How to see all the Oscar contenders

Studios have little faith in the long-term memory of Academy voters. That's why every year distributors release their awards contenders as late in the year as possible, creating a logjam for a moviegoing public that's starved for decent films. Is it logical? No. Two of last year's most nominated movies, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Boyhood,” were released in March and August. And yet, the tradition continues.

So what are we supposed to do if we want to see all the buzziest movies and form our own judgments before best picture contenders are announced mid-January?

Have hope. There's a way. It's not going to be easy, but no pain, no gain, and all that. Just follow this strict moviegoing regimen, and you'll be broke, oozing popcorn butter and capable of speaking authoritatively on 2015's most prestigious films.

• What you need to see right. This. Second.: “Steve Jobs.” Seriously, do it quickly. The “impressionistic” biopic directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin is getting dropped from screens left and right because of lackluster box office numbers. Despite the low turnout, though, the movie still has a shot at nominations.

• What you need to see this weekend: For most it's a long weekend, so start with “Spotlight.” The true story of The Boston Globe's Pulitzer-winning investigation of sex abuse in the Catholic church is getting so much love from critics, and it'll probably score Michael Keaton yet another nomination in the acting field.

After “Spotlight,” you can play catch-up, primarily if you haven't had a chance to watch the Cold War-era “Bridge of Spies.” It's a Tom Hanks-Steven Spielberg collab, which is really all it needs in order to get some Academy love. (And, OK, it's good, too.)

Then there's “Room.” The gut-punch of a movie, about a young woman who was kidnapped and locked in a shed where she gave birth to a son, may or may not secure a best picture nomination. But it will certainly earn its star Brie Larson a nod, if not a win.

Then there's “Brooklyn.” Another awards season shoo-in, the moving, critically acclaimed adaptation of Colm Tóibín's novel stars Saoirse Ronan as a young Irish woman who leaves her family behind and moves to the United States in the 1950s.

• What you need to see with the kids: “The Good Dinosaur.” The Pixar characters are adorable, and this will likely be nominated for best animated film.

• Or: If you somehow managed to miss “The Martian” when it came out, that's another crowd-pleaser the whole family can enjoy together. Matt Damon in a strangely comical “Castaway” in space — what's not to like?

• What you need to see next weekend: Consider this the bye week. Get a good dose of sunshine. You're going to need the reserves considering all the time you're about to be spending inside dark theaters.

• What you need to see the weekend of Friday, Dec. 11: Things are getting real. Can you handle it? There are a number of solid movies coming out this week, and all are potential contenders even if none are sure bets. So it's time to prioritize: The buzziest is “The Danish Girl,” the movie that might earn its star Eddie Redmayne back-to-back acting Oscars. He plays a transgender woman in the early 1900s. The other movies you might want to squeeze in: Ron Howard's CGI-tastic whale drama “In the Heart of the Sea” and the adaptation of Michael Lewis' book “The Big Short,” with a stacked cast that includes Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and Steve Carell.

• What you need to see the weekend of Friday, Dec. 18: It's not going to win best picture, but you should probably head to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” — unless you want to be a pop culture pariah. And you might want to buy your tickets right now.

• What you need to see through the end of the year: Sleeping is overrated, right? Four possible best picture contenders drop on Christmas Day, so you have a lot to do. In order of nomination likelihood, they are: “Joy,” David O. Russell's third collaboration with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, which follows the life of the Magic Mop inventor; Todd Haynes's “Carol,” starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as secret lovers in the 1950s; “The Hateful Eight,” a blood-soaked Quentin Tarantino Western that should really bring the holiday cheer; and, an awards season long shot, “Concussion,” with Will Smith as the doctor who first discovered the link between football head injuries and long-term brain damage.

• What you need to see during the first week of January: Nothing, if you've kept up your viewing pace. Just take a few deep breaths. The hardest part is behind you.

• What you need to see the weekend of Friday, Jan. 8: “The Revenant.” (Note: this movie is Oscar eligible because of its limited release on Christmas Day.) After his “Birdman” wins, Alejandro González Iñárritu wasted no time coming up with another awards contender. This may finally be the film that earns Leonardo DiCaprio his elusive Oscar; he plays a frontiersman who is mauled by a bear and left for dead in the 1820s. After he survives, he goes hunting for the people who ditched him.

Congratulations! You did it. Now you can get back to your regularly scheduled Netflix bingeing.