This year, ten films are competing for the top category of “Best Film” at the 96th edition of the Academy Awards. While some works enter the Oscar race as blatant outsiders, the biopic “Oppenheimer” about the eponymous “father of the atomic bomb” is given the best chance of triumph. Christopher Nolan’s (53) film has one thing in common with the nine other challengers – they are all worth seeing! The only question is – where? Are they (still) showing in cinemas, or are they already available on one of the countless streaming services?
With her colorful and surprisingly profound film “Barbie,” director Greta Gerwig (40) has made a clever declaration of war on the patriarchy. Even the streaming release seemed like no coincidence – right on Valentine’s Day on February 14th, “Barbie” with Margot Robbie (33) in the title role and Ryan Gosling (43) as Ken (who was nominated for an Oscar) started on Sky or its streaming service Wow .
Only with “Oppenheimer” is the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon complete. The artistic biopic with Cillian Murphy (47) in the title role of the “father of the atomic bomb”, physicist Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967), will also be shown on Sky/Wow. However, subscribers will only be able to enjoy it around a week after the Oscars; “Oppenheimer” will be available from March 20th. If you still really want to see it before the awards, you can watch it in the Sky Store, via Prime Video or Apple TV, among other places – but you will then have to pay at least 3.99 euros.
“Poor Things” by Giorgos Lanthimos (50), a feminist version of the famous “Frankenstein” saga, opened in German cinemas in mid-January 2024. There are still individual performances nationwide to see the outstanding Emma Stone (35) in the role of the childlike Bella. “Poor Things” is still a long time coming as a stream, but since it is a Searchlight Pictures production, it will be available on Disney.
Same game in the charming film “The Holdovers” with Paul Giamatti (56). At Christmas time, as a grumpy professor, he is given the unpleasant task of looking after a group of students who have to stay on campus for the holidays. If you still want to see the bittersweet film in the cinema (it opened on January 25th), you should secure a ticket quickly.
The haunting drama “The Zone of Interest” with Sandra Hülser (45) and Christian Friedel (44) can now be seen in cinemas since February 29th. Together they play the Höß couple, who live right next to the Auschwitz concentration camp, of which Rudolf Höß is the camp commandant. The film by Jonathan Glazer (58) is the heaviest of all ten nominated works, but in terms of its importance it is probably the most important.
With “Killers of the Flower Moon,” not only old master Martin Scorsese (81) made an impressive return, he also brought together his two favorite actors Robert De Niro (80) and Leonardo DiCaprio (49). Since the film about the exploitation of the Osage natives is an Apple production, it has unsurprisingly been available on Apple TV since January 12th.
The film “Past Lives – In Another Life” was released in German cinemas in the summer of 2023. However, he has not yet managed to get a subscription to a streaming provider. If you want to see the touching story about a (platonic?) childhood love before the Oscars, you will have to shell out a few extra euros. It is available to rent from Prime Video, Apple TV, Magenta TV and Co. for 3.99 euros.
This also applies to the court drama “Anatomy of a Case”, for which Sandra Hülser is nominated for an Oscar in the “Best Actress” category. Like “Past Lives,” anyone who missed the film when it hit theaters in November of last year will have to shell out at least $3.99 to see it before the Academy Awards.
Bradley Cooper’s (49) biopic “Maestro” has been available to stream for a while now. The film, with which Cooper as the main actor and director creates a monument to the world-famous composer Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), ended up on Netflix at the end of last year.
Last but not least: Cord Jefferson’s (42) “American Fiction”. “Westworld” star Jeffrey Wright (58) takes on the role of a frustrated author who is told that his works are “not black enough.” Anyone who has a Prime Video subscription has been able to access the film there since February 27th.
