We’re in the homestretch of yet another Oscar season, and the window to be properly caught up on which films are overrated, which were snubbed, and which should have never even been a contender is rapidly closing. But unlike most years, it’s never been easier to watch any of the major nominees, as almost all of the big films in contention are streaming on a service you likely already subscribe to. Here’s a handy streaming guide to complete your Oscar binge watch.
The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director (Jane Campion), Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actor (Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee), Best Supporting Actress (Kirsten Dunst), Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound
Leading the pack with a total of 12 nominations, The Power of the Dog marks acclaimed director Jane Campion’s return to filmmaking after a decade-long sabbatical. Juxtaposing humanity’s wickedness with nature’s beauty, this gritty western delves into the topics of hate, bigotry, violence, and their root causes. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as you’ve never seen him before, and playing against an equally stellar cast including Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Paul Dano, The Power of the Dog has all the necessary ingredients to sweep the Oscars.
West Side Story (HBO Max)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose)
Arguably the most famous play of all time, and already adapted into a beloved film in 1961, director Steven Spielberg didn’t shy away from reinvigorating this story for a new generation. Telling the classic Romeo and Juliet tale of forbidden love between a boy and girl belonging to two rival factions, then translating it into musical form and setting it in the upper west side of New York City, Spielberg manages to find new magic where so many have been before. Vivid colors, breathtaking sets, and surprising vocals from the likes of Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler creates a brand-new experience for even the most diehard of classic fans.
King Richard (Amazon Prime, AppleTV+)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor (Will Smith), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis)
With an action and comedy catalog as extensive as Will Smith’s, it’s easy to understand how some people can forget how good of a dramatic actor he really is. King Richard proves those chops again—and it just might earn Smith his first Actor win. The film tells the story of Richard Williams (Will Smith), the father and guiding force behind tennis phenoms Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton). Poor, self-taught, and determined to beat the racist system of sport that would deny his daughters the same opportunities of those less talented, Richard embarked on a single-minded mission to build his children into the tennis stars we now know, sometimes at the expense of preserving a traditional family dynamic. Every Academy crop needs a feel-good movie, and this tribute from the Williams sisters (who produced the film) to their father is it.
Nightmare Alley (HBO Max)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design
The year’s 1939 and New York is still in the depths of the depression. Desperate to make ends meet, con man Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) delves into the popular world of clairvoyance. As he masters the trade and zeroes in on rich targets, Carlisle soon finds he’s bit off more than he can chew when he comes up against another “occult-science”: psychology. Writer/director Guillermo del Toro takes his talents for period horror and delivers one of his best films to date. Nightmare Alley isn’t as poignantly beautiful as his previous Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water, but it is more entertaining,
Don’t Look Up (Netflix)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing
Writer/director Adam McKay applies his controversial pseudo-docu style/fourth-wall breaking satirical style—which earned him awards acclaim with The Big Short and Vice—to a climate change allegory, only in this dramedy, it’s a “planet killer” meteor headed right for Earth. The cast is like a Hollywood A-list madlibs: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Tyler Perry, and more all share the screen to hilarious effect as they spin their wheels trying to agree on what’s to be done to save the planet while impending doom barrels closer and closer towards them.
Dune (HBO Max)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound
“The future of sci-fi film.” “The best space movie since the original Star Wars.” “The savior of post-covid cinema.” The praises Dune has been sung aren’t as hyperbolic as they sound. This adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 classic novel brought two of today’s biggest movie stars (Timothée Chalamet & Zendaya) together with one of the most consistent directors of our time (Denis Villeneuve). More importantly it brought people back to theaters for a blockbuster event that wasn’t sequel or superhero-related. For that the Academy might just award it Best Picture.
Licorice Pizza (Amazon Prime)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Original Screenplay
Staying true to form by delivering the type of quirky, hyper-specific LA period piece only he can, Paul Thomas Anderson brings the valley circa 1970s to life through the eyes of longtime collaborator Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son, Cooper, alongside Haim vocalist Alana Haim. Packed with as much fun as feeling, as well as a hilarious scene-stealing cameo from Bradley Cooper, Licorice Pizza is a can’t miss—and thanks to Prime streaming now you don’t have to.
Spencer (Hulu)
Nominated for: Best Actress (Kristen Stewart)
The life and death of Princess Diana is a subject Hollywood has done ad nauseum. Where others have stuck to staid biopic tropes, Spencer wins through originality. Ditching the lens of traditional historical fiction, director Pablo Larraín takes us inside Diana’s mind on one fateful Christmas trip to the Queen’s palace. Traveling through memories in a style reminiscent of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the Princess of Wales’s ghosts walk alongside her, foregoing the tired story of a world looking in and finally offering us a chance to experience what it must have been like for Diana to look out and see an audience of millions watching her every move.
Drive My Car (HBO MAX)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Directing (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
Drive My Car’s Best Picture nomination is a welcome continuation of the Academy Awards recognizing amazing cinema from around the world, beyond the marginalized category of International Film. It tells the story of Yūsuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a theater director/actor as he deals with the sudden death of his wife, her past unspoken infidelities, and the creative burden it’s placed upon him. The film is perfectly paced, and evokes a strong emotional reaction. Drive My Car is truly a film to be experienced as much as it is watched, but be warned: you’ll need plenty of tissues.
Belfast (Amazon Prime, Apple TV+)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Director (Kenneth Branagh), Best Supporting Actor (Ciarán Hinds), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench)
Every Academy Awards needs at least one biopic in the running for Best Picture. Unlike many previous year’s choices however, Belfast is truly worthy. Buddy (Jude Hill) is the nine-year-old son of Ulster Protestant parents in 1960s Northern Ireland when tensions between Catholics and Protestants were at their boiling point. Capturing a young boy’s coming of age within the death slide of a country propels a cast that includes Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, and Ciarán Hinds to some of the best performances of the year, and easily wins it the unofficial award of 2022’s top tearjerker.
Being the Ricardos (Amazon Prime)
Nominated for: Best Actor (Javier Bardem), Best Actress (Nicole Kidman), Best Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons)
Condensing 180 episodes of America’s most watched show and two decades of marriage into a two-hour film, writer/director Aaron Sorkin explores the complicated personal/professional relationship of Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem). Utilizing his signature mix of flashbacks and explosive dialogue, Sorkin injects the often-plodding biopic formula with a welcome boost of tension, making this a fascinating look back at one of history’s most famous couples.
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Apple TV+)
Nominated for: Best Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Cinematography, Best Production Design
Joel Coen proves once again that there is no story of murder that can’t be improved by his touch. Reinvigorating William Shakespeare’s 420-year-old Macbeth, this classic tale of bloodshed and betrayal is brought into the modern era by way of stunning visuals and masterclass acting from two of our greatest thespians. Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand take the boring old story every high school theater club has ever attempted and turn it into The Tragedy of Macbeth, a medieval noir-esque black and white that will make you thankful for that new 4k tv and Apple + subscription.
tick, tick… BOOM! (Netflix)
Nominated for: Best Actor (Andrew Garfield), Best Film Editing
Theater reinvented as film seemed to be a big trend this year, and undeniably one of the best to do it was tick, tick… BOOM! Based on Jonathan Larson’s classic musical of the same name and directed by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film mixes classic stage numbers with more traditional film scenes to create a medium that might work even better for the material than the original. Continuing his recent career revival, star Andrew Garfield shows a surprising talent for both song and dance that will leave you wondering why you haven’t seen him in more musicals. After earning him his first career nomination for Best Actor, he might start whistling a new tune from here on out.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (HBO Max)
Nominated for: Best Actress (Jessica Chastain), Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Few faces were as famous in the 1970s as Tammy Faye’s. Controlling the airwaves with her evangelical empire, Tammy (Jessica Chastain) alongside husband Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) held a virtual monopoly on all things religion, and boy did they milk it. Drugs, bibles, fur coats, and pledge drives create a ride crazy enough any actress would love to sink her teeth into, but the role was thankfully given to Jessica Chastain. Perfecting every aspect of Faye’s being, from the quaint Southern twang all the way up to the sideshow lashes, it’s easy to see why she’s in the running to win Best Actress.
The Lost Daughter (Netflix)
Nominated for: Best Actress (Olivia Colman), Best Supporting Actress(Jessie Buckley), Best Adapted Screenplay
Maggie Gyllenhaal knocks her feature directorial debut out of the park. Adapting Elena Farrante’s 2006 novel of the same name, The Lost Daughter turns its tense plot into a psychological thriller/mystery to explore the ups and downs of motherhood. Rarely does a film have so much more to offer than just its plot while still preserving its ability to entertain. Memory jumps, minor hints, and plenty of red herrings show Gyllenhaal’s deft hand and makes this one of the most enjoyable watches of the year.
Coda (Apple TV+)
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur)
An underdog film with a whole lot of heart, Coda tells the story of Ruby (Emilia Jones), a poor fisherman’s daughter with a passion for singing who was born the only hearing-able member of her deaf family. Overcoming both her economic and personal hardships as she strives to achieve her dreams of a singing scholarship to Berkeley College, Ruby’s journey brings attention to a largely underrepresented community and the struggles both they and the people around them go through daily. Coda is more than a movie, it’s a lesson of inclusiveness wrapped in top-notch film making.