The nominations are in for the 92nd annual Academy Awards, and if you’ve been waiting to see what was actually getting nominated before plunking down your hard-earned cash and growling—“One for ‘Bombshell,’ please!”— well, the wait is over. And the catch-up countdown clock is already ticking due to this year’s (thankfully) abbreviated awards season, the ceremony is less than four weeks away.
READ MORE: Oscars 2020 – Joker Leads The Pack With 11 Nominations
But hey, no need to panic. We’ve put together this handy guide to not only help you prioritize your viewing in this run-up to Hollywood’s Big Night™ but to fill you in on exactly how to see them all.
“The Irishman”
How to see it: Stream it on Netflix.
Martin Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour historical epic/gangster movie death rattle was a likely Oscar contender from the moment critics emerged, bleary-eyed and delirious, from its first NYFF screening. This morning, the Academy delivered on that promise with ten nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (twice), Best Director, and Best Screenplay (though not, alas, Best Actor). Its chances at winning some, if not any, of those vary depending on the source (the picture’s empty-handed night at the Golden Globes is one red flag; Academy members’ reluctance to bestow too many awards on Netflix is another), but it’s worth seeing first for two reasons: 1) no matter who wins the prize, it’s 2019’s best film, and 2) it’s the easiest of the major contenders to watch immediately since it’s available at the click of a button for Netflix subscribers.
“Marriage Story”
How to see it: Stream it on Netflix.
Noah Baumbach’s meme- and tear-generating comedy/drama was Netflix’s other big play for awards recognition this season, and another success, with nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Score. It’s the kind of intimate, small-scale, emotion-driven picture that more often than not ends up with a small haul; we could be looking just at a prize for Baumbach’s screenplay. But that’d be his first win, and besides, those are the very qualities that make it work so well at home – and you’re in luck because this one is also streaming on the ‘flix.
“Joker”
How to see it: Rent or buy it on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, or your on-demand platform of choice.
Eleven nominations, folks, and Joaquin Phoenix is probably going to win Best Actor, despite the fact that his performance has been nothing short of controversial and debated since August. But, again, he’s probably going to win, and we all should probably get used to it (and stop dwelling on Antonio Banderas’ graceful, career-best work in “Pain and Glory”). At any rate, if you’d like to see the presumed Best Actor performance, “Joker” is available for rental or purchase.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
How to see it: Rent or buy it on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, or your on-demand platform of choice.
Quentin Tarantino’s last three features were all Oscar winners, and the Academy just loves nostalgic celebrations of the industry and its past (see “The Artist,” “Argo,” “La La Land,” etc.), so it was probably inevitable that his latest would do well this morning – and boy did it, with ten nominations (including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay). And luckily enough, it landed on disc and on-demand just before the end of the year, with copies of its 4K Blu-ray Special Edition appearing in the mailboxes of critics’ groups, and its Oscar-nominated cinematography available in glorious 4K from all your preferred platforms.
“The Two Popes”
How to see it: Stream it on Netflix.
The strong showing for Fernando Meirelles’s historical drama was one of the mild surprises of the morning, with nominations for Jonathan Pryce (Best Actor), Anthony Hopkins (Best Supporting Actor), and Anthony McCarten (Best Adapted Screenplay). It won’t win any of those – this is very much a “the nominations are the prize” sorta situation – so the movie’s not an essential watch. But it’s still quite good, and look at that, it’s a Netflix original.
“Judy”
How to see it: Rent or buy it on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, or your on-demand platform of choice.
If you’re a completest, by all means, rent away. But who really needs to sit through another mediocre biopic?
“The Lighthouse”
How to see it: Rent or buy it on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, or your on-demand platform of choice.
One of the morning’s few genuinely great surprises was Jarin Blaschke’s well-deserved nomination for Best Cinematography; his rich, haunting black-and-white photography of Robert Eggers’ tale of seaside madness is one of that cuckoo-bananas picture’s highlights. It absolutely will not win, but it’s well worth your time anyway, and as mentioned last week, it’s now available for rental and purchase.
“Missing Link”
How to see it: Stream it on Hulu.
In a year without a clear-cut favorite among the Best Animated Feature crowd, it feels like LAIKA finally has a shot at winning an Oscar. Every one of their previous features has been nominated, but lost (usually to Disney or Pixar, and that could happen again here). But their intricate, labor-intensive stop-action technique is worthy of applause, “Link” is an utterly charming little movie, and it’s on Hulu, easy breezy.
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
How to see it: Stream it on Hulu.
This could also be the year for DreamWorks’ “Dragon” series to finally pick up a prize (after nominations for its two previous entries, in 2010 and 2014), though DreamWorks isn’t as much of a sentimental favorite as LAIKA. Either way, it’s on Hulu at the moment as well.
“I Lost My Body”
How to see it: Stream it on Netflix.
“Klaus”
How to see it: Stream it on Netflix.
Best Animated Feature always includes a couple of wild-card nominees, often from art-house animated distributors like GKIDS; these two Netflix releases fill those slots this year. They’re both worth seeing (especially “I Lost My Body”), but aren’t likely to win; the big prize here always goes to one of the majors.
“Toy Story 4”
How to see it: Rent or buy it on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, or your on-demand platform of choice.
“Toy Story 3” won Best Animated Feature back in 2010, and that felt like an award for the entire series, since the category wasn’t around for the first two films, and this one felt like the end of the series. (It still does, even after the fourth one, but we’re not ready to talk about that.) That’s why it seems less likely to win again, though we could be wrong – again, the trophy always goes to one of the big boys, and Disney’s “Frozen II” wasn’t nominated – but considering its box office, you’ve probably already seen this one anyway
“Honeyland”
How to see it: Stream it on Hulu.
Tamara Kotevska and Ljubo Stefanov’s documentary portrait of the last traditional beekeeper in the Macedonian mountains is a big deal, and not just because it’s a great movie (one of the best of the decade, in fact): it also scored the heretofore unknown one-two punch of nominations for both Best Documentary Feature and (the newly renamed) Best International Feature Film. That unusual spread could make it the front-runner in the former category, and it, too, is on Hulu. (For that matter, so is “Apollo 11,” which absolutely should’ve been nominated for Best Documentary as well, ugh, put it on your watchlist too.)
“American Factory”
How to see it: Stream it on Netflix.
“The Edge of Democracy”
How to see it: Stream it on Netflix.
Then again, Best Documentary Feature voters could also go with one of Netflix’s two entries; those members don’t seem to have an issue with giving awards to the streaming service (its “Icarus” was something of a surprise win two years back). Of the two, “American Factory” is probably more likely to win – thanks, if nothing else, to the Obama seal of approval – but both are worth a look.
“For Sama”
How to see it: Stream it on Kanopy and PBS.
But don’t count out Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ documentary account of the Aleppo uprising, which recently made history as the most-nominated documentary in the history of the BAFTAs. It’s currently available on Kanopy, which is great news if your local library is on Kanopy; if it’s not (hello, New Yorkers), you can also watch it on PBS’s website (it aired as part of this season of “Frontline.”)
“Parasite,” “Pain and Glory,” “Little Women,” “Knives Out,” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” “1917,” “Les Misérables,” “The Cave,” “Harriet,” “Ford v. Ferrari,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Richard Jewell,” “Bombshell”
How to see them: The rest of the big nominees are still playing in theaters, so that means, sorry, you’ll actually have to leave the house. I recommend seeing them in roughly this order.
