COVID-19 forced many studios and filmmakers to release their movies online in 2020, which means that most of this year’s Oscar contenders are currently streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and elsewhere. Here’s how to watch.
(Image: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) When Parasite swept the 2020 Academy Awards, few of us thought it would be one of the last big events in the US that year. But as COVID-19 spread, movie theaters shut down, film festivals were cancelled, and blockbusters landed on streaming services. And it’s not over; just look at the Zoom Golden Globes and this weekend’s scaled-down, masked-up Grammys. In a bid to host a somewhat normal awards ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences pushed this year’s Oscars from Feb.28 to April 25, and will split the event between two locations in Los Angeles: Union Station and the Dolby Theatre. As Variety reports, though, the only people who can attend are the nominees, their guests, and the presenters. Sorry, Hollywood types, you’ll have to watch from the couch in your sweatpants like the rest of us. In the meantime, movie buffs can get caught up on many of the top movies before the ceremony thanks to the magic of streaming. While you just missed Judas and the Black Messiah on HBO Max, four other Best Picture nominees are streaming, while two others are available to rent or buy online. Netflix dominates this year’s nods, but Amazon Video and Hulu sneak their way in there, while Disney+ and Apple TV+ land their first nominations, too. For special effects and filmmaking geeks, the Scientific and Technical Awards were held virtually last month; a full list of winners and video of the event is on Oscars.org. Here’s how you can watch the 2021 Oscar-nominated movies online. Best Picture Mank (Netflix) Director David Fincher takes his father’s screenplay about the writer and writing of Citizen Kane Citizen Kane (which is also streaming, on HBO Max) and made it a black-and-white homage with a killer cast. ( Stream it on Netflix Stream it on Netflix) Nomadland (Hulu) Based on the 2017 book of the same name, Nomadland stars Frances McDormand as a woman who leaves home to travel around the American West. It was written, edited, and directed by Chloé Zhao, who earlier this month became the first Asian woman to win a Best Director Golden Globe.
