Three Things to Stream: 2025 Best Picture Nominations
A potentially snowbound Sunday means you can binge 2025's Oscar-nominated films.
By Angela Davis
CORRESPONDENT
The biggest season of the year for film fans is officially here! This week saw the reveal of the Oscar nominations for the best films 2025 had to offer. With ten new nominations and an entire new award category for casting, the 98th Academy Awards ceremony is looking to be the most exciting yet. Here are a few of this year’s Best Picture nominees that you can stream this weekend.
Sinners (HBO Max) (Rated R)
Setting an all-time Oscar record with 16 nominations, including Best Picture, this horror drama from director Ryan Coogler made waves last year as one of the earliest contenders for the big award. Set during the Great Depression, the film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) as they create a new nightclub in Mississippi to host Black talent from all over the state. However, things get complicated when a band of vampires knocks on their door.
Sinners is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. While it has its roots in the horror genre, there’s so much more to it that can get anyone hooked. There’s rich drama and character work that keeps the audience engaged before the first vampire is introduced. Plus, the music is a gorgeous showcase of blues culture. Top it all off with a unique spin on vampiric themes that dive into cultural erasure and homogenization, and you have a film that has more than earned its place as an Oscar nominee.
Bugonia (Peacock) (Rated R)
Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest work is just as odd as his other films such as The Lobster and Poor Things, yet it’s something no one should miss. This dark comedy follows a duo of conspiracy theorists who kidnap a CEO, believing her to be an alien from the Andromeda Galaxy. Shaving her head and locking her in their basement, they press her to take her to their ship to make an argument for the human race.
At face value, this film seems strange. However, when actually watching it, there’s so much to digest. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons nail their roles as the CEO and head conspiracy theorist respectively. Their conflicting chemistry makes for impeccable drama and hilarious moments that will make Bugonia unlike any film you’ll see. The script is the main star here, with twists, turns, and an ending you’ll never forget. Give Bugonia a shot because it’s the dark horse entry that deserves your attention.
One Battle After Another (HBO Max) (Rated R)
The latest entry in Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography may well be his masterpiece. It even surpasses his widely acclaimed film There Will Be Blood, which was also up for Best Picture back in 2007. Set over the course of 20 years, this loose adaptation of Vineland sees a former revolutionary running against the clock as he seeks his kidnapped daughter.
To divulge more of the plot for One Battle After Another would rob audiences of the experience that comes with seeing it for the first time. The script for this film is so smooth and accessible that it flies by, despite its intimidating nearly three-hour runtime. The performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor and Benicio Del Toro are all top notch and make this film well worth seeing. With a hefty snowstorm expected to hit Fredericksburg this weekend, now’s the perfect opportunity to see what the hype about this film is about.
BONUS: Where to Stream the Other Seven Best Picture Nominees
F1 (Apple TV+)
Frankenstein (Netflix)
Hamnet (Video On Demand) (Expected to Stream on Peacock Later)
Marty Supreme (Only in Theaters)
The Secret Agent (Currently Not Available) (Expected to Stream on Hulu Later)
Sentimental Value (Video On Demand)
Train Dreams (Netflix)
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past year, our reporting was:
First to break the story of Stafford Board of Supervisors dismissing a citizen library board member for “misconduct,” without informing the citizen or explaining what the person allegedly did wrong.
First to explain falling water levels in the Rappahannock Canal.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Our media group also offers the most-extensive election coverage in the region and regular columnists like:
And our newsroom is led by the most-experienced and most-awarded journalists in the region — Adele Uphaus (Managing Editor and multiple VPA award-winner) and Martin Davis (Editor-in-Chief, 2022 Opinion Writer of the Year in Virginia and more than 25 years reporting from around the country and the world).
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”