The past year or two I’ve put together some pairings of films for all the Best Picture Nominees. Generally, to highlight films that I really enjoyed during the year that were mostly or completely ignored during the Oscars and awards season broadly. So, without further ado, here are my film pairings for this year:
A STAR IS BORN— like tragic love stories? With women that rise to the occasion? Swap the music for a heist plot & watch WIDOWS
BLACK PANTHER — like films that blend fantasy and reality with spiritual & political messages? Watch A WRINKLE IN TIME (Netflix)
BLACKKKLANSMAN — like films about complex racial dynamics that have sharp humor but also wild, gonzo, imaginative third acts & fierce politics? Watch SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (Hulu)
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY— like 60s/70s aesthetics and music narratives about redemption, but want more violence and mystery? Watch BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE
THE FAVOURITE — like women doing wild stuff and taking vengeance against men with immaculate production design and an abundance of deadpan? Watch THOROUGHBREDS
GREEN BOOK — like films about race that involve music, but prefer black people to be centered in those narratives? Watch the best film of 2018, BLINDSPOTTING
ROMA — like films about quiet, everyday women, but prefer them in color with a strong dose of atmospheric horror? Watch ANNIHILATION (Prime & Hulu)
VICE—Like political dramas but want a more traditional filmabout a democrat? Watch CHAPPAQUIDDICK (Netflix). Like political films but wanted more humor & distance but keeping the zany bits? Watch THE DEATH OF STALI
BONUS FILMS
Eighth Grade (Prime)
Leave No Trace (Prime)
The Hate U Give
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse
Jane & Emma
Foxtrot
Come Sunday (Netflix)
A Quiet Place
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
First Reformed (Prime)
Crazy Rich Asians
Isle of Dogs
PS Here’s my ranking for the 2019 OSCAR BEST PICTURE NOMINEES, in order of my preference for their respective wins:
BlacKkKlansman
Roma
Black Panther
The Favourite
Vice
A Star is Born
Bohemian Rhapsody
Green Book
