With all of the stressful homework and exams, you may not be aware of the award shows coming up, let alone the dates that Thanksgiving break will begin. On the other hand, you may have VMA countdown calendars or a Grammy Awards party already written in your calendar. Either way, everyone should be well informed about the Academy Awards, knowing that this important part of American culture will soon be upon us. Yes, that means being whisked away from the quaint Sunday night family room to the dazzling red carpet full of hopeful stars and stunning disappointments.

This year, the movies nominated look very engaging and hopeful. A few that are expected to be front-runners for Best Picture are: Gone Girl, Boyhood, and The Imitation Game. One movie that some agree should at least be nominated for an Oscar would be Chef, but most are uncertain whether it will actually be nominated or not. Likewise, Interstellar may be nominated for Best Picture. It stars Mathew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Casey Affleck. Surely Into the Woods will pick up a few awards since many are looking forward to the new movie-musical. Also, A Most Violent Year has an amazing story line about an immigrant and his family in New York City trying to enhance their business during a violent time. Big Eyes, starring Amy Adams seems like it could jump in at the last minute. It displays the career of artist, Margaret Keane, and legal troubles when her husband attempts to take credit for her work. Finally, although Fault in Our Stars reaches out to a wide audience, especially teenagers, as of now it looks like a nomination will be a long shot. Overall, the films this year have been groundbreaking and there will be no easy wins or lack of surprises ready to “wow” America.