Ranking The Best Picture Nominees 10-1

The Oscars are upon us.

10. Maestro dir. Bradley Cooper

Nice try Bradley Cooper, but Maestro is going to get shutout at the Oscars. The biggest Oscar bait film of 2023 had to be Maestro as Cooper claimed to study conducting for nearly six years for certain scenes and has done uncomfortable, teary eyed interviews with Leonard Bernstein's family. He's bizarre and the film just isn't very good.

9. Barbie dir. Greta Gerwig

While I do respect what Barbie did for box office numbers, it's a cheesy attempt at empowering women. If you didn't like Barbie, it's fine. You're not a misogynist. You just didn't get blinded by a cringeworthy speech from America Ferrera that's been done hundreds of times in other, better movies. Despite all of what I didn't like, it's still better than Maestro because of Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. Plus, I have a soft spot for Greta Gerwig because of how awesome she is in Frances Ha and Mistress America.

8. American Fiction dir. Cord Jefferson

The gap between American Fiction and Barbie is vast. The top eight in my rankings are films you could legitimately constitute as great, or at least very good, and nine and ten shouldn't have been nominated. American Fiction features a sharp-witted script and a great performance from Jeffrey Wright. It's a smart play on the satire sub-genre of films and creates comedy in academic fashion. Having American Fiction in the back half of the top ten isn't me slighting it — there are just films that are better than it.

7. Poor Things dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

Yorgos Lanthimos' strange comedic twist on a Frankenstein style story was great. Whether you note the performances from Willem Dafoe, Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo or the impressive set designs that feature vibrant colors, you can see that Lanthimos swung for the fences and made, maybe his career best film. Despite all that jazz, 2023 was a strong year, so I'm ranking Poor Things seventh.

6. Anatomy of a Fall dir. Justine Triet

Doubling as a tight crime thriller and an extravagant courtroom drama, Anatomy of a Fall became one of my favorite films of the year following my viewing of it. All around, there are impressive feats like the script being one of the best of the last decade or the ending that leaves you to decide what actually happened in the death of Samuel, but what's most amazing was the performance from Milo Machado-Graner. It's in the same category as Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense as one of the best child performances ever.

5. The Zone of Interest dir. Jonathan Glazer

Glazer's The Zone of Interest is unlike any Holocaust film we've ever seen. From the point of view of Rudolf Höss, we see the dichotomy of wanting the best for your family while also doing your job of killing innocent people. While it's never great to sympathize with Nazis, you can see Höss wrestling with his morality at the films ending. The minimal dialogue works and the daunting soundscape serves as a dreadful knife to the gut that never leaves you.

4. Killers of the Flower Moon dir. Martin Scorsese

If this is Scorsese's final film, it's an incredible way to go out. Killers of the Flower Moon is a three and a half hour western with high stakes and sinister undertones that rise to the films forefront in the third act. It's always fun to see De Niro and DiCaprio on the big screen, but the person who stole the film was Lily Gladstone. She's the best female character that Scorsese ever directed and takes this film from good to great.

3. Past Lives dir. Celine Song

The crushing feeling that runs through your body when the credits role in Past Lives is one I've never felt before from a film. Celine Song wrote a script that rips your heart out and stomps on it. And while that feeling hurt, I loved every second of Past Lives. A romantic flick about two lovers who will never be together has been done before, but by weaving in Korean folk lore adds a distinct depth that was refreshing.

2. The Holdovers dir. Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne reuniting with Paul Giamatti to craft a comedic and heartfelt movie set in 1970s wintery New England was wonderful. The rise of Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph was beautiful to see, but Giamatti delivers his career best performance. Along with the performances, the cinematography and set designs felt comfortable and I adored David Hemingson's script.

1. Oppenheimer dir. Christopher Nolan

To no ones surprise, Oppenheimer notches the top spot. My argument for it always comes back to one thing, and it's that Christopher Nolan made a three hour biopic about the man who created the atomic bomb and it was both concise and palatable. I don't think any other director could have done this. Plus, there isn't a weak performance from anyone in the cast. From Cillian Murphy to Florence Pugh to Josh Hartnett, everyone is great. It feels like Oppenheimer is a lock to win Best Picture.