COUCH & COMFORT

Approaching Academy Award season, cinephiles challenge themselves to see all the nominees, many no longer in theatres, fortunately able to catch up in the comfort of couch and home.

Now in the age of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and a plethora of streaming choices, no longer excluded from the mainstream, here are a few Academy Award contenders readily available to satisfy the appetites of those who are not willing or capable of visiting theaters:

“THE HISTORY OF SOUND”; metaphorically masterful; I loved every moment of Paul Mascal & Josh O’Connor’s tribute to the “sound of music”. FIVE STARS!!!!!

“FRANKENSTEIN” Director Guillermo del Toro gives the “creature” (Jacob Elordi) a heart and soul. One of the best of 2025. FIVE STARS!!!!!

“ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER”, Not my favorite but the majority, love it. THREE STARS!!!

“SINNERS” Worthy of all the praise. FOUR STARS!!!!

“BUGONIA” Strange film by even stranger director Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”). Emma Stone is blazing. THREE STARS!!!

“BLACK BAG” is a fun whodunit movie starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. FOUR STARS!!!!

“WEAPONS” for “Horror” connoisseurs, this is delectable. FOUR STARS!!!!

“DIE MY LOVE”; despite Jennifer Lawrence’s stellar performance, it is a drab and depressing movie. TWO STARS!!

“LEFT-HANDED GIRL”; sheer pleasure redolently oozes through director Tsou Shih-Ching’s charming, farcical film. FOUR STARS!!!!

“LURKER”; a hidden gem of a “fame” stalker, psychological thriller; filled with metaphors, twists and surprising, shocker conclusion. FOUR STARS!!!!

“NOUVELLE VAUGE”; a homage to “Breathless” directed by Richard Linklater; Zoey Deutch is dazzlingly dynamic as Jean Seberg. FOUR STARS!!!!

“TOGETHER”; my kind of “kinky” watching a couple (Dave Franco & Allison Brie) meld into one! THREE & 1/2 STARS!!!

“IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT”; Iranian director Jafar Panahi, under extreme loggerheads, gifts audiences a truly eminent film. FIVE STARS!!!!!

Others that are entertaining”

“VISIONS”; Diane Kruger sizzles in this tantalizing thriller; beautifully crafted and scripted! FOUR STARS!!!!

“MODI”; Johnny Depp directs this biological portrait of painter Amadeo Modgigalani (1884-1920) & his iconic flamboyancy! THREE & ½ STARS!!!

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