There are 10 brilliant films up for Best Picture, but only one can win the Oscar. Photo / Getty Images
There are 10 brilliant films up for Best Picture, but only one can win the Oscar. Photo / Getty Images
The 95th Academy Awards are mere days away and, naturally, there are questions about whether there will be a moment as jaw-dropping as Will Smith’s infamous slap last year.
For drama-loving fans, it’s potentially bad news as we expect the academy - and the night’s host, Jimmy Kimmel- will make it clear any “Oh my God, did that just happen?” moments are to be saved for the big screen.
But the silver lining is that there are not one, not two, but 10 captivating films nominated for Best Picture and all of them are set to fill the drama-loving hole in your heart.
Last year, Kiwis were desperately rooting for Jane Campion’s film The Power of the Dog to take out Best Picture, but ultimately, Sian Heder’s film Coda had its title engraved on the award.
Now, they might be hoping Avatar: The Way of Water - which was worked on byWētā FX and sees them nominated for Best Visual Effects - takes out the big award. But with it competing against films from Baz Luhrmann’s extraordinary biopic, Elvis, to Sarah Polley’s impactful film, Women Talking, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences judges have a tough job ahead of them in picking a winner. So, here are your Best Picture nominees and how Kiwis can watch them this weekend.
Best Picture nominees
Top Gun: Maverick
Tom Cruise reprised his iconic role as Pete Mitchell for the Joseph Kosinski-directed film. and whether it was complete and utter nostalgia or the new heartthrobs making their mark, the film was an instant success.
Following Mitchell as he works with a round of recruits on an adrenaline-inducing mission they may not return alive from, there is a twist, and it comes in the form of Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (played by Miles Teller). Maverick is forced to navigate a rocky relationship with the son of his late best friend and wingman Nick “Goose” Bradshaw.
Top Gun: Maverick is available to watch now on Apple TV.
With only two Oscar nominations in total, you wouldn’t expect the Sarah Polley-directed film to be a top contender for Best Picture, and yet it is.
Based on Miriam Toew’s 2018 novel of the same name, which ultimately was based on a true story, Claire Foy stars in the emotionally heavy film, which follows the women of an isolated religious community. Grappling between their faith and a brutal reality full of sexual assault and non-consensual drugging, the women must decide whether they’ll do nothing, stay and fight, or leave.
Women Talking is available to watch now in cinemas.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The trailer for this film may have you wondering what kind of rabbit hole you’ve fallen down, and true, while it’s a visually captivating multiverse-style film, the underlying story has won hearts all around the world.
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film follows Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang, a Chinese immigrant who finds herself swept up in an insane adventure in which she alone must work to save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with lives she could have led.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is available to watch now in cinemas.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Directed by Martin McDonagh, the film follows the life of Padraic (Colin Farrell), who must work to repair a damaged relationship with his lifelong friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson).
After becoming the second-highest-grossing opener for a summer 2022 box office release, the Ireland-based film received rave reviews -including from the New York Times, which said it was “rapturously received” - and has gone on to be nominated for a total of nine Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.
The Banshees of Inisherin is available to watch now on Disney +.
Triangle of Sadness
It’s a wickedly funny satirical black comedy film that has received rave reviews from critics, but what is the Ruben Ostlund-directed film all about?
Following a couple of influencers and a lot of out-of-touch wealthy people, the film is a brilliant, scathing takedown of the wealthy and the beautiful after they find themselves in a less-than-ideal situation. Starring Woody Harrelson and Dolly De Leon, the story takes place on a luxury cruise ship – that is, until a brutal storm hits it.
Triangle of Sadness is available to watch now in cinemas.
The Fabelmans
We meet the young Sammy Fabelman post World War II and witness him fall in love with movies. As the story progresses, the child turns into a teen, and finally an adult who is armed with a camera and a passion for making films - but all of that could change after he discovers a shattering family secret.
Starring Michelle Williams, the Steven Spielberg film was a semi-autobiography of his own life, making it all the more intriguing.
The Fabelmans is available to watch now in cinemas.
All Quiet on the Western Front
It’s been the underdog this award season, a surprise Best Film winner no one saw coming at the Baftas, but Netflix’s World War I-based film is one that if anything, tugs greatly at the heartstrings.
Based on the literary masterpiece of the same name, the Edward Berger-directed film starring Daniel Bruhl and Felix Kammerer follows a group of 17-year-old classmates who learn the brutal reality of war. It’s confronting, heart-wrenching and, overall, an epic cinematic masterpiece.
All Quiet on the Western Front is available to watch now on Netflix.
Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar first made waves in 2009 and become one of the most well-known science-fiction films ever created. Now James Cameron is back with a sequel, and naturally, it gained unwavering interest.
Starring Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang and Sam Worthington, the film follows characters Jake Sully and Ney’tiri, who are doing everything to keep their family together. Unfortunately, that includes leaving their home, and when an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans.
Avatar: The Way of Water is available to watch now in cinemas.
Elvis
It’s no wonder this Baz Lurhmann-directed biopic is sweeping the award season this year. In the two-and-a-half-hour film, Austin Butler takes on the mammoth role of Elvis Presley and is so convincing, it genuinely feels as though the King has been reincarnated in the 31-year-old actor.
Told from the perspective of Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, Luhrmann’s film follows how the music greats met, the colonel’s financial abuse of the beloved star and shocking moments during their working relationship.
Elvis is available to watch now on Neon.
Tár
This psychological drama starring Cate Blanchett sees her tell the heartbreaking story of her character, Lydia Tár. She is one of the greatest living composer-conductors and the first female director of a major German orchestra, and is mere days away from a career-changing symphony performance.
It sounds too good to be true, which of course means her life begins to unravel. Directed by Todd Field, the two-and-a-half-hour film examines certain levels of power and their impact on society.
Tár is available to watch now in cinemas now.
Watch the Oscars live on Monday. Red carpet from 11.30am; the ceremony from 1pm on TVNZ 2.
