From Avengers: Infinity War to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, 2018 was a game-changing year for comic book movies. Not only did superheroes continue to dominate at the box office, but they also, for the first time ever, found their way into the Best Picture Oscar race—thanks to the massively successful Black Panther.
Last year was also a major one for streaming services, as top-tier directors like Alfonso Cuarón and Joel and Ethan Coen (but definitely not Steven Spielberg) chose Netflix as their primary distributors. Which means that it's a particularly good time to catch up on a ton of this year's Academy Award-nominated films from your nearest streaming-ready device. With less than a week to go before the latest Oscar winners are announced, here are 16 of this year's nominated movies you can stream right now.
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/6BS27ngZtxg
While Netflix has been in the "original movie" business for some time, 2018 was a banner year for the streaming giant. At the top of the company's list of successes: releasing Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, which is nominated for a total of 10 Oscars. After claiming major victories at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs, this is a Best Picture front-runner. Shot in glorious black and white, the film—through a series of detailed vignettes—paints a vibrant picture of the socioeconomic realities of Mexico City in the 1970s. While not entirely autobiographical, the director reexamines his past through the eyes of his adult self. Ultimately, it serves as a loving tribute to the women who raised him—most notably Liboria "Libo" Rodríguez, Cuarón's childhood nanny, to whom the film is dedicated.
Where to stream it: Netflix
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/mP0VHJYFOAU
If it feels like you've been hearing about a Freddie Mercury biopic for years, that's because you have. The project was initially announced in 2010, with Sacha Baron Cohen set to star as the jumpsuit-loving rock icon. Three years later, Cohen departed the project over creative differences with the remaining members of Queen, who had direct approval over the script. While Mercury's bandmates were reportedly pushing for a PG-rated film, Cohen was more interested in a warts and all tell-all. They should have listened to Borat. While Rami Malek's mastery of Mercury's nimble on-stage movements is impressive, it's hard to get past his comically oversized fake teeth. (They feature so prominently in the film that they're deserving of a Best Supporting Actor nod.) It's ironic that teeth seem to be what the film is lacking; even the most casual Queen fans won't likely learn anything new in this paint-by-numbers biopic—though the recreation of Queen's triumphant Live Aid show is impressive. It got nominated for five Oscars regardless, and if you're a completist, it's available to stream widely.
Where to stream it: iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_2PyxzSH1HM
Like Cuarón's Roma, Joel and Ethan Coen opted to go the streaming route with The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, an anthology film that puts a comical spin on several classic Western movie tropes, including singing cowboys and pistol duels. The project's somewhat experimental nature makes it well-suited to the chill pace of streaming, and even though it's best consumed in a single, two-hour-and-13-minute sitting, you won't lose much of the overall effect if you have to hit the pause button to freshen up your drink and make more popcorn. That you can practically feel the Coen brothers' giddiness behind every word of dialog only adds to its enjoyability.
Where to stream it: Netflix
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/xjDjIWPwcPU
Few films made more noise last year the Ryan Coogler's Black Panther. Though it was released in February—a month where many studios prefer to dump their sure-to-be-flops—the Marvel Cinematic Universe picture dominated the box office, taking the top spot during each of its first five weeks in release, and going on to earn more than $1.3 billion worldwide. The film—which sees semi-reluctant King of Wakanda T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) struggling to reconcile his new position with his superhero abilities—is the rare movie that manages to seamlessly integrate action with a social message. Unsurprisingly, a sequel is already in the works, which is a good thing: At a time when diversity is sorely lacking in Hollywood, Black Panther's immense popularity proved that it's something audiences are craving.
Where to stream it: Netflix
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/6ZfuNTqbHE8
Avengers: Infinity War may not have garnered as much critical acclaim or Oscar love as its MCU sibling (it received just a single Oscar nomination, for Best Visual Effects), but on a global scale, the penultimate film in the Avengers series took in nearly $701.5 million more than Black Panther. And it has probably spawned twice as many fan theories about what the hell happened at the end and whether there will be any Avengers left to star in April's Avengers: Endgame. (Our money's on yes, there will be.)
Where to stream it: Netflix
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/fQNZhs0QKq0
After more than a decade of making smaller movies that largely flew under the radar, BlacKkKlansman marked a formidable return to form for director Spike Lee. The film tells the true story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the Colorado Springs Police Department's first black detective, who teams up with a white colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), to infiltrate the KKK. By approaching its difficult subject matter with a raucous sensibility, Lee created a biopic for the ages. And while it's set in the 1970s, it's still painfully relevant today.
Where to stream it: iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/T77PDm3e1iE
Artist-turned-filmmaker Julian Schnabel mined the personal letters of Vincent van Gogh (and his own wild imagination) to rewrite what happened in the artist's final days while living in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France. Willem Dafoe, who has long been one of Hollywood's great masters at externalizing internal struggles, shines in the role of the famed—and mentally unstable—painter.
Where to stream it: iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/d81IM0loH7o
Glenn Close is the driving force of this adaptation of Meg Wolitzer's book of the same name. The film follows the decades-long relationship of celebrated novelist Joseph Castleman (Jonathan Pryce), who is about to be awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature, and his doting wife Joan (Close), who has pushed aside her own dreams of becoming a writer to support her husband … and ghost-write his books. After 40 years of servitude and keeping her mouth shut, Joan has had enough of being relegated to the role of "the great writer's wife," and is finally ready to make her voice heard and her name known.
Where to stream it: iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/PSoRx87OO6k
Given the Oscar track record of movies like The Right Stuff (1983) and Apollo 13 (1995), it's surprising that First Man's four Oscar nominations are solely for its technical achievements (Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Production Design). Though it caused a minor controversy by not recreating the iconic moment when the American flag was planted on the Moon, it's still undoubtedly one of the most patriotic films of the year—which would seem to be a good thing if you consider the sense of disillusionment currently engulfing so much the country. While its 141-minute running time is largely a lead-up to the Apollo 11 mission, the film takes a unique personal approach to documenting the inner turmoil that Neil Armstrong (played here by Ryan Gosling)—and his colleagues and their families—faced in attempting to land a man on the moon. Director Damien Chazelle proved he had a rare talent for creating a sort of cinematic claustrophobia with his Oscar-winning Whiplash; if your heart isn't in your throat as Armstrong buckles in for the ride of a lifetime, you might want to check whether you're alive at all.
Where to stream it: iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/hCF5Y8dQpR4
When it comes to this year's biggest Oscar snubs, Ethan Hawke's lack of Academy recognition for his work in First Reformed is at the top of the list. Hawke turns in a gut-wrenching performance as Ernst Toller, the reverend at a 250-year-old Dutch Reformed church in upstate New York. While Toller is doing his best to keep his church afloat, he's also dealing with his own tortured past—including his alcoholism—while trying to be a source of strength and support for his parishioners, including Mary Mensana (Amanda Seyfried), a young widow whose husband committed suicide. Toller and Mensana develop a close friendship while he tries to counsel her, but even she can't save him from his self-destructive thoughts or behavior. It's dark and depressing—and exactly the kind of film that Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, American Gigolo) built his career on.
Where to stream it: Amazon Prime Video
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/i5qOzqD9Rms
Given that it's been nearly 15 years since The Incredibles landed in theaters, it's hardly surprising that some viewers wondered if Pixar would be able to recapture the magic of the first film. As it turns out they had nothing to fear. Though it's less action-oriented than the original movie—the sequel sees Helen Parr/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) as the family's breadwinner, leaving husband Bob (Craig T. Nelson) at home to raise their kids—Incredibles 2 still finds the family facing danger at their doorstep. And when it arrives, the Parrs are ready to suit up and be Incredible again.
Where to stream it: Netflix
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/dt__kig8PVU
Wes Anderson's continued interest in playing with old-school techniques to tell unique stories is a boon to audiences. In the case of Isle of Dogs, he mixes stop-motion animation with dystopian themes to imagine a Japanese community facing a dangerous outbreak of canine influenza threatening to spread to the area’s human citizens. Though a local scientist is on the verge of discovering a cure, the mayor—who is on a mission to have all dogs banished—goes ahead with his plans. It's not quite fun for all ages, but it's still Anderson in top form.
Where to stream it: HBO Go
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/n5Vm_Awe3bw
Bing Liu spent more than 12 years filming three of his skateboard-loving friends in his hometown of Rockford, Illinois, to create this compelling documentary that ultimately has nothing to do with skateboarding. Instead, the film offers an intimate perspective on what it takes to make the leap from young man to young adult while still reckoning with the uncertainties and insecurities we carry from our upbringings. First-time filmmaker Liu's ability to make a movie that is both deeply personal yet also surprisingly universal is a sign of many more impressive projects to come.
Where to stream it: Hulu
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/jPEYpryMp2s
Ron Howard's take on a galaxy far, far away may not have been a hit with every Star Wars fan, but it's hard to imagine that at least part of the backlash didn't have a little something to do with casting anyone but Harrison Ford to play Han Solo. Though Alden Ehrenreich did the role justice, for many fans, there is only one Han—and it's not some 29-year-old kid. But throw all that fandom aside—or try to forget that it's part of the Star Wars universe—and what remains is a fun, action-packed entry that could easily be spun out into more films. If only the fans would let them.
Where to stream it: Netflix
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