By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
Wondering how to see the 2017 Oscar hopefuls? Here's your guide to all 62 nominees.
The Oscars will be handed out Feb. 26 on ABC. I'll be blogging for the next 32 days about my attempt to see every film below, and I hope this helps you join in, at least somewhat.
Remember, the Best Picture nominees and the live-action and animated shorts will screen Feb. 20 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. And, as you'll see below, many of the other nominees are available on disc or streaming services.
Allied
After a few weeks at the United Artists Amarillo Star 14, this Brad Pitt / Marion Cotillard war drama has been playing at Premiere Cinemas Westgate Mall 6, but it's gone as of Friday. It'll be available on digital services Feb. 14 and on disc on Feb. 28. Here's my review. (Nominated for costume design)
Arrival
The sci-fi drama enjoyed a fairly long run in Amarillo multiplexes and will return for limited screenings beginning this weekend at the Amarillo Star 14. It will arrive Jan. 31 on digital services and Feb. 14 on disc. Here's my review, plus I ranked it in my top films of 2016. (Nominated for Best Picture, cinematograpy, film editing, director [Denis Villenueve], adapted screenplay, production design, sound editing and sound mixing)
Blind Vaysha
This animated short about a girl who can see the past in one eye and the future in the other — but not the present — doesn't appear to be available yet in the States. It is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best animated short)
Borrowed Time
This animated short about a sheriff facing long-buried memories isn't available to stream yet, but it is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best animated short)
Captain Fantastic
After a brief run at the Westgate Mall 6 in September (here's my review), this family drama starring Viggo Mortensen as a father of six living off the grid in the Pacific Northwest is available on disc and on digital services. I ranked it in my honorable mention of the best films of 2016. (Nominated for best actor [Mortensen])
Deepwater Horizon
This docudrama from director Peter Berg goes inside the enormous 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It screened at Amarillo multiplexes beginning in late September and is available now on disc and digital services. (Nominated for sound editing and visual effects)
Doctor Strange
After a fairly lengthy theatrical run in Amarillo multiplexes beginning in November, the latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — this one about a reality-warping magician — will arrrive Feb. 14 on digital services and Feb. 28 on disc. Here's my review. (Nominated for visual effects)
Elle
This drama / black comedy about a powerful French businesswoman (Isabelle Huppert) trying to figure out who sexually assaulted her comes from director Paul Verhoeven (Showgirls, Starship Troopers). Huppert, who won the Golden Globe for best dramatic actress, gives a remarkable, can't-look-away performance, one of the best in her esteemed career (scoring her first-ever Oscar nomination), and after watching a press screener of the film several days ago, I'm still mulling over how I feel about the film. It screened very briefly earlier this month at Lubbock's Alamo Drafthouse, but an Amarillo booking has not been announced. It will be available on digital services Feb. 28. (Nominated for best actress)
Ennemis Intérieurs
This live-action short depicts a tense interview between an Algerian-born French police officer and a French-born Algerian man seeking naturalization during the height of the Algerian civil war in the 1990s. It's not available to stream yet, but it is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best live-action short)
Extremis
This short documentary follows a palliative care specialist at Highland Hospital in Oakland, Calif., as she and her team work with terminally ill patients. It's available to watch on Netflix. (Nominated for best documentary short)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
This Harry Potter prequel recently concluded its run in Amarillo multiplexes, but it may be booked on the second-run screens at Westgate Mall 6. Its estimated arrival on digital and disc is March or April. Here's my review. (Nominated for costume design and production design)
Fences
Director and star Denzel Washington's adaptation of the late August Wilson's drama about a working-class black family in the 1950s had wrapped its mulitplex run in Amarillo, but it has been booked again for one late showing per night next week at Hollywood 16. It also will screen a few times between Feb. 20 and 26 during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. Its estimated arrival on digital and disc is April. It was one of choices for the top films of 2016. (Nominated for Best Picture, best actor [Washington], best supporting actress [Viola Davis] and best adapted screenplay [Wilson])
Fire at Sea
This documentary shows how life on the Mediterranean, specifically the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, is carrying on with the massive influx of refugees from Africa and the Middle East. It, like most documentaries, hasn't screened in Amarillo, but it will be available Feb. 17 on iTunes. (Nominated for best documentary feature)
Florence Foster Jenkins
Meryl Streep scored her 20th Oscar nomination (the most, by far, of any actor) for her role as a deluded but determined opera singer. It screened in Amarillo in August and is available now on disc and digital services. (Nominated for best actress [Streep] and costume design)
4.1 Miles
This short documentary follows a Greek Coast Guard captain's attempt to help save the lives of Middle Eastern refugees traveling from Turkey to the island of Lesbos. It can be viewed for now at the New York Times' website as part of its Op-Doc series for free and on Vimeo. (Nominated for best documentary short)
Hacksaw Ridge
This true World War II drama about a conscientious objector (Andrew Garfield) who rescued a battalion of soldiers in battle in the Pacific and won the Congressional Medal of Honor had a lengthy theatrical run beginning in November and has been booked again for a few screenings beginning this weekend at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. It also will screen a few times between Feb. 20 and 26 during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. It will be available Feb. 7 on digital services and Feb. 21 on disc. Here's my review. (Nominated for Best Picture, actor [Garfield], director [Mel Gibson], film editing, sound editing and sound mixing)
Hail, Caesar!
The latest comedy from the Coen Brothers celebrates the Golden Age of Hollywood alongside a twisty plot about Communist spies infiltrating La La Land (not to be confused with singing struggling actors in La La Land). It had a short run in Amarillo in February and is available now on disc and digital platforms, including HBO Go. It was one of choices for the top films of 2016. (Nominated for production design)
Hell or High Water
This drama about bank-robbing brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) in West Texas enjoyed a weeks-long run in the Amarillo Star 14, then again in Westgate Mall 6. It's available now digitally and on disc. It, too, was one of choices for the top films of 2016. (Nominated for Best Picture, supporting actor [Jeff Bridges], film editing and original screenplay)
Hidden Figures
This feel-good smash tells the true, but shamefully overlooked story of the contribution of African-American women to the success of NASA at the height of the space race. It is in theaters now, will be part of Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons from Feb. 20 to 26, and is estimated for home availability sometime in April. Here's my review. (Nominated for Best Picture, supporting actress [Octavia Spencer] and adapted screenplay)
I Am Not Your Negro
Filmmaker Raoul Peck adapts a James Baldwin manuscript about slain civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. into this documentary examining race relations in America. It, like most documentaries, hasn't screened in Amarillo, but it will be included in the 2017-18 season of PBS's Independent Lens later this year. (Nominated for best documentary)
Jackie
This intense, unusual biopic focuses on Jackie Kennedy's (Natalie Portman) private and public grief following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy, as she works to solidify his reputation. It has yet to screen in Amarillo or the immediate area but will be released Feb. 21 digitally and March 7 on disc. (Nominated for best actress [Portman], costume design and original score)
Jim: The James Foley Story
Wartime photographer Jim Foley, who was captured in 2012 by ISIS and beheaded almost two years later, is profiled in this film — nominated not in the documentary category but for the original song "The Empty Chair" by J. Ralph and Sting. The movie won an audience award at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and premiered shortly thereafter on HBO; it can be seen now on HBO Go. (Nominated for best original song)
Joe's Violin
This short documentary tells the story of Holocaust survivor Joseph Fiengold, his decision to donate his beloved violin to a public school and the student who was the beneficiary of his kindness. It can be streamed for now on New Yorker magazine's website. (Nominated for best short documentary)
The Jungle Book
Disney's latest live-action remake of one of its animated favorites is faithful to the original film but brings it to life in a strikingly realistic, but almost completely digital fashion. It enjoyed a healthy run in Amarillo multiplexes in the spring and is available now on disc and digital services. (Nominated for best visual effects)
Kubo and the Two Strings
This stop-motion animated film, the latest from Laika, tells a fantastical story about a young boy on a mission to harnass his supernatural powers. It's only the second animated film, following 1993's A Nightmare Before Christmas, to be nominated for best visual effects. It screened at Amarillo's multiplexes and is available now on disc and digital services. (Nominated for best animated feature and visual effects)
La Femme et le TGV
A young woman begins corresponding with a train conductor who passes her house every day, then goes off in search of him when his route is changed in this live-action short. It is available for now on iTunes and is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best live-action short)
La La Land
Scoring a record-tying 14 nominations, this modern-day, original musical about struggling artists in Los Angeles is the one to beat in this year's Oscar race. It continues to screen theatrically in Amarillo, will be part of Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons from Feb. 20 to 26, and is estimated for home availability in April. Here's my review. (Nominated for Best Picture, actor [Ryan Gosling], actress [Emma Stone], cinematography, costume design, directing [Damien Chazelle], film editing, original score, original song ["Audition (The Fools Who Dream)"], original song ["City of Stars"], production design, sound editing, sound mixing and original screenplay [Chazelle])
Land of Mine
This Danish drama recounts the forced efforts of a dozen German POWs to defuse 45,000 landmines buried near a small town in Denmark. It, like most foreign films, has not screened in Amarillo, and a home release date is still unknown. (Nominated for best foreign-language film)
Life, Animated
This heartwarming documentary shows how a man on the autism spectrum was able to connect with the outside world through his love of Disney films. It, like most documentaries, did not screen in Amarillo, but it is available on disc and through some digital outlets, including Amazon Prime. (Nominated for best documentary feature)
Lion
Telling the true story of an Indian man in Australia who tracked down his birth family with Google Earth, this tear-jerking drama has been held over for a third week at Westgate Mall 6. It will be part of Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons from Feb. 20 to 26, and is estimated for home availability in April.. Here's my review. (Nominated for Best Picture, supporting actor [Dev Patel], supporting actress [Nicole Kidman], adapted screenplay, original score and cinematography)
The Lobster
Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos imagines a world in which everyone is required to be part of a couple; if, after 45 days, they haven't found a mate, they are turned into the animal of their choice. It gets even weirder and more fascinating from there. The film, you won't be surprised to learn, did not screen in Amarillo, but it is available now on disc and digital services, including Amazon Prime. (Nominated for best original screenplay)
Loving
Director Jeff Nichols took a quiet approach in telling the true story of a Virginia couple (played by Joel Edgerton and the nominated Ruth Negga) whose marriage prompted a lawsuit that eventually led the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn anti-miscegenation laws nationwide. It screened in December in Lubbock but has yet to screen in Amarillo. Nonetheless, it was among my favorite films of 2016. It is available now for digital purchase and will be available Feb. 7 on disc and for digital rental. (Nominated for best actress [Negga])
A Man Called Ove
This Swedish comedy, based on a hugely popular novel, finds a new way to tell the story of a grumpy widower who's forced out of his depression by engaging in the world. It, unlike many foreign films, screened in Amarillo in December and is available now on disc and digital. Here's my review. (Nominated for best foreign film and makeup/hairstyling)
Manchester by the Sea
This searing, but appropriately and frequently funny drama from writer-director Kenneth Lonergan is about a grieving man (Casey Affleck) struggling to decide how best to care for his nephew (Lucas Hedges). It screened for a few weeks at the Amarillo Star 14 (here's my review), will return there for a few showings beginning this weekend, will be part of Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons from Feb. 20 to 26, and will be available Feb. 7 digitally and Feb. 21 on disc. It also made my list of favorite films of 2016. (Nominated for Best Picture, actor [Affleck], supporting actor [Hedges], supporting actress [Michelle Williams], director [Lonergan] and original screenplay [Lonergan])
Moana
Another of Disney's smash successes, this one offers a welcome twist on the Disney Princess formula with its no-nonsense heroine and lack of a romantic subplot. Should songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) win for best original song for "How Far I'll Go," he'll be the youngest-ever winner of the EGOT — the term for winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. It screened for several weeks in Amarillo and will be back this weekend with a sing-along version at the Hollywood 16 and Amarillo Star 14. Here's my review, plus my placement of it in my honorable mention of favorite 2016 films. It will be available digitally Feb. 21 and on disc March 7. (Nominated for best animated film and original song)
Moonlight
This gripping drama about a young black man growing up gay in an impoverished Miami neighborhood screened in Lubbock before Thanksgiving. Here's my review, and it placed at the top of my list of 2016 films that didn't screen in Amarillo. And here's the good news: It opens at the Amarillo Star 14 this weekend for a limited run, and it will be part of Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons from Feb. 20 to 26. It will be available digitally Feb. 7 and on disc Feb. 28. (Nominated for Best Picture, supporting actor [Mahershala Ali], supporting actress [Naomie Harris], cinematography, directing, film editing, original score and adapted screenplay)
My Life as a Zucchini
This French-Swiss stop-motion animated film about a foster child's coming of age hasn't screened in Amarillo, but it opens in American theaters beginning Feb. 24. No home release has been announced. (Nominated for best animated feature)
Nocturnal Animals
Filmmaker / fashion designer Tom Ford's sophomore effort — a bifurcated narrative about an ennui-laden woman and the lurid crime novel by her ex-husband that she's reading — was divisive when it was released in December. But most critics and awards groups cited Michael Shannon's performance as a determined sheriff as the film's best attribute (well, all but the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs, who honored Aaron Taylor-Johnson's alpha thug). It played here briefly in December; here's my review. It'll be available Feb. 7 on digital and Feb. 21 on disc. (Nominatd for best suporting actor [Shannon])
O.J.: Made in America
This eight-hour documentary, following a brief qualifying run in theaters, aired on ESPN and ABC as part of the sports network's 30 for 30 documentary series in June. I ranked it among my favorite films of 2016, and it's the favorite to win the Oscar. It's available to view on ESPN.com and Hulu. (Nominated for best documentary feature)
Passengers
This sci-fi drama with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt will leave first-run theaters in Amarillo on Thursday after a month-long run. (I was not a fan.) It may return to the mall's second-run theater before its expected home arrival in April. (Nominated for best original score and production design)
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
This animated short finds a man going on a wild ride to get his hard-living childhood best friend home from China to receive a liver transplant. It's available to rent or buy on Vimeo, and is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best animated short)
Pearl
A traveling musician roams the country with his young daughter, worrying that he's unable to provide her a stable life, in this animated short. It's available to view on YouTube for now, and is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best animated short)
Piper
This dialogue-free computer animated short preceded screenings of Finding Dory in theaters throughout the summer, so it's likely to be the most widely-seen short on the ballot. It's available to purchase digitally, and is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best animated short)
The Red Turtle
Another dialogue-free animated film, this one feature-length, this Japanese movie from Studio Ghibli finds a stranded, nameless sailor trying to return home and finding his efforts thwarted by the titular terrapin. To go any further would spoil what critics call the magic of the tale. It hasn't screened in Amarillo, nor is it expected to; no home release date has been announced. (Nominated for best animated feature)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
A smash box-office success, this stand-alone film — which details how a scrappy band of Rebels stole the plans to the Death Star, leading directly into the original Star Wars movie — is still screening in Amarillo's multiplexes. Here's my review. An official home release date hasn't been announced, but is expected in April. (Nominated for best sound mixing and visual effects)
The Salesman
The latest from Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi (A Separation) follows a young Iranian couple who are co-starring in a production of Death of a Salesman and experience a shocking act of violence in their personal life. It has not screened in Amarillo, and a home release date has yet to be announced. (Nominated for best foreign film)
Silence
Director Martin Scorsese's impassioned film about a pair of 17th-century Jesuit missionaries facing insurmountable opposition in Japan will wrap its limited first-run screening in Amarillo on Thursday at the Amarillo Star 14 (after one additional showing Wednesday at the Hollywood 16). A home release date has yet to be announced. (Nominated for best cinematography)
Silent Nights
A Ghana-born, undocumented immigrant in Copenhagen falls in love with a young Danish woman in this live-action short film (click here for the trailer). It is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best live-action short)
Sing (Mindenki)
Not the animated film about tuneful animals. This live-action short from Hungary finds a young girl struggling with a revered choir director. It is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best live-action short)
Star Trek Beyond
The latest in the rebooted film franchise didn't make enormous waves when it screened nationally over the summer, but it was fairly well-received, especially for its introduction of new alien races. It's available on disc and digital services. (Nominated for best makeup and hairstyling)
Suicide Squad
The latest from the DC cinematic universe — this one dealing with super-powered criminals who are co-opted into working with the government — got a slightly better critical reception than March's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but that's like saying losing your left big toe is better than losing three toes on your right foot. It still hurts. Anyway, audiences flocked to it when it debuted in Amarillo and nationally in August, and it's available now on disc and digital services. (Nominated for best makeup and hairstyling)
Sully
Director Clint Eastwood's latest retold the story of pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberg (Tom Hanks), who successfully landed a passenger jet in the Hudson River following a complete engine failure after take-off. It screened in Amarillo's multiplexes in September, and it's available now on disc and digital services. (Nominated for best sound editing)
Tanna
This Australian film, shot on location in the titular island in the Vanuatu archipelago, tells a Romeo and Juliet-style romance between members of two native tribes. It hasn't screened in Amarillo, but will be available digitally on Feb. 7 and on disc March 7. (Nominated for best foreign film)
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Michael Bay directed this look at soldiers who fought to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. It opened in January in Amarillo's multiplexes and is now available on disc and digital services, including Amazon Prime. (Nominated for best sound mixing)
13th
Director Ava DuVernay took a hard look at black life in America through the lens of the prison system — in her estimation, the modern-day equivalent of the slavery outlawed by the 13th Amendment. It's a powerful, thought-provoking work, which I ranked in my list of the top films of 2016. After a brief qualifying run in a few theaters, it's available now on Netflix. (Nominated for best documentary feature)
Timecode
Two bored security guards — one on the day shift, one on the late one — develop a relationship by communicating through the garage's closed-circuit TV footage. It's not yet available digitally, but it is expected to screen Feb. 24 to 26 in Amarillo during Cinemark's Oscar Week marathons. (Nominated for best live-action short)
Toni Erdmann
A prankster father tries to reconnect with his estranged adult daughter in this German comedy, one of the best-reviewed films of 2016. It hasn't yet screened in Amarillo, and a home release date has yet to be announced. (Nominated for best foreign film)
Trolls
This CGI comedy inspired by the ugly, fuzzy-headed dolls was released nationally in November, but its nominated song, Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling," was released in May and was one of the top contenders for song of the summer. The film continues to screen at Westgate Mall 6, is available now on digital services, and will be released Feb. 7 on disc. (Nominated for best original song)
20th Century Women
Writer-director Mike Mills' latest biological drama (following Beginners) pays tribute to his mother and the other women who helped raise him in the 1970s. Annette Bening was in contention in the best actress race, but the film scored only one nomination for Mills' script. It is expected to screen beginning Feb. 3 on Westgate Mall 6's indie screen. (Nominated for best original screenplay)
Watani: My Homeland
Four children and their mother flee the war zone in Aleppo, Syria, to a small German town in this acclaimed short documentary. It does not appear to be available yet on digital services but it, along with most other short films, should be available after the Oscars through Shorts.tv. (Nominated for best short documentary)
The White Helmets
Civilian volunteers comb through rubble after bombings in Syria to rescue survivors in this short documentary. It is available to watch on Netflix. (Nominated for best short documentary)
Zootopia
Disney's hit about a bunny rookie cop in a city inhabited by a cornucopia of animals screened in all of Amarillo's theaters following its national opening in March. It's available now on disc and digital services, including Netflix. (Nominated for best animated feature)
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and at www.facebook.com/chipchandlerwriter on Facebook.
