My Best Picture Academy Award nominees 2025 ranking

 

Ranking the 10 films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards is something I have always personally done myself over the years. Each year I take the time to watch all 10 nominated and then rank them accordingly to my own liking. This year is no different but I thought I'd add it here to the blog just to spice things up a little. I have now seen all 10 movies and will rank them below. I hope you enjoy. 

1) Anora - Was there ever any doubt?? my personal favorite movie of 2024 Anora was a remarkable piece of cinema, so utterly flawed in it's characters and depiction of the sex / adult industry it was a real eye opener and something I didn't see myself liking as much as I did before hand. Mikey Madison was a revelation as the titular characte of Anora (Ani) and her story / journey was something truly remarkable. And that among many, many other things is why it's my favorite of the 10 Best Picture nominees and something I would really love to see win. Fingers crossed eh?

2) The Brutalist - At first I was very skeptical of seeing The Brutalist. With an almost double feature length and split into two parts via a built in intermission The Brutalist absolutely blew me away. Adrien Brody's performance as a genius architect who comes to America for a better life for himself and his family was a story about success, power and ultimately failure and despair. The Brutalist is truly a stunning piece of cinema that deserves any and all awards it may have already won by time of writing this. Brilliant!

3) Conclave - Much like The Brutalist I was unsure about Conclave. A story about choosing a new Holy Father? sure okay but after seeing it I can say that Conclave is so much more. It's a fantastic, story driven acting masterclass. Ralph Fiennes is outstanding as the Cardinal chosen to lead a Conclave to select a new Pope. Right from the get go I was locked in with a terrific score, some wonderfully subtle funny moments and overall Conclave was truly gripping cinema from beginning to end. 

4) Wicked - I love musicals, always have always will, so when I went to see Wicked I knew it was going to be right up my street and boy was it. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande lit up the screen in every possible way from their insane vocal ability and range to the story weaved together through their acting. Based upon the Broadway musical of the same name this wasn't a mere Wizard Of Oz turned musical this was so much more and really needs to be seen by any and all musical fans. Part 2 release later this year and I can't wait to get lost in this world all over again.

5) The Substance - Body horror is one of my favorite types of any sub-genre. From movies like The Fly and The Thing I've always been intrigued by the gross and over the top visual of it all. So when I first heard that Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley would be teaming up for a body horror unlike any other I was extremely excited. Fast forward and after having seen it not only is The Substance one of the best body horror movies it's one of the best horror movies of recent memory period. With fantastic performances from both leads and visuals that will stay with you long after watching it The Substance was vile, gross and oh so satisfying in all the best ways possible. 

6) A Complete Unknown - Music persona biopics are a dime a dozen. Every year there seems to be one and this year it is the turn of Bob Dylan. Played brilliantly by Timothee Chamalet it charts his early rise to fame and how much of a lytrical genius he was. With some great supporting cast members like Elle Fanning and Edward Norton A Complete Unknown isn't the greatest biopic but it was damn sure a fantastic time and look at the odd, mysterious and wonderful world of the legendary Bob Dylan.

7) I'm Still Here - Another movie I didn't manage to see in the theater but at home I'm Still Here was a remarkable experience about a mother's efforts to reinvent herself and her family after an act of arbitary violence during the tightening of a miltary dictatorship in 1971 Brazil. It's a very relevant topic and one that is at times hard to swallow and sit through but I'm Still Here is certainly worth watching if for nothing else than just for Fernanda Torres's powerhouse performance. She is emotion personified and elevates this movie to a whole other level.

8) Dune Part Two - I wasn't exactly the biggest fan of the Dune Part One so I was pretty skeptical about seeing the second part. And while I didn't go see it in theaters I did watch it at home and it really did impress me at how much bigger and bolder it really was. The acting was pretty much top notch with the inclusion of Austin Butler in what I think is his finest performance as the antagonist. Visually there's no question this movie is breathtaking and the surrounding world is immense but the story never really interested me all that much the same with Part One so that is why Dune Part Two is so low down on this ranking. 

9) Nickel Boys - I didn't know what to expect when I went to see Nickle Boys but once actually sitting through it I learned so much. Based upon the 2019 novel of the same name Nickle Boys was a fascinating watch about culture, survival and a bond being struck between two young men. I vastly preferred all other nominated movies more but Nickel Boys was most certainly an experience I won't forget anytime soon.

10) Emilia Perez - I don't know where to even start with this one. Not only is Emilia Perez the worst movie out of these nominees and by such a large margin by the way, it is also one of the most bizarre, understated and downright awful musicals I've ever seen. It's such a shame because there is some good talent here like Zoe Seldana who does give a good performance but it's rotten to the core with bad songs if you could even call them that and just a straight up lackluster story all round. And that is why it was my least favorite nominated Best Picture this year. 

10 movies ranked, wow this year was a pretty fantastic lineup for the most part. From the highs of Anora to the low, lows of Emilia Perez doing this year with each 10 Best Picture nominees brings me so much joy and widens my film viewing mindset and catalogue. With all of that being said I hope whoever reads this enjoys it and I look forward to doing this again next year. May the best Picture win!

- D.C.