The Oscars are here, giving movie lovers everywhere an easy avenue to celebrate the past year in film. While usually the Best Picture race is filled with more niche, smaller movies,that wasn’t the case this year. Though there were plenty of arthouse dramas nominated, there were also several box office hits likeAvatar: The Way of WaterandTop Gun: Maverick, as well as widely-known crowd-pleasers such asElvisandEverything Everywhere All at Once.
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Anyone wanting to catch up on this year’s Best Picture nominees may want to know more about what’s up for the top prize. Rotten Tomatoes has fortunately become an easy source for people who not only want to know more about a certain movie but also how good it is. While their ratings vary, there’s one thing that critics agree about all of this year’s Best Picture nominees: each and every one of them is good.
10Triangle of Sandess - 72%
Midway through 2022, writer-director Ruben Östlund received attention asTriangle of Sadnesswon the Palm d’Or at Cannes, becoming one of nine directors to win the award twice. His satirical dark comedy follows a group of wealthy elites on a luxury cruise line that sinks, leaving its guests stranded on an island.
Östlund has become known for his extreme satire, andTriangle of Sadnessis no different, clearly and hilariously taking the rich and powerful down a peg.Much likeParasite, which also received a Best Picture nod along with the Palm d’Or,Triangle of Sadnessoffers a fun and blackly humorous story alongside scathing social commentary.Triangle of Sadnessis also nominated in two other categories: Best Director and Original Screenplay, both for Östlund.
9Elvis - 77%
It wouldn’t be the Oscars if there wasn’t at least one “true story” movie in the Best Picture race, thoughElvisproves to be a fresh new take on the formula. From eccentric director Baz Lurhman,Elvistells the life story of rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley, primarily focusing on his rising stardom and his rocky relationship with his producer Tom Parker.
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The primary focus ofElvisis Elvis himself, portrayed by the newly-recognized Austin Butler. Butler obviously had huge shoes to fill,but his performance extends beyond mere imitation. Butler is able to fully embody the rock icon in a way that Elvis impersonators could only dream of achieving. It also helps that Lurhman’s directing helps keep the biopic formula from ever going stale.Elvisis also nominated in seven other categories: Best Actor for Butler, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Costume Design, and Film Editing.
8Avatar: The Way of Water - 77%
It’s been over a decade, but James Cameron’s long-awaitedAvatarsequel has finally arrived. And it seems that the extended hiatus hasn’t impacted the Academy’s love of Cameron’s unique universe. Taking place sixteen years after the first installment,The Way of Waterfollows Jake Sully and his family leaving their home behind in search of the Metkayina tribe of the Na’vi when human invaders unexpectedly return to Pandora.
Like the first film,The Way of Wateris somewhat light when it comes to the story. But much like the first film,The Way of Wateris much more focused on the escapist experience of being fully immersed in a new world.The Way of Water’s visual effects are stunning, to say the least, and the focus on character development allows audiences to become attached to new faces in a way that the original didn’t. Given the success at the box office,Avatarsequels are now inbound.Avatar: The Way of Wateris also nominated in three other categories: Best Sound, Production Design, and Visual Effects.
7Women Talking - 90%
“Women talking” might sound like an odd concept for a movie, but in the hands of writer-director Sarah Polley, the movie is anything but. Based on Miriam Toews’s acclaimed book,Women Talkingis set in a religious colony in isolation where the women find out that the men have been drugging and assaulting the women for years. With this shocking discovery, it’s up to the women to take matters into their own hands, while also reconciling the situation with their faith.
Women Talkingfeatures an all-star female cast including Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, and Frances McDormand, all of whom give powerful performances that deserved to be recognized by the Oscars. The film’s subject matter might be somewhat dark, but it’s also one of this year’s most important movies, with Polley delivering its message in an effective and powerful way.Women Talkingis also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
6Tár - 90%
It’s become easy to complain about “cancel culture”, yetTárcovers the subject with such nuance and poignancy that it deserves to be in the conversation. Writer-director Todd Field’s first movie in over a decade,Tártells the story of the fictional classical composer and conductor Lydia Tár. One of the greatest living conductors, the film follows Tár as she attempts to put a symphony together before slowly capturing the downfall of her life and career.
The true power behindTárcomes from a stunning performance from Cate Blanchett. Lydia Tár is one of this year’s most complex characters, and Blanchett completely transforms into the character, undoubtedly earning Blanchett a well-deserved Oscar.Tárplays its cards close to its chest, often not letting the audience in on what the conflict is until it’s too late. Blanchett and Field create a complex portrait of an artist in today’s climate with no easy answers.Táris also nominated in five other categories: Best Director, Actress for Blanchett, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, and Film Editing.
5All Quiet on the Western Front - 92%
The original version ofAll Quiet on the Western Frontwas the third movie to win the Best Picture Oscar, so living up to that legacy was always going to be a tall order. Yet this German remake still holds the same power as the original story, proving it to be truly timeless. Based on the classic novel,All Quiet on the Western Frontfollows a group of young men who are persuaded into enlisting in World War I. Once they enter the battlefield, they realize that it’s hardly the glorious victory they dreamed of as they learn to fight for their survival.
Like recent Best Picture war films such as1917andDunkirk,All Quiet on the Western Frontthrows no punches when it comes to showcasing the problem of propaganda and the horrors of war. Retaining the novel’s strong anti-war message, this epic recreates the battles of World War I with striking and haunting imagery which, like the best war films, will surely stick with audiences for years to come.All Quiet on the Western Frontis also nominated in eight other categories: Best Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Visual Effects, and International Feature Film.
4The Fabelmans - 92%
Steven Spielberg has become a filmmaking legend, so it only makes sense that his life story would be just as fascinating as the movies he’s made.The Fabelmanssees Spielberg returning to his youth in this semi-autobiographical story of a young boy who becomes obsessed with filmmaking while growing up amidst domestic and societal troubles.
What elevatesThe Fabelmansabove similar, traditional family dramas is the truth that lies behind it. It may be fictional characters, butThe Fabelmansmanages to stay closer to reality than almost every other “true story” movie out there. But even as its own story,The Fabelmansstill works as a powerful drama about how movies can change our lives, both for the better and for the worse.The Fabelmansis also nominated in six other categories: Best Director, Actress for Michelle Williams, Supporting Actor for Judd Hirsch, Original Screenplay, Original Score, and Production Design.
3Everything Everywhere All at Once - 95%
Though this year’s Oscars ceremony will take place almost a year from its initial release,Everything Everywhere All at Oncemade such a huge impactthat it became impossible for the Academy to ignore. In this indie hit, Michelle Yeoh takes on the role of Evelyn Wang, a struggling mother, wife, and laundromat owner. Everything changes when she’s contacted by her husband from an alternate universe, as she learns she must access her alternate selves in order to save the multiverse from an omnipotent threat.
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Arguably the weirdest, craziest, and most fun movie ever to get a Best Picture nomination,Everything Everywhere All at Oncetruly lives up to its title by being a hilarious comedy, compelling sci-fi, and exhilarating action movie all wrapped into one unique film. What makes it really stand out, however, is an emotional character-driven story that turns this action-comedy spanning the multiverse into a story about kindness and a family healing itself.
Everything Everywhere All at Oncereceived the most nominations out of any movie this year, with eleven total nods. Other nominations include Best Director, Yeoh for Actress, Ke Huy Quan for Supporting Actor, Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis both for Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Original Score, Original Song, Costume Design, and Film Editing.
2Top Gun: Maverick - 96%
Blockbusters don’t always make it into the Best Picture race, thoughTop Gun: Mavericksoared to the top of the box office in such a huge way that it was practically guaranteed a nomination. Taking place over thirty years after the original,Mavericksees the title character returning to Top Gun as a teacher, preparing students to perform a highly dangerous, and important, mission.
Arguably the other most fun movie ever to get a Best Picture nomination,Top Gun: Maverickwas an instant hit with audiences, becoming the fourteenth highest-grossing movie of all time. And it’s easy to see why.With mesmerizing aerial action sequences, charismatic characters, and an emotional bond at the core of an exhilarating story, it seems that neither audiences nor Academy voters could get enough of this high-flying action flick.Top Gun: Maverickis also nominated in five other categories: Best Adapted Screenplay, Original Song, Sound, Film Editing, and Visual Effects.
1The Banshees of Inisherin - 97%
The Banshees of Inisherinisn’t always a fun watch, yet it seems that critics agree that it’s one of cinema’s finest offerings this year. Set on a fictional island off the coast of Ireland in the 1920s,The Banshees of Inisherintells the story of two lifelong friends who enter a bitter rivalry when one of them abruptly ends the friendship.
Writer-director Martin McDonagh is known for dark humor, complex characters, and sometimes off-color dialogue, andThe Banshees of Inisherinis one of his best stories to date. Reuniting with favorites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, McDonagh reaches for something deeper than usual, crafting the story of a deteriorating friendship and posing questions about the nature of human connection.
It’s not always easy or fun, but McDonagh’s usual wit and humor shine through in this tragedy that critics overwhelmingly agree is one of this year’s best movies.The Banshees of Inisherinis also nominated in eight other categories: Best Director, Actor for Farrell, Supporting Actor for both Gleeson and Barry Keoghan, Supporting Actress for Kerry Condon, Original Screenplay, Original Score, and Film Editing.
The Oscarsairs on Sunday, March 12 on ABC.
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