The 2023 Oscars is just around the corner on March 12th and there’s plenty to get excited about for fans of the red carpet and the silver screen. Apple TV is filled to the brim with incredible movies that showcase some of the best to ever grace the Academy Awards.
Apple TV Plus has a muted appearance at this year’s ceremony with only two nominations across the board, so we’ve picked five films that have received a golden statuette and are available on Apple TV for you to watch this weekend in the build-up to the 95th Academy Awards.
Parasite – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film
Bong Joon Ho’s masterpiece is quite possibly one of the greatest films ever made. The South Korean social thriller was the first non-English language film to win Best Picture in 2020,breaking through the glass ceiling to become a cultural phenomenon.
The film follows the Kim family as they struggle to survive in Seoul. When Ki-Woo, the son, starts working for a wealthy family the Kims try to infiltrate to better their lives. Parasite is dark, funny, and quite heartbreaking to say the least. The film captures an anxiety that very few do, leaving you on the edge of your seat until the credits roll. A must-watch.
Watch Parasite on Apple TV (opens in new tab)
Joker – Best Actor
The same year that Parasite swept the Oscars with four awards, Joaquin Phoenix was putting in a career-best performance as Arthur Fleck. Inspired by Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke, Joker follows the origins of Batman’s arch nemesis as Arthur struggles with his mental health in a dark Gotham City.
Joaquin Phoenix captures the creepiness you’d come to expect from the Joker but adds humanity that is often missed in villain arcs. I would say it’s a career-defining performance but that would do a severe injustice to Phoenix’s talent.
Watch Joker on Apple TV (opens in new tab)
As Good As It Gets – Best Actor and Best Actress
The last film to win Best Actor and Best Actress respectively in 1998, As Good As It Gets is exactly what you want from a good old romantic comedy. Written and directed by James L. Brooks, the director of Terms of Endearment (another Oscars classic, winning five awards in 1984), As Good As It Gets brings together Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt with palpable chemistry, who deserve all the awards they inevitably received.
Nicholson plays Melvin Udall, a famous author with OCD who lives his life with set rules like skipping the lines as he walks down the street. Hunt plays Carol, the waitress at his daily breakfast diner and throughout the film they form a bond that sees Melvin overcome some debilitating aspects of his OCD.
Watch As Good As It Gets on Apple TV (opens in new tab)
The Incredibles – Best Animated Feature and Best Sound Mixing
Winner of Best Animated Feature Film in 2005, The Incredibles is not only one of the best animated films of all time but equally one of the best superhero movies to ever release. The Incredibles was Pixar at its prime and holds up to this day as fun for all the family.
The Incredibles deserves a mention in this list purely for Jack-Jack’s slapstick comedy that had me buckling in laughter at the age of 10 just as much as I do now as a 28-year-old. The Incredibles is available on Apple TV alongside its 2018 sequel, The Incredibles 2.
Watch The Incredibles on Apple TV (opens in new tab)
The Graduate – Best Director
Nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1968, The Graduate won Best Director for EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner, Mike Nichols. The Graduate is best known as Dustin Hoffman’s breakout role before the days of Midnight Cowboy, Kramer vs Kramer and Rain Man. The film is a coming-of-age drama that follows Benjamin as he returns home after graduating from college.
As Benjamin assesses his future, he becomes entangled in an affair with his father’s business partner’s wife – falling in love with her daughter at the same time. The film is famous for Simon & Garfunkel’s Mrs. Robinson, a classic tune to this day which was written specifically for The Graduate.
Watch The Graduate on Apple TV (opens in new tab)
There’s also Apple TV Plus
If you don’t want to buy or rent the films we’ve mentioned above then an Apple TV Plus trial will get you access to CODA, the first film released on streaming to win Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards.
Whilst it’s maybe not up there with the classics listed above, CODA is a heartwarming family film showcasing the deaf community. There are loads of films to watch on Apple TV Plus including this year’s Causeway, which received an Oscars 2023 nomination for Bryan Tyree Henry.
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