Opinion | The Oscar best picture ranking no one asked for

This spring break, I unfortunately had to stay alone on campus. In my desperation to find something to occupy my time, other than the towering list of assignments I was given, I decided to watch, for the first time ever, all 10 best picture nominees for the Oscars. 

I have never considered myself a movie person. Of course, I enjoy the occasional blockbuster, but whenever the Oscars roll around, I can usually point out only one or two movies that I have seen from the entire list of nominations. Because of this, I would like to put out a big disclaimer that I, in no way, have any knowledge about what makes a movie good. This ranking is purely based on my own, probably misinformed, opinions.

10. “Emilia Pérez”

As much as I wanted to watch each movie objectively, without any outside factors, they just could not be ignored for this film. It was embroiled in controversy and for good reason. Honestly, before even watching it, I had already made up my mind that I would not like it. I will say, however, that this movie could have been really good. The editing was great and the acting, for the most part, was good. Unfortunately, the dialogue sounded like it had been directly Google Translated from another language to Spanish. 

9. “Wicked”

This one’s on me, folks. While I did love the musical when I saw it on Broadway, I have never been a fan of musical movies. On stage, this show really shines and uses the audience to its advantage, especially with the humor. Unfortunately, it fell really flat when translated onto the screen. The characters aren’t funny when they’re trying to be and most scenes feel like they are going on for way too long. While the costumes were great, the fact that this movie was so long and it was only part one is less than ideal. Unfortunately, I was not able to hold space for this movie higher up on the list. 

8. “Dune: Part Two”

The visuals and score of this movie were incredible and that alone merits a spot on the list. And while I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I just enjoyed so many other movies more. It’s not that this is a bad movie, it’s just competing with too many other great ones. I am highly anticipating the third one, though!

7. “The Brutalist”

I liked this movie, I really did, but I don’t know that I feel any other type of way about it. The acting was absolutely incredible, and the story was simple enough to follow but complex enough that I never felt bored. This means a lot because this movie was three and a half hours long and felt shorter than Wicked. 

6. “Anora”

My feelings about this movie have kept me up for more than a couple nights thinking about it, and maybe that’s the point, but I still can’t decide if I liked it. I think the problem that I had with this film was that too many people told me it was incredible, and I expected too much when I finally sat down to watch it. The acting and screenwriting were great. The way it balanced an hour-and-a-half anxiety attack with laugh-out-loud dialogue was really good. However, like “The Brutalist,” I just enjoyed other movies more. 

5. “A Complete Unknown”

What really made this movie was the music. Obviously, a movie about Bob Dylan needs to have a great soundtrack, and they really hit it out of the park. The acting was phenomenal, and the actors singing their own songs was an absolute success. It’s really cool to watch a biopic about a person that tells you almost nothing. Again, the problem with this movie is not that it has any necessarily — it just doesn’t hold up to the ones above it. 

4. “The Substance”

This movie definitely surprised me. I thought the acting was really good and the camera work, reminiscent of so many other horror films, was perfect. I really did not expect to enjoy this movie so much. There’s nothing quite like a campy body horror film about the dangers of the deep-rooted self-hatred caused by our society to really make you focus on trying to love yourself. 

3. “I’m Still Here”

This movie taught me a valuable lesson about why I shouldn’t wear regular mascara to the movies, because I sobbed in the theater for the last thirty minutes and left with raccoon eyes. This is an absolutely gorgeous movie about a mother and her deep love for her family. It was incredible acting that made me feel like a fly on the wall watching a real, living family. When I found out that it is based on a true story, I cried a bit more. 

2. “Conclave”

Plot. Cinematography. Score. This movie was incredible. I have never been fully invested in a movie from the very beginning the way I was with this film. From the opening scene, I was on the edge of my seat. It was absolutely gripping. I never in my life thought that I would be so entertained by a movie about the Catholic Church. The secrecy. The lies. The twists. The gossip. It was like all the best of reality television, but for people who want a really good movie. 

1. “Nickel Boys”

This movie was quite disorienting at first. A bit slow, it definitely took me off guard when it really got going. It was filmed in a first-person perspective, which I have never seen before, but it really lent itself to the completely heartbreaking ending. The cinematography of this film is uniquely amazing. Never in my life has a movie made me break down the way this one did. This was my absolute favorite film of the list, and I hesitate to speak so soon, but it will probably stay my favorite film that I watch this year. 

Raquel Padin-Nicholas is a junior at Pitt who is on a new journey to become more interested in films and would love to be given more movie recommendations to watch. Email her at rap339@pitt.edu.