The Best Oscar-Nominated Movies New to Netflix in March

With the 90th Academy Awards kicking off this Sunday on ABC at 8:00 PM EST, it’s a good time to be binge-watching movies. New movies on Netflix (US) in March include late-night staples Wet Hot American Summer, 300, and Jackass: Number Two. Alongside the best Netflix movies and shows to watch when you're stoned, the best action movies, best comedies, and best documentaries on Netflix, movies to watch when you're tripping, the best movies to watch when you're heartbroken, and movies on Netflix that pass the Bechdel test, we’ve combed through the new Netflix additions and found the films that didn’t quite win the golden statuettes, but are still more than worthy of your attention.

But one humble entry in the cabinet of Academy snubs against Martin Scorsese, Casino didn’t even score a nomination for De Niro or a never-better Joe Pesci. Sharon Stone, however, got the Best Actress nod in 1996 for her ice-cold portrayal of casino queen Ginger McKenna. Want a masterclass in how to hustle? Watch Stone’s performance carefully.

As someone who does not care about Ghostbusters (don’t worry, I also don’t care about Star Wars or Harry Potter in equal measure), the only things I remember are the ectoplasm and the theme song. Well, apparently that puts me in the same league as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1985, because that’s all they cared about when it came to Ghostbusters’ nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song.

Sam Mendes’s achingly tender period piece reunited Titanic megastars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, and neither one of them got much recognition for it. Michael Shannon, however, scored his first nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2009, while art director Kristi Zea, set decorator Debra Schutt, and costume designer Albert Wolsky all scored nominations for creating an air of 1950s suburbia so authentic, it’s practically carcinogenic.

A talky film that you might file in the “adult-contemporary” section of a video store (if video stores were organized like record stores, and either still existed), this Sideways-on-air was predestined to be the biggest “almost” of the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010. From Best Picture to two Best Supporting Actress nominees (Vera Farmiga and a pre-Pitch Perfect Anna Kendrick), Up in the Air is a movie that’s genuinely just glad to be here. Sometimes that’s all you need.

I’ll admit I’ve never seen Little Women, but I did watch the trailer, and it was all I needed to know why Winona got a Best Actress nomination in 1995. People also really cared about the costumes, and the septuagenarian voting members of the Academy dug the music. And there you have it.

Here are a few other movies coming to Netflix in March that didn't win the coveted golden statue (but should have!):
Adventureland: Arguably Kristen Stewart’s magnum opus.
Les Affames: French Canadian zombies—oui.
Layla M.: The Netherlands’ entry in the Foreign Language Oscar category.
Cruel Intentions 1, 2, and 3: Return to a time when teens certainly weren’t woke, but they did make being popular look sexy AND cool.
Moon: Watch it, and then watch Mute.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.