The winner in the Oscar nominations race after a bruising year for the film industry was “Oppenheimer” with 13 nods, followed by the otherworldly “Poor Things” with 11 and the period epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” with 10.
Looking to catch up ahead of the Academy Awards on March 10? Here’s how to watch:
OPPENHEIMER
13 nominations. Digital purchase or rental.
Christopher Nolan’s atomic opus Oppenheimer received widespread critical acclaim and broke box office records. It’s half the “Barbenheimer” phenom with Barbie from last July. The three-hour film, which is semi-trippy and flashback heavy, chronicles the trials and tribulations of the secret Manhattan Project’s J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). Available for pay at YouTube, Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, iTunes and Google Play and elsewhere.
POOR THINGS
11 nominations. In theaters.
Think Frankenstein story, and his bride. Director Yorgos Lanthimos owes a debt to Emma Stone, his childlike and highly randy Bella, in Poor Things. The comedy is dark and the vibe Victorian fantasy. And did we mention the sex? How Bella handles that activity has been the talk of film circles. No spoilers here but rest assured her consciousness is raised. Also stars Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
10 nominations. Digital purchase. Streams on Apple TV+.
Martin Scorsese delves into the systematic killing of Osage Nation members for their oil-rich land in the 1920s in his drama Killers of the Flower Moon. With a star-bright cast, including Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Warning: Its running time is 3 hours and 26 minutes. There’s craft in every shot. Available for pay at iTunes, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu and elsewhere.
BARBIE
8 nominations. Digital purchase or rental. Streams on HBO Max.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, in the billion-dollar club at the box office, is a live-action musical comedy focused on the 64-year-old plastic doll in a range of iterations. It also took the globe by storm, culturally speaking. The film stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling (as Just Ken). Robbie plays Stereotypical Barbie, who experiences an existential crisis but lands on the road to self-discovery. Available for pay at iTunes, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu and elsewhere.
MAESTRO
7 nominations. Digital purchase or rental. Streams on Netflix.
With the help of a prosthetic nose, Bradley Cooper brings Leonard Bernstein alive in Maestro, which he also directed. The famed conductor’s personal life and persona on stage benefit from Cooper’s energy, and chain smoking. Cooper got an assist from Carey Mulligan, who plays the actor Felicia Montealegre, Bernstein’s stylish wife. Available for pay at Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube and elsewhere.
AMERICAN FICTION
5 nominations. In theaters.
Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut American Fiction is what satire should be: funny while succinctly pointing at truths. Jeffrey Wright plays a frustrated academic up against the wall of what Black books must be to sell. He takes action. The film is also about families and the weight of their struggles. Wright is joined by a great supporting cast in Leslie Uggams, Erika Alexander, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross.
ANATOMY OF A FALL
5 nominations. Digital purchase or rental.
Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall took the Palme d’Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. It stars Sandra Hüller as a writer, Sandra, trying to prove her innocence in court in her husband’s death at their chalet in the French Alps. The verdict? We won’t tell. Did she or didn’t she? Triet wrote the film with her husband, Arthur Harari. “It’s OK, he’s alive,” she told The Associated Press’ Jake Coyle. Available for pay at iTunes, Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube and elsewhere.
SOCIETY OF THE SNOW
2 nominations. Streams on Netflix.
The story of an amateur Uruguay rugby team’s 1972 plane crash in the Andes as they traveled with relatives and friends to Chile for a match has been told on film many times. There were 45 on board. Sixteen survived after 72 days in the mountains. They faced biting cold, massive snowstorms, avalanches and starvation, the latter motivating them to eat the dead. In Society of the Snow, J.A. Bayona wanted to honor the tragedy’s victims and survivors, including him. It’s bleak indeed, with a spirit of love and camaraderie.
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
1 nomination. Digital purchase or rental. Streams on Netflix.
Welcome to an animated high-octane comic-book sequel that manages to work. In Spider Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) is a 15-year-old better able to deal with his crime-fighting powers. Spider-Gwen is voiced by Hailee Steinfeld. By sequel, we mean the first half of the first sequel to Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse. There’s your cliffhanger alert. Available for pay at Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu and elsewhere.
Image credits: RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com, Warner Bros Pictures/Universal Pictures via AP