Watch This Week: Oscar Winner Recap
To help get you through isolation, we’ll be hand-picking excellent films that are available to watch from the comfort of your home. Read on for our take on the films, related titles and hidden gems you might not have heard of, as well as details on where they’re streaming.
For this installment, we’re taking a look at 2020 Academy Award winners. Check back for new, curated watchlists each week, and be sure to let us know if you have suggestions for future posts.
Little Women
Available to rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Google Play
Fresh out of theaters, this Academy Award-winning adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel chronicles the March sisters’ formative years and unrequited love, giving new meaning to the term “social distance”. Lady Bird (2017) director Greta Gerwig breathes new life into this classic with an all-star cast that includes Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, and Meryl Streep.
For fans of Greta Gerwig: Catch her in 20th Century Women (2016) and Frances Ha (2013)—two more tales of young women finding their way in the world available now on Netflix.
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Available to rent on Amazon Prime and YouTube
If Little Women isn’t quite your cup of tea, flash-forward 100 years to 1969 for a decidedly edgier period piece (of sorts) from auteur Quentin Tarantino. Against the backdrop of post-Summer of Love Hollywood, an aging actor and his stuntman grapple with changing times while, unbeknownst to them, the Manson family lurks ominously in the background.
For a Tarantino marathon: Take a look at some real self-isolation in The Hateful Eight (2015), and revisit Inglourious Basterds (2009) on Netflix.
Marriage Story
Available for free on Netflix
You would be forgiven for thinking that a 2019 pairing of Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver is likely either a superhero film or space opera. In fact, Marriage Story is a tender, intimate portrait of a young couple navigating divorce that gives both of these oft-underestimated actors room to shine. Director Noah Baumbach deftly composes a film that is alternately heartbreaking, funny, and moving. Proceed with caution if you happen to be in isolation with your significant other.
For a lighter take on the complexities of marriage: Try director Noah Baumbach and Adam Driver’s first collaboration, While We’re Young (2014), now streaming on Netflix.
1917
Available to on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Google Play
Full disclosure: this is one of those films that isn’t nearly as good at home as it is on the big screen, but with Oscars wins for visual effects, cinematography, and sound mixing, you might’ve guessed that already. Director Sam Mendes breathes new life into the tried-and-true, against-all-odds wartime epic alongside legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins. Following in the tradition of Hitchcock’s Rope (1948), and Iñárritu’s Birdman (2014), this thriller unfolds as if filmed in one continuous shot. Perhaps more impressively, the film remains incredibly personal and human, in stark contrast to huge set pieces and the immensity of World War I.
For a masterclass in cinematography: Take a closer look at Roger Deakin’s quietly-brilliant work in Fargo (1996), as well as the criminally-underrated The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), both available to rent on Amazon Prime.
Jojo Rabbit
Available to rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Google Play
Showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, the singular Taika Waititi recently earned his first Oscar for Jojo Rabbit, cementing his reputation for delivering genre-bending films that are alternately hilarious, heartfelt, innovative, and well… pretty strange. His latest follows the titular Jojo, a lonely young boy growing up during World War II who is forced to reevaluate his blind nationalism after discovering that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is harboring a young Jewish girl in their attic. Did we mention that Waititi co-stars as Jojo’s imaginary friend Hitler?
For something a little different: Take a deep dive into Waititi’s filmography with the charming Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) on Hulu, and (trust us on this one) vampire reality show mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows (2015) on Amazon Prime. Be sure to keep an eye out for Hitchcock-esque cameos from the director in each of his films!
