Oscars 2018: Which films are worth watching before the ceremony?

This year's Oscars are nearly here, and chances are you haven't had time to watch all the nominated films. Yet.

And let's be honest, you won't catch up in the next 10 days. But don't worry - we've spoken to a man who has.

Ali Plumb, Radio 1 and 1Xtra's film critic, has given us his tips on what you should spend your time on between now and next Sunday's awards.

And his first piece of advice is pretty simple: "Watch Get Out. It was my number one movie of 2017."

Jordan Peele's horror, starring recent Bafta winner Daniel Kaluuya, is about a black man who enters a white community which isn't all that it seems.

Ali says it was a bit of a surprise entry in the best picture category.

"If you've already seen Get Out, there's Lady Bird, which is in cinemas now, and The Shape of Water," he tells Newsbeat.

But there's one film, according to Ali, you should have caught in the cinemas when it came out last summer.

"If you've not already seen it, find the biggest telly you can, find the most high-res quality you can, and watch Dunkirk."

Luckily, a lot of cinemas show Oscar-nominated films again around the awards.

But Ali doesn't think Christopher Nolan's WW2 epic will win because it was a summer blockbuster.

"I know this sounds silly, but Dunkirk came out a while ago.

"Oscar voters have very short memories - and that's not just because some people think they're older than most voters."

Two awards season films - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Shape of Water - are Ali's tips for big wins.

"Recently, the best picture prize has gone to more socially conscious films.

"Moonlight and Spotlight have won best film in the past two years, and La La Land and The Revenant have won best director."

Three Billboards is about a woman who fights against her local police department for not properly investigating the rape and murder of her daughter.

Meanwhile, The Shape of Water is a visually rich love story between a woman and a mythical amphibious creature.

A perk of Ali's job as a film critic is that he gets to chat to the stars of all the biggest films - so who does he want to win the best actor/actress prizes?

"On a personal level, for best actress, probably Saoirse Ronan," he says.

"She's just 23 years old and she is so charming and such a talented actor that she will eventually win an Oscar."

Her nomination for her role in American coming of age film Lady Bird is already the Irish actress's third Oscar nod, although she's yet to win.

"She's so much fun. I love that she's not jaded yet - she's just having a laugh and having the time of her life."

But Ali says he thinks the award will actually go to Frances McDormand for her role in Three Billboards.

And for best Actor?

"If it's not Gary Oldman, I will eat my proverbial hat," says Ali.

"He is typically a villain. Here he is playing Winston Churchill and he's almost unrecognisable.

"Darkest Hour is very Oscars - it's about a real life story, it's about a larger-than-life historical figure and it's an actor who has been perennially good.

"I think the train is just going at such a speed it would be incredible if Gary Oldman didn't win best actor."

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