Maggie Smith, the legendary actress who’s now 80, gives such an astounding performance in The Lady in the Van that she elevates this extremely intimate, ultra-modest, old-fashioned melodrama to a higher, more lyrical and resonant level than it might have been on paper.

Steve Jobs, the biopic of the techno genius, was released by Universal in platform mode, opening wide October 23. Despite good reviews, the picture bombed at the box-office.

British filmmaker Leslee Udwin’s documentary, about the fatal gang-rape in December 2012 of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, has generated a lot of media attention.

The movie raises some interesting questions that are still relevant today:

As of today, I predict that 9 to 10 of the films listed below have good chance to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.