Award-Winning Films That You Can Stream Today

There are now more films than we could ever get through in our lifetimes available for us to watch on-demand via streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. As more big names enter the streaming market, the choice is increasing constantly.

This can make it hard to choose which film to watch, resulting in hours of scrolling through the libraries of streaming companies. Even with Netflix’s recommendation system, it can still be hard to find something new to watch.

So why not pick some award-winning films that have been given the thumbs up from some of the industry’s toughest critics? If you want to watch some award-winning films, check these ones out first. 

Titanic

Titanic earned an incredible 11 Oscars after its release in 1997, then went on to set the record for highest-grossing film of all time until 2009 when it was beaten by Avatar, another James Cameron film.

With incredible performances from both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Titanic tells the emotional story of a short-lived romance between two people from very different classes. This helps accentuate the horrific trauma and loss that came about because of the ship’s sinking.

This is complemented brilliantly by Cameron’s attention to detail in ensuring that the film is historically accurate and shows its sinking in a realistic manner. 

While you’ll almost certainly have seen it already, Titanic is a film that can be enjoyed over and over again. Since it’s now on Netflix, you can watch it as many times as you like. 

Rounders

Edward Norton won the Best Actor award at the Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards in 1999 for his role as Worm in Rounders. 

The film tells the story of Mike (played by Matt Damon), who is a regular figure in the underground poker scene of New York. He gives up the game to start law school and build a life with his girlfriend.

Things go well until Worm returns from prison with some significant debts and Mike gets dragged back into playing high-stakes poker to help him pay them off. 

The film quickly became a cult classic among a growing following of the sport of poker, and it is widely considered to be one of the factors that sparked the poker boom of the early 2000s. This boom led to a large rise in the number of customers joining online casinos and poker sites. The effects of this can still be seen today, with many platforms offering free spins and welcome bonuses to attract new customers. 

The Dark Knight

Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and Aaron Eckhart, The Dark Knight first hit screens in 2008. For his portrayal of the Joker, Ledger received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor which was awarded posthumously. 

The film follows the story of the Joker as he causes chaos in Gotham City. It starts with a bank robbery, the proceeds from which Ledger’s character uses to fund his attacks on the city. It’s the film that features the famous scene where the Joker towards the camera dressed as a nurse as a hospital blows up behind him.

Eventually, Batman has to take on the Joker and prevent the city from descending into complete chaos. 

Inception

The 2010 movie Inception was one of the biggest releases of the year. This Oscar-winning movie caught the imagination of the public as they debated about whether they understood its true meaning.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ellen Page, Inception tells the story of Dom Cobb, a highly skilled thief who steals secrets from his victims by entering their sub-conscious.

He has built a business that offers corporate espionage services, stealing secrets for other business people to use.

His professional success has come at a heavy cost though, and he has lost everything he has ever loved. He’s offered a chance to escape the life he has made for himself and get back to normality.

To escape the criminal world, Cobb needs to use his techniques in reverse. Instead of stealing thoughts, he must use “inception” to plant an idea into someone’s mind. It’s a dangerous task though and he’s faced with the threat that his own sub-conscious may be putting his team at risk.

Inception is a film you must give your full attention to. You’ll also need to rewatch it several times since you’ll definitely miss some elements of the plot the first time around. 

The Hangover

The Hangover was one of the best comedies of 2009. Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis, it tells the story of four friends who head to Las Vegas to celebrate the upcoming marriage of their friend, Doug.

Things go great until three of the friends wake up the next morning in a hotel suite which has been trashed and none of them can remember how it happened. It’s made worse when one of them heads to the bathroom, only to find a tiger in there. 

When they realize their friend is missing, the three go on a quest around Las Vegas to find him. They retrace their steps of the night that they don’t remember, learning that they stole a police car, along with many other crazy antics that could only have happened in Las Vegas.

They also end up running into a man who accuses them of stealing a large sum of money from him and admits that he’s kidnapped Doug as collateral until they return his money.

More chaos ensues as the friends try to keep their predicament a secret from Doug’s bride-to-be and the others at the wedding; meanwhile, they uncover more antics from their wild bachelor party as the story progresses. 

With a cameo appearance from Mike Tyson and a story that’s funny even when you’ve seen it several times, The Hangover continues to be a big hit today. 

The film went on to have two sequels that followed the same format for the most part. It’s now available for streaming on Netflix, making it a great option if you want an easy-to-watch comedy.