Anyone can invite friends over and serve popcorn, but there is one way to make sure your Oscars party stands out this year: serve food inspired by this year’s nominated movies. There are so many great films that creating a menu inspired by some of your favorites is surprisingly easy. All of the suggestions below can be made in a dorm room kitchen. Also, consider making your Oscars party a potluck and have all of your guests bring food. Either way, the result will be so much fun that you might not even need to mock the nominee with the
weirdest dress.

Appetizer – “The Imitation Game”

Start your Academy Awards meal with a tribute to The Imitation Game, which is about British mathematician Alan Turing, portrayed by Best Actor nominee Benedict Cumberbatch. The characters in “The Imitation Game” are too busy trying to solve the German Enigma code to take time for complicated meals, but everyone has to eat sometime. At one point, the
socially challenged Turing unwittingly offends his fellow codebreakers by rejecting their offer to join them for lunch, eating soup at his desk instead. For Oscars night, stick with an old-fashioned variety of soup, like beef and barley or mixed vegetable, which will also help keep off the February chill. For bonus points, you could serve the soup in WWII-style tin cups, but mugs will do just as well.

Main Course – “Selma”

Ava DuVernay’s historical drama, “Selma,” tells the story of the closed-door negotiations that lead up to Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous march from Selma to Montgomery. Since most of the movie is set in Alabama, some of those discussions take place over plates of delicious Southern food. A selection of some of the South’s favorite dishes, including fried chicken, sweet potatoes and cornbread, would make a perfect buffet for an Oscar party. Serve with a pitcher of sweet iced tea, or, if you want to include the movie’s antagonist Lyndon Johnson, root beer — the president’s favorite soda.

Dessert – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

The Grand Budapest Hotel could hardly be a better inspiration for the finale of an Oscar’s dinner. Not only does Agatha, played by Saoirse Ronan, work at a pastry shop, but also the titular hotel even looks like a tiered cake. True Wes Anderson devotees can attempt to make Mendl’s Bakery’s famous “Courtesan au Chocolat” as shown in the film. You can also pick up treats like cream puffs, cupcakes and small tarts from your favorite bakery. They will be perfect to munch on as you wait to see which movie will be Best Picture.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 17th print edition. Email Kendall at [email protected].