How to catch up on Oscar-nominated movies before the awards show

The world is a busy place.

The past few months have yielded at least a dozen series that demanded to be binge-watched immediately to maintain a strict spoiler-free environment. We've been introduced to enough presidential candidates to stock a creepy, albeit equally diversity-challenged, season of "The Bachelorette." Just staying on top of Kanye's Twitter boasts and beefs can feel like a full-time job.

But it's not too late to start your Oscar prep by catching up on a whole year's worth of movies in time for Chris Rock to skewer them when he hosts the Academy Awards on Feb. 28.

The easiest path is through the Best Picture Showcase at AMC Town Square. The two-day marathon kicks off Saturday.

"Bridge of Spies" at 10 a.m.
"Room" at 12:45 p.m.
"Mad Max: Fury Road" at 3:05 p.m. "
The Big Short" at 6:10 p.m.

It continues on Feb. 27:

"Brooklyn" at 10 a.m.
"Spotlight" at 12:15 p.m.
"The Martian" at 2:45 p.m.
"The Revenant" at 6:15 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for Saturday, $30 for Feb. 27, or $50 for a two-day pass.

For the nearest theater bringing you the ultimate marathon experience, you'll have to travel to the AMC Orange 30 in Orange, Calif. Starting at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 27, all eight best-picture nominees will be screened over the course of one butt-numbing, 21-hour-and-11-minute extravaganza.

If you're looking for something more manageable, consider Oscar Movie Week at the South Point. Starting Monday, the event will showcase two movies a night, and four Feb. 27, with two chances to see each nominee for best picture.

Here's the schedule:

"Spotlight" 7 p.m. Monday and 4 p.m. Feb. 27
"Mad Max: Fury Road" 10 p.m. Monday and 10 p.m. Feb. 26
"Room" 7 p.m. Tuesday and 7 p.m. Feb. 26
"The Martian" 10 p.m. Tuesday and 10 p.m. Feb. 27
"Brooklyn" 7 p.m. Wednesday and 4 p.m. Feb. 28
"Bridge of Spies" 10 p.m. Wednesday and 1 p.m. Feb. 27
"The Big Short" 7 p.m. Feb. 25 and 1 p.m. Feb. 28
"The Revenant" 10 p.m. Feb. 25 and 7 p.m. Feb. 27

Tickets for each film can be purchased at regular box office prices, or one $40 ticket will get you in to see all eight.

For those of you looking to take your Oscar prep to the next level, those South Point tickets also include admission to Oscar Shorts 2016. The screenings of the nominated live-action and animated short films are set for 2 and 7 p.m. Feb. 26-27 and 2 p.m. Feb. 28 at the South Point and Suncoast. Tickets are $10 if purchased separately.

Finally, you may prefer the a la carte approach. After all, there's a good chance you've seen some of this year's best-picture nominees considering "The Martian," "The Revenant" and "Mad Max: Fury Road" each grossed more than $150 million in the U.S. alone. In that case, "The Revenant," "The Big Short," "Spotlight," "Room" and "Brooklyn" are still in theaters. "The Martian," "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Bridge of Spies" are available on home video, and "Spotlight" will join them Feb. 23. And "Room" is available digitally, while "Brooklyn" will be on Feb. 23.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com. On Twitter: @life_onthecouch