Commentary
Sean Axmaker
The Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday. Are you caught up on the major nominees?
Eight films made the cut in the Best Picture category, and a few of them are still in theaters, notably the offbeat royal drama "The Favourite" (2018, R), which came away with 10 nominations; political commentary "Vice" (2018, R), which scored eight nominations; and "Green Book" (2018, PG-13), with five nominations.
Also still in theaters is "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018, PG), the current favorite in the animated feature category.
A number of nominated films, however, already are available to watch at home. Here's an easy guide to what you can see and how you can see them.
Best Picture
Two of the top nominees are available to stream on Netflix. "Roma" (Mexico, R, with subtitles) and "Black Panther" (PG-13).
https://youtu.be/6BS27ngZtxg
"Roma" tied with "The Favourite" with 10 nominations and became the first Netflix film to get a nomination in the best picture category. It was released to theaters a couple of weeks before it arrived on Netflix and continues to play in some venues.
https://youtu.be/xjDjIWPwcPU
"Black Panther" received seven nominations, including best picture (the first comic book superhero movie so honored). If you don't have a Netflix account, you can rent it on Cable On Demand, VOD or on disc.
https://youtu.be/pFc6I0rgmgY
Two more nominees are now on VOD and disc. "BlacKkKlansman" (R) earned six nominations, including Spike Lee's first nomination for best director. "Bohemian Rhapsody" (PG-13) received five nominations, including one for Rami Malek's committed performance as Freddie Mercury.
https://youtu.be/mP0VHJYFOAU
Also on VOD, "A Star Is Born" (R) with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, which weighs in with eight Oscar nominations. This critical and popular hit can still be found in theaters.
Here's where you can find other nominated films.
Pay-per-view / VOD / DVD
"The Wife" (R) earned Glenn Close her seventh acting nomination, and "At Eternity's Gate" (PG-13) brings Willem Dafoe his fourth nomination but his first in the leading actor category.
Also currently available on VOD: foreign language film "Shoplifters" (Japan, R, with subtitles), which took home the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year; "First Man" (PG-13) with Ryan Gosling, which was nominated for four craft awards (including sound, visual effects and production design), and "A Quiet Place" (PG-13), which earned a well-deserved nod for sound editing.
"Can You Ever Forgive Me?" (R) received nominations for actress Melissa McCarthy, supporting actor Richard E. Grant, and its screenplay.
Netflix
Along with "Roma" and "Black Panther," Netflix is streaming a number of films nominated in various categories, including the Coen Brothers' "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" (not rated), which scored nominations for original screenplay, original song, and costume design, and animated feature nominee "The Incredibles 2" (PG).
https://youtu.be/_2PyxzSH1HM
https://youtu.be/i5qOzqD9Rms
You can also catch up with visual effects nominees "Avengers: Infinity War" (PG-13) and "Solo: A Star Wars Story" (PG-13) and with documentary short subjects "End Game" (not rated) and "Period. End of Sentence." (not rated, with subtitles), a category that Netflix has supported for a few years now.
Amazon Prime Video
"First Reformed" (R), starring Ethan Hawke as a priest facing a crisis of faith, earned a nomination for Paul Schrader's original screenplay.
https://youtu.be/hCF5Y8dQpR4
Hulu
Two of the five nominated documentaries are streaming on Hulu: "RBG" (PG), which also earned a nod for its original song, and "Minding the Gap" (not rated).
https://youtu.be/biIRlcQqmOc
HBO
Wes Anderson's "Isle of Dogs" (PG-13) earned nominations in the animated feature and original score categories, and you can also catch visual effects nominee "Ready Player One" (PG-13) from Steven Spielberg on HBO On Demand and streaming services.
Free Streams
"First Reformed" (R) is available on Kanopy, the free streaming service offered by many major library systems across the country (including Washington State University, University of Idaho and the Lewiston City Library). Kanopy also presents the documentary nominee "Of Fathers and Sons" (not rated, with subtitles) and animated short "Weekends" (not rated).
Hoopla, another streaming service offered by some libraries, features the nominated documentary "RBG."
And three documentary short subjects are streaming on the web:
"A Night at the Garden" (not rated) premiered on PBS and can be streamed from the website;
"Lifeboat" can be viewed on the website of The New Yorker;
"Black Sheep" is streaming on the website of the British newspaper The Guardian, which commissioned the short film.
Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at http://streamondemandathome.com.
