[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ebruary is the month of the Oscar films. With six academy award nominated films up for your viewing pleasure, it’s no wonder that people will be fleeing the cold and going to the cinema this month. In particular, Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance The Shape Of Water has made a rumble in the press with an impressive 13 Oscar nominations – including Best Picture and Best Director. So get your Oscar-watching checklist at the ready and get deciding on who you think will win.
[divider]FEBRUARY 2ND[/divider]
PHANTOM THREAD
Set in 1950’s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover. (IMDB)
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson
ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ
Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action. (IMDB)
Director: Dan Gilroy
Writer: Dan Gilroy
[divider]FEBRUARY 9TH[/divider]
THE MERCY
The incredible story of amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst and his solo attempt to circumnavigate the globe. The struggles he confronted on the journey while his family awaited his return is one of the most enduring mysteries of recent times. (IMDB)
Director: James Marsh
Writer: Scott Z. Burns
[divider]FEBRUARY 13TH[/divider]
BLACK PANTHER
T’Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. (IMDB)
Director: Ryan Coogler
Writer(s): Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole
[divider]FEBRUARY 14TH[/divider]
THE SHAPE OF WATER
Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer
At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity. (IMDB)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer(s): Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
[divider]FEBRUARY 16TH[/divider]
LADY BIRD
In 2002, an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California. (IMDB)
Director: Greta Gerwig
Writer: Greta Gerwig
[divider]FEBRUARY 23RD[/divider]
I, TONYA
Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes. (IMDB)
Director: Craig Gillespie
Writer: Steven Rogers