A Definitive Ranking of the Best Picture Nominees.

The Oscars just went by, and I am seething with anger and rage. That this preferential ballot could’ve lost the film of the century the biggest honour there is. So, I decided to rank the Best Picture nominees, having now seen them all.

8. Vice

Adam McKay’s politically driven film was unsure of the route it wanted to talk. It never really remained true to the black comedy genre. Of course, Christian Bale was a knockout, but the film’s script was clunky and never really gave Amy Adams her due. It was clumsily made, and was an unsubtle shot at the Vice President. It never resonated with me.

7. Bohemian Rhapsody

Bryan Singer and then Dexter Fletcher’s abominable Bohemian Rhapsody won four awards, the most of last night, which makes it even sadder that it’s so low on my list. Other than its truly fantastic sound editing, you had to be a diehard fan to not see Bohemian Rhapsody for what it truly is - a medley of Queen songs and not a full fleshed look into one of the most fascinating men to have rocked the world.

6. Black Panther

There’s no doubt that Black Panther was a great film. Watching it a second time upped my approval for this Marvel flick that broke box office records. Even though its messaging, construct and emotional connect was strong, Black Panther couldn’t compete with the emotional crescendoes that this year’s nominees put up. Still, I see a future at the Oscars, after this monumental nomination.

5. Green Book

Peter Farrelly’s feel good dramedy was a little too high on the feel-good and low on the drama. The film never truly felt fleshed out. Considering the ugly politics behind it, it’s surprising that it won Best Picture. While Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen were invigorating, the film was too simplistic in its resolutions and was too shallow, considering the subject is such a complex one. I think it’s the weakest Best Picture win in recent times.

4. BlacKkKlansman

Spike Lee’s layered drama had the signature gravitas as well the subtle bond formed between two detectives that are meant to hate. BlacKkKlansman was purposefully epic in everything it did. In its rip roaring climax, the film showed footage of the 2017 Unite The Right rally. It was depressing. Lee carefully constructed a theatre of the absurd, showing how the present state of African-Americans in the country is rather close to that in times of segregation.

3. The Favourite

Yorgos Lanthimos made a delightful film, with duck races and this constantly bewildered Olivia Colman playing Queen Anne. In the first scene, she surprised her companion, Sarah, with plans to build her her own palace, only to be informed that the country was currently in war and had no funds. This feeling permeated the rest of the film. Colman bolstered the film, and ultimately deserved her won for Best Actress. Though it was a bittersweet victory, because this was going to be Glenn Close’s year.

2. A Star Is Born

Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut wasn’t subtle at all. It told us all the emotions to feel. But Cooper and breakout star Lady Gaga gave the storyline of a mentor being overtaken in terms of success by his protege a vitality that was charged with their palpable chemistry. Sam Elliot also was brilliant. In a knockout scene set at the Grammys, Ally cried as she tried to pacify her drunk husband who had wet himself onstage. Lady Gaga’s face expressed a lifetime of pain.

1. Roma

Alfonso Cuaròn’s film should’ve won Best Picture. It was sombre, moving, melancholic and till its final shot, breathtaking. The black-and-white project could’ve gone either way. But, Cuaròn, who’s lived in this experience, infused the narrative with a familiarity. He knew the world he had created and was fully in charge of it. Roma was driven by Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Taverina, but Cuaron deserved this award more than them. Yes, he won Best Director, but Roma was far superior to any of the other nominees on this list.

What'd you think of our wins? Comment below!