It’s that time of year ― time to catch the long list of Oscar-bait movies you couldn’t possibly have completed last year. In the rush to be eligible for Academy Awards, studios rushed a whole ton of movies into theaters right around the holidays, and most people spend January and February catching up on Zero Dark Thirty, The Impossible, Django Unchained, and other likely nominees they may have missed.
That’s why this early winter season is known as the “dumping ground” for schlocky major releases that don’t even hope to compete with awards season favorites in terms of quality. Mediocre action, horror, and suspense tend to dominate the new releases as counter-programming for all those high-quality dramas still in theaters.
However, we have noticed a handful of appealing titles amidst the Oscar season run-off. It’s just enough to give us something new to look forward to in the weeks leading up to the Oscars.
Here are 6 new movies to look forward to before Oscar night on February 24!