With Oscar season soon on the horizon, IBTimes UK film critic Amy West takes a look at some of the potential awards contenders being released this month.

The Hateful Eight

The eighth film from Quentin Tarantino, this snowy western finds eight strangers stuck together at a Stagecoach station during a blizzard. As the weather rages outside, the dark secrets of each character is revealed, culminating in a violent showdown.

Starring Kurt Russell, Samuel L Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen, expect a dark and bloody thriller filled with Tarantino's trademark crackerjack dialogue.

Room

Adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name, this harrowing drama details the escape of a woman (Brie Larson) and her son (Jack Tremblay), after they are held captive in an enclosed space for seven years.

Directed by Irish filmmaker Lenny Arbahamson (Frank, What Richard Did), the film's two leads have already received rave reviews for their touching and tender performances.

Spotlight

A drama based on The Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into child sex abuse by the Catholic Church, Spotlight features an impressive ensemble cast including Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber and Billy Crudup.

Since premiering at the Venice Film Festival the picture has received near universal acclaim for it's gripping story and Tom McCarthy's deft direction.

The Revenant

Alejandro G. Iñárritu's last film, Birdman, won the best picture Oscar last year. The Mexican filmmaker now returns with The Revenant, an epic western starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.

Inspired by the experiences of frontiersman and fur trapper Hugh Glass, DiCaprio has been tipped to finally win an Oscar for his role in this savage drama about a man on the hunt for revenge in the wild western frontier.

More movie news
Leonardo DiCaprio