'Suffragette' crashes on rocks of Oscar season, while 'Peanuts' dares to be different by staying the same

Not all movies that dare to land in the thick of awards season land on their feet. Word had been getting around for a few weeks before now that Sarah Gavron's well-meaning Suffragette just doesn't have the goods, and I have to sadly agree. It's unfortunate that in a year that features so many female-driven films contending in the awards race, that this one -- which was also written and directed by women -- should become such a visible casualty.

But it is what it is. The film just isn't very good. The subject matter it tackles is noble (at times unflinchingly brutal), but importance is not equal to quality.

Early Oscar Predictions: Music

Obviously, it's impossible to judge a film's soundtrack before it's released, or even recorded which may be the case with many of this year's upcoming prospects. Thankfully for us obsessive prognosticators, the music branch has some old habits that can lay the foundation for early guesswork. For starters, they are notoriously insular, usually only choosing one or two first-time nominees per year in the Best Original Score category.

So who are some branch favourites with multiple irons in the fire this year?