Oscar-nominated Films To Cure Your Winter Blues

Winter is upon us, and while the season is enchanting, the reality of it — depending on your location — can be a far cry from sipping mulled wine in the glittery snow. Instead, it often involves a lot of slush and the chore of scraping car windows. To escape the strains of Christmas, immerse yourself in the world of entertainment. Whether it’s a comedy or a tear-jerker, films seem to have a reviving effect from holiday stress. If you have the means to escape inclement weather by switching homes, like in The Holiday, falling in love on the boulevards of Los Angeles could be a tempting possibility. For those of you at home, curled up on your couches instead of Cameron Diaz’s, your Christmas isn’t doomed. Here is a list of Oscar-nominated movies to enhance your night in — think of this as Spotify Wrapped, but cinema edition.

Cinemas in the UK saw a strong recovery in 2022, with box offices reporting an almost 62 per cent increase in sales compared to the previous year. This comes with little surprise, considering Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reclaimed the limelight in their reprised roles in Top Gun: Maverick, sparking the cinematic upswing. If you enjoy Top Gun: Maverick, Behind Enemy Lines and Dunkirk are two films of similar rank to watch.

Another record-breaking sequel to watch, winning the Oscar for ‘Best Visual Effects,’ is Avatar: The Way of Water, directed by James Cameron, the second-highest-grossing film director in the world. If innovative filmmaking and grand visuals appeal to you, add Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to the list.

Sequels claimed their fame this past Oscar season as cinephiles presented us with yet another showstopper: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. With its stellar A-cast, this film gives tech moguls a redefining role in front of the cameras, blending a mystery plot line with a comedic twist. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery appeals to a wide array of audiences and pairs nicely with movies such as Clue or Murder on the Orient Express.

No must-watch list is complete without an Oscar winner that tugs at your heartstrings. This year’s nominees included quite a few, including All Quiet on the Western Front, which evokes emotion with its award-winning original music score. Also, Triangle of Sadness, a film that approaches pathos through dark satirical comedy, leaves you wondering whether to laugh or cry.

Shedding a tear is not for everyone, in which case sex, drugs, and ‘rock n roll’ might be the genre for you. Who else is there, other than Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt, to successfully pull you into a Hollywood trance on the big screen? Together with an all-star cast, the two co-star in Babylon, a movie suspected to be the lovechild of La La Land and The Wolf of Wall Street. In this drama, Robbie and Pitt peel back the layers of the film industry, portraying the good, bad, and the ugly of Hollywood. For those of you who can’t get enough of the boogie, step into the cinematic universe of Elvis and follow the life of Liam Butler as ‘the King’ in a culture-enriched Mississippi.

These box office successes are sure to enhance your saved bank days through artistic excellence and noteworthy performances. While in tune with the holidays, they taste best with a palate cleanser of Christmas films, topped with hot cocoa and Bailey’s. Certain expectations are placed upon ‘the most wonderful time of the year,’ emphasising the importance of making time for yourself — just like you do with your loved ones. As we celebrate yet another orbit around the sun, why not celebrate the art of being swept away by a great movie?