Best picture rankings for the 2022 Oscars
For the past five years, I have watched every movie nominated for best picture at the Oscars. Below are my rankings for the 2022 Oscars.
Best Picture
Unlike previous years I did not have an immediate clear favorite this year and my overall rankings are lower than previous years. Where two films have the same ranking, I rank the first listed as the better film.
Drive my car 8.5/10
A complex and contemplative movie about love, loss, acceptance, and peace. It’s a movie about grief and the complexity of human relationships and communication. It’s understated, yet powerful. This was the movie that I found myself thinking about the most of all 10 nominations. One of my favorite sequences was when a character was auditioning for a theatre role using Korean sign language, which was then being translated into Japanese, which was then being translated into English (via captions). Will it win? No. But it was my top pick of these 10 nominated movies.
Dune 8.5/10
Even though it probably won’t win best picture or director, Dune will be the big winner on Oscars night, sweeping the technical categories. The special effects, score/sound, editing, cinematography, costumes all combine to create a world 20,000 into the future that feels like it actually exists. In many ways, Dune is a near-impossible book to translate as a movie - but they’ve done it and done it exceptionally well, communicating much of the complexity of the book. It likely won’t win the best picture because it is only half the story (the first half of the book) and might not translate as well for people who haven’t read the books. But it is a triumph of a movie and bodes well for the franchise of films to come.
Coda 8/10
Of all the nominees, this is the movie with heart (something lacking from many of the movies this Oscars season). In many ways it is a simple coming-of-age drama about family expectations, finding your path in life, and breaking free of family, But it comes together with heart and powerful performances. Troy Kotsur will win the best supporting actor category over Kodi Smit-McPhee. The story is a bit simplistic, but with the Oscar preferential voting system, this one might win over The Power of the Dog.
West Side Story 8/10
This is a very successful remake of the 1961 film that won 10 Oscars, including best picture. Many of Steven Spielberg’s choices, including script changes, elevated the gender, class, and racial politics that was the backdrop to the movie, helping make it more relevant and topical. A movie you can watch again and again, but the only Oscar win will probably be best supporting actress for Ariana DeBose.
The Power of the Dog 8/10
I thought this movie was a bit overrated. It left me cold. The “twist” felt clearly telegraphed from the very first words in the movie that it can’t really be described as a twist. The movie was beautifully shot, with outstanding performances and a great script. Jane Campion will win best director and might pick up cinematography over Dune (thanks in part to the beautiful New Zealand landscapes). It’s not my personal top pick for best picture.
Belfast 7.5/10
This mostly black and white movie lovingly recreates Northern Ireland and the political and religious conflict/turmoil and the start of “The Troubles” - played out in an intimate way in one loving and tight-knit neighborhood and the difficult choice about whether to stay or leave. The movie is told through the eyes of a child (reminiscent of Jojo Rabbit - but not as well done as Jojo Rabbit). Part autobiographical, the movie felt a bit too much of a “rose-tinted-glasses” view of a perfect/idealized family where the only conflict is external.
Licorice Pizza 7.5/10
There is a lot to like about this movie and some incredible sequences. The movie deserves an Oscar award for the scene where the lead character, Alana Kate, navigates driving an out-of-fuel truck downhill backward, speeding around corners. But there are also moments of ick (the age difference between the two main characters, the Asian stereotypes played for laughs) and a middle section that feels repetitive and redundant. The costumes and realistic recreation of 1970s California are excellent. I wanted to rate this higher.
King Richard 7/10
Another big-hearted movie about the driving force father behind tennis super-stars Venus and Serena Williams. The movie was at its best when it lent into issues around race and racism. An excellent performance by Will Smith - he carries the movie and will probably win best actor - and the tennis scenes are filmed very well. But King Richard was otherwise too formulaic and predictable and it felt like we were getting a sanitised half-story about Richard Williams and his family.
Nightmare Alley 6/10
This movie should not be in the top 10 for best picture - there are other movies that were more deserving, including The Tragedy of Macbeth. Having said that the production design is incredibly beautiful and the acting is very good. I love Guillermo del Toro’s work, and this is a good, but not great, film.
Don’t Look Up 5/10
Don’t Loop Up is an important movie that makes an important (albeit depressing) political point about the media/politicians/people and our inability to solve big challenges like climate change. But it is tonally inconsistent and, partly because of that, is a bit of a mess overall. It is almost as if one director started it as a serious drama, another directly came in and decided to turn it into a satire, and another movie finished it and decided it would be a comedy. Shouldn’t be a best picture nominee.
