A night of the stars, one that produces a best-worst-dressed list, a new cascade of memes, and occasionally an iconic celebrity-studded selfie. It’s a night where many work hard to get recognized for their efforts to help elevate the world of cinema. Every year, the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, nominate ten movies to take on the title of “Best Picture.” All released in the past year, each movie tells stories that have become a topic of conversation, all portrayed through alluring forms of cinematography, sound design, writing, and incredible acting. Unfortunately, only one movie will take the title of Best Picture and due to competition some films are overshadowed by others. In order to help, Ink has compiled a set of reviews to shine a light on all the nominees in a span of two sentences.
American Fiction:
And you would do it too for a check! We see a man who continuously hates the production of traumatic Black life stories use it to his advantage, leading him and the audience to reflect on where his hatred stems from and who it’s projected to.
Anatomy of a Fall:
Movie ended and I’m still wondering: Why was her husband recording conversations? What was his playlist? and how’d they get the dog to do all that? The wife was put on trial for her husband’s death but the only guilty party was that marriage.
Barbie:
A cultural movement that instead of letting us escape our reality for two hours, sadly puts us women right back in it. However it did so with great set designs, costumes, a much needed musical number, and creating a community where the girls can just be girls!
The Holdovers:
“Dead Poets Society” if Mr. Keating was bitter, cross-eyed, and all alone on Christmas. A movie where forced company turns into found friendship and grants notable life lessons.
Killers of the Flower Moon:
Gaslight, Gatekeeper, Girlboss, unfortunately done by white men. All jokes aside, this movie shined a light on a tragedy more should be informed about and did so with a great ensemble.
Maestro:
Insane makeup, truly thought Bradley Cooper was an 80 year old man and was severely confused for a moment. Great montages but no topic was truly delved on, I wanna hear more about the snoopy balloon.
Oppenheimer:
Oppenheimer was a lowkey victim of a certain someone having FOMO and a blow to their ego. Done so by incredible sound design, the scene of Oppenheimer’s speech showed the movie’s ability to display the bomb’s aftermath on humanity and himself.
Past Lives:
Still in awe of how her husband was okay with being a third wheel ‘til’ 4 in the morning. The theme of connection was portrayed through the actors’ chemistry, especially during the subway scene, where it felt like we were interrupting a moment just by being the viewer.
Poor Things:
Furious jumping to philosophical thoughts, it’s amazing what a girl can do once she leaves the clutches of home. Curiosity is depicted perfectly in this film through vibrant coloring, set designs, and costumes that rightfully deserve all nominations.
The Zone of Interest:
A very quiet and reasonably uncomfortable film. Does a great job showcasing the reality of what was going on outside of the house, without physically showing it to the audience, making it gut-wrenching.
Graphics by Ryan Benson