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Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards were announced Jan. 22, and the time has come to begin binge watching the major nominees.
The Oscars will air Feb. 24 at 8 p.m., giving movie lovers nearly a month to catch up on any flicks they may have missed. Here’s a breakdown of each of the eight Best Picture nominees and where to watch them before awards night:
BlacKkKlansman
Earning Spike Lee his first nod for Best Director, BlacKkKlansman is an emotionally charged and hilarious depiction of the true story of Ron Stallworth, the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. The film follows Stallworth (John David Washington) and partner Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) as they dupe and expose members of the local Ku Klux Klan. BlacKkKlansman also earned nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Original Music Score, and Driver earned a nod for Best Supporting Actor.
BlacKkKlansman can be streamed for $5.99 on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play and Vudu.
Black Panther
Arguably one the biggest films of the year, Black Panther collected several Oscar nominations, including Marvel Studio’s first for Best Picture. The blockbuster broke the mold for superhero flicks and became a cultural phenomenon as it chronicled hero T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) grappling with the responsibility of becoming king of Wakanda and his country’s somewhat controversial history.
Black Panther can be streamed for free with a Netflix subscription and for $2.99 on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play and Vudu.
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Freddie Mercury biopic has surprised some with its success during awards season, but the high-energy, music-filled feature seems to be a crowd favorite. Rami Malek earned a nod and could be the favorite to win the award for Best Actor for his stunning performance as the Queen frontman, and the film earned three more nominations in technical categories for film editing, sound editing and sound mixing.
Bohemian Rhapsody can be streamed for $19.99 on YouTube, Google Play and Vudu.
The Favourite
Period dramas have always been Academy favorites, and The Favourite is exemplary of that trend, tying with Roma for the most nominations of the year with 10. The film explores the relationships between 18th century England’s Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) and two women feuding for her favor. Coleman and the two other leading ladies, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, each earned acting nods for their potent performances.
The Favourite is currently unavailable on streaming platforms but is now playing at The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St.
Green Book
In a surprising fit of domination, Green Book has turned heads during the 2019 awards season as a contender for several major awards. The adaptation of a true story examines the bond between a prominent African-American pianist (Mahershala Ali) and his bodyguard (Viggo Mortensen) in the 1960s American South. Both Ali and Mortensen earned acting nods, and the film was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Green Book is currently unavailable on streaming platforms but is now playing at the Athena.
Roma
Alfonso Cuaron’s stunning depiction of life in 1970s Mexico earned 10 nominations in a range of categories, from acting and directing to technical elements. Roma is Netflix’s first Best Picture nominee, and the black-and-white feature is deservedly earning plenty of attention for the artistic style that sets it apart from all other nominees.
Roma can be streamed for free with a Netflix subscription.
A Star Is Born
Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut and Lady Gaga’s first feature film as an actress seemed to be all anyone was talking about for months. The reinterpretation of the classic tale of love and fame (set to a killer soundtrack) earned eight nominations, with Gaga and Cooper each receiving a nod for acting.
A Star Is Born can be streamed for $19.99 on YouTube, Google Play and Vudu.
Vice
Rounding out the nominees in a banner year for biopics, Vice is a humorous take on Dick Cheney (Christian Bale)’s time as vice president of the U.S. and the way he shaped the White House. The film earned eight Oscar nominations, including nods in three acting categories and Best Director.
Vice is currently unavailable on streaming platforms.
