Little Women (2019)

I saved this for last among 2019 Academy Best Picture nominees because I had already seen the 1994 adaptation twice, albeit long ago. I was not very fond of that one, leaving me of two minds about seeing the reputedly best version.

For those who aren't up on the Louisa May Alcott classic literature, the title characters are four sisters in 1860s Massachusetts, traditionally supposed to spend much of the story as teens (and one briefly a tween) but herein played strictly by twenty-somethings. From oldest to youngest, they are Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlon), and Amy (Florence Pugh). Jo gets the most focus, being an aspiring author with little regard for contemporary gender expectations, including marriage. More broadly, the sisters struggle with poverty, what with their father (Bob Odenkirk) away at war and neither any of them nor their mother (Laura Dern) in a good position to make money. They also face scarlet fever, a harsh teacher, and jealousy, not least with regard to the generosity and affection of comely male neighbor Laurie (Timothée Chalamet).

Marriage Story (2019)

Seeing fewer than half the Best Picture nominees has not prevented me from appreciating certain Academy Awards ceremonies, but I still got the urge to squeeze in a fifth out of nine this year. Since there's a wait on the DVDs and I didn't find showtimes convenient, it had to be the only Netflix original other than The Irishman. While MS is popular overall, I had been warned that some dislike it, and there seemed a likely reason it was the only nominee I hadn't heard of before the nominations were announced.

Don't let the title and poster fool you: It should be called Divorce Story. It begins with theater director Charlie (Adam Driver) and actress Nicole (Scarlett Johansson again) listing what they love about each other -- to a counselor as they prepare to separate gradually. At first their split is pretty much amicable, but Nicole backs down from a decision not to get lawyers involved. Soon there's a battle for custody of their circa six-year-old son, Henry (Azhy Robertson), made more difficult because Nicole intends to stay in Los Angeles instead of their old haunt, New York City.

Star Wars, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

So yeah, we've made a family tradition of watching current Star Wars movies on Christmas. Never my mom's first choice, but it beats our previous tradition of dark musicals in my book.

Picking up right where Episode VII left off, Rey (Daisy Ridley) has found the hiding place of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and wants him to train her so she can contribute better to the war. But Luke has grown bitter and disenchanted with Jedi ways and dreads the possibility of creating another Vader-esque Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who has some Force-related connection to Rey. Meanwhile, despite its previous victory, the Resistance is weakening and struggles to retreat from a First Order bent on eradicating it.