Movie Watching Challenge 2023: Get Oscar Ready With A Themed Movie Marathon For Each Award

It’s that time of year again – the Oscars are here!

For some, the announcement of the Oscars begins a mad dash to catch up on all the films they didn’t see throughout the year. 

For others, it’s the time to rally behind the one movie we did see (Everything Everywhere All At Once!) and declare it as the winner in all its respective categories.

However you choose to Oscar, this time of year does tend to bring out the movie watching challenge nerd in all of us. 

So in the interest of getting you ready for the big event on Sunday, March 12, we are sharing some of our favorite movie watching challenges for each of the Oscar Award categories. Good luck, and may the best movie win! 

1. BEST PICTURE

Nominees for 2023:

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• The Fabelmans
• Tár
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Triangle of Sadness
• Women Talking

Challenge: Get ready for the newest edition to the list of Best Pictures by watching 3 Academy Award for Best Picture-Winning Films (and earning yourself an IRLA coin while you’re at it!).

2. BEST DIRECTOR

Nominees for 2023:

• Todd Field, Tár
• Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness
• Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans

Challenge: Dive deep and get to know one of the director nominees and watch their entire filmography. If you choose Spielberg and his 32 films, you might want to get started soon!

Nominees for 2023:

• Austin Butler, Elvis
• Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Brendan Fraser, The Whale
• Paul Mescal, Aftersun
• Bill Nighy, Living

Challenge: Immerse yourself in the Actor’s Studio and watch the crown prince of Best Acting, Daniel Day-Lewis, who has won three (My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln).

Nominees for 2023:

• Cate Blanchett, Tár
• Ana De Armas, Blonde
• Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie
• Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans
• Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Challenge: Pair your Daniel Day-Lewis movie watching challenge with one that honors the Best Actress, Katharine Hepburn, who won four Best Actress awards (Morning Glory, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, The Lion In Winter, and On Golden Pond).

Nominees for 2023:

• Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway
• Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans
• Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Challenge: Given that Best Supporting Actor has a wider range, we’re giving you more flexibility with this challenge. Pick one of the most nominated Best Supporting Actors (Walter Brennan, Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, Claude Rains, or Al Pacino), each who were nominated four times, and watch their nominated performance.

Nominees for 2023:

• Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Hong Chau, The Whale
• Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Challenge: Because it’s something of a crime that Amy Adams – five-time nominee for Best Supporting Actress (and once for Best Actress) – hasn’t won, we are dedicating this movie watching challenge to her incredible run of nominated performances.

Nominees for 2023:

• Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
• Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
• Todd Field, Tár
• Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

Challenge: We’re going to mix it up a little here. Since none of these screenplay writers are one-hit wonders, this 2023 movie watching challenge is to watch another of each of the writer and/or director’s works.

Nominees for 2023:

• All Quiet on the Western Front - Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell (based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque)
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Rian Johnson (based on characters created by Rian Johnson)
• Living - Kazuo Ishiguro (based on “Ikiru” by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni)
• Top Gun: Maverick - Peter Craig, Justin Marks, Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie (based on characters created by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.)
• Women Talking - Sarah Polley (based on the book by Miriam Toews)

Challenge: To celebrate the art of the adaptation, we are putting you up to a multi-media movie watching challenge. To prepare for the Oscars, you’ll need to watch or read the original material it was adapted from (including rewatching little-seen indie Top Gun to see how it holds up).

Nominees for 2023:

• Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio - Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley
• Marcel the Shell with Shoes On - Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - Joel Crawford and Mark Swift
• The Sea Beast - Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger
• Turning Red - Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins

Challenge: While we love seeing the latest and greatest in animation, we also like treating this category as a chance to revisit our favorites. For this movie watching challenge, watch the first five Best Animated Feature Oscar winners starting from the year the category was introduced in 2001 (Shrek, in case you were wondering!).

Nominees for 2023:

• All Quiet on the Western Front - Christian M. Goldbeck (production designer), Ernestine Hipper (set decorator)
• Avatar: The Way of Water - Dylan Cole, Ben Procter (production designer), Vanessa Cole (set decorator)
• Babylon - Florencia Martin (production designer), Anthony Carlino (set decorator)
• Elvis - Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy (production designer), Bev Dunn (set decorator)
• The Fabelmans - Rick Carter (production designer), Karen O’Hara (set decorator)

Challenge: Coming off of animation, it’s a treat to dive into the rich world created by the most accomplished production design teams. This year features a bit more 20th century history than usual (except, well, Avatar), so let’s revisit period pieces by watching the Best Production Design Oscar winners from historical periods, such as ancient Rome (Gladiator), medieval England (The English Patient), and the 18th century (Marie Antoinette).

Nominees for 2023:

• All Quiet on the Western Front - James Friend
• Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths - Darius Khondji
• Elvis - Mandy Walker
• Empire of Light - Roger Deakins
• Tár - Florian Hoffmeister

Challenge: Cinematography is at once a way to experience the setting of a story and also its place. We’re going to revel in some of the most well-shot films around the world in this movie watching challenge by watching Best Cinematography Oscar winners from different countries, including Mexico (Gravity), China (Hero), and the United States (Hugo).

Nominees for 2023:

• Babylon - Mary Zophres
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Ruth E. Carter
• Elvis - Catherine Martin
• Everything Everywhere All at Once - Shirley Kurata
• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris - Jenny Beaven

Challenge: It’s hard to think of the Best Costume Design Oscar and not think of period pieces. Since you’ve (obviously) taken on the period piece Best Production Design challenge, we’ll put a fantasy spin on this one and have you check out Best Costume Design Oscar winners set in imaginary or fantastical worlds. Think Narnia (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), Middle Earth (The Lord of the Rings), and the Land of Oz (The Wizard of Oz).

Nominees for 2023:

• The Banshees of Inisherin - Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
• Elvis - Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa
• Everything Everywhere All at Once - Paul Rogers
• Tár - Monika Willi
• Top Gun: Maverick - Eddie Hamilton

Challenge: While editing doesn’t always have to deal with action, it often enhances it in a way that can make or break a movie. In our nod to beautifully edited action movies, this 2023 movie watching challenge is dedicated to the Best Film Editing Oscar winners known for their fast-paced, action-packed scenes, such as Mad Max: Fury Road, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Million Dollar Baby.

Nominees for 2023:

• All Quiet on the Western Front - Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová
• The Batman - Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Camille Friend and Joel Harlow
• Elvis - Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti
• The Whale - Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley

Challenge: Here we take a fun detour. While the movies nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling are all a celebration of the best of the best, lower-budget movies often stand out because they haven’t been able to uphold this standard. For this movie watching challenge, grab a few friends and watch a film widely considered to be "so bad it's good.” (We have some tips on finding these bad movies, too!)

Nominees for 2023:

• All Quiet on the Western Front - Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte
• Avatar: The Way of Water - Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges
• The Batman - Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson
• Elvis - David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller
• Top Gun: Maverick - Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

Challenge: To get yourself in the mood for the way these movies show off sound, we’re highlighting the best use of sound with movies that have used very little dialogue, including Drive, The Artist, Cast Away, and A Quiet Place.

Nominees for 2023:

• All Quiet on the Western Front - Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar
• Avatar: The Way of Water - Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
• The Batman - Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick
• Top Gun: Maverick - Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher

Challenge: Sometimes the best way to appreciate where we are is to see how far we’ve come. We’re adding in another of our favorite movie watching challenges from our IRLA pack by having you watch 1 film from 1950 or earlier.

Nominees for 2023:

• All Quiet on the Western Front - Volker Bertelmann
• Babylon - Justin Hurwitz
• The Banshees of Inisherin - Carter Burwell
• Everything Everywhere All at Once - Son Lux
• The Fabelmans - John Williams

Challenge: Sometimes you just have to recognize greatness while it’s still around. In this movie watching challenge, we celebrate John Williams’ umpteenth nomination by encouraging you to watch his other Best Original Score Oscar winners, includingStar Wars, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, and Schindler's List.

Nominees for 2023:

• “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler
• “This is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once - Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne
• “Naatu Naatu” from RRR - Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose
• “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman - Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
• “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick - Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop

Challenge: So far, our movie watching challenges have been pretty passive. For the Best Original Song category, you’re going to have a chance to sing along by watching Original Song Oscar winners known for their stuck-in-your-head-for-hours qualities, such as "Let It Go" (Frozen), "My Heart Will Go On" (Titanic), and "Everything is Awesome" (The Lego Movie).

Nominees for 2023:

• All That Breathes - Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer
• All the Beauty and the Bloodshed - Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov
• Fire of Love - Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman
• A House Made of Splinters - Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström
• Navalny - Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris

Challenge: The times, they are a-changin. For our movie watching challenge for Best Documentary Feature, pick one winner from each of the past five decades to get a sense of both how the medium is changing as well as the types of stories we tell.

Nominees for 2023:

• All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) - dir. Edward Berger
• Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) - dir. Santiago Mitre
• Close (Belgium) - dir. Lukas Dhont
• EO (Poland) - dir. Jerzy Skolimowski
• The Quiet Girl (Ireland) - dir. Colm Bairéad

Challenge: For another of our favorite IRLA Movie Watching Challenges, this one requires you to watch at least 1 foreign film – with the subtitles! Don’t worry, you’ll earn an awesome medal for your efforts!

Nominees for 2023:

• The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse - Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
• The Flying Sailor - Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
• Ice Merchants - João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano
• My Year of Dicks - Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon
• An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It - Lachlan Pendragon

Challenge: While many new animated shorts push the boundaries of the genre, we’re going to use this movie watching challenge to celebrate those Best Animated Short Oscar winners that pay homage to classic animation, such as Paperman and Feast.

Nominees for 2023:

• The Elephant Whisperers - Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
• Haulout - Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
• How Do You Measure a Year? - Jay Rosenblatt
• The Martha Mitchell Effect - Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison
• Stranger at the Gate - Frank Chi (director), Trayvon Free, Samir Hernandez (producers)

Challenge: We’ll go a little tongue-in-cheek for this one and suggest you watch a season of Documentary Now! While it helps to have seen some of the originals, it is also delightful to watch Fred Armisen and Bill Hader play around with iconic documentaries in this short format.

Nominees for 2023:

• An Irish Goodbye - Tom Berkeley and Ross White
• Ivalu - Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan
• Le Pupille - Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón
• Night Ride - Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen
• The Red Suitcase - Cyrus Neshvad

Challenge: For this final movie watching challenge, we’re going to celebrate the form’s ability to pack an emotional punch in an abbreviated run time by having you watch the Best Live Action Short Oscar winners known for their powerful scenes, like The Silent Child, The Long Goodbye, and Six Shooter.