Premature Congratulations: 5 Oscar-Worthy Films You Can Watch Right Now

Even though we’re just getting over our Oscar hangovers — the 12 Years a Slave win seems like it happened just 12 seconds ago — it’s already time to start thinking about the next awards season. Though prestige movies traditionally don’t start appearing until the fall, the March release of Wes Anderson’s critically adored Grand Budapest Hotel proves that it’s never too early to start talking about the Oscars. Here are five recent films and performances you can expect to see awards experts handicapping next year:

Under the Skin

Potential nominees: Scarlett Johansson (Best Actress); Mica Levi (Best Original Score)
Why they’re worthy: After contributing the disembodied yet seductive voice to Spike Jonze’s Her, Johansson appears fully in the flesh in Jonathan Glazer’s philosophical sci-fi thriller. In a role that was partly improvised, Johansson plays an alien that arrives in Edinburgh and dons that famed bodacious body as if it were a jumpsuit for an exploration of what it means to be human — an experiment as unpredictable as life itself. Throughout, the actress holds the camera in a vice grip, especially as her once-icy alien begins to warm up to the planet (and the people) around her. Levi’s unsettlingly pretty neo-noir score, meanwhile, is as creepy as it is hooky.
Where to see it: In theaters now

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Potential nominees: Ralph Fiennes (Best Actor); Wes Anderson (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director); Best Picture
Why they’re worthy: Few people think of Fiennes (a best-actor nominee for Schindler’s List and The English Patient) as a king of comedy. That’s what makes him so surprising as Gustave H., a classy Continental concierge whose passionate relationships with his elderly female clientele inspire farcical foul play — all of which Gustave endures with a stiff upper lip (not to mention the occasional well-placed obscenity). The dark roles of Fiennes’s past — from Lord Voldemort to Coriolanus — give Gustave the gravitas he needs in a world spinning out of control, and the performance anchors Anderson’s most mature, emotionally satisfying live-action film yet.
Where to see it: In theaters now; available on DVD on June 17

Locke

Potential nominee: Tom Hardy (Best Actor)
Why he’s worthy: British actor Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Bronson) is the only visible cast member in this solo outing, which unspools in real time. It’s the story of Ivan Locke, a construction worker who receives a phone call that dredges up a secret from his past — and sends him on a tense late-night drive. For most of the film, Hardy remains stuck behind the wheel and on the phone, yet he still manages to convey a range of emotions, his voice alternating between toughness, tenderness, and exasperation.
Where to see it: Currently in limited release

The Immigrant

Potential nominee: Marion Cotillard (Best Actress)
Why she’s worthy: As Ewa, an immigrant snatched off Ellis Island and forced into a life of prostitution, the French Oscar winner (La Vie en Rose) seizes the lens with an operatic performance. And if that isn’t enough, she also speaks flawless regional Polish and English.
Where to see it: Currently in limited release

The Lego Movie

Potential nominees: Best Animated Feature Film; Best Song (“Everything Is Awesome!!!” by Tegan and Sara, featuring the Lonely Island)
Why they’re worthy: Not since Mr. Potato Head dropped one-liners — plus a few limbs — in Toy Story have plastic play figures been animated with such charm and sass. In this high-energy comedy, an idealistic construction worker (voiced by Chris Pratt) teams up with a band of rebels in an attempt to overthrow a repressive politician (Will Ferrell). It’s a surprisingly sharp tale of creativity trumping consumerism, but be warned: After one viewing, you’ll be humming the film’s jubilant, catchy “Everything Is Awesome!!!” nonstop.
Where to see it: In theaters now; available on DVD in June

Photo credits: ©A24, Everett Collection (4)