Here they are. My ranking of the 2024 Oscar nominees for Best Picture. I know this post comes late but on the plus side, pretty much all these films are now streaming so it's easy for readers to watch the ones that pique their interest. The irony is that I was all set to have my post go up before the actual Academy Awards Ceremony. I correctly surmised that Wicked, Dune Part 2, The Substance, and A Complete Unknown would be nominated and got them out of the way before the nominations were even announced. The remaining six films, I scheduled to see before the March ceremony. I was actually able to watch four of the films at special screenings paying just $28 in total for the movie tickets.
But, awards night arrived and I wasn't finished with the review. I paused in literal mid sentence of my review of The Substance and never got back to finishing the review and writing up the top 4 until now (I wrote my reviews starting with my least favorite and ending with my personal Best pick).
But I'm done at last and here, they are--my reviews of the 2024 Best Picture Nominees.
1. Wicked--This was my best picture of the year by a mile. I had low expectations (a theme, you'll see this year. In fact I don't think there was a single movie on this list that I was "excited" to see, except maybe Dune Part 2--but that only because I saw and enjoyed Part 1) but they were happily exceeded. I thought Wicked was so much fun! The music was great, the characters all made me smile, the plot was engaging, and it was a visual feast! It's definitely worth seeing on the big screen but would be still loads of fun on your TV at home. Wicked definitely checked the social commentary box and had something to say--subtly-about social status, class, and yes, even race. The characters of Glinda and Elphaba are well-rounded and sympathetic. For those who have read the book, as I have, there are significant plot changes, but I understand the plot of the Broadway musical and this film are the same. I know it was not considered a "favorite" for Best Picture and I kind of got the impression it was thrown in there as a crowd-pleaser. But for me, it was the best of the batch and one I'm eager to watch it again.
2. Anora--This was a tough one. I shuffled Anora and Conclave back and forth between second and third for months. In the end I decided to go with Anora as my number two favorite. I'm sure the fact it actually won for Best Picture in real life helped--if I had finished my reviews before the awards were handed out I think it would have remained at three. But the comedy added heart and made for movie that was just a tad more enjoyable for me than Conclave. This despite the fact that I sometimes had a hard time getting a "read" on Mikey Madison's Anora. Is she naive--and does it make sense for her to be, given her line of work as an exotic dancer? Was she really in love with the silly, childish Russian playboy she marries? I don't get that impression, yet we don't see her as a cold-hearted gold digger either. I'll be honest--I'm not sure I trust movies like this when they are written and directed by men. Maybe it worked for me because I, also, am a man. Yet I didn't feel taken in by the fantasy of the "stripper with the heart of gold" and I found the sex (of which there was plenty, to be clear) to be frank, not glamorized and not particularly "sexy." So I don't know. There is a sort of twist at the end, a turn in the plot that you might or might not see coming. In a movie where the men are either customers ranging from leering to somewhat sad, bumbling incompetents, and man-children, there is one steadfastly decent gentleman in the film. It takes awhile for both us and Anora to see it, but when we do the payoff is sweet.
3. Conclave--I had low expectations for this film. I figured it would be a somewhat fusty prestige film that I'd struggle to stay awake through. Instead I found a movie that for quite sometime was number 2 on my list. Since I watched Conclave, we've seen a real-life conclave with the ascension of Pope Leo XIV to the papal throne. It's was interesting to feel like I "knew" a bit about what might be going on behind the scenes. The intrigue, the politicking and subtle campaigning were as fascinating as any Aaron Sorkin political drama. I was actually a bit on the edge of my seat as the fortunes of various candidates rose and fell. As in real life, the person who became pope was unexpected and unprecedented. Unlike in real life, it came with a stunning twist that I did not see coming at all. Definitely worth the watch!
4. Dune Part 2--This was the first movie I watched on this year's list and it's now more than a year since I've seen it. I confess I don't remember much of the plot (and even a review of it on Wikipedia didn't help much). Yet I'm keeping it at number 4, because I remember how I felt watching it. It is an old school Hollywood epic, best seen on the big screen. The acting is strong and though I can't remember much of it now, the plot was compelling in the moment.
5. The Substance--Ok, so I've always said that my commitment to watching every movie nominated for Best Picture stops at horror. But then I realize that I did watch Get Out, which was supposed to be a horror film and this movie, The Substance, which is described as a "body horror" film. I don't know what that means, but I do know that my definition of horror has narrowed. What I mean is I won't watch a film that has elements of the supernatural or the occult. No The Exorcist for me. But I didn't find The Substance scary in that "jump scare" kind of way, although it is very, very graphic and bloody. In fact, there's so much blood it's almost comedic. It reminded me in some ways of The Triangle of Sadness. Just over-the-top gross. But Demi Moore is a standout, and while I don't generally care for fable-like films like this one, I found myself engrossed if you will. The movie has a lot to say about what we expect out of women as they age, especially those in the spotlight, and what often they expect of themselves. It reminds me of how you'll see people who keep getting plastic surgery after plastic surgery and you want to tell them stop, you've done enough, quit while you're ahead. But it's like they've lost sight of reality in their desperate quest to hold on to societal beauty standards. That's what this movie is about.
6. I'm Still Here-- SPOILER ALERT: This movie is based on a true story which is fairly well known so I didn't bother hiding the key plot point. However, I did NOT know how the true story when I watched the movie and it really impacted my viewing experience. If you don't know the story, I'd recommend watching it first before reading my review. This moving film is based on the true story of Eunice Paiva whose husband was arrested, tortured and murdered by the dictatorship running Brazil in the early 1970's. The scenes of quiet, warm, loving family life slowly morph into confusion as Ruebens Paiva is arrested and then grief as it becomes clear he will never be coming back. It is the story of a family's resiliency and determination. You really felt like you were right there with the family experiencing their same fears and their same grief as the story progresses. It helped that I didn't know how the story turned out when I first started watching it, so I kept hoping that somehow Dad would come home. I'm Still Here rounds out those films on the list that I "liked." The remaining four--ehhh.
7. A Complete Unknown--I went to see this movie with a couple of friends that are movie buffs. We picked it at least in part because we suspected it might be nominated for an Academy Award. I've seen several Bob Dylan biopics over the years and have not been passionate about any of them. This movie proved to be no different. Timothy Chalamet does an amazing job of duplicating Dylan's voice and mannerisms. He even sang all the songs and sounded just like Bob. I like Dylan's music from this era so hearing the familiar tunes was fun. I was especially excited to hear "Like a Rolling Stone" which may be my favorite Bob Dylan song, and it did appear at the film's climax when Bob shocks the world by "going electric" at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, the process "betraying" many of his folk purist fans. But the truth is I did fall asleep for a bit in the middle of this movie.
8.The Brutalist--This movie was exactly what I expected it to be. Overly long, and as grim, gray, and unrelenting as the architectural style it's named after. I actually had hoped it wouldn't be nominated for an Oscar so I wouldn't have to devote the 3 and half plus hours needed to watch it. But when it won the Golden Globe for best dramatic film, I knew I was out of luck. Still, it wasn't unbearable to watch. I only got a little sleepy right before the intermission but otherwise it held my attention. It's the story of a Holocaust survivor who moves to the United States to find his fortune. He's able to realize his Brutalist architectural vision with help of wealthy sponsor who loves his work. That help does not come without significant, dare I say, brutal, costs to him and his family. Despite the severe, sweeping cinematography The Brutalist feels intensely personal and human.
9. Amelia Perez--I had heard about this movie and was aware of the acclaim surrounding the first time nomination of a trans actor for the Best Actress award. I also followed as the acclaim turned to blistering criticism as old racist and anti-Muslim tweets by star Karla Sofia Gascon resurfaced. This drama somewhat overshadowed the film itself, which to be honest was nothing to write home about. It's the story of Mexican drug cartel kingpin who transitions into a woman, and also into a philanthropic advocate for families who had been "disappeared" in various gangland conflicts. It's also a musical. I guess. The tunes were not catchy nor particularly memorable. I didn't find the film particularly insightful or moving, and there's been yet more criticism of the film over its misrepresentative treatment of the trans experience and the fact that the entire film was shot in France with a French film crew and director instead of in Mexico. Not being knowledgeable about Mexico, the trans experience, or drug cartels, I can't comment on any of that. The movie was just okay for me.
10. Nickel Boys--This was my least favorite of the bunch, though in many ways it was a fine film and unquestionably deserves to be nominated. I felt a bit guilty that I didn't rate it higher as it was the only one of the films this year that dealt directly with the Black experience (though Wicked, one could argue, references it). But the fact was inescapable. I didn't really enjoy the film and I actually dozed off briefly during the middle section. Nickel Boys, based on the acclaimed author Colson Whitehead's book, tells the story of two boys who became friends while attending a brutal, abusive reform school in Jim Crow era Florida. There is a bit of the twist at the end that made sense out of some details that didn't seem right in some of the flash--forwards earlier in the movie. The cinematography was beautiful--each frame, practically, was like its own little poem. The decision to shoot the entire film in first person perspective was creative and in some ways immersive. But I found it grew tiresome after awhile. At first I thought this technique was just something they were opening the film with and that eventually the "regular" movie would start. I know many were captivated by this unorthodox filmmaking technique, but for me, I found the approach made it harder to connect with the characters and follow the story. Add to that, I always find it hard to "enjoy" movies about the harsh realities of racist America, and you have the ingredients to be at the bottom of my list this year.