What films should you be sure to catch before the Academy Awards ceremony this year? We’ve rounded up a list of the top 10 movies with nominations that you really should make time to see before the Oscar Awards, including Everything Everywhere All at Once. So, pop the popcorn and settle in – this is gonna be good.
have you seen all the movies with nominations for the Oscar Awards this year?
The 95th Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 12th at 8 pm EST. Jimmy Kimmel is slated to host the year’s ceremony, and – unlike last year – all categories will be presented live on television.
Though each slate of new Oscar nominees comes with major snubs and disappointments – and this year, those snubs included the lack of nominations for The Woman King – we still like to do our homework. Before the big ceremony in March, we try to catch up on as many of the nominated films as we can.
10 best Oscar-nominated films our expert says we all need to watch before the Academy Awards 2023.
Of course, there are some nominated films that you’ve probably already seen – in particular, major blockbusters like Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Top Gun: Maverick – but there are others that may have passed you by.
Ahead of this year’s ceremony, we wanted to round up ten nominees that we think are worth a watch before this year’s ceremony. Here are our picks from the Academy Award nomiinees.
10 movies with nominations to see before this year’s Oscar Awards
1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
This is another nominated film that you’ve probably – hopefully – already seen, but if not: if there’s one movie you want to make sure to watch before this year’s Academy Awards, it’s Everything Everywhere All at Once. The wacky, chaotic, and heartfelt family story from Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert is one of the most unlikely films to ever garner so much recognition from the Academy – ten nominations in total – and we must admit, we are rooting for it all the way. As well as the categories for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, the film has picked up nominations for all four of its main cast – Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis – and we are expecting it to have a big night on March 12th. Watch the movie if you haven’t; you won’t regret it.
2. The Banshees of Inisherin
Another movie we expect to see win big on March 12th is The Banshees of Inisherin. The film from Martin McDonagh – about the abrupt implosion of a longtime friendship, set on a small Irish island – has received nine nominations, including (like Everything Everywhere All At Once) for all four of its main cast; Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan were all recognized in their respective categories. This film is the sort that’s fun to discuss with friends after you’ve seen it, so we recommend watching no matter how next month’s ceremony goes.
10 best Oscar-nominated films our expert says we all need to watch before the Academy Awards 2023.
3. Turning Red
Though it’s nominated in only one category – Best Animated Feature Film – Turning Red is another Academy hopeful that we think is worth a watch. (And you already know how we feel about one of the other nominees in the category, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On). Directed by Domee Shi, and written by Shi and by Julia Cho, Turning Red tells the story of thirteen-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang) – a young girl who turns into a red panda every time she experiences extreme emotion. Though it may sound silly, the panda is an apt metaphor for coming of age, and Turning Red has a warm, wonderful story to tell about Mei, and about Mei’s relationship with her mother (played by Sandra Oh). We can’t say enough good things about this film, and we think you should plan a watch before March 12th.
4. Aftersun
Charlotte Wells’ film Aftersun picked up only one nomination – for its star Paul Mescal, in the Best Actor category – but we still think it is more than worth your time. This is one of those movies that gets better with each subsequent watch, breaking your heart a little more each time. It’s a story about memory, and about the relationship between a father (Mescal) and daughter (Frankie Corio), told through spliced snapshots of a vacation they took when she was a child and moments from the present day. It’s quiet, but it packs a powerful punch – a must-see.
5. RRR
RRR was nominated for Best Original Song, but since many consider it one of the best films – or the best film – of the year, we are letting that nomination stand for so much more. (And in fact, RRR was not eligible for Best Foreign Film, since it wasn’t India’s submission to the Academy). Directed by S.S. Rajamouli and starring N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, the Telugu-language RRR is an irresistible three-hour adventure, a fictionalized historical story that is packed with music and infectious energy. Without a doubt, one of the most memorable films of the year, and we hope to see it take home its category.
Top 10 movies with important nominations that you should see before the Oscar Awards this year, including Everything Everywhere All at Once.
6. Causeway
Causeway was not a film that attracted a lot of attention upon its release – until Bryan Tyree Henry picked up a nomination for his performance, in the Best Supporting Actor category. Written by novelist Ottessa Moshfegh and directed by Tony-nominated Lila Neugeberger, Causeway follows the life of a soldier (played by Jennifer Lawrence) as she struggles to return to regular life following a brain injury. Henry plays James, a man with a traumatic injury of his own, with whom she becomes friends. Though the movie makes less of a splash than some of the others on this list, it’s no less excellent – make the time to see it.
7. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
There seems a good possibility that the award for Best Documentary Feature will go to All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, which chronicles the life, career, and activism of the one and only Nan Goldin. The film uses archival footage as well as interviews, and – as one might expect – much of it hinges on Goldin’s work holding the Sackler family to account for the opioid epidemic. The film is a difficult watch, but a worthy one, and many have called it one of the best films of the year – documentary, or otherwise. Whether it takes home the top prize or not, you should add it to your queue.
8. Fire of Love
Another frontrunner for the Best Documentary Feature category is Fire of Love, which could not be a more different film if it tried. Directed by Sara Dosa, Fire of Love tells the unique story of volcanologists Katia and Maurice Kraftt – whose lives and love both revolved around exploring volcanoes, and who were ultimately killed in an eruption. The soothing voice of Miranda July weaves through the remarkable footage of their work, making for a cinematic experience that is genuinely unlike anything else.
9. Tár
Written and directed by Todd Field (Little Children), Tár is a somewhat divisive film. Not everyone wants to watch Cate Blanchett play the complicated, potentially-terrible Lydia Tár – the (fictional) first female conductor of a German orchestra, and one of the most iconic composers of all time – but if you’re interested in movies as character studies, then this will be right up your alley. Tár takes its time, but is one of those rare films that earns every minute of its nearly-three hour runtime.
10. To Leslie
To Leslie is the closest thing to a “trending topic” when it comes to this year’s Academy Awards. By now, you have probably heard of both the movie and the controversy surrounding the nomination of its lead actress, Andrea Riseborough. We won’t go over all the details (though you can read about them here, if you’d like), but we’ll say that the movie that sent scores of Hollywood A-listers flocking to social media with their praise is a good one. If you’d like to watch Riseborough shine in her performance of a single mother, in the role that everyone is talking about, this is how you should round out your Oscars prep.
films with nominations to watch before the Oscar Awards 2023
If you’re like us, you may be more interested in watching the red carpet arrivals than you are in viewing the actual awards show. Even so, these movies are actually really good, nominations or not, so try to catch them before the Oscar Awards. It will make watching the red carpet fashions even more fun for you!
