And the Oscar for best prepared audience member goes to …
… You. But only if you have the right battle plan.
Seriously. There are 34 nominees representing 15 different movies competing in what are considered the top Academy Awards categories. That’s a lot of screen time for Oscars pool-players to log before the live ceremony on ABC on Feb. 26.
Luckily, the days of despairing because “Florence Foster Jenkins” came and went so quickly from the local cineplex are over. Thanks to streaming, on-demand, DVDs and other viewing options, Oscar-nominated flicks now can enjoy second lives — or live on permanently in folks’ homes or mobile devices.
Still, you’ll need to strategize to pull it off. Here’s how catch every* “best” nominees in six categories: Picture, director, actor, actress, supporting actor and supporting actress.
(*Except for “Elle,” Right now, the French-language film starring best actress nominee Isabelle Huppert, isn’t available anywhere — just for preorder before its expected March 14 release. Sometimes, though, Oscar-nominated films come back to theaters at the last minute. Theater lineups also can change for other reasons, so it’s always wise to check individual listings before heading out).
Option One: Attend AMC Theatres' Best Picture Showcase marathon. Taking place in three metro Atlanta theaters — AMC Parkway Pointe in Atlanta, AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 in Lawrenceville and AMC Avenue Forsyth 12 in Cumming — it's a chance to see all nine films nominated for the biggest Oscar in one sitting. Well, two. Starting at 10 a.m. this Saturday (Feb. 18), they'll show "Manchester by the Sea," "Fences," "Hell or High Water" and "LaLa Land." Next Saturday (Feb. 25), it's "Moonlight," followed by "Lion," "Hacksaw Ridge," "Arrival" and, finally, "Hidden Figures."
Read more about the Best Picture Showcase, including what it's like actually sitting through one of the all-day marathons here.
There’s an extra benefit to this approach — if your lumbago and max popcorn consumption level can handle it. Besides knocking all nine best picture nominees off your list, you’ll also take care of all five nominated directors (Dennis Villeneuve for “Arrival,” Mel Gibson for “Hacksaw Ridge,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” Kenneth Lonergan for “Manchester by the Sea” and Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight.”)
And four of the five best actor nominees: Casey Affleck for “Manchester by the Sea,” Andrew Garfield for “Hacksaw Ridge,” Ryan Gosling for “La La Land” and Denzel Washington for “Fences.” And four of the five men vying for best supporting actor: Mahershala Ali for “Moonlight,” Jeff Bridges for “Hell or High Water,” Lucas Hedges for “Manchester by the Sea” and Dev Patel for “Lion.”
And one best actress nominee — Emma Stone for “La La Land” — plus all five of the best supporting actress contendors: Viola Davis for “Fences,” Naomie Harris for “Moonlight,” Nicole Kidman for “Lion,” Octavia Spencer for “Hidden Figures” and Michelle Williams for “Manchester by the Sea.”
Whew! All that for only $32.50 for each day's ticket, with a $5 discount on tickets purchased for both weekends. At last check, Parkway Pointe was sold out for the first Saturday, but tickets were still available at the other theaters(as of 2/14). For additional information or to purchase tickets in advance, visit www.amctheatres.com.
Option Two: Skip the marathon and watch at your own pace, though a combination of in-theater viewing and streaming, on-demand and DVDs. Here’s a list every movie with a nomination in the top categories, and all the ways to seem them, based on the latest information available:
“Arrival” — Still in theaters. Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu.
“Fences” — Still in theaters. Available for pre-order on Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“Hacksaw Ridge” — Still in theaters. Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“Hell or High Water” — Still in theaters. Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu
“Hidden Figures” — Still in theaters. Available for pre-order on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“La La Land” — Still in theaters. Available for pre-order on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“Lion” —Still in theaters. Available for pre-order on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“Manchester by the Sea” — Still in theaters. Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“Moonlight” —Still in theaters. Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“Florence Foster Jenkins” (best actress nominee Meryl Streep) — Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“Jackie” (best actress nominee Natalie Portman) — At several area theaters, including Regal Hollywood Stadium 24, Atlanta. Available for pre-order from iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“Loving” (best actress nominee Ruth Negga) — At several area theaters, including Cinemark Movies 10, Fayetteville and Carmike 12, Snellville. Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
Captain Fantastic (best actor nominee Viggo Mortensen) — Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu
“Nocturnal Animals” (best supporting actor nominee, Michael Shannon) At several area theaters, including Cinemark Movies 10, Fayetteville and Carmike 12, Snellville. Streaming now on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu. On DVD Feb. 21.
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