Well, here we go again. The Oscars are upon us. I have to admit 2023 is as approachable and entertaining a group of nominees as you will find. A complete slate with the max of 10 films nominated for the year. 5 of which are legitimate money makers. Imagine that. With Maverick and Avatar you actually have two full blown blockbusters. Usually, you are lucky to get one. Couple that with a jarring war film, a time bending sci-fi romp, a film legend bio, Amish feminists and a film so dark and depressing it has to be Irish and you have a really great slate of entries for this year’s race. Don’t fear. There are also a couple of entries to satisfy the Academy’s need for well-made yet overly pretentious screeds. But this year there is way much more to love than to hate. All that being said, judging and ranking art is pretty much pointless in the grander scheme of things. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun.

These are my rankings. This is NOT necessarily what I think is going to happen with the awards. Do not use this list to make bets. You will lose your house. These are listed in the order that I would vote for them if I had such a vote for Best Motion Picture. I would love to hear from you and know what you think.  

 

All Quiet on the Western Front : Agonizingly painful to watch. Not because it is bad but because it is so exquisitely well made. Visually moving and emotionally heart wrenching, AQWF painfully displays the idiocy and futility of World War I and by extension war in general. Based on Erich Maria Remarque
novel by the same name on his experiences as a soldier in the German army during WWI. WWI has had a bit of a resurgence in recent years after decades as the forgotten war. Especially when it came to film. Then Wonder Woman (of all films), 1917, They Will Never Grow Old and others and suddenly WWI is relevant again. Who knew? AQWF works on every level. Through the eye, through the ear and the through the heart it surrounds you with fear and frustration and anger at those with such arrogance who recklessly and dismissively exploit and destroy the lives under their charge. STELLAR FILMMAKING.

Everything Everywhere All at Once : So much has been written about EEAO and it has been dissected from credit to credit. There have been representation stories and nostalgia stories and “oops
did the director say that” stories and more. There has been a lot of noise surrounding this film that unfortunately can draw attention away from the film itself. Strangely enough that is a pretty good description of the actual movie. It is so easy to get lost in the time travel and the universe in peril and the killer fight scenes and the mind bending timeline of the multi-verse that you forget to notice the core of a movie. Its about a mother and a daughter remembering and recognizing their love for one another and the epic struggle that sometimes takes.

Elvis : Never in the history of Elvis was he ever described as subtle. Garish, vulgar, energetic, charismatic, simple and dangerous….sure. But never subtle. The same can be said for Baz Lurhman’s visually bombastic bio ELVIS. Let’s face it, when doing a movie about one of if not the most iconic public figures of the 20^th century there is going to be a great deal of scrutiny on the actor and the performance of the leading role, justifiably. It is fair to say Austin Butler’s inhabitation of the role has been all but universally praised. It really is remarkable. If he wins the Best Actor it will be more than deserved. But this is for Best Picture so I think its important not to lose sight of great the film itself. Just like the King himself it could never be described as subtle. Garish, vulgar, energetic…..you see what I mean. The movie’s direction and presentation was as much an onslaught to the viewer’s sense’s as Elvis’ pelvic thrusts were to a a million teenage girls in the 1950’s. The constant barrage of montage’s and fast paced editing helps emulate the constant turmoil that was the 30 ring circus Elvis’ life turned into. Praise the performance because it deserves it. At the same time don’t forget to recognize the service it plays to the greater goal of an exceptionally made film.

Women Talking : Of all the films in this years crop Women Talking is easily the least “cinematic”. That’s not so say that it isn’t beautifully shot. It is. However, the subject matter requires a visual aesthetic that is bare and sparse. Much as you would expect from a film about abused and suppressed
women of a remote Amish community. So the color spectrum is….well…..limited. But this film is about the text and the subject matter and the phenomenal actresses and actor who bring the words to life. Inspired on the actual events of an Amish colony in Bolivia in 2010, Women Talking is a study in faith, courage, duty, conviction and will. If that sounds like a lot, well it is. Good art can represent a universal truth by focusing on a more localized struggle. This is not just good art it is exceptional art.

Banshees of Inisherin : The fact that this film was entered in the Golden Globes under the category of Film Comedy and Musical is somewhat mind boggling. Don’t get me wrong, if anyone can take sadness, loss, sorrow abandonment and grief and turn it into something funny….its the Irish. Is there comedy in the movie? Sure. Again, because its Irish. But make no mistake about it. The Banshees of Inisherin is a dark and foreboding film. In case you didn’t know, a banshee is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. While there aren’t any actual mystical spirits, part experiencing the story is trying to figure out whose death is being foretold. Wrapped in maybe an even sadder tale of loss and abandonment of one poor soul by his best friend, his only living family and eventually his last vestige of love. See, isn’t this hysterical? The views and vistas are extraordinary. The acting and cast are as good as any movie you will ever see. This story is layered and complex but the emotions are common and visceral and continually, increasingly heartbreaking.

Maverick: Top Gun: The single most important quality of a movie is to be entertaining. That isn’t to
say a movie can’t make social commentary or analyze history or question our existence or any number of things…they can. However, if it doesn’t do it in an entertaining way all the other goals will fall by the wayside. Maverick : Top Gun succeeds at its most basic level because it is really freaking entertaining. Its funny and charming and packed with action. It plays on nostalgia and star power and sex appeal. As a matter of a night at the cinema its hard to argue that it succeeds on practically every level. As a movie it knows exactly what it is, exactly what the viewer wants from it and it never…..not for one single frame attempts to be something it isn’t. Additionally, it has a surprisingly refreshing, grown-up love story that isn’t salacious or vulgar which makes it that much more approachable to an even wider audience.
Throw in some of the most amazing, filmed flight action to ever to be seen on screen and the biggest honking movie star of my lifetime and you have Maverick Top Gun!

Avatar: The Way of Water : I hated the first one. I thought it was visually marvelous but the story left me flat. Avatar The Way of Water was even more brilliant visually than the first one. The technology scares me at its realism is ridiculous. There were several moments in the film where I forgot I was watching digitally capture and manipulated images. That is due to the technology for sure but also due to a much better plot and story line than the original. Supposedly there are 4 or 5 more films in the series. I can’t say that I am that excited about visiting this world that many more times but it is fair to recognize this film for what it is and for my money fixing a lot of problems portrayed in the original story.

The Fabelmans : As long as Speilberg has been making feature films I have been on this earth. I have seen them all. He is by almost any reasonable criteria the most important figure in cinema or at least in the discussion with a very small number of people. He is at his core a storyteller of the highest order. This is his life story…roughly, so he tells it like he tells all his stories, actors and images. Spielberg’s
technical expertise as a filmmaker is only matched with his ability to direct actors. The Fabelmans utilizes both wonderfully. There are magical vignettes from start to finish. Shots that encapsulate the moments that we can only assume are seared into his mind’s eye and thankfully now seared into ours. We see through the story his desire to tell stories would have come out in some way in his life. The storytelling was inevidable. If he had discovered an ability for music maybe he would have been a Bach. If he had learned to paint maybe he would have been a Picasso. Luckily for us he was mesmerized by flickering images on a screen and he became a Spielberg. This is his story. A love letter, with all the pain and joy and sorrow and struggle, to his journey. The journey he took to realize who he was and how to tell the stories he wanted to tell. It’s a storyteller telling the story of how he became a storyteller….and its pretty fabulous.

Tar : Tar isn’t a particularly pretentions movie. That’s not say it isn’t about pretentious characters….it is. But the film making is sharp and effective. The director has a definite vision and point of view and every shot fits. The lead character is bold and larger than life. She is a giant and charismatic. She is amazingly portrayed by Blanchett who chews up the screen every minute she is on it. Which is most of the film. There is a menacing sense of dread that carries through out the film that seems more sinister than the payoff divulges. Maybe that was the point all along. Regardless, at 2.5 hours its pacing drags and has you looking at the clock about halfway through. That coupled with a perplexing final image that just seemed out of character of the rest of the films drops it on my list a few spots. As a character study is it still a strong piece of cinema.

Triangle of Sadness : If Tar is a straightforward filmmaking about pretentious characters…..Triangle of Sadness is pretentious filmmaking about pretentious characters. I understand the social commentary the film was trying to make. It wasn’t particularly veiled. I even appreciate some of the subtle humor and

social jabs at the uselessness to society of the uber rich. Not to say it isn’t somewhat balanced with the poor and meager being corrupted by power. Regardless I just found it way too self-indulgent and a little too vain for its own good. If you watch it, wear a black beret and use a cigarette holder to smoke your cloves cigarette. It will put you in the mood.