. Rajamouli, this is a tale of two legendary revolutionaries and their journey far away from home. After their journey they return home to start fighting back against British colonialists in the 1920s.

Nominated for Best Picture at the Critics Choice Awards and Best Foreign Language Film at both the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards.

Where to Watch: Netflix
'Triangle Of Sadness'
Credit: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP Copyright: 2022 Invision
A cruise for the super-rich sinks, leaving survivors, including a fashion model celebrity couple, trapped on an island and chaos ensues.

Nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes.

Where to watch: Available on demand

13 Awards Season Movies You Should Watch

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