How we got here: The wild ride to this year's Oscars

The Oscar race is a marathon, not a sprint. The starter's pistol goes off in the fall with the opening of the Toronto International Film Festival and a flurry of others.

Looking back, critics myself includedwere salivating over the heist film Widows. While some werewondering if Robert Redford's The Old Man & the Gun had the legs for an Oscar run, others were eagerly anticipatingTimothe Chalamet's addiction drama Beautiful Boy.

Flash forward to today.Those titles have been replaced by a mix of frothy crowd pleasers and artful melodramas. So, as the studios wait for Tuesday's Oscar nominations, here's a rundown of thisseason's winners and losers.

BlacKkKlansman

What is it:A true-life tale of how a black cop and his Jewish partner infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, featuring a return to form by director Spike Lee.

What happened: BlacKkKlansman burst on the scene back in May at the Cannes Film Festival. The Cannes crowd has a history of embracing films that critique the United States and the way Lee connected Donald Trump's America first ethos to the men who hide under hoods helped earn BlackKkKlansman two jury prizes. While most spring releases fade away, BlacKkKlansman went on to land a string of nominations at theGolden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards andBAFTAs.

What to watch: Will Denzel Washington's son John follow in pop's footsteps and land a best actor nomination?

Roma

What is it:A Spanish-language black-and-white filmabouta nanny working fora family in Mexico City.

What happened: Intimate and epic, the newest film from Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron has captured the hearts of cinephiles. While Netflix is seen by some in the industry as thebarbarians at the gate, an aggressive theatrical run and expensive awards season push saw the film clean up at the Critics'Choice Awards and land best director and best foreign language filmat the Golden Globes.

What to watch: Will preschool-teacher-turned-actor Yalitza Aparicio land an Oscar nomination alongside Glenn Close and Lady Gaga?

BohemianRhapsody

What is it: Both a concert film and a biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody is the Queen-approved story of frontman FreddieMercury.

What happened: Score one for damage control.This is a film where the director was fired midway and still faces sexual assault charges. Even so,Bohemian Rhapsody didn't just succeed, it's now the highest-grossing music biopic of all time. While the screenwriters took liberties with Mercury's story and sanitized his sexuality, that didn't stop audiences from swooning over for Rami Malek's performance. As the song says, "The show must go on."

Watch to watch: Whether director Bryan Singer is snubbed once again in the nominations.

Green Book

What is it: From the director of Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary, the film is a feel-good comedy about racism based on the true story of Tony Lip, an Italian-American driver hired by Don Shirley, a black concert pianist.

What happened: Green Book's awards season has been wild.First, the film won the coveted Oscar indicator, the People's Choice Award at TIFF. Then there was the stumble with Viggo Mortensen uttering the N-word at a panel in November. When Green Book finally opened to the public later that month, the box office was underwhelming. Then came the critics. They pulled apart the film's problematic story told from the white driver's perspective astory that Shirley'srelativescalled a "symphony of lies." But with threeGolden Globewins, and a number of BAFTAand SAG nominations many still seeGreen Bookas a major contender.

What to watch: Will co-writer Nick Vallelonga receive a screenwriting nomination after apologizing for an anti-Muslim tweet?

The Favourite

What is it:Every awards season needs a pretty period piece, and this is ita biting look at the relationships revolving around Queen Anne.

What happened: Up until now, the movies of Yorgos Lanthimos have been too dry and divisive for most voters. But for The Favourite, the Greek director enlisted screenwriters Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. The result: a riotous royaldramedy featuring a racy Emma Stone and hilarious Olivia Colman.

What to watch: Colman's Golden Globe acceptance speech was charming but there's little chance she'll dethrone Close,who is a lock for the best actress Oscar.

Vox Lux

What it is: Natalie Portman totally transforms herself into apop star fighting against fame and her past.

What happened: In 2016, Portman was lauded for her performance as Jacqueline Kennedy in Jackie. But in 2018, audiences shruggedwhen she transformed into a pampered pop singer with Lady Gaga moves. True, Vox Lux is a challenging film to watch. It begins with a disturbing school shooting and then jumps ahead 17 years where a survivor named Celeste is now aMadonna-level celebrity. Both Vox Lux and A Star is Born end with great musical moments, but Vox Lux leaves you with more questions than answers. (Like what was with Portman's Harley Quinn accent?)

Widows

What is it: A visceral heist film about five women fighting back.

What happened: Forget BlacKkKlansman:If you want a film that encapsulates the frustrations of living in Trump's America, look no further than Widows. The crime story features one ofthe best roles Viola Davis has had in years and a plot packed with twists and turns. Yet Widows barely registered this awards season, scoring only a BAFTAnod for Davis, (none for director Steve McQueen) and striking out at the Golden Globes.

First Man

What isit: An inside-the-space-helmet look at the life of Neil Armstrong and the first lunar landing.

What happened:Ryan Gosling turned in an achingly beautiful performance as an astronaut wrestling with grief and nobody noticed. In a season where movies likeGreen Book and Bohemian Rhapsody play fast and loose with the facts, First Man director Damien Chazelle strived to show audiences Armstrong's internal struggle. But Chazelle's quest for integrity and accuracy yielded few nominations.

If Beale Street Could Talk

What is it: The followup film from the director of Moonlight is a beautiful and harrowing look at black love in the 1960s.

What happened: While it premiered to rave reviews at the fall festivals, the late release date may have hurt the latest film by Barry Jenkins. By the time audiences had a chance to watch the adaptation of the James Baldwin novel, the awards season had already coalesced around less challenging pictures. To its credit, IfBeale Street Could Talkis the opposite of Green Book in terms of its willingness to upset the audience. Days after seeing it, I could still remember the broken, bloodshot expression of Stephan James looking out across the prison visiting room. The question remains if voters will respond to itsbitterbeauty.

Black Panther

What is it: A groundbreaking Marvel movie about an African king/superhero that shattered box office expectations.

What happened: The Oscars didn't need to create a popular movie category to reward Black Panther they just need to recognize what director Ryan Coogler accomplished. Beneath the high-tech super suits and Afrofuturistic set design is a searing tale of abandonment and rage. While the cast of Black Panther have gracedmany red carpets, the movie has few awards to show for it. If the Oscars want to retain its relevance, it better shower the king withnominations.

Mary Poppins Returns, A Quiet Place and the rest

There are still a few films hovering in the To Be Determined column.

A Star is Born shone brightly in the fall but only managed to win a Golden Globe for best song. That means we can expect a performance of Shallow at the Oscars, butare voters ready to rewardLady Gaga as an actor?

Then there's three-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe. Will hisartful performance as Van Gogh inAt Eternity's Gatecrack the best actor category?

Finally, there's Hollywood's new favourite power couple: Emily Blunt and John Krasinski.

She pulled off the impossible making Mary Poppins her own in the Disney sequel.

He proved he's more than Jim from The Office by directing and starring in the smart thriller AQuiet Place.

While Krasinski could be a dark horse in directing andwriting categories, Blunt'sexpialidocious turn as Mary Poppins could be the kind of old-fashioned movie magic voters are pining for.