2023 Oscars: A Clueless Guide to the Best Picture Category
A Totally Reel Review
I spent an embarrassing amount of time at a movie theater last year (watched ~65 movies in theaters) but I was still pleasantly surprised that I’d already seen 9 of the 10 Best Picture nominees when the Academy announced these back in January. For those looking to sample one or two (or maybe all 10) of these nominees before the Oscars on March 12th, think of this post as a starting point. This year’s ten picks were surprisingly diverse; we’ve got popcorn flicks, typical Oscar bait movies, some social justice/commentary, and melodrama in the mix. I’ve evaluated all ten in the chart below and will also dive into each one in depth, starting in alphabetical order with All Quiet on the Western Front.
A quick explanation for this chart: the X axis goes from approachable to high brow/prestige from left to right. Approachable here means movies that are generally easy to follow along and will likely be widely liked; think blockbusters and superhero movies. For high brow/prestige, think typical Oscar bait movies — niche, artistic, slow moving and (arguably) borderline boring. These are the 3-hour slow burn indie movies that the Oscars eat up.
The Y axis is much more straightforward — it’s an overall mix of my personal enjoyment and my appreciation of a movie. There are movies that I appreciate the artistry of but would not necessarily choose to watch on a Friday night (a few of these nominees deal with heavy subject matter). Feel free to use this as a starting point to narrow down the 10 Best Picture nominees to watch:
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- Avatar: The Way of Water
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- Elvis
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- The Fabelmans
- Tár
- Top Gun: Maverick
- Triangle of Sadness
- Women Talking
All Quiet on the Western Front
- High Brow/Prestige: 10/10
- Enjoyment: 3/10
That is 3 hours of my life I’ll never get back. The movie is 2.5 hours, but I spent at least half an hour pausing the movie to go on my phone so I didn’t fall asleep. It’s 2023, please make this the year we stop making war movies. There is very little that this movie did that hasn’t been done before — by Saving Private Ryan, 1917, and Greyhound just to name a few. I suppose a disclaimer is that I’m not the best audience for this movie — if you can’t tell, I don’t like war movies as a genre and think they’re all pretty much the same.
However, all of that said, there are some golden moments that almost made the 3 hours worth it. I loved the score, the 3 note sound effect with the bass gave me chills every time and reminds me a lot of the Kill Bill siren sound effect. The cinematography was stunning, there were some beautiful shots (though the 1917 comparisons are inevitable). It was Felix Kammerer’s first time acting and I was blown away; I personally preferred his performance to Paul Mescal’s in Aftersun. I would’ve been more salty he didn’t get the Best Actor nomination if I liked the movie more. Another highlight is the opening montage following a soldier’s uniform, which was one of the most original parts of the movie. Sadly, it’s all downhill for the next hour after that.
At about the 1.5 hour mark, there is one scene with two soldiers in a crater that was close to movie perfection. The raw anguish in their faces, the blood splattering on the camera, the mud caked to their faces, and the whole drawn out sequence was beautiful. WWI was fought on a larger scale than the world had ever seen, yet in that moment, it boils down to two men facing each other. You take away their uniforms and you’ll find two people scared to death, forced to kill or be killed. They are far more alike than they are different.
TLDR: Should absolutely win for technical categories (cinematography, score, makeup, etc.) and there is one incredible scene, but otherwise it’s a long, grisly, and mostly unoriginal war movie (unless you like war movies).
Avatar: The Way of Water
- High Brow/Prestige: 1/10
- Enjoyment: 4/10
I have a separate review on this movie, so I won’t go into much details here. The tldr is that I respect the hard work of James Cameron and the entire animation team, it is truly a visually stunning movie. And that’s about it. The plot is of secondary importance to world building and showing off the CGI technology, so the writers recycle the same core characters and conflicts. If this movie wins I will never get over the snub to all the other incredible movies nominated this year. This is clearly the Academy’s attempt to boost viewership of the ceremony by nominating the biggest box office phenomenon of the year.
TLDR: Otherworldly CGI but ultimately not “Best Picture” worthy when there are so many other incredible films nominated.
The Banshees of Inisherin
- High Brow/Prestige: 7/10
- Enjoyment: 5/10
Full disclosure: I watched this in the theater and couldn’t understand maybe 30% of the dialogue. I am genuinely baffled by the Oscar buzz/critical acclaim of this movie. It is pretty Oscar-baity in that it’s dialogue heavy, touches on themes of mortality, and is a metaphor for the Irish Civil War. But it just did not resonate with me. I found it moderately funny (funny enough to exhale through your nose but not enough to actually laugh) but mostly I thought it was boring and depressing. I’m not sophisticated enough to marvel at the deeper meanings (or maybe I just need to get better at understanding Irish accents). I did enjoy Kerry Condon and Barry Kheogan’s performances, enough that Barry Kheogan makes me genuinely intrigued for the next Batman movie. If you do decide to watch this, turn on subtitles. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it far more than I did.
TLDR: maybe I’m not smart enough to understand all the critical acclaim or maybe I just needed subtitles.
Elvis
- High Brow/Prestige: 2/10
- Enjoyment: 6/10
I had low expectations going into this; Baz Luhrmann is usually all style and no substance. This movie was almost an exception to that rule. There was his trademark flamboyance so it’s a beautiful period piece and Austin Butler is surprisingly great at bringing Elvis to life. The movie is a tad long and honestly forgettable pretty quickly after viewing. It captures the energy and optimism of Elvis’ early years but slowly transitions in tone. Visually this movie looks great, the music is upbeat and energetic, the writing is well-paced and drags you along for the ride. This was my first time watching Austin Butler act and I’m impressed that his voice is used during scenes with young Elvis. I’m rooting for Brendan Fraser for the Best Actor category, but Austin Butler does deserve the nomination. If you like biopics, Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, or just Elvis in general, you’ll enjoy this.
One of my only criticisms is that I really did not like Tom Hanks in this. I’m a fan of a lot of his work and I know that he has incredible range. Unfortunately, this movie did not take advantage of that. His character felt flat and one-dimensional; I understand not wanting to make him sympathetic, but a character can have depth without being likable. Also instead of using prosthetic makeup, this opportunity could have gone to another actor who physically looks more like Colonel Tom Parker.
TLDR: Surprisingly entertaining, expect Baz Luhrmann’s trademark pizzazz and Elvis’ trademark hair. Though Tom Hanks fans, beware.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
- High Brow/Prestige: 4/10
- Enjoyment: 9/10
At this point I feel like a broken record. Anyone who has ever talked to me about this movie will know just how much I love Everything Everywhere All at Once. In fact, that was the movie that finally inspired me to start this blog and it was my first review. There’s not much I’ll say here, it deserves all the Oscars. I do worry about how many of the 11 nominations it will actually win. The Academy could be using these nominations to congratulate themselves on diversity and then not actually award it any of the Big 5 categories (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, Best Screenplay). Needless to say, this is the movie I’m most rooting for in the Best Picture race. I absolutely love that Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huay Quan have been getting so much love in the awards circuit, but I do worry that Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis will split the votes in the Supporting Actress category. I guess we’ll just have to see on the 12th.
TLDR: Watch this if you want an emotional family drama layered with weird, wacky multiverse adventures. Seriously, just go watch this.
The Fabelmans
- High Brow/Prestige: 3/10
- Enjoyment: 8/10
This movie is my second pick that I’m rooting for Best Picture. Personally, Stephen Spielberg is one of those directors I respect for shaping so many movie genres and for his wide range over the decades. However, West Side Story (2021) was such a bore it made me question if Spielberg is losing his touch. However, that was quickly answered with The Fabelmans, which is undoubtedly one of my favorite movies of 2022. It’s incredibly personal, vulnerable, and tender. I was very surprised to see on-screen representation of their family dynamics (specifically what happens between the parents for those who have seen it). The marketing makes it seem like it’s another one of those “love letters to cinema” movies, but really it boils down to the relationship between Sammy Fabelman (a stand in for Spielberg) and his mother. Making movies is his way of coping with the changes in his life and taking control of the narrative he creates. The Fabelmans ends on a cheeky, upbeat note and while it’s not Spielberg’s last movie, it is a beautiful homage to his career by going back to the beginning. People may complain that it’s a little long but if they can sit through 3+ hours of Avatar, they can sit through The Fabelmans, the far superior movie.
TLDR: My second favorite movie in the category, a moving coming-of-age movie best watched with a big dose of nostalgia. Anyone who appreciates the power of a good story will love this.
Tár
- High Brow/Prestige: 9/10
- Enjoyment: 7/10
Imagine that one snobby friend who likes to name drop French philosophers they read in their spare time and never lets you forget that they’re better than you. They get on your nerves, but it only makes their inevitable downfall that much more satisfying when karma catches up to them (if you’re as petty as I am). That is basically the premise of Tár (note the accent — even the title is pretentious).
Cate Blanchett gives one of the strongest, if not the strongest, performances of the year (I’m so sorry Michelle Yeoh). I walked out of the movie a little confused about the plot and themes, but one thing was crystal clear: Cate Blanchett was a shoo-in for a nomination, if not the Oscar itself. She has a certain gravitas and such incredible screen presence that gave her character Lydia Tár a larger-than-life, almost oppressive demeanor. I really can’t say more without ruining this movie. I will say that I was left with a lot of questions about certain motifs in the film. More likely answer is I’m not smart enough to understand all of the nuances on the first viewing, but let’s just say the movie is intentionally esoteric.
TLDR: Cate Blanchett gives one of the best acting performances of the year and is my personal pick for the Best Actress category. People who have studied classical music may enjoy it even more than I did (there were a lot of Julliard students at my showing, I’m sure they absolutely loved this). It’s the epitome of the high brow, prestigious movie that may be hard to understand.
Top Gun: Maverick
- High Brow/Prestige: 1/10
- Enjoyment: 8/10
I have a full review on this movie with my thoughts and why it’s such an effective propaganda tool. I won’t say much other than this is another example of the Academy trying to appeal to wider audiences by including box office hits. It does bring up a good question of what criteria, exactly, makes a movie worthy of the Best Picture title? Is it box office success or is it mastery of technical aspects of the craft? While Top Gun: Maverick doesn’t have the nuances and layers of meaning that Tár does, it’s still incredibly entertaining. Sometimes pretentious cinephiles (those people who insist on calling it “films” rather than “movies”) fixate so much on indie or Oscar bait movies that they forget that ultimately, movies are also here to entertain.
On another note, I’m glad that Top Gun: Maverick is getting recognition for Visual Effects and Film Editing since it was all practical effects — the actors all sat in the planes flown by Navy pilots as they did the stunts. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, or just want to relive the thrill, I highly recommend this as a fun 2 hour getaway.
TLDR: A fast-paced adventure movie that is honestly more entertaining than most movies in this category.
Triangle of Sadness
- High Brow/Prestige: 1/10
- Enjoyment: 8/10
Fans of White Lotus rejoice, this movie starts off with some solid “Eat the Rich” satire and then promptly goes off the rails. This movie is… an experience. If you get nauseous easily or don’t feel up for watching people projectile vomit for 15 minutes, this might be a skip. I have a full review exploring some recurring themes so I won’t say much other than that this movie is a combination of White Lotus and Lord of the Flies. Dolly De Leon had a performance worthy of a Supporting Actress nomination (I’m not necessarily passionate about this snub, but personally do prefer her to Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Eveywhere). It’s ironic that the very people this movie makes fun of voted for it to be nominated in this category. Is it as good as Parasite? No, but it’s still decently entertaining and in my list of 22 standout movies from last year.
TLDR: An “Eat the Rich” satire with a generous amount of vomiting, sea sickness, and other bodily fluids aimed for shock value. The movie drags a little at parts but is overall well done.
Women Talking
- High Brow/Prestige: 6/10
- Enjoyment: 6/10
First of all, it is a shame that not a single woman was nominated in the Best Director category this year. Both Sarah Polley for Women Talking and Chinonye Chukwu for Till were snubbed. Women Talking had a talented ensemble cast and balanced the heavy subject matter with delicacy and compassion. As a warning, this movie deals with rape, domestic abuse, religion, and other heavy topics. For 104 minutes, we watch as a group of women talk about whether they should leave their community to start a new colony free from the men abusing them.
Sarah Polley chooses not to show any of the assaults on screen and only briefly focuses on the immediate aftershocks. She does not give power to the men, but instead gives it to the women, allowing them to collectively choose how their story ends and retake control. The movie takes the time to make these women complex characters and we sympathize with their dilemma: they’re mothers, daughters, sisters who have to decide if they will leave behind their male family members. Due to the heavy subject matter, we can’t help but feel hopeless and the movie was edited with a gray and blue color palette to further compound the despair. However, do not be put off by this. Women Talking tackles hard subjects and doesn’t flinch away; it’s about uniting to heal from the collective trauma and having the courage to start afresh.
TLDR: A group of women in a religious settlement decide if they will stay or leave after being sexually assaulted. It’s similar to Promising Young Woman and She Said as a #MeToo film, but far more somber in tone. It’s incredibly well-acted, well-directed, and ultimately hopeful.
