Ever wondered what led up to that famous picture in the Oval Office of Elvis Presley and President Richard Nixon?

Well, the movie "Elvis & Nixon" is going to answer that question for us by providing a comic look into the events surrounding the image that has become the most requested photograph in the National Archives.  

Michael Shannon ("Man of Steel,""99 Homes") plays the King of Rock while Kevin Spacey plays President Nixon. Based on the trailer, it looks like the two actors had a lot of fun with the roles. Let's just hope it's also fun for the audience to watch.

The clip gives a strong indication it will be, as we get an entertaining glimpse at Elvis strolling up to the White House lawn to meet the president, and once he's inside completely taking it over (even eating Nixon's M&Ms).

The movie opens in the spring. Watch the trailer below:

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Thanks to the box-office domination of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” Harrison Ford has now passed Samuel L. Jackson as the highest-grossing actor is US box office history, based on the amount of money his movies have made.

According to Box Office Mojo, Ford edged past Jackson following the latest update on the site, with the “Star Wars” star now having $4.699 billion over “The Avengers” star’s $4.626 billion.

What got Ford over the top was the latest tally for “The Force Awakens,” which to date has a $764 million domestic gross, passing “Avatar” for the all-time box office record in the US.

Expect Ford and Jackson to trade the number-one spot in the coming years: Jackson has “The Legend of Tarzan” and “Kong: Skull Island” coming soon while Ford has the "Untitled Blade Runner Project,"“Indiana Jones 5,” and “Star Wars: Episode VIII” in the works.

Rounding out the list are Tom Hanks at #3 ($4.334 billion), Tom Cruise at #6 ($3.587 billion), and the top women on the list is Cameron Diaz with $3.031 billion.

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For film, 2015 was an exciting and storied year, from the release of critically acclaimed movies like AI-exploration thriller "Ex Machina" to "Spotlight," the ensemble drama chronicling The Boston Globe's Pulitzer-prize winning coverage of the Catholic Church, to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and its record-breaking box-office debut.

But this year's poised to be even better with a thrilling lineup of reboots, sequels, and buzzed-about debut series hitting the box office.

From Pixar's "Finding Dory," the long-awaited follow-up to "Finding Nemo," to J.K. Rowling's screenwriting debut, "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them," here's what's coming up in 2016.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 10 best movies of 2015

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"Kung Fu Panda 3"

Release date: January 29

It's been four years since the release "Kung Fu Panda 2," but the third installment of the DreamWorks franchise is rearing to go with the same all-star cast including Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, and Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons. 

"Deadpool"

Release date: February 12

Ryan Reynolds trades in his DC Comics Green Lantern suit for Marvel's Deadpool who, after being subjected to an experiment that leaves him with incredible healing powers, hunts down the man who almost destroyed his life.

"Zoolander 2"

Release date: February 12

It's been nearly 15 years since we first met Derek Zoolander and Hansel, but the models are back for another round of "Steel Blue." Joining the roster of comedy stars for the sequel are Penelope Cruz and former SNL cast members Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen.

Leonardo DiCaprio's new movie "The Revenant" put up a strong fight this weekend, finally challenging "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" for the top spot at the domestic box office. 

By Sunday's estimates, however, "Awakens" won out, taking in $41 million this weekend versus $38 million for "The Revenant," according to box office tracking firm, Exhibitor Relations.

This makes four consecutive weeks at number one for "Awakens."

"The Revenant" performed better its first weekend in wide release than its projections of $20 million and beat out "Awakens" in Friday's gross, taking in $14.4 million over $10.7 million for the new "Star Wars." But being in 759 more theaters than "The Revenant" was the edge for "Star Wars" by Sunday. 

The audience interest in DiCaprio's portrayal of a mountain man who seeks vengeance (and takes on a bear) is a good sign for the actor on his award seasons chances. We might even see him take home a Golden Globe tonight.

While overseas, "The Force Awakens" opened in China, the second-largest film market in the world and one of the last territories in the world that wasn't showing the new "Star Wars" yet. Though China has been late to the "Star Wars" craze, the original trilogy didn't start playing there until last June, they have certainly caught the fever as estimates had the film taking in $33 million on Saturday, the largest opening day for Disney ever in that market, according to Deadline. Then set another record with a $53 million weekend debut, the largest ever in China.

"The Force Awakens" now is #3 in the all-time box office record with $1.669 billion. In North America the film is at $812 million, the fastest film ever to cross the $800 million mark.

SEE ALSO: 19 perdictions for who will clean up at this year's Golden Globes

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Director Alejandro González Iñárritu may have insisted on making his new movie "The Revenant" as authentic as possible — including having actors go through a week-long boot camp to correctly portray mountain men in the 1800s — but there was still some movie magic needed to pull off this gory revenge tale.

That's where legendary production designer Jack Fisk comes in. He's best known for the beautifully designed period settings in movies like "The Thin Red Line,"" The New World," and "There Will Be Blood" over his three-decade career.

Here, Fisk reveals some of the secrets behind the making of "The Revenant," including how that now-legendary bear scene came to be.

Warning: spoilers ahead.

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There was no real bear used in the filming of the grizzly attack scene.

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is the incredible bear attack on Leonardo DiCaprio's character Hugh Glass. The scene is intense, violent, and, according to Fisk, completely done though stunt men and CGI. And, no, of course there is no rape.

So there wasn't even a trained bear for some of it?

"None. We had no real bears on set," Fisk said. "We looked at bears, but they were all so fat. These trained bears in captivity that you see on TV shows, they don't look like a wild grizzly bear from the 1800s."

According to Fisk, the scene was rehearsed with the stunt department for months before they even got on set in Squamish, British Columbia. Then on the day, he dressed the area where the attack took place with 25-foot rubber trees so when DiCaprio smashed into them, he wouldn't get injured. The actor was then strapped to harnesses attached to cables the stunt team used to yank him around. The grizzly was then added digitally in postproduction.

Fake horses were created for the scene in which DiCaprio cuts one open to stay warm.

The bear scene was certainly not the only jaw-dropping sequence in "The Revenant." Later in the movie, as Glass sets out to enact his revenge on the people who left him after the grizzly attack, he must run from a group of angry Native Americans. To escape them, he and his horse jump a cliff and land on a giant pine tree. As it begins to snow, Glass cuts open the horse, takes out its guts, and crawls inside until the storm passes.

"The horse was built and the guts inside were created out of latex and hair," Fisk said. The props department built one horse for DiCaprio to crawl inside and another horse for the chase scene in which they go off the cliff.

"We brought in 15 big pine trees, some of them 50 feet tall. And we snowed in the area," Fisk said. "Like the bear scene, the snow around the horse was always being trampled on, so between takes we were constantly using the snow machine."

The location where DiCaprio finds the bison herd was discovered by accident.

Fisk says the biggest challenge he had on the film was finding the remote locations for shooting. That's largely because, as the movie was shot with only natural light, Fisk had to find locations with a south or southwest vista.

In one striking scene, Glass comes across a herd of bison, leading to a part with a Native American offering Glass the liver of one of the bison he's eating. Fisk said that that location was found by accident.

"We were checking out a river one day, stopped the boats at a point, and, walking up this hill, we found this large vista," Fisk said. "The sun was setting, it was the perfect time of day to see it. Everyone thought, 'My God, this is what we've been looking for.'"

Fisk and his team lined the top of the hill with bushes. Computer graphics were used to create the herd of buffalo. Fisk said only one prop bison was created for the liver scene.

"The AD said, 'Where's the second one?' and I told him a man can eat maybe 10 pounds of meat. Between the two of them they wouldn't even put a dent in it."

Fisk recalls seeing DiCaprio eat the real bison liver: "I thought Leo was vegetarian, but he went for it."

Late Sunday night, the world lost one of its greatest artists when David Bowie passed away after an 18-month battle with cancer. 

The 69-year-old was known for generation-defining music that spanned over 40 years, but in that time he also took on movie roles that were as eclectic as his music. And while he was by no means prolific on the screen, what he left stays with us just as much as his songs.

From an alien, to a vampire, to a Goblin King, here we look back on eight of David Bowie's most memorable roles. 

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"The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976)

Following his Ziggy Stardust phase in music, Bowie took on his first major film role in this now-classic sci-fi movie directed by Nicolas Roeg, in which he plays an alien who comes to earth to get water for his dying planet. The film explores greed and corruption as Bowie's character creates a billion-dollar company to build the spaceship to return to his home. Bowie's somber performance is one of his most memorable in all his film work.

"Just a Gigolo" (1978)

Two years later, Bowie took on the lead role of a World War I veteran who comes home to Berlin to become a companion to a lonely rich women after being unable to find work. The movie was a failure critically and at the box office, but the performance by Bowie shows his chops, as his character's debonair flair proves this musician wants to be taken seriously as an actor. 

"The Hunger" (1983)

Tony Scott's drama starring Bowie and Catherine Deneuve as a vampire couple who seduce Susan Sarandon is an entertaining piece of 1980s pulp that makes for a great guilty pleasure. Bowie here is a mix of sexy and vulnerable, and getting steamy opposite Deneuve and Sarandon isn't a bad way to make a movie, either.

In an interview with USA Today, director Zack Snyder confirms that we'll get our first glimpse of a bunch of Justice League characters in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

Fans were thrilled when the director confirmed that Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) would debut in the film. Now, Snyder has confirmed that even more DC heroes will appear in the March blockbuster. Including Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill), we'll also get glimpses of The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher).

"I love Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman, but having Flash and Aquaman and Cyborg and to see them all standing together, it's a pretty dorky and cool experience for me," Snyder told USA Today.

"Batman v Superman" will not only tease the crossover Justice League film due out 2017, which will unite all the heroes, but also tie into "Suicide Squad," out August 5.

Starring Jared Leto as The Joker, Will Smith as Deadshot, and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, the adaptation follows a team of supervillains tasked with taking down an even bigger villain.

"Basically every one of those characters has a logo that you would recognize without them standing there, and that's a hard thing to achieve in this pop-culture world. We have history to draw on, but we also have these new frontiers to forge," said Snyder.

These new frontiers include two Justice League movies and solo films for Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, Aquaman, and Cyborg — making for a total of seven films between now and 2020.

"There's a whole world of fantasy in comic books, and if you just focus on one small portion of it, you're never going to get the full magic of it,"added Superman actor Henry Cavill, speaking about the new cinematic universe DC is creating. "Now that we're introducing all these other characters and really building the universe to a far larger place than just a simple alien's life on Earth, it really makes it extraordinarily interesting."

"Batman v Superman" will be in theaters March 25.

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Leonardo DiCaprio's career is at its peak, and this just might be the year he finally wins an Oscar.

While DiCaprio has had five Oscar nominations, he's never won one.

However, he's likely to get a sixth nomination for "The Revenant," an intense survival movie in which he swam in frozen rivers and slept in a bison carcass. He just won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for it, and his star power made the movie $38 million at the box office this past weekend.

His performance in "The Revenant" also follows acclaimed performances in "Django Unchained" and "Wolf of Wall Street."

Last month, DiCaprio was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award, the strongest predictor for an Oscar nomination. The nominations will be announced Thursday, and Leo is a lock.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Chelsea Pineda

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After a casting search that considered 2,500 actors, Variety reports today that the hunt for the actor who will be playing a young Han Solo in an upcoming "Star Wars" spin-off has come down to just a dozen actors. 

Among the mix are Miles Teller ("Fantastic Four"), Dave Franco ("Neighbors"), Ansel Elgort ("The Fault in Our Stars"), Jack Reynor ("Transformers: Age of Extinction"), Scott Eastwood ("The Longest Ride"), Logan Lerman ("Fury"), Emory Cohen ("Brooklyn"), and Blake Jenner (from the upcoming Richard Linklater film "Everybody Wants Some").

According to Variety, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and the film's directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("The Lego Movie,""21 Jump Street" films) will make a final decision in the next couple of weeks.

Though the Han Solo movie doesn't begin shooting until next January, rumors are that the urgency to cast is because the young Solo would have a cameo in another "Star Wars" spin-off opening at the end of this year, "Rogue One." But Variety could not confirm this.

Disney tested actors as young as 17 and as old as 34 for the new Solo role. The actors left now range in age between 20-25, with Scott Eastwood being the oldest at 29. 

Whoever takes the role will have some star-making shoes to fill. Harrison Ford made the character so successful that it didn't just kick off a prolific Hollywood career — it also helped make him the highest-grossing actor of all time at the box office.

SEE ALSO: The Han Solo "Star Wars" spinoff movie won't be an origin story

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NOW WATCH: An artist created the perfect tribute to David Bowie

In a heartfelt Facebook post on Monday, director James Gunn said that he wanted the late David Bowie to make a cameo appearance in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" sequel. 

"Just a very short while ago [Marvel Studio head] Kevin Feige and I were talking about a cameo role in Guardians Vol. 2, and he brought up Bowie's name," Gunn wrote. "I told him nothing in the world would make me happier, but I heard from common friends he wasn't doing well. We heard back that he was okay and it could potentially happen."

As the Facebook post continues, Gunn reveals that Bowie, who died of cancer at age 69, was a major influence in the look and sound of 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy."

"We featured 'Moonage Daydream' in Guardians, but I always thought the album's character was felt far beyond that, in the aesthetics, in the integral and seemingly-natural linking in popular culture of '70's rock and space opera," said Gunn.

He went on to discuss how the artist's legendary music and visual effects influenced him personally, saying he's still considering adding Bowie's music to the film, due for release May 5, 2017.

"I've been trying to work another song from 'Ziggy' [Bowie's 5th album] into the sequel, which would make Bowie the only artist to have a song on both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. I thought this was fair and appropriate," Gunn wrote. "Although I cut the scene it was used in from the script, we have the rights. Who knows. Maybe I can figure a way out."

You can read Gunn's full post below: 

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With the report that Disney/Lucasfilm has narrowed down their extensive search for a young Han Solo to a handful of hopefuls, some were left wondering, “Why the hurry?” The Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology Film from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller isn’t due out until May 25, 2018, so there must be a reason behind the rush to casting.

One theory, as of yet unconfirmed but certainly a common-sense one, is that this new iteration of Han Solo will be making a cameo appearance in Gareth Edwards’ "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

The first of Disney/Lucasfilm’s anthology movies is currently filming for a December 16th release, so it would make sense to step up the Han Solo casting timetable if the creative teams want to get the younger version of Harrison Ford’s iconic character in front of the cameras. Perhaps similar to how Disney/Marvel has handled their sprawling universe of interconnected films through the use of cameos and end/post-credits scenes, Han Solo may serve as the bridge between the old and new films.

This makes sense for a few reasons.

The big one is that Disney/Lucasfilm has to sell audiences on the new Han Solo sooner than later, so getting him out front and center in their next film is a great way to accomplish that feat without having to have an entire Solo-centric film ready right out of the gates.

The other major reason for the new Solo’s early rollout is that, despite the huge box office performance of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Disney/Lucasfilm likely isn’t taking any chances on letting audiences sleep on less-recognizable films, namely the anthology movies.

So while Rogue One may be the most-anticipated film of 2016 according to some polls, having the added hook of giving viewers the first look at the new Han Solo in action would be a solid idea. On a more business-like note, locking an actor in now will make sure that his schedule accommodates Disney’s, and not the other way around, meaning they’ll be available for filming and all sorts of promotional appearances between now and May 25, 2018, and beyond…

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NOW WATCH: Everyone is obsessed with these 2 ‘Star Wars’ theories about the movie’s deepest mystery

Quentin Tarantino, a guy who definitely had a very interesting Sunday at the Golden Globes, used the endless series of press obligations surrounding the big night to reveal some pretty daunting plans for "The Hateful Eight": flipping the very Tarantino-y movie into a play. "I’ve thought it out completely," Tarantino said during a post-Globes conversation with the Wrap's Sharon Waxman. "I’m just waiting for this [awards] season to be over so I can write it. I gotta put myself there and write it for this."

In fact, Tarantino revealed, Harvey Weinstein originally wanted him to make "The Hateful Eight" a play but was promptly outvoted by Tarantino himself. "[Harvey] said, 'Let’s just say this out loud before we commit to doing the movie,'" Tarantino said. "And I was like, 'Look, I could. But I like the mystery aspect and the mystery aspect will really only work in the movie. And I have the 70mm and I have the snow. So let me do that.'"

Of course, Weinstein did indeed let him do that. However, as anyone who has actually seen "The Hateful Eight" can attest, the film's decidedly minimal number of locales is practically begging for a play adaptation. With "Kill Bill 3" also apparently in the beginning stages of actually (finally) becoming a thing that exists, Tarantino is setting himself up for a busy few years of very Tarantino-y creations.

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Warning: There are spoilers for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” below.

“The Force Awakens” left us with a lot of questions about Rey and her mysterious past. Who are her parents? Is she really Luke's daughter?

Attentive "Star Wars" fans on YouTube and Reddit may have found a clue about Rey's mysterious past in her musical theme to connect her to Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.

First, here's "Rey's Theme" as it appears in "The Force Awakens." Pay attention to the 2:30 to 2:40 mark. As the track fades, you can hear very prominent horns for about eight seconds.

They sound similar to the horns heard in the opening of Darth Vader's infamous theme, "The Imperial March."

Fans have gotten really creative with John Williams' score for Rey, hunting for hints about her identity. This user took "Rey's Theme" and reversed it. Again, pay attention to the horns around 2:30. They've become darker and more sinister like Vader's theme.

By the way, it's kind of cool that a lot of Rey's theme holds up well when played in reverse.

This YouTube user plays the horn notes on the piano. First, you hear Rey's theme played forward before they're played in reverse. It's when the notes are played backward that you hear the familiar "Imperial March" tune. Couple that with one of the end scenes in "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi" and Rey's theme sounds eerily similar.

Recurring themes in music is nothing new, but John Williams, who has composed the soundtrack for all of the "Star Wars" films, is known for his love of motifs — recurring themes with some type of story significance.

There are hints of Vader's theme in "Binary Sunset," the song that plays when Luke is seen on Tatooine in "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." Many consider this to be Luke's unofficial theme because of its prominence in the 1977 film.

Listen to the flutes at the end of the song, from 0:27 to 0:32. They’re a softer, more optimistic version of the horns we hear in Vader’s theme.

If you're still not convinced Rey may be connected to Luke and Darth Vader, YouTube user thespanishcomposer did an even bigger breakdown of Rey's theme making multiple connections to Vader's theme.

He notes that Williams has mixed and blended "Star Wars" themes together before to show character relations by pointing to Luke and Leia's theme.

It’s really worth a full listen.

What does it all mean? Are the small similarities in Rey and Darth Vader's theme coincidental, or does it mean that she's a Skywalker and, quite possibly Luke's daughter?

We can't know for sure. We'll probably have to wait until Episode VIII comes out in 2017 to find out the answer.

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Wednesday, "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn announced on social media he'll be filming the sequel to the 2014 hit digitally using some new technology.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" will be filming with RED's Weapon 8K camera. 

This thing: 

It will be the first movie to shoot using the camera.

What's so special about it?

Announced earlier this year, the camera can film with a frame resolution of 8192 X 4320 and a frame rate of 75 frames per second.

To give you an idea of what that means: You can watch an HD video on YouTube at 1080 pixels. The 8K camera is showing you eight times the amount. Most films are shown at 24fps (imagine a flipbook with 24 pictures being shown to you in a second to create the illusion of movement). Now, imagine seeing triple the amount at once. The result should be a more radiant, crisper, brilliant picture.

In other words, "Guardians of the Galaxy" sounds like its going to be a beautiful film. And since it sounds like the film will deal with some space adventures, we're even more excited.

CineTechnica has a good ratio breakdown visual comparing how a film shot on a RED Weapon 8K looks compared other cameras, which you can check out here. 

After Gunn told his followers across social media, he received a lot of fan questions asking why he would choose to make the sequel on digital. Gunn, as he often does, took the time to respond to many fans explaining he chose it partially due to some new technology which will be used in production.

Gunn became inundated with a lot of questions, so he decided to take some time out to write out his reasoning for shooting on the 8K camera Thursday on Facebook.

Gunn gave a few reasons for his camera choice:

"1) It is easier to seamlessly incorporate massive amounts of visual, digital effects - including a digital tree and raccoon - into a digital base."

For reference, here's how both Groot and Rocket Raccoon (yes, that's Gunn's brother Sean again) look while filming. Eye opening stuff!

"2) One of the ways I capture my actor's performances is by doing massively long takes, over and over - sometimes up to an hour - much longer than your typical 11-minute reel of film. I find this a better way to capture the energy and rawness in a performance (and we get better outtakes of me yelling at Michael Rooker off-screen)."

"3) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be utilizing another new technologies I'm very excited about but can't quite go into yet. But, for this technology, you need a camera the small size of the RED Weapon - a film camera is too big, as is the Alexa 65 (which is also an amazing camera)."

In addition, Gunn says it's both an aesthetic and a creative choice as an artist.

"It gives you more freedom in production and post production to create exactly the film you want to create than actual film does," he wrote on Facebook. "As anyone who has ever worked with me knows, I am a control freak. Such high resolution gives me the ability to control ever single bit of data (to do so would take a long time, but at least the knowledge comforts me)."

That doesn't mean Gunn's against film. Gunn says he appreciates the directors who advocate to shoot on film. (Just this week, Kodak announced it's launching a revival of its Super 8 cameras for filmmakers backed by directors who love the format, including Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino.)

Gunn just feels a lot of people like making movies on film for the nostalgia factor and to create films in the same way they remember seeing them when they were young. That's cool, Gunn's just interested in pushing the capabilities of technology further and leaving a new legacy for children to look back on later.

"Many filmmakers look to essentially replicate the look of film, but I don't share that interest," he wrote. "I believe that innovations in camera and shooting technologies as well as visual and practical effects gives us the ability to create a new aesthetic of film, one different from what the past has offered but equally beautiful - perhaps even more so." 

"I'm interested in being one of the many who help to create a new kind of magic that will usher the cinematic experience into the future," Gunn added. "What will the children of today think of fondly with nostalgia?"

It will be a while before we see anything from "Guardians 2." The film isn't set to come out until summer 2017.

Read Gunn's full Facebook answer below:

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Kenneth Hampton is a huge "Star Wars" fan. At Hampton's Hand-crafted LED Sabers, he makes custom, badass lightsabers that look more polished than Disney’s official toys.

But getting one of these lightsaber isn't cheap — the base model costs $480. Still, for the ultimate "Star Wars" fan, it could be worth it.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Adam Banicki

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Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Star Wars: the Force Awakens."

The final scenes of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" take viewers to a distant, remote planet. Similarly, the real-life stage for Luke Skywalker's hideway is a remote island located off the coast of Ireland called Skellig Michael.

Now that "The Force Awakens" has been in theaters for a few weeks, Ireland's tourism site wants to show off the island where the crew filmed. Discover Ireland even released a brief behind-the-scenes video to attract visitors.

There's a good chance we'll be seeing more of Skellig Michael in 2017's next "Star Wars" movie since that's where the film leaves off.

Keep reading to explore Ireland's remote destination.

Here's Skellig Michael, which served as Luke's hideout in "The Force Awakens."

It's one of two islands located off the southwest coast of Ireland.

The island was home to monks who removed themselves from civilization between the sixth and eighth centuries to practice Christianity for an estimated 600 years.

Sources: Skellig Experience, World Heritage Ireland 

As past awards shows have proven, big numbers at the box office don't always translate to film quality or critical acclaim.

With the 2016 Academy Awards fast approaching — nominations are announced January 14 and trophies are handed out February 28 — we decided to take a look at the films with the best chances of taking home an Oscar, according to critics' reviews.  

To determine the ranking, we found the highest-rated movies eligible for the 2016 Academy Awards on Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, two websites that rate movies based on aggregated critic reviews. We calculated the geometric mean of the two scores to determine a final score for each movie. (We didn’t consider movies that didn’t have at least 15 critic reviews on each website).

Some movies getting major awards buzz — like "The Revenant"— don't crack this list because of divided critical reception.

Read on to see which Oscar-eligible films critics loved the most from the past year.

SEE ALSO: The 50 most successful movies of 2015

DON'T MISS: The 10 biggest box office bombs of 2015

30. "Best of Enemies"

Metacritic: 77

Rotten Tomatoes:94%

As the presidential election campaigns of 1968 entered a frenzied summer season, ABC hired William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal to film live on-air coverage of the Republican and Democratic conventions. But Buckley, the conservative founder of National Review, and Vidal, a left-wing author with a loud mouth, held deeply opposing political views — along with deep-seated hatred for each other — and the interviews quickly turned into explosive debates, ushering in a new era of captivating television.

This historical documentary delves into a turning point in American political coverage, one that longs for prolonged conflict and anger, and features prudently chosen clips and interviews that crisply illustrate the on- and off-screen drama.

29. "Bridge of Spies"

Metacritic: 81

Rotten Tomatoes:91%

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks team up once again inthis Cold War thriller, which features Hanks as a lawyer with the unenviable task of defending a captured Russian spy in court. The film embraces the dark side of the war, reminding the audience of the fear it induced back then while also touching on the current anxieties regarding the war on terror.

Mark Rylance is getting awards consideration for his portrayal in a supporting role of the accused Russian spy with a Golden Globe nomination.

28. "The Martian"

Metacritic: 80

Rotten Tomatoes:93%

Based on Andy Weir's best-selling novel of the same name,"The Martian"features a stellar performance from Matt Damon as a botanist stranded on Mars and left for dead after a manned mission encounters turbulence.

The biggest hit of the fall season is getting best-picture Oscar buzz as well as best-actor consideration for Damon and best-director for Ridley Scott. At the Golden Globes, the film took home the award for best motion picture comedy or musical, and Damon was named best actor in the same category.

While "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" covers a lot of ground, not everything could be entirely fleshed out in the movie. 

Director J.J. Abrams recently revealed that between 10-20 minutes of scenes were cut from the film's final edit. The official novelization, written by Alan Dean Foster, includes some bonus scenes, and it adds more layers to what we saw in theaters.

That valuable background includes an explanation for why R2-D2 wakes up at the end, as well as a brief history of the galactic government now in place 30 years after "Return of the Jedi" and the Resistance's relationship to political powers.  

The novel also dives into the complexity of Kylo Ren's character. His uncertainty over killing his father is made clear, and it's also revealed that both Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke know how Darth Vader died.   

Here are eight scenes from the novel that didn't appear in the movie:

SEE ALSO: Harrison Ford is now the highest-grossing actor of all time thanks to 'Star Wars'

Poe Dameron's escape from Jakku

Poe's escape from Jakku after crash-landing on the desert planet with Finn is never shown in the movie, but the book offers a partial explanation for how Poe survived the crash and made it back to the Resistance base.

He loses consciousness as the TIE Fighter goes down and wakes up in time to stabilize the spacecraft before hitting the ground. He stumbles from the wreckage with a concussion and begins to wander in search of water and a new ship, continuing the search through the night.

In the morning, a scavenger on a speeder approaches and the two strike up a dialogue about wandering the desert. The scavenger thinks Poe's story about crashing on the planet is a humorous lie and agrees to take Poe to a town with another scavenger who might be able to assist. On their journey, a group of thieves approaches and Poe convinces the scavenger to let him take control of the speeder. With his expert piloting skills, Poe evades the thieves.

But that's as far as Poe's escape goes. How exactly Poe gets off Jakku still remains a mystery. 

Chewbacca rips an arm off of Unkar Plutt at Maz Kanata's castle

Unkar Plutt is the creature Rey gives junk to in exchange for food rations on Jakku. Played by Simon Pegg, Plutt doesn't appear in the film again after Rey gets off of Jakku. But in the book, Rey has another interaction with Plutt at Maz Kanata's castle. 

After Finn leaves the castle with the crew he's hoping to travel with, Rey hears the familiar voice of Unkar Plutt and he grabs her. Using a homing device in the Millennium Falcon, Plutt was able to track her to the castle. She tries to struggle out of his grasp and manages to hold her blaster to his face, but he grabs it from her hands.  

Chewbacca notices what's happening and comes to Rey's rescue. Plutt isn't threatened by the wounded Wookie at first, but that's his mistake.

"Grabbing the thrusting arm, a roaring Chewbacca twisted and ripped it off at the shoulder, throwing the dismembered limb clear across the room. Looking down at himself, Plutt let out a scream of agony as his underlings hurriedly fell back.

The arm landed on a table where a group of four-armed, long-snouted Culisettos was gambling. With an annoyed huff, one of them picked up the amputated limb and absently tossed it aside, allowing the game to resume."

Leia tells Han Solo that she knew Snoke, Supreme Leader of the First Order, was after their son from the beginning

In an exchange between Leia and Han Solo, Leia reveals that she had been aware Supreme Leader Snoke was manipulating their son, Ben (now Kylo Ren), but kept it from Solo. 

She explains her "many reasons" for keeping it a secret:

"'I was hoping that I was wrong, that it wasn’t true. I hoped I could sway him, turn him away from the dark side, without having to involve you.' A small smile appeared. 'You had— you have— wonderful qualities, Han, but patience and understanding were never among them. I was afraid that your reactions would only drive him farther to the dark side. I thought I could shield him from Snoke’s influence and you from what was happening.' Her voice dropped. 'It’s clear now that I was wrong. Whether your involvement would have made a difference, we’ll never know.'"

Marvel has officially confirmed Ryan Coogler of "Creed" as the director for the upcoming "Black Panther" film. 

This marks the 29-year-old director's third feature film. 

He wrote and directed his first, "Fruitvale Station," in 2013. It won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature in 2014.

His most recent film, "Creed," is the critically acclaimed latest entry in the "Rocky" franchise and could nab him Oscar nominations later this week. Sylvester Stallone won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his reprisal of Rocky Balboa in the film. 

"We are fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker join the Marvel family,” producer Kevin Feige said in a statement. “The talents Ryan showcased in his first two films easily made him our top choice to direct ‘Black Panther.' Many fans have waited a long time to see Black Panther in his own film, and with Ryan we know we’ve found the perfect director to bring T’Challa’s story to life.”

Based on the Marvel comics, the film will explore how T'Challa, prince of Wakanda, becomes Black Panther following his father's death. The character, created by Stan Lee, is the first black superhero in comic books.

Viewers will first catch a glimpse of Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman, in "Captain America: Civil War," which will premiere May 6.  

"Black Panther" is slated to hit theaters February 16, 2018.

SEE ALSO: Why 'Creed' is a strong contender for this year's Oscar race

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With a new year comes plenty of new movies. Disney announced its full schedule of movies set to drop in 2016, and there's a lot to look forward to this year. 

Whether you can't wait to see the next chapter in the "Star Wars" saga or Benedict Cumberbatch star in his first Marvel movie, "Doctor Strange," here are all the dates you'll want to mark down:

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