The 5 films you should see before Oscar Night

Without spending the week in a theater, it’s sorta impossible see every important movie before February 28. Seeing these five will keep you in the conversation on Oscar Night.

The Revenant

You’ll want to have an opinion on that bear scene…and that horse scene. The Revenant is going to roar on Oscar Night; it is nominated for the most Oscars (12) and is the front- runner for Best Actor and Best Cinematographer. It has a good chance to win Best Picture and Best Director as well.

(In theaters.)

Mad Max: Fury Road

Released last summer, this film should go the distance on Oscar Night.

It was nominated for 10 Oscars and will likely topple Star Wars for all the technical awards: Visual Effects, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing Makeup. It’s my current bet for a Best Director upset and largest tally of the night.

(On HBO, HBO GO and HBO Now.)

Spotlight and The Big Short

I cheated with two films, but you’ve seen at least one of these already, right? These are very likely your Best Original and Best Adapted Screenplay winners. Either of them could take Best Picture so you should have a favorite to root for.

(Spotlight is available On Demand/iTunes. The Big Short is in theaters.)

World Of Tomorrow

If you want to be in the know, but don’t have time to see everything, this frontrunner for Best Animated Short Film is for you. It’s free on Netflix and you can watch it in 17 minutes.  

(Available on Netflix. See all of the Best Animated Shorts at the Magnolia Theater in Dallas.)

Creed

Since you can’t see every movie that’s going to win, I’d suggest this one. Not only was Creed the perfect mix of nostalgia and fresh movie magic, but it’s family to Academy Award royalty.

Forty years after Rocky took Best Picture, Stallone is likely to accept the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing Balboa again. It should be one of the show’s finer moments.

(Available On Demand, iTunes and more.)