Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders

What is it? Damien Chazelle's lavish, epic, three-hour drama set in Hollywood's golden age that follows a large number of characters (and even more extras, judging from the publicity photos) as the film industry undergoes a bumpy transition from the silent era to talkies during the 1920s.

Why is it a contender? Two of Chazelle's three most recent films—Whiplash and La La Land—were best picture nominees (and the other, the good but ignored First Man, received four nominations in other categories). Babylon boasts an excellent cast led by Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, and the setting has already demonstrated its Oscar potential (see, e.g., The Artist). Have we mentioned yet that the Academy seems to love movies about filmmaking? If not, we will do so repeatedly throughout this gallery—it's that kind of year.

What are its chances? Perhaps the most mysterious of all of this year's presumed contenders, Babylon, like Avatar, has yet to be seen by anyone—but, unlike the Avatar sequel, it isn't based on pre-existing material—so its chances at a best picture nomination are solely based on the talent involved. Paramount's recent decision to move the release date forward by two weeks is probably a good sign, as is the fact that press screenings have been scheduled for November 14th—much further in advance of the film's release date than is typical.

When can I see it? Babylon opens in theaters nationwide on December 23rd.