USA TODAY movie critic Brian Truitt reveals his top 3 films of 2025, including "The Life of Chuck" and "Rental Family."
If you've been waiting, now's the time to catch up on the Oscar movies you've missed.
You've got a few weeks to get busy and get watching the best picture contenders, those films with all the top acting talent, before the big night: Conan O'Brien hosts the 98th Oscars on March 15, airing live on ABC and Hulu (7 p.m. ET/4 PT). The major players that night are available to watch at home via streaming services and on-demand platforms.
Here are 20 nominated movies to watch from your couch right now:
'Blue Moon'
Ethan Hawke snagged a best actor Oscar nomination as famed lyricist Lorenz Hart in this lively character study, which also scored an original screenplay nod. Richard Linklater reimagines the 1943 premiere afterparty of "Oklahoma!" where a newly sober Hart tries to keep some semblance of pride while holding court at the hotel bar, obsessing over college-age Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley) and toasting old partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) on his big night.
Where to watch: Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
'Bugonia'
Yorgos Lanthimos' gonzo comedy/psychological romp, which scored nods for best picture and adapted screenplay, offers up dark-web weirdness and sci-fi paranoia. Best actress nominee Emma Stone plays a pharmaceutical CEO who is kidnapped by a pair of conspiracy-theorist cousins (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) who believe she's an alien bent on world domination, leading to a battle of wills and a wildly chaotic climax.
Where to watch: Peacock, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
'Elio'
Pixar is back in the Oscar category it's owned over the years - best animated film - with this family-friendly sci-fi adventure that throws back to the 1980s days of "Explorers" and "The Last Starfighter." A young boy (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) yearns to be abducted by aliens, actually gets his wish and becomes BFFs with a blobby alien. If you're catching up on nominated films with your youngsters, it's best for any kids who've never seen "E.T."
Where to watch: Disney+, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
'F1: The Movie'
Joseph Kosinski's Formula 1 movie came out of nowhere to score four Oscar nominations, including best picture. As an aging driver-for-hire on an underdog racing team, Brad Pitt brings plenty of personality - and vroom-vroom steeliness - to this four-wheeled crowd-pleaser. There's macho panache and white-knuckle action sequences aplenty as Pitt's eccentric Formula 1 veteran plays reluctant mentor to a hotshot rookie (Damson Idris).
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
'Frankenstein'
Guillermo del Toro's thoughtful and moving adaptation of Mary Shelley's legendary work made the best picture cut as part of its nine Oscar nominations. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is the egotistical scientist playing God and creating life with a Creature (supporting actor contender Jacob Elordi) made from discarded human parts. Come for the gothic majesty, stay for Elordi's stunning and emotive performance as the Creature tries to be human in an inhuman world.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Hamnet'
Prepare to be an emotional wreck by the end of Chloé Zhao's heartfelt look at William Shakespeare's family life that's up for eight Oscars, including best picture, director and adapted screenplay. Best actress favorite Jessie Buckley is absolutely sensational as Agnes, who's married to Will (Paul Mescal) and raises the kids while the Bard works in London. Tragedy leads to resentment and disconnection between the two, but ultimately also to the creation of "Hamlet" and different ways of dealing with grief.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You'
A frazzled and stressed Rose Byrne definitely earns her best actress nomination in this dark comedy. She plays a therapist forced to navigate an increasingly bonkers and exhausting series of unfortunate events. After her apartment ceiling collapses in a water accident, she moves with her sick daughter (Delaney Quinn) to a nearby hotel, fosters a passive-aggressive relationship with her own therapist (Conan O’Brien) and is shocked when a new client (Danielle Macdonald) bolts in the middle of a session without her baby.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home, HBO Max
'It Was Just an Accident'
Jafar Panahi's thriller, up for best international film and original screenplay, is an unforgettable juggling of serious moral questions and clever screwball comedy. Following an incident where a family hits a dog with its car, a mechanic (Vahid Mobasseri) believes the driver (Ebrahim Azizi) was his peg-legged torturer in an Iranian jail and kidnaps him, then brings in other former political prisoners who have to figure out if he's their tormentor and what to do with him in a breathtaking modern fable.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home, Hulu (March 1)
'KPop Demon Hunters'
Catchy music, anime style and some horror combine in this kid-friendly action comedy, the Oscar nominee that not only your kids have seen but also absolutely love. When the members of Korean pop trio Huntrix aren't busy being mega-stars, they protect their fans from supernatural dangers. But dark secrets and hormones become issues thanks to their latest enemy: demons disguised as a hunky boy band. The earworming hit “Golden” is a no-brainer in both original song and animated film - its chances of winning a couple Oscars are, yes, pretty golden.
Where to watch: Netflix
'The Lost Bus'
Based on the deadly 2018 Camp Fire in California, the uber-intense thriller scored a spot in the best visual effects race. Matthew McConaughey stars as a bus driver already stressed out by a tough situation at home when a wildfire starts tearing through towns. He’s called in to get a group of school kids to safety and, with the help of their teacher (America Ferrera), they drive through a hellacious gauntlet of chaotic traffic, falling power lines and so, so many flames.
Where to watch: Apple TV
'Marty Supreme'
"Uncut Gems" didn't snag a best picture nomination but director Josh Safdie's other masterful panic attack of a movie, a sports comedy set in the world of 1950s table tennis, did. Shoe salesman Marty Mauser (best actor nominee Timothée Chalamet) will do anything to be a ping-pong champion. He’s also a selfish, conceited jerk, and his pursuit of glory sucks assorted players into his chaotic world—from Marty’s childhood best friend (Odessa A’zion) to a famous actress (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
'One Battle After Another'
Up for 13 Oscars, including best picture, director Paul Thomas Anderson's action dramedy casts best actor contender Leonardo DiCaprio as a scruffy former demolitions expert desperate to find his teen daughter (Chase Infiniti) with an old enemy (Sean Penn) in hot pursuit. A high-minded, resonant piece of world-building inspired by Thomas Pynchon's "Vineland," "One Battle" is full of assorted revolutionaries and villains featuring a cast of standouts as well as themes and political satire that feel of the moment.
Where to watch: HBO Max, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
'The Perfect Neighbor'
Told almost completely through police bodycam footage, the favorite in the best documentary category centers on the increasingly hostile disputes between an older white woman and the parents of the mostly black children she berates, leading to a tragedy that shakes their neighborhood. It’s a gripping, heartbreaking true story about how fear and prejudice can easily go too far.
Where to watch: Netflix
'The Secret Agent'
Kleber Mendonça Filho's 1970s-set political thriller snagged a slot in best picture and is a top contender in the international film category. But it soars because of Wagner Moura, who was nominated for best actor and is terrific as a Brazilian researcher hunted by mercenary killers. The former teacher aims to escape the country's ruthless dictatorship with his son by taking on a different name and falling in with fellow dissidents, but finds himself wondering who he can really trust.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home, Hulu (March 1)
'Sentimental Value'
Supporting actor contender Stellan Skarsgård gives a masterclass, Norwegian style, in Joachim Trier's touching best picture nominee. He stars as an aging filmmaker aiming to make a heartfelt movie tying into the family's traumatic history that'll be his comeback. However, because he prioritized art over loved ones, he's now estranged from his daughters: a determined stage actress (Renate Reinsve) and a one-time child star (supporting actress competitor Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) who's now trying hard to mend her clan's broken fences.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
'Sinners'
Is it a gangster film? Heck, yeah! Is it a vampire movie? You bet! Did it just obliterate the Oscar nominations record? That, too! Ryan Coogler pulls off something devilishly spectacular with this genre-bending, 1930s-set flick—which scored a monumental 16 nods including best picture, director and original screenplay. Best actor nominee Michael B. Jordan is fantastic playing double duty as twins who come home to Mississippi and have their party crashed by a band of charismatic bloodsuckers. Coogler also tackles racism and cultural appropriation in a wondrous fright fest—buoyed by supporting actor and actress nominees Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku—that’s mesmerizing in its filmmaking and meaningful in its message.
Where to watch: HBO Max; Apple TV; Amazon; Fandango at Home
'Song Sung Blue'
Kate Hudson definitely earns her best actress Oscar nomination and Hugh Jackman is in total showman mode in this true-life sentimental drama. They play musicians who team up to become a popular Neil Diamond tribute act, and the icon’s songs inspire the couple as they’re forced to weather personal tragedies and professional ups and downs.
Where to watch: Peacock; Apple TV; Amazon; Fandango at Home
'Train Dreams'
Set in the early 19th century, the absorbing and thoughtful period drama - and best picture nominee - stars Joel Edgerton as a quiet logger working on building the railroad in the Pacific Northwest whose job keeps him away for long periods from his wife (Felicity Jones) and child. Tragedies and a changing America test his mettle as he struggles to keep living his life and moving forward.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Weapons'
Supporting actress nominee Amy Madigan is one of many reasons to watch Zach Cregger's follow-up to his deliciously twisty "Barbarian." There are metaphors aplenty to interpret in a thriller about a town that goes bonkers when 17 kids go missing in the middle of the night and everybody points to their teacher (Julia Garner). The provocative, genre-defying horror flick boasts unhinged gore, a delightfully dark sense of humor Madigan as the creepiest aunt ever; crowd-pleasing finale.
Where to watch: HBO Max; Apple TV; Amazon; Fandango at Home
'Zootopia 2'
The first "Zootopia" won the Academy Award for best animated movie in 2017, and the sequel has made the same cut at this year's soirée. Bunny cop Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and street fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are unlikely friends and partners who saved the city of Zootopia and have to do it again, with a snake on the loose. The action and the comedy will keep the littlest Oscar fans entertained while moms and dads appreciate the fun Disney references and clever pop-culture riffs on "The Shining," "Back to the Future" and more.
Where to watch: Apple TV; Amazon; Fandango at Home