The Bafta nominations are in for best films for 2017 and it’s a very mixed bag.
With everything from musicals, to aliens, to the British benefits system, the selection of five best films offers a blockbuster recommendation for everyone.
But we plan on seeing all of them…
La La Land.
Leading the way with 11 nominations, the film follows an aspiring actress (Birdman star Emma Stone) and a jazz pianist (Drive actor Ryan Gosling) as they struggle to follow their dreams in Los Angeles.
As an unlikely romance begins to bloom, they come to the painful realisation that success requires sacrifice.
Directed and written by Damien Chazelle – with an appearance by John Legend – it combines a bittersweet love story with all the elements of a Golden Age musical and has been nominated for best film, best acting and best director.
Arrival.
In contrast, Arrival sees Amy Adams play a linguistics professor on a world-changing mission to communicate with extraterrestrials that have come to Earth.
The tense thriller sees her uncover a wider message which includes a vision of her own future and the heart-breaking loss of her daughter.
She has been nominated for best actress for the film, directed by Denis Villeneuve and co-starring Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker.
Manchester By The Sea.
Nominated for a number of Baftas, Casey Affleck stands out with a best actor nod for his leading role.
The Interstellar star plays a janitor whose quiet life is turned upside down when his brother dies, leaving him as guardian of his son, Patrick.
The unexpected responsibility forces him to confront the memory of losing his own children, as well as a number of tough new decisions.
I, Daniel Blake.
A difficult, close-to-home watch at times, the Ken Loach film is based firmly in reality as it follows the life of an ageing joiner (played by Dave Johns) in Newcastle as he battles against a life-threatening heart condition and the benefits system.
As he struggles to make ends meet, he comes across kindred spirit Katie, but a happy ending is not in store as the pair fall victim to the vicious circle of poverty and politics.
Moonlight.
Having just won a Golden Globe for drama in the best motion picture category, the predominantly black cast has made headlines amid debate on the lack of diversity in Hollywood, providing what star Naomie Harris described as an “antidote to divisive politics”.
Told in three parts, it follows the life of Chiron, a young boy growing up in central Miami.
Director Barry Jenkins confronts a host of serious issues in the film, based on the Tarell Alvin McCraney play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, including drug addiction, domestic abuse and sexuality.
