I’ve now seen all ten of the best picture nominated films. My favorite isn’t considered a front runner. Feel free to add your comments and your favorite in the comments section or post your favorite in the comments of the social media post. My pick is the last on the list. I usually have a separate pick for best documentary, but I have only seen two of the nominated documentaries, and neither would have made my list.
Anora
Pretty Woman with a dark side. It comes across as soft porn. The writer/director could have told the same story and toned down the sex and language and it would have been a much better film. My favorite charcters were the two Russian strongmen. They were also in the best scenes.
The Brutalist
A good film that is unnecessarily long. Too many self-indulgent scenes didn’t add anything to the story. It’s a film about architecture and the specific style of the architect. It’s also a story about immigration and racism.
Conclave
Intrigue behind choosing the next Pope. A little slow for me. Some plot points didn’t go anywhere, like the referenced turmoil outside the Vatican that was never explained.
Dune, Part Two
I’m a sci-fi fan, but this film meanders too much. I never felt connected to the story or the characters. Other than some good special effects, this film doesn’t deserve to be in the running.
Emilia Perez
A drug kingpin goes through a sex change and turns into someone advocating for family members whose relatives have disappeared. Okay.
I’m Still Here
I liked this film a lot. I watched it with subtitles. It’s a powerful story about how one woman kept her family intact while also trying to find out what happened to her husband. Great acting. Great true story. Make sure to watch the credits at the end, where they show the real family.
Nickel Boys
This film is also based on a true story. It is based on a book. Having not read the book, I was confused about some of the plot points, especially the character Elwood in the present time. Unlike the film 1917, which also used first person POV, I wasn’t a fan in this instance. There were also some scenes that didn’t make any sense, like the scene shown in the image above. You never see what it is they are looking at.
The Substance
What started off as an interesting premise devolves into a gross ending that misses the mark. This is another writer/director film where there wasn’t anyone to say, “WTF?” I get that this person has an axe to grind with the film industry and ageism, but the ending was not the best way to address those concerns.
Wicked
An entertaining film that never rose to the level of best picture. I’ve seen the play. The filmmakers take advantage of a more expansive milieu, but there weren’t any standout scenes. I can barely remember much about it.
A Complete Unknown
I’m not a Bob Dylan fan, but I liked everything about this film. This is the best of all the nominated films. It tells a story of a specific time in Dylan’s rise from obscurity to fame and his decision to play electric guitar at a folk festival. Timothy Chalmette should win best actor. I saw him perform as Bob Dylan on Saturday Night Live. I thought he did a great job. Many of the comments I saw afterward were negative about him and his performance. People were trying to tie this film to some political agenda. It’s a great film with great performances. It gets my vote for best picture of 2024.