Okay, so you’ve forgotten to watch any of the films nominated for the Academy Awards this year. It’s not a huge deal, but I’m a little confused how you managed to skip so many amazing movies.
Not to worry. There’s a way to cram in as many of 2013’s most important films as you can without chaining yourself to your couch until Sunday, but it’s going to take some sacrifice and some selective viewing. You’re not going to be able to watch everything, so for our jam-packed Oscar catchup playlist, we’re going for ease of access and likelihood of big Oscar nights.
The list might not be all-compassing, but you’ll be ready for the Academy Awards. And you can always go back and catch up after the Oscars are handed out.
WATCH: “12 Years a Slave” and “Gravity”
Most Oscar pundits have the Best Picture category locked as a two-horse race, a dead heat between the culturally and historically important “12 Years a Slave” and state-of-the-art “Gravity.” Plus, both are available to download from Amazon.
Watch “12 Years a Slave” and “Gravity” with these links.
SKIP: “American Hustle”
David O. Russell’s latest has a huge big number of major nominations—with a total dominance in the acting categories—but “American Hustle” has fallen behind in almost every race. The only foreseeable acting win is possibly Jennifer Lawrence, and even she’s behind her toughest competition, Lupita Nyong’o. And if Lawrence manages to win, her acceptance speech is the real must-watch.
WATCH: “Dallas Buyers Club”
If you want to watch a movie that has some serious potential in the acting categories, look no further than the true-life story of “Dallas Buyers Club.” Jared Leto has long been a favorite for Best Supporting Actor, and Matthew “Alright Alright Alright” McConaughey has been on a nearly unstoppable hot streak lately.
Watch “Dallas Buyers Club” here.
SKIP: “Philomena” and “August: Osage County”
These two have two major strikes against them when it comes to our pre-Oscar watch list. 1) Neither is favored to win in any of the major categories, and 2) they aren’t available to stream or even buy on Blu-ray or DVD. Sorry, Harvey Weinstein. There’s always next year.
WATCH: Either “Wolf of Wall Street” or “Her”
Assuming you have one trip to the theaters in you, make it one (or both) of these two brilliant movies. Spike Jonze’s romance has a good shot at Best Original Screenplay, and “Wolf of Wall Street” could sneak up and steal a number of major categories. These are your best bets if you’re going to pony up the money and time for a screening. And if they don’t win anything, at least you’ll have seen a very good movie.
WATCH: 4 out of 5 Documentary Nominees on Netflix
That’s right. You can watch “The Act of Killing,” “The Square,” “Cutie and the Boxer” and “Dirty Wars” right now if you head over to Netflix. Do yourself a favor and broaden your mind with these fascinating and readily available docs.
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