For your viewing leisure
Many of 2021's Oscar-nominated films are available via streaming services
A million years ago, the 92nd Academy Awards played out like many others. Nominees were announced on Jan. 13, 2020, and there were the usual round of complaints — too much love for the Joker, not enough for Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Lopez or Eddie Murphy.
The nine best picture nominees followed the standard pattern of Oscar hopefuls. Two debuted at Cannes, five more at the fall festivals, and they all opened in cinemas between October and Christmas. (The one exception was Quentin Tarantino's summer release of Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.)
Fast-forward 14 months and one pandemic, and we find an industry in turmoil. Not only was the ceremony moved to its latest date ever — April 25 — but the eligibility requirements mean streaming titles can be nominated without opening in a cinema. Oscar hopefuls could come out as late as Feb. 28, 2021.
The shakeup means Canadians wanting to catch some of the nominees are out of luck. The mostnominated film, David Fincher's Mank, can be seen by anyone with a Netflix account. Nomadland isn't available in Canada until April 9, when it opens in whatever cinemas are up and running, plus the Disney+ streaming service.
Here's a rundown on where Canadians can see the eight best-picture nominees:
■ Mank, The Trial of the Chicago Seven — Netflix. Fincher's story of the crafting of Citizen Kane's screenplay, and Aaron Sorkin's legal drama about rioting at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, have been available on the streaming service for months.
■ Sound of Metal — on demand, and free. With six nominations including Riz Ahmed for best actor and achievement in sound, this story of a drummer losing his hearing is available on a number of on-demand services, including Appletv, Cineplex.com and tiff.net. It's also available on Hoopla at hoopladigital.com.
■ Judas and the Black Messiah — in theatres and on demand. The story of the betrayal of Black Panther Fred Hampton picked up six nods including two best supporting actor nominations for Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield.
■ Promising Young Woman — in theatres and on demand. Emerald Fennell is one of two women nominated for best director, with her story of a woman (Carey Mulligan, also nominated) on a mysterious path of vengeance.
■ Minari — in theatres and on demand from the usual suspects including tiff.net. Lee Isaac Chung's semi-autobiographical story of a Korean immigrant trying to start a farm in rural America in the 1980s features nominated performances by Steven Yeun as the family patriarch, and Youn Yuhjung as a scene-stealing grandmother.
■ The Father — in theatres and on demand March 26. Anthony Hopkins is incredible (and nominated) as a man struggling with dementia. Coming in under the wire for nomination purposes, it opened in U.S. cinemas on Feb. 26.
■ Nomadland — opening April 9, in cinemas and on Disney+. Chloé Zhao's beautifully shot drama, starring nominee Frances Mcdormand as a woman who takes up a nomadic lifestyle, has had a bumpy road to release after winning top festival prizes.