This Oscars are this weekend, and I will be watching it despite my misgivings about the academy (previously & briefly discussed here). Usually, the best part of the Oscars is the red carpet pre-show. However, since Neil Patrick Harris is hosting, I assume that the best part of the show will be his musical opening number.

What should you watch to pre-game the 2015 Oscars? Here are my picks:

Selma
February is Black History Month. I actually wrote a Weekend Watchlist post celebrating this fact during the first week of February but didn’t post it because I am looking to add a kid-friendly film. I will say more about this movie and Black History Month next weekend. However, if you would like to learn a little bit more about Civil Rights Movement (which wasn’t that long ago), then Selma is the movie for you. David Oyelowo’s performance is perfectly nuanced, and there’s some fun camera moves in the film.

“Glory” by John Legend and Common is nominated for Best Original Song.

Whiplash
I haven’t seen all of the Oscar nominees yet, but Whiplash is my favorite thus far. As a former student musician (with far less talent than anyone in this movie) and a person with an addictive personality, I might even enjoy this movie for the wrong reasons. Whatever the case may be, I really like this film and must give props to a guy who will play the drums until his hands bleed.

Whiplash is nominated in several different categories: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (J. K. Simmons), Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The last nomination is crock because Whiplash was originally written as full-length screenplay. However, parts of the screenplay were turned into a short film, which is why it is egregiously allowed to be a part of this category.

Big Hero 6
You haven’t seen any of the Oscar-nominated movies yet. What do you do? You go see/rent Big Hero 6 because it is nominated for Best Animated Feature Film and also include Best Short Film: Animated. The animation for Big Hero 6 wasn’t as revolutionary as How to Train Your Dragon 2, but the story was far superior (and really the animation is nothing to sneeze at). Also, the short film, Feast, is beyond adorable. Spoiler alert: Feast involves a puppy!

A Star Is Born
You don’t care about the Oscars and want to watch something at home in your pjs. Good for you. My pick for you is the original 1937 version of A Star Is Born (available on Netflix streaming). Not only is this an excellent movie that won Best Writing Original Story and Special Award for color photography, but also it includes a scene at a fictional Oscars ceremony.
Whatever you decide to watch (or not watch), may you have an amazing and cold weekend. As for me, I’ll be enjoying the cold weather by renting Box Trolls on Saturday and playing Jessica Jones’ annual Oscar Bingo, which can be downloaded for free on her blog here.