(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
The 89th Academy Awards are this Sunday which means your Twitter feeds are about to be bombarded with hideous fashion, political acceptance speeches and awkward interviews. Hooray for unintentional comedy!
But seriously, the Oscars are a great opportunity to celebrate movies. In that spirit, here are 11 Oscar-winning movies you can watch on Netflix right now.
The Fighter
Oscar: Best Supporting Actor and Actress
Plot: The early year of famous boxer “Irish” Mickey Ward and his drug addict brother who helped train him on his surprising comeback.
Why You Should Watch It: Christian Bale’s performance alone is worth a couple hours on your couch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK3axdi3ruI
Network
Oscar: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Picture
Plot: A TV network coldly takes advantage of a mentally unstable former anchor’s ravings and declarations about the news media.
Why You Should Watch It: It accurately depicts some of the slimier aspects of politics and media that has been exposed in recent years.
Good Will Hunting
Oscar: Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay
Plot: Will Hunting, a mathematical genius from Southside Boston working as a janitor at M.I.T., overcomes personal struggles with help from a therapist.
Why You Should Watch It: “How do you like dem apples?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf0OFZexRGs
Boyhood
Oscar: Best Supporting Actress
Plot: A look at Mason as he ages from early childhood into an 18-year-old at college.
Why You Should Watch It: From a filmmaking standpoint, the gimmick is incredibly impressive. All the same actors over a 12-year span? Pretty cool.
On the Waterfront
Oscar: Eight in total including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Screenplay
Plot: A former prize fighter turned longshoreman attempts to stand up to his corrupt union superiors.
Why You Should Watch It: Marlon Brando. Need I say more?
Pan’s Labyrinth
Oscar: Cinematography, Art Direction and Makeup
Plot: The book-loving stepdaughter of an evil army officer escapes into an incredible fantasy world.
Why You Should Watch It: Guillermo Del Toro is one of the most visually striking and original directors working today and he brings his unique style to Pan’s Labyrinth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqYiSlkvRuw
The Big Short
Oscar: Best Adapted Screenplay
Plot: A handful of finance experts buck conventional wisdom and bet against the big banks by correctly predicting the housing collapse of the mid-2000s.
Why You Should Watch It: Director Adam McKay creatively presents a somewhat boring concept (greed of property markets and banking sectors) in a fun and entertaining way.
Cinema Paradiso
Oscar: Best Foreign Language Film
Plot: A filmmaker reminisces on his childhood, recalling his first love of movies and the close bond he forged with his local movie theater’s projectionist.
Why You Should Watch It: It’s a tearjerker that isn’t so much about the movies as it is about the people.
The Lives of Others
Oscar: Best Foreign Language Film
Plot: In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police finds himself being drawn into the couple his surveilling.
Why You Should Watch It: It’s a tense thriller that never allows you to look away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3_iLOp6IhM
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Oscar: Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Song
Plot: Two western bank and train robbers flee to Bolivia with the law hot on their tail.
Why You Should Watch It: It’s a classic film featuring Hall of Famers Paul Newman and Robert Redford at their absolute best.
Fargo
Oscar: Best Screenplay and Best Actress
Plot: A local crime goes haywire, bringing together the crooks, cops and anyone else who falls in the path of this snowballing destruction.
Why You Should Watch It: It’s arguably the best film from the Coen brothers that expertly blends dark humor and intense drama. William H. Macy and Frances McDormand anchor the film on both sides of the law.
