Oscar Nominees & Winners Coming to Netflix-May 2019

I initially thought this was going to be a slim month for Oscar winners and nominees coming to Netflix, but I found an updated list today and it has a much larger crop than the previous information I found.

Among the new additions this month, the Best Picture winner from 2 years ago, Barry Jenkins's Moonlight, the now cyberpunk techno thriller classic The Matrix, and 1966's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, nominated for an astounding 13 Oscars.

Check out the full list below and keep an eye here for direct links to the films on Netflix when they become available.

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May 1st

Gosford Park (2001) - The murder mystery story directed by Robert Altman served as the inspiration for the hit television series Downton Abbey. It brings an all-star cast including the likes of Michael Gambon, Richard E. Grant, Helen Mirren, Clive Own, Maggie Smith, and Kristin Scott Thomas as guests and servants are investigated in connection to a dinner party murder at an English countryside estate. The film won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Julian Fellowes) and received six additional nominations including Best Picture, Best Director (Altman), and two Best Supporting Actress nods for Mirren and Smith.

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Revolutionary Road (2008) - Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kathy Bates join forces for the second time (following a little film you might have heard of called Titanic) in a romantic tragedy based on a 1961 novel by Richard Yates. The film takes place in the years following WWII and sees DiCaprio and Winslet meeting and falling in love. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor (Michael Shannon), Best Art Direction (Debra Schutt and Kristi Zea), and Best Costume Design (Albert Wolsky) but failed to win in any of those categories.

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The Matrix (1999) - I almost couldn't believe it when I realized that The Matrix turns 20 this year! I remember this as the first DVD I ever bought (and still have) and I watched it plenty during my college years. The film is best known for the groundbreaking special effects that allowed Keanu Reeves and friends to move in super slow-motion and appear to fly through the air with the camera actively moving around them. In a rare occurrence, The Matrix holds the distinction of winning all Oscar categories it was nominated for, including Best Film Editing (Zach Staenberg), Best Sound (John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, David Campbell, and David Lee), Best Sound Effects Editing (Dane A. Davis), and Best Visual Effects (John Gaeta, Janek Sirrs, Steve Courtley, and Jon Thum).

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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) - Based on the Edward Albee play of the same name, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as Martha and George as a married couple whose marriage is on the rocks, a fact which the openly display before another couple who is invited over for drinks. In addition to Best Picture and Best Director (Mike Nichols) nominations, all four main cast members were nominated for their acting with Elizabeth Taylor winning Best Actress and Sandy Dennis winning Best Supporting Actress. The film also won the last ever awards for black-and-white films for Best Art Direction (Richard Sylbert (Art Direction) and George Hopkins (Set Decoration)), Best Cinematography (Haskell Wexler), and Best Costume Design (Irene Sharaff). Following the awards for that year, the black-and-white and color categories were combined moving forward.

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May 4th

War Horse (2011) - The latest in a long line of Oscar nominated films directed by Steven Spielberg, War Horse was his first film to take place during WWI. The film follows the title horse as he is raised and eventually included in the British Army during the war. The film was nominated for six Oscars in 2012 including Best Picture, Best Cinematography (Janusz Kamiński), and Best Original Score (John Williams) but did not take home any awards.

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May 21st

Moonlight (2016) - The central piece in one of the biggest Oscar mistakes in history, Moonlight won the award for Best Picture in 2017 despite the announcement that the award had gone to La La Land. The film follows Chiron Harris, a young boy from the projects of Miami as he fights off bullies and befriends a drug dealer played by Mahershala Ali who won a Best Supporting Actor award for his role. The film unfolds in three parts as Chiron grows up, discovers a love for a male classmate that cannot be fully consummated until they meet as adults in the third part of the film. In addition to the wins for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor, Moonlight also garnered nominations for Best Director (Barry Jenkins), Best Supporting Actress (Naomie Harris), Best Original Score (Nicholas Britell), Best Cinematography (James Laxton), and Best Film Editing (Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders).

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May 30th

My Week With Marilyn (2011) - This 2011 film starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe is set during the making of the film The Price and the Showgirl. Kenneth Branagh co-stars as legendary actor/director Lawrence Olivier, not a big stretch for him since he wears both hats on movie sets quite often. The film received two nomination, Best Actress (Williams) and Best Supporting Actor (Branagh) but failed to win in either category.

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