I begin my 2025 Oscar Best Picture rankings with my traditional disclaimer: I have no expertise regarding the Oscars whatsoever. Paul and I started watching every Best Picture nominee sometime in the mid-1990s. I am therefore an amateur enthusiast. My venturing into this territory is as a hobby! Here then, in my non-expert opinion that I inflict upon you anyway, is my official ranking from 10 to 1 of this year’s Best Picture nominees for the Academy Awards!
Category 1: This Should Never Have Been Made
10 – “The Substance”: This was the first time I can remember that I almost stopped watching a Best Picture nominee. I had to fight to watch the entire thing. Not only did this land easily at #10, it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life, and not just among Best Picture nominees. Listen, I like horror, obviously! This movie was too putrid to even give it more space in my blog. The horror is in the fact someone wrote and made this thing.
Category 2: Valiant Effort
9 – “Nickel Boys”: I wanted to love this movie. The novel is exceptional. However, the attempt to do an artsy innovation with camera POV fell flat for me; it was confusing, at times dizzying, and a miss. Telling the story more traditionally would have honored the novel and the impactful statement of the narrative. The movie tried too hard, unfortunately.
Category 3: Very Good Movies
The movies in this category were worth viewing. They are solid productions! However, they fall just below the top category for me. Despite their accomplishments, they are a stitch below what I consider a worthy Best Picture nominee.
8 – “A Complete Unknown”: Does every movie created about a famous singer, in which an actor morphs into said singer for the role, need to be nominated for an Oscar? The Academy clearly shouts, yes! I say, meh. This was a typical biopic in that regard for me. The acting was very, very solid and the story well told. I went into this movie unenthusiastically. I’m not a Bob Dylan fan, and he can be an ass. In fact, the movie only confirmed those feelings for me. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the pace and overall value of the movie. There are relatable characters and charming moments. The movie was well done.
7 – “Dune: Part Two”: I am loving the “Dune” series and super excited for the last installment to come out! And the second movie was entertaining. I very much enjoyed it. However, it also felt very much like a bridge movie. The tale in Part One is powerful, and I think Part Three will be a thrill! Part Two is carrying us through a major transition in the story. It’s good but not quite a Best Picture nominee.
6 – “The Brutalist”: Full disclosure, before I get started: I am generally not a fan of super long-ass movies. I always feel like they could be easily cutdown to a normal length. This one was no exception to that rule. We watched at home, thankfully, so we could have a few breaks, but no story is so incredible you need an intermission. Stop. It’s called editing. That being said, this is a stark telling of a tale with a number of powerful elements. I am impressed with its being able to comment on art, artists, the Holocaust, prejudice, greed, wealth disparity, hate, addiction, loss, love, and being human in one well-crafted story. The acting from top to bottom was absolutely top notch.
Category 4: Worthy Best Picture Nominees
This was an unusual year for me. I don’t often come away thinking this many of the movies actually deserved a nomination. Also, I had a hard time coming up with my final ranking of these films. In fact, I’d be happy and understand if any one of these won. I’d appreciate if my #5 won, as much as I’ll be happy if my #1 wins. Still, I promised a ranking from 1o to 1, so here goes!
5 – “Conclave”: A thriller without a ton of action is hard to accomplish, but here we are with a relatively dialogue-heavy story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing. The acting is superb! There are important messages woven into the story about power, ethics, morality, and personal identity. In particular, you see the good, bad, and ugly of the power of the Catholic Church. Men in dresses trying to be macho often lose their minds. I hadn’t read the novel, so the twist was a surprise I did not know was coming.
4 – “Wicked”: One of my inner-voices is screaming at me for placing “Wicked” here and not higher. Note: I love the novel, and very much appreciate the musical. Of course, the novel is more powerful in its darkness and commentary on society. They cleaned up and cheered up the story for the musical, but I do very much like it, too. Yet I meandered off to the movie with a lot of skepticism. I wondered if they REALLY had to split the musical into two movies (I’m still not convinced – we’ll see); I worried they would muck up the story even more to make a compelling movie; and too often musicals turned into movies don’t do it for me – I love musicals and I love movies, but the combination often leaves me unable to suspend reality and have fun. Whatever – that’s a strange personal quirk. I was surprised, then, that this movie blew me away. I loved the adaptation, the singing was marvelous, and the additions from the musical to the movie were brilliant! I especially liked how they they got Kristin and Idina into it. The universe creating was also very well done. This is a “pop” movie well deserving of the nod.
Things got really murky in my world with trying to pick 3 to 1 . . .
3 – “Anora”: This is brilliantly done! A comedy wrapped in a tragedy as a story about people. The acting here is maybe the best of the movies – at least on par with “Conclave” and “The Brutalist.” The statement on greed and wealth is palpable. Madison is so convincing with her character, playing the ups and downs and insanity of this narrative, yet pulling you in to care about where she lands in the end. Borisov is stunning – he conveys ten million emotions and evolves through the movie in a profound way, without speaking very much at all. The movie transports you into an insane world without losing your grip on reality. It’s a powerful statement and, yeah, makes you laugh along the way. Much like life itself.
The next movie requires a prefatory note: I know about the myriad of controversies haunting this movie. However, I approach my rankings the same way I approach grading my college students’ exams. I grade on the merit of the essay, as blind as possible. If you are a nice, sweet student, I can’t give you an A if you don’t earn it. Or, if you’re a complete shithead, I can’t flunk you even though I’d love to – if you earned an A. This ranking is not a commentary on where I stand with the turmoils – the many, many, of them. That will remain private – and in my mind quite complicated. I’m just telling you about my movie watching experience.
2 – “Emilia Perez”: This movie represents a triumph of innovation and daring in storytelling. I wondered how such a dark storyline could be a musical without it being weird, and yet they pulled it off with remarkable success. The songs become an inner dialogue – they convey emotion that might otherwise be lost. The acting is very good, the pace of the movie is excellent, and weaving you into a world of a lot of violence and hatred is done without making people totally evil. The way the world turns gray is a true testament to reality. The characters grapple with this truth about their place in the world and their actions. A lot of years, this would have been my best picture overall. Except . . .
1 – “I’m Still Here”: in a year with a lot of great acting, especially in the Best Actress category, Torres blew me away. She carries this movie from start to finish. This movie could be hard to watch, as I sit in a country also spiraling into authoritarianism. You get a window into everyday people in the grip of terror, clinging to their lives and loves despite the turmoil around them. Paiva’s will to protect her family and survive, while struggling to improve the world around her, is amazing. She is flawed yet endearing; lost but finding a way. The true-story plays like a suspense, keeping you wondering and in tense fear throughout. This movie is my Best Picture for this year’s Oscars. It was a close call, but I kept coming back to the stunning tale, well told, brilliantly acted. It will rip out your heart and then help you find the means to heal and push onward.