It’s Oscars weekend for Hollywood. After a long awards season, it culminates at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2. Will Anora complete its Cinderella story with a win for Best Picture? Will Adrien Brody join the rare two-time Best Actor club, or can Timothée Chalamet become the youngest winner in the category’s history? Tune in Sunday night to see who wins.
This week’s article about free movies to stream is about the Academy Awards. The three movies below all received Oscar nominations. Our picks include a sports biopic, a harrowing war film, and a David Fincher thriller. Note: All three movies will be available on Tubi on March 1.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
I, Tonya (2017)
For those around in the early 1990s, the rivalry between Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan was must-see TV. The conflict reached a boiling point after the infamous attack on Kerrigan and the subsequent investigation that tarnished Harding’s reputation. This notorious scenario is played out in I, Tonya, Craig Gillespie’s underrated biopic.
Harding (Margot Robbie) grows up as the daughter of an abusive mother, LaVona Golden (Allison Janney). As she reaches her teen years, Tonya becomes one of the best skaters in the world and trains for the Winter Olympics. Then, Tonya meets her future husband, Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian), changing the rest of her life. I, Tonya depicts Harding as a tragic figure in this surprisingly effective biopic, backed by tremendous performances from Robbie and Janney, the latter winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Stream I, Tonya for free on Tubi.
The Hurt Locker (2009)
Visceral, heartbreaking, and explosive. Those three words are at the heart of The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq War drama. After the death of a sergeant, William James (Jeremy Renner) becomes the new leader of an bombs disposal team, which includes Sergeant JT Stanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty).
James is the best at dismantling bombs, but his reckless nature immediately causes a schism between the team. The action-packed movie pulled off the improbable upset at the 2010 Oscars, defeating Avatar for Best Picture. The Hurt Locker’s Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Director, defeating her ex-husband James Cameron.
Stream The Hurt Locker for free on Tubi.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
With the tagline, “The Feel Bad Movie of Christmas,” The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is not for family movie night. The David Fincher-directed neo-noir is an excellent movie for those searching for a brutal thriller with an Academy Award-nominated performance from Rooney Mara. Swedish journalist Mikael Blomkvist’s (Daniel Craig) reputation has taken a public beating due to the fallout from a libel suit.
The wealthy businessman Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) gives Blomkvist a lifeline. If Blomkvist investigates the 40-year-old disappearance of his grandniece, Vanger will supply evidence to help clear his name. Blomkvist accepts and hires expert hacker Lisbeth Salander (Mara) as his assistant. The unlikely duo eventually uncovers family secrets that put their livelihoods in danger.
Stream The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for free on Tubi.
