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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Stream ‘Birdman,’ other Oscar winners

Sean Axmaker

What’s new to watch this week on pay-per-view and streaming services:

“Birdman,” the most adrenaline-charged backstage drama / show-biz comeback tale you may ever see, took home the big prizes at this year’s Academy Awards: best picture, director, original screenplay and cinematography. It’s still flying through theaters, but you can also see it at home on cable pay-per-view or from iTunes, Amazon Instant, Vudu and other web-based video-on-demand services, as well as on Blu-ray and DVD.

Here are six more winners you can watch at home on pay-per-view, video on demand and disc:

• Disney’s “Big Hero 6,” this year’s best animated feature, is a celebration of science and superheroes for the entire family.

“Whiplash” picked up awards for editing, sound mixing and J.K. Simmons’ ferocious performance as a bullying music teacher.

“The Theory of Everything,” based on the life of Stephen Hawking, won for Eddie Redmayne’s impressive portrait of Hawking’s mental strength during his physical deterioration.

“Boyhood,” which dominated year-end critics’ lists, earned Patricia Arquette an award for her performance as a struggling single mother.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” won awards for its score and its history-meets- storybook production design, costume design and makeup.

“Ida,” this year’s best foreign language feature, is streaming on Amazon Prime, Netflix and Fandor. You can also get it through cable pay-pre-view and video on demand from iTunes and Amazon Instant.

Pay-per-view / video on demand

Had enough of the Oscars yet? Check out the music drama “Beyond the Lights” starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a self-destructive R&B diva struggling to find her own voice in the highly controlled business. Minnie Driver, Danny Glover and Nate Parker co-star.

The romantic drama “Serena” reunites “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle” co-stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper as lovers and partners in a depression-era timber empire. It debuts the same day it hits theaters in limited release, as does “Maps to the Stars,” David Cronenberg’s bitter satire of Hollywood culture with Oscar-winner Julianne Moore.

Also new: the comedy sequel “Horrible Bosses 2,” the historical drama “The Better Angels” about the childhood of Abraham Lincoln, and the western “The Salvation” with Mads Mikkelsen and Eva Green.

Netflix

Binge-watch alert: the third season of the Netflix political soap opera “House of Cards” launches with Kevin Spacey’s scheming Frank Underwood in the White House, struggling against failed initiatives and falling approval ratings, while his wife (Robin Wright) transforms from Lady Macbeth to Hillary Clinton.

Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His work appears in Parallax View, Turner Classic Movies online and the “Today” show website. Visit him online at seanax.com.