This year's crop of Oscar nominated films and actors have been revealed after the Academy announced the films which will be recognised f...
This year's crop of Oscar nominated films and actors have been revealed after the Academy announced the films which will be recognised for the 97th ceremony.
While some of the contenders are only exclusively playing in theatres at the moment, including The Brutalist and A Complete Unknown, others are available to stream.
The biggest and best films of the year are available across a selection of streaming platforms, either for free or to rent.
Anora
Romance about an American stripper and a Russian billionaire's son
Year: 2024
Certificate: 18
Watch now on SkyWatch now on Prime Video
When Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the dissolute 21-year-old son of a Russian oligarch, offers her $15,000 to spend the week with him, Brooklyn-born stripper Anora (Mikey Madison) finds it hard to say no. It's when he also asks her to marry him at a Las Vegas wedding chapel that her problems really start…
The plot may sound like Pretty Woman on the surface but this is a much brasher, darker and frequently funnier drama about transactional love. Madison is a ballsy and foul-mouthed breath of fresh air as the feisty and irreverent Anora, a woman who refuses to step quietly into the background when the rich boy's parents send their thugs round to 'persuade' her to annul the marriage. It's easy to see why this indie black comedy drama picked up the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. (139 minutes)
Conclave
Mystery drama following the intrigue around appointing a new Pope, starring Ralph Fiennes
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on SkyWatch now on Prime Video
The novel by Robert Harris is brought to the screen by All Quiet On The Western Front director Edward Berger. It's an absorbing mystery that, despite being confined to a single location and being mostly talk and very little action, is filled with intrigue and slow-building tension.
The superb cast is led by Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence, with Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow, plus Isabella Rossellini in a role expanded from the novel. Lawrence is essentially the Vatican's general manager, the man who oversees the day-to-day running of things for the Pope. When the incumbent dies, it Lawrence's job to run the Conclave, the meeting of Cardinals from across the globe who are sequestered inside the Vatican to vote on who will get the toppest of top jobs in the Roman Catholic Church.
It's not a straightforward choice. There are two primary factions - of liberal loyalists and the more reactionary old school who want to undo the modernising achieved by the late Pope. Within these opposing camps lie yet more challenges and Lawrence himself becomes a somewhat reluctant candidate, despite struggling with his own crisis of faith.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Sky and elsewhere. (120 minutes)
Wicked
The first half of this grand Hollywood adaptation of the Wizard Of Oz prequel musical
Year: 2024
Certificate: PG
Watch now on Sky
Watch now on Prime Video
Wicked the film didn't stint on scale, although that also turned out to have a downside - the choice to split the story across two movies felt like spreading the fun to some but like greed to others. A few years down the line, when both movies are available to watch at home back to back, it'll be interesting to see how the overall experience stacks up. For now, just enjoy the songs, the ambition and the performances in a still fundamentally intriguing story - well, half of it, anyway.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Sky and elsewhere. (160 minutes)
Emilia Pérez
Zoe Saldana stars in an audacious musical crime drama with 11 Bafta nominations
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Netflix
When a fearsome cartel boss contacts defence lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldana), she can only guess at what he wants. None of her suppositions come close to the truth though: that the mobster wants to transition to become a woman and start a new life away from crime.
Stylish and violent, operatic and musical, this is a whirling, enthralling amalgam of tones and situations. Saldana is fantastic as Rita but she's matched almost every step of the way by trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón as the mob boss, Selena Gomez as their blonde bombshell wife and Adriana Paz as a battered woman swept up into the madness of the story.
It's far from easygoing – swerving from crime drama to musical and back again in a heartbeat – but it is hugely rewarding. All four leads are clearly hot awards contenders, and the film as a whole has 11 Bafta nominations, placing it second after Conclave (which has 12). (132 minutes)
Sing Sing
Ultimately uplifting American drama about a prison theatrical production that uses real inmates
Year: 2023
Certificate: 15
Watch now on SkyWatch now on Prime Video
With the exception of The Shawshank Redemption, prison movies aren't generally known as feel good fare. And that's not obviously true of Greg Kwedar's film either, a brisk yet deep account of an inmates' stage production at Sing Sing, a maximum security prison in New York state. It's in the reality of how it's played, though, that the ultimately uplifting nature of the film really hits you in the chest - there are no easy victories for the men here, many of whom are played by real ex-prisoners.
Our main character is Divine G (Rustin's Colman Domingo) an intense, hopeful inmate who writes plays, and has theatre running in his blood; joining his troupe and upending Divine's apple cart is the street-tough Clarence 'Divine Eye' Maclin. Maclin is played by the actual Clarence 'Divine Eye' Maclin, an ex-inmate of Sing Sing who went through the theatre programme while he has there.
Watching those two men learn from each other, and the ups and downs they go through, is the soaring, difficult business of a movie that leaves you in a better place than it finds you. It really feels like a true ensemble piece, too, perhaps partly because everyone - Oscar nominee Domingo included - was paid the same daily salary in exchange for a stake in the film. (105 minutes)
The Apprentice (2024 film)
Well-acted origin story of Donald Trump in 1970s and 80s
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Sky
Watch now on Prime Video
There are few more famous and divisive figures on the planet than Donald Trump and, as such, it's surprising that this movie origin story for the 45th and 47th US President didn't create more waves than it did when it hit cinemas - especially in the US. Perhaps that's because its most fascinating dramatic figure is, in many ways, not Trump himself - but his mentor Roy Cohn, who schools Trump in how he thinks the world should work, doing deals and rising up in the world of the 1970s and 80s New York property market.
Cohn is an intense character and perfectly suited to the actor who plays him - Succession's Jeremy Strong. 'The first rule is the simplest: attack, attack, attack,' is the opening stage of Cohn's brutal instruction of Trump, who steadily becomes more like Cohn as the movie evolves. Sebastian Stan's Trump looks flimsy compared to Strong's Cohn but then, that is the point of the film. Both actors are doing exactly what's required. Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Sky and elsewhere. (117 minutes)
The Wild Robot
Lovingly animated comedy adventure about a robot who learns to parent an orphaned goose
Year: 2024
Certificate: U
Watch now on Sky
Watch now on Prime Video
There's a certain type of family film that children find sweet and engaging but which brings parents to tears, and The Wild Robot is undoubtedly one of those. Based on the lovely book by Peter Brown, it's the seemingly simple story of a robot that wakes up on an island full of cute but hostile animals, and somehow finds itself as the mother figure of an orphaned goose.
Roz (the robot) is programmed to complete tasks and views the goose as her customer but, as the weeks roll on, her coding has to bend and break to deal with the challenges of what becomes much more than a task. Roz is becoming a parent and the bittersweet emotional roots of that story are what will hit deep for adults - hence the aforementioned tears. But this lovingly animated film is also very enjoyable just as an island comedy caper, one filled with colourful animals who are all, in their own way, stuck in their own programming.
While you watch it all unfold, have fun spotting a voice cast that includes Matt Berry, Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara and, in a scene-stealing but leave-the-room-for-a-biscuit-and-you'll-miss-him performance, Ving Rhames. Lupita Nyong'o, an Oscar winner for 12 Years A Slave, leads it all and says a lot with her silences as Roz.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Sky and elsewhere. (102 minutes)
The Substance
The perils of a younger, better you - starring Demi Moore
Year: 2024
Certificate: 18
Watch now on Mubi
All the attention has been on Demi Moore and her comeback here is incredible – bold, cheeky and easily a career-best performance, but don't come into this expecting anything like the films she's done before. This is about as far from Ghost as you can get.
Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a faded Hollywood star turned Jane Fonda-like TV aerobics bunny. When misogynist studio executives (led by a cartoonishly toady Dennis Quaid) seek to replace her with a younger model, she subscribes to the Substance, less weight-loss injection, more mad-science procedure. Margaret Qualley takes over as Sue, Elisabeth's body-swap-horror alter ego, and this is where the satire of sexism and ageism really takes off.
Shocking as it may be, the story is so clever and well-executed that even though it scales nausea-inducing heights of gross and gruesome, you go along with it. The mad, blood-drenched escalation and denouement also feel entirely logical. And funny. The wicked, twisted sense of humour is consistent throughout, taking some of the pain away, though still keeping the jab of the point well aimed and sharp. (141 minutes)
Gladiator II
Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington star in sequel
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Sky
Watch now on Prime Video
Set a decade and a half after the death in the Colosseum sands of Maximus Decimus Meridius (aka Russell Crowe), this spectacular sequel returns to the streets and gladiator pits of the Roman empire for more behind-the-scenes power struggles and gritty swordfights in front of baying crowds.
Irish actor Paul Mescal (Normal People) takes centre stage this time as Hanno, an exiled Roman noble forced into slavery as a gladiator following the death of his family. Director Ridley Scott successfully conjures up the thrilling atmosphere of his original 2000 movie, drawing a fine tortured performance from Mescal – who has the athleticism to go with his formidable acting skills – while also filling the film with excellent turns from the likes of Pedro Pescal and the mighty Denzel Washington, the latter having a fine time as a retired gladiator-turned-fearsome political powerbroker.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Sky and elsewhere. (148 minutes)
Dune: Part Two
The second instalment of the epic take on Frank Herbert's novels
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on NOW
Watch now on Sky
Director Denis Villeneuve continues his feat of somehow wrestling Frank Herbert's vast sci-fi epic onto the screen. Our hero Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is cast into the deserts of the spice-rich world of Arrakis in part two, where he must prove himself to the natives by mastering the ways of their sandy realm, culminating in riding a giant worm.
If that makes Dune: Part Two sounds ridiculous, on screen it's anything but. This is sheer cinematic muscle, filled with battle scenes, strange prophecies and epic vistas, brought to life by an enormously talented cast that also includes Zendaya as Paul's native love Chani, Christopher Walken and Florence Pugh as the Emperor and his daughter, an unrecognisable Austin Butler (Elvis) as the psychotic Feyd-Rautha and a hugely impressive Rebecca Ferguson as Paul's scheming mother, who undergoes quite the transformation in this film.
You can get all that from the trailers, though. What probably isn't obvious is that the film can also be quite funny. Villeneuve clearly recognises the value of humour in making a big plot go down easier, and gives a lot of jokes to Javier Bardem's local chief Stilgar to provide the story with a little lightness. First and foremost, though, this is cinematic shock and awe - and if that's what you want, you won't find many better examples. Watch it on the biggest screen you can find and it'll feel like you're standing on the very dunes of Arrakis. (165 minutes)
Inside Out 2
This Pixar sequel tackles Riley's awkward transition to teenager
Year: 2024
Certificate: U
Watch now on Disney+
The transition to teenager is one of the most intense stages of life, and it's the logical subject for Pixar's sequel to its all-round 2015 hit about the inner existence of an American girl. Riley, whose life was once governed by the relatively simple emotions of joy, sadness, fear, anger and disgust, is now invaded by four new emotions - Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment - who threaten to take over her head entirely as the enters high school.
The two camps vie for control of the 13-year-old's head and heart as she navigates challenges such as choosing new friends. The results, while not quite up to the incredibly high standard of the original film, are a delight that is unlikely to disappoint anyone. And that's about as much as you can ask for, really. There are a lot of good jokes (don't miss the 'sar chasm') and plenty of relatable moments that should hit home for both teenagers and adults across the efficient running time of just over an hour and a half.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
An Oscar-nominated adventure with the inventor and his canine friend
Year: 2024
Certificate: U
Watch now on BBC iPlayer
They kept us waiting nearly 20 years for another feature film starring the inimitable inventor Wallace and his clever dog Gromit, but all is forgiven thanks to this movie featuring a robotic gnome gone rogue.
Inspired partly by horror films, it sees Wallace create a gnome that does the gardening. But dastardly penguin Feathers McGraw, incarcerated in a zoo since being caught in a diamond theft, has plans to get revenge on Wallace by taking virtual control of the gnome.
Peter Sallis, who provided the voice of Wallace for so many years, died in 2017 and the part of the cheese-loving inventor is now played by Ben Whitehead. (79 minutes)
Alien: Romulus
The seventh film in the sci-fi horror franchise takes it back to basics
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Disney+
While attempting to strip a seemingly abandoned and derelict space station for parts, a group of young space colonists find themselves facing attacks from the same creatures that destroyed the original Nostromo craft. Such is the plot of this Alien adventure and, while it may be the seventh movie in the franchise, it feels very much like a return to the glory gory days of the first film Alien and its original sequel Aliens. Chronologically, it's actually set between the two.
As the scrappy workers battle the slimy, acid-blooded xenomorphs in the battered corridors of the space station, Evil Dead director Fede Álvarez successfully brings the visceral feel of stalker/slasher horror films back to the series, while Mare Of Easttown's Cailee Spaeny makes a very capable lead, stepping confidently into the kick-ass heroine shoes of Sigourney Weaver. She's surrounded by an excellent cast of rising actors, including David Jonsson (Industry, Rye Lane) and Archie Renaux (Shadow And Bone). (119 minutes)
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
Blockbuster revival of the sci-fi franchise, set 300 years after War For The Planet Of The Apes
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Disney+
The 21st-century take on the Planet Of The Apes franchise resumes with a film that picks up the story of the simian world 300 years after 2017's War For The Planet Of The Apes. Director Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) brings us into a world where apes are dominant and starting to behave, quite frankly, like tyrants.
One in particular, the monarch Proximus Caesar, plans to use human technology to bring the whole world under his heel. The other two key figures are young chimpanzee Noa, who could have a wiser attitude about the co-existence of humans and apes on his shoulders, and Mae (British actress Freya Allan) - a human who isn't stupid like most of the rest of her feral kind.
Kingdom is an enjoyable epic that succeeds without any stars (aside from William H Macy as Proximus's advisor) and has some cracking action scenes, although it does take a little while to get going. At the least, it's a good set-up for what comes next. (145 minutes)
A Different Man
Clever and absurd doppelganger drama starring Sebastian Stan
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Sky
Watch now on Prime Video
This unpredictable tale follows Edward (Sebastian Stan), a shy, wannabe actor in New York with neurofibromatosis, a condition which has distorted his facial features. Desperate to change the way he looks, Edward tries an experimental procedure and transforms into the handsome Guy (Stan minus the heavy prosthetics). Then Guy meets charismatic Oswald (British actor Adam Pearson), who has the same condition as Edward but lives his life joyfully. Was it a mistake for Edward to change his face?
Strange and humorous, A Different Man is far from your typical beauty-and-the-beast tale. Stan bagged a Best Actor Golden Globe for the role. Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Sky and elsewhere. (112 minutes)
The Only Girl In The Orchestra
Documentary about the New York Philharmonic's first full-time female member
Year: 2024
Certificate: PG
Watch now on Netflix
In 1966, Orin O'Brien made musical history by becoming the first woman to occupy a full-time position as a member of the 104-strong New York Philharmonic orchestra. Her hiring for the role by none other than the great Leonard Bernstein was so significant that Time magazine even published a feature about the double bassist, discussing how she had to get changed in the toilets because there was no female changing room for musicians at the concert hall.
Directed by her niece, filmmaker Molly O'Brien, and featuring long interviews with the now-eightysomething Orin, this documentary paints a picture of an almost reluctant pioneer, a woman who just wanted to make music and much preferred that any attention be diverted to the family, students, friends, and colleagues that still surround her. It's a sweet and intimate documentary of a groundbreaking woman whose ability is only equalled by her quiet determination. (35 minutes)
Sugarcane
Documentary about the treatment of Native children at a residential school in Canada
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Disney+
The discovery of more than 50 unmarked graves on the grounds of a Native residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada triggered a wave of revelations about the history of that school in particular and about a whole system aimed at forcing assimilation in general. Amid the national outcry, members of the indigenous community spoke out for the first time about their experiences at the schools, recounting tales of widespread abuse and indifferent authorities.
Uncovering the story behind the discovery of the graves and telling the stories of many who suffered at the school, this powerful documentary reveals horrific tales of what happened at the institutions across the country. It's an uncompromising watch that not only gives a voice to those denied one for so long, but also demonstrates the resilience of the communities from which they came. (107 minutes)
The Six Triple Eight
Drama about a Second World War army unit made up of women of colour starring Kerry Washington
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Netflix
Getting post to the soldiers serving on the front lines during the Second World War was nightmarish. Three years into the war, there were 17 million pieces of post sitting undelivered. To deal with it, the US Army created the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. The only Women's Army Corp unit made up of women of colour, it headed overseas in an attempt to sort out the mail and restore morale.
Writer and director Tyler Perry gives this largely unknown story dignity, power and real dramatic clout, with Kerry Washington standing out as Major Charity Adams, the unit's commander, as it faced sexism, racism and the Nazis, and triumphed over all three. It's a film that slots neatly in alongside the likes of Hidden Figures as a demonstration of the forgotten roles that women – especially women of colour – have played in history. (127 minutes)
Oscars nominations 2025: Cynthia Erivo, Felicity Jones and Ralph Fiennes lead the British and Irish stars receiving nods - but fan-favourite gets snubbed
Elton John: Never Too Late
Prestige documentary with Elton John reflecting on his life and career as he prepares to retire
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Disney+
Recorded at the point of his retirement after half a century of on the road, its ultimate focus is his last North American concert - at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles - but the main thread is looking back at his turbulent childhood when he was still Reg Dwight, finding solace in fantasy and music while his parents argued.
The story moves on chronologically, told directly by Elton and interspersed with archive footage (which you'd expect), some rather charming retro animations (which you might not), and a steady countdown to the LA gig.
It's undoubtedly a prestige bit of documentary-making, clearly made with one eye on posterity, but also a rather cosy viewing experience in which Elton comes across very much as a humble everyday chap with genius level music skills. Some of the finest moments are to be found when he's in his element in the studio. (102 minutes)
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