The Oscar effect: Get educated on the nominees over at Netflix
With the 2018 Academy Awards fast approaching on March 4, you might want to educate yourself on this year’s worthy nominees. Thankfully Netflix has an abundance of movies & TV shows featuring performances and behind-the-scenes work from some of the most standout, and interesting, Oscar nominees.
You can watch movies like the Yance Ford’s engrossing documentary Strong Island (nominated for Best Documentary Feature) and Dee Rees’ phenomenal historical drama Mudbound (nominated in four Oscar categories including Cinematography and Adapted Screenplay) on the streaming behemoth. In addition, here’s a list of eleven other must-see Netflix choices to provide an insightful who’s who of potential Oscar winners.
Frances Ha (2012)
Greta Gerwig
Nominated for Best Director & Original Screenplay: Lady Bird
Gerwig both starred in and co-wrote the screenplay for this low-key comedy with director Noah Baumbach (The Meyerowitz Stories). The movie’s luminous, laid-back narrative plays well as an older movie-sibling of Lady Bird.
Miss Stevens (2016)
Timothée Chalamet
Nominated for Lead Actor: Call Me by Your Name
Julia Hart’s 2016 drama about a high school English teacher chaperoning three students to a drama competition showcases Chalemet’s abundant charm and knack for vulnerable displays of emotion.
Black Mirror (2011)
Daniel Kaluuya
Nominated for Lead Actor: Get Out
Kaluuya’s intense performance in the season one episode “Fifteen Million Merits” is among the finest of the entire anthology series. It’s well worth revisiting, or enjoying for the first time, especially as director Jordan Peele apparently cast the actor after being wowed by his performance in this episode.
Never Let Me Go (2010)
Sally Hawkins
Nominated for Lead Actress: The Shape of Water
Hawkins is an absolute pleasure to watch on screen in just about any role she takes on. Her performance as Miss Lucy in Mark Romanek’s harrowing sci-fi drama may not be as big a role as she deserves, but it’s a knockout nonetheless.
Atonement (2007)
Saoirse Ronan
Nominated for Lead Actress: Lady Bird
Sarah Greenwood
Nominated for Production Design: Beauty and the Beast & Darkest Hour
Joe Wright’s devastating romantic drama features one of Ronan’s first, and most startling, performances. Meanwhile, Greenwood’s production design on the movie is so lavishly detailed, it proves why her work has led to honors in two categories at this year’s Academy Awards.
Pariah (2011)
Dee Rees
Nominated for Adapted Screenplay: Mudbound
Dee Rees’ acclaimed arthouse drama proved the writer & director as a talent to look out for. Following a 17-year-old black lesbian as she struggles to consolidate her identity with what society expects of her, Pariah was a landmark in LGBTQI cinema.
F is for Family (2015)
Sam Rockwell
Nominated for Supporting Actor: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Rockwell is an incredibly versatile actor who thrives in just about any genre he performs in. His role as the boastful, womanizing Vic in Bill Burr’s dark, animated comedy shows off the actor’s capacity for pathos-infused humor – even if it is only his voice he lends to the role.
The West Wing (1999)
Allison Janney
Nominated for Supporting Actress: I, Tonya
Aaron Sorkin
Nominated for Adapted Screenplay: Molly’s Game
Sorkin’s acclaimed political drama established the writer’s eminent, signature voice. The show also proved Janney’s immense acting range as White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg. So yeah, you should probably go right ahead and binge watch the whole thing immediately.
The Prestige (2006)
Lee Smith
Nominated for Film Editing: Dunkirk
Smith’s earlier collaboration with Dunkirk’s Oscar-nominated director Christopher Nolan on The Prestige is a must-see movie full of extraordinary twists. It also reveals Smith’s incredible editing work, with the movie never once dropping its breathless pace.
A Serious Man (2009)
Roger Deakins
Nominated for Cinematography: Blade Runner 2049
The Coen brothers’ regular director of photography has lent his immense talents to a great number of their finest movies. A Serious Man might lack the vibrance of Blade Runner 2049, but it triumphs elsewhere with its crisp, visual palette.
Fruitvale Station (2013)
Octavia Spencer
Nominated for Supporting Actress: The Shape of Water
It could be argued that Spencer has yet to disappointing with her acting roles, and in Ryan Coogler’s heart wrenching police brutality drama, Spencer delivered one of her most astounding and important performances to date.
