The biopic seems to be one of Hollywood's current obsessions, with inspiring movies telling the true stories of iconic women growing in popularity. This comes as no surprise since they highlight the many achievements and challenges that influential and beloved figures in pop culture have experienced on their journeys to success.Recently, films like Pablo Larraín's Maria starring Angelina Jolie and Sophia Coppola's latest cult classic Priscilla, have done well with critics and at festivals. 651wn

Spencer director Pablo Larraín says his next biopic won't be about Britney Spears. The Chilean filmmaker made his English-language debut in 2016 with Jackie, a critically-acclaimed biopic about former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The film follows Jackie Kennedy during two consequential periods in her life, her early days in the White House and immediately following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. Jackie saw Natalie Portman receive an Oscar nomination for her performance in the lead role.

Natalie Portman is one of the most famous – and most talented – actors working today. She got her start as a young child playing the orphaned protégé of a badass French hitman. She went on to play the mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia and, despite her burgeoning career as a movie star, still found time to get a degree from Harvard. Portman has starred in both small indie darlings that have been showered with Oscars and big-budget blockbusters, and she’s about to take up the mantle of Thor.

The Oscar nominations were announced this week and for the first time in a few years, they didn’t look quite so monochromatic. Much has been made of the fact that the Oscars don’t tend to reflect the populace, and what that says about both the Academy and the film industry itself. The #OscarsSoWhite campaign helped light a fire under the Academy in 2016, encouraging them to look for solutions and make adjustments to hip. Now, in the first year of the new, more diverse voter base, the slate of nominees looks noticeably more diverse as well.

Thus far, the awards season contenders for 2016 have included a number of clear and obvious frontrunners, with the heavyhearted drama Manchester by the Sea directed by Kenneth Lonergan and the throwback movie musical La La Land directed by Damien Chazelle already garnering a lot of attention - especially considering the fact that the National Board of Review has already named Lonergan's latest production as being the best film of the year. In addition the full list of Golden Globes nominees and the Critics' Choice Awards winners, several judges have also seen fit to recognize the indie darling Moonlight, so the competition leading up to the 2017 Oscars ceremony is all set to be a close race.

With the holiday season in full swing, November certainly didn't disappoint in delivering the goods. Disney extended its record-setting year -- which was already sitting at a worldwide box office of $5.85 billion whe the month began -- with back-to-back hits in Marvel's Doctor Strange and animated adventure Moana. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. magically kicked off a prequel series setting in the world of Harry Potter with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, while Fox and Paramount had winners with Trolls and Arrival, respectively. Most impressively, all of last month's biggest hits received a warm critical reception, an unexpected turn of events after a summer filled with blockbusters that critics couldn't stand.

While summer may be the season when moviegoers can look forward to their most anticipated blockbusters, it is awards season that many cinephiles look forward to most. For the next several months, some of the year's most critically acclaimed films will be released in theaters all vying for some of the industry's most coveted awards. While the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards may be those that come to mind first, there are, frankly, dozens of high profile award ceremonies that will be handing out the hardware this season. But when it comes to independent filmmakers, the Independent Spirit Awards rank among the top ceremonies.

The awards contender Jackie has been making its rounds at various film festivals and looks like a bright spot for film fans to be looking forward to. Oscar-winner Natalie Portman stars as the iconic First Lady, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, in a film depicting the days that followed her husband's assassination. Directed by Pablo Larrain (No, Neruda) and scripted by Noah Oppenheimer (The Maze Runner), the film is in line to be a worthwhile biopic, handled with care.