The 2026 Oscar nominations have finally been announced, which means that Hollywood’s biggest night is just around the corner.
2025 was a banner year for cinema — from the crowd-pleasing Sinners to the gothic horror of Frankenstein and the elegiac beauty of Train Dreams, some of the best movies in recent memory have all come out during the past year.
But which of the Best Picture nominees should you watch first? Watch With Us is here to help.
We picked three of the nominees that you should check out this weekend, where to watch them and why.
Where to Watch All the 2026 Oscar-Nominated Movies: ‘Sinners,’ ‘Weapons,’ More
‘Sinners’ (2025)
Twin brother gangsters Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore (both played by Michael B. Jordan) return to the Mississippi Delta roots after making a splash rubbing shoulders with Al Capone in Chicago. Before they can tie up loose ends with their old flames, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), they build a juke joint for the local Black community. As the brothers put the finishing touches on Club Juke, an Irish vampire, the charismatic Remmick (Jack O’Connell), lurks nearby, and when he hears the infectious blues music emanating from the club, he can’t help but want to join in.
After the Academy Awards nominations were announced this week, Sinners was left holding a brand-new record: most Oscar nominations for a movie ever, with a whopping sixteen nods. Ultimately, Sinners lives up to its hype — it’s a strikingly well-made and mature film with an exciting, intelligent script and a unique blend of genres. With its superb performances, writing, cinematography, set design and infectious music, Sinners is a great movie to watch again and again.
Stream Sinners now on HBO Max.
‘Sentimental Value’ (2025)
At their mother’s wake, siblings Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) have an awkward reunion with their estranged father, the once-renowned veteran director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård). Afterwards, Gustav invites Nora to lunch to give her an unusual request: he wants her to star in his upcoming film. Nora vehemently turns him down, and so Gustav casts a wide-eyed young American actress named Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning). While Nora and Agnes navigate their father’s renewed presence in their lives, they must deal with him and Rachel filming in their storied childhood home.
This deeply-felt character drama from Danish-Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier explores the tense relationship between personal history and creative expression, through themes related to family dynamics, inherited trauma and memory — particularly how memory manifests through something like the physical walls of a home. Led by across-the-board stellar performances (no wonder most of the cast was Oscar-nominated!), Sentimental Value will tug at your heartstrings with nuance and care.
Rent or purchase Sentimental Value on Prime Video.
‘Bugonia’ (2025)
Conspiracy-obsessed Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons) and his dim cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) kidnap a high-powered executive named Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), operating under the belief that she is an alien sent to destroy Earth. Teddy and Don hold Michelle hostage in the basement of their home, shaving her head and slathering her body in antihistamine cream to prevent her from communicating with her home planet. As Michelle tries to bargain for her freedom, a hidden connection between her and Teddy is eventually uncovered as the young man descends deeper into anger and paranoia.
The Best 2025 Netflix Movies With Great Rotten Tomatoes Scores, Ranked
Yorgos Lanthimos’ creative partnership with Stone is just the gift that keeps on giving, with Bugonia marking the fourth collaboration between the actress and Greek director— and possibly their best? While that might be up for debate, the fact that Bugonia is more than worthy of its multiple Oscar nominations isn’t. An English-language remake of the Korean film Save the Green Planet!, Bugonia is a funny, smart and idiosyncratic satire of the madness of modern society, with gripping direction and perhaps Stone’s best performance to date.
Stream Bugonia now on Peacock.
