The new film "The Butler" certainly delivered some potential Oscar nominees for 2014.
The film tells the story of Cecil Gaines, a man who obtains a position as a butler at the White House during the Eisenhower administration and serves every president until Ronald Reagan.
The film shows what it was like for the African-American White House staff during the civil rights movement and how each president handled and treated the staff and the movement.
Cecil Gaines, played by Oscar-winner Forrest Whitaker, handles each situation the same. He is loyal to the president and keeps his vow of secrecy as his most important duty.
While watching this movie I was lost in the transition they put Whitaker's character through and how he handled each stage of life so well.
There are a ton of films yet to debut this year that have strong male leads and so Whitaker's a big possibility for a nomination this year, it is still not guaranteed.
David Oyelowo could emerge with a best supporting actor nomination from "The Butler." He plays Louis Gaines, the rebellious son of Cecil and Gloria Gaines.
Louis sees his parents as people who will not take a stand against the government that is holding his people back from what they truly could be.
We see Louis struggle the entire time with his identity and his role in the Civil Rights Movement.
He becomes a Freedom Rider and more extreme as time goes on until he becomes a part of the Black Panther party who encourages violence instead of peaceful demonstrations. Oyelowo played the role well and I think has an extremely high chance of receiving a nomination.
The next role that presents itself as an Oscar contender is Gloria Gaines, played by Oscar nominee Oprah Winfrey.
Cecil Gaines' wife struggles with alcoholism and jealousy while her husband remains dedicated to his job.
Winfrey was nominated in 1986 for her supporting role in "The Color Purple." Because she's "Oprah," I think this may be the year she takes home the golden statue.
The next nominee from this movie will almost certainly be Lee Daniels for best director.
Daniels has had extreme success in the last five years with films such as "Precious" and "The Paper Boy."
Daniels has been nominated but has never been the recipient of the award, and this year could be the year. However, there is some stiff competition from directors such as Martin Scorsese, Alexander Payne and George Clooney.
With the success of these movies, and the film industry wanting to highlight new talent, this could be Daniels' year to take home the win.
The only factor playing against "The Butler" is its early August release date. Most films nominated are usually premiered after the first of October.
This isn't always the case, but is most of the time.
However, I still feel that this was an excellent movie that everyone should see and that it has a great shot at some big nominations.
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