2016 Oscar Best Picture Nominee Rankings

As 2016 is under way, the time has come to celebrate the year that was in film. Like always, the releases of Oscar nominations bring about a multitude of complaints (for the most part valid) and snub lists. But here we are, left with eight films (not in the “Hateful” variety, unfortunately) that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have deemed to be the best of the year.

In what has become a yearly tradition, I made the effort to view all eight films before the ceremony (along with as many of the other nominated films as I could) while personally ranking them. This year, the category boasts strong selections from top to bottom, and placing them in a list was more difficult than expected. What follows is by no means a prediction of who will win the night of the awards, but merely my personal tier of favorites.

Photo Credit: “Room”

8. “Room.”

The best performance of the year may in fact have been given by a nine-year-old. Jacob Tremblay shines in his role opposite Brie Larson, as a son-mother duo locked in the eponymous shed by the man who kidnapped Larson seven years prior. Emotionally, the film hits hard, mainly with the descriptions Larson has to provide to her five-year-old son to explain their predicament and the world in general. The first half of the film is excellently paced, and climaxes in one of the tensest scenes of the year. Unfortunately from there, the second half in my opinion underwhelms and cannot seem to reach the impact that the beginning presented.

7. “Brooklyn.”

Set in 1952, “Brooklyn” follows the journey of a young woman emigrating from her homeland of Ireland to the United States. She soon finds love in the states, but her ties to her home resurface and she is stuck between two completely different worlds. The film does a very nice job presenting the struggle within her, while at the same time delivering a solid romantic story that still feels fresh. Saoirse Ronan (last seen at the Grand Budapest) delivers a performance that helps to place the viewer seemingly right in the middle of her conflict, alongside her.

6. “Bridge of Spies.”

It almost seemed like a lock that this film would be nominated. Tom Hanks paired with Steven Spielberg in a period spy drama. The members of the Academy had to be salivating. I went in expecting nothing new or special, but was pleasantly surprised that it was actually a solid and entertaining film. The now-relied-upon stellar performance of Hanks as real-life lawyer James Donavan makes the film. Donavan is tasked with defending presumed guilty Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance, with a layered and masterful performance) and later negotiating a prisoner exchange for American pilot Francis Gary Powers. The hidden gem of the film is the writing of Joel and Ethan Coen, which is immediately felt as a fresh presence, especially in a few specific scenes.

5. “The Big Short.”

Never would I expect a movie about dense finances to entertain. Or that Adam McKay of every-Will-Ferrell-movie-fame would be at the helm. But the movie just works. Based on the book penned by “Moneyball” and “The Blind Side” author Michael Lewis, the film follows the group of financial “visionaries” who foresaw the bank and mortgage collapse of 2007-2008, and bet against the fate of the country to strike rich. McKay runs with a documentary-like style which fits with the subject material, paired with sharp cuts and editing to make the idea of bonds and CDOs more palatable. The continual breaking of the fourth wall and the interjections made to help explain some of the more confusing events and terms only add to the overall enjoyment of the film.

Photo Credit: The Martian

4. “The Martian.”

Director Ridley Scott returns to the skies with this adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel of the same name. The film utilizes Matt Damon in all of the right ways, blending the film into both a harrowing rescue mission along with a humorous take on being stranded alone on Mars. Transitioning between the people on earth doing their best to bring Mark Watney home after being mistakenly left behind by the Ares III mission and Watney himself surviving, the film flies by in the best way possible. Scott shows again why he should be considered one of the top directors in Hollywood, and Damon steals the show, carrying the film from even planets away.

3. “The Revenant.”

No one can dispute the haunting beauty of director Alejandro Iñárritu’s frontier epic. With an extremely well-known production hampered with problems and delays, the end result is visually nothing short of remarkable. With his patented use of extreme long-takes, he creates an experience in its own. And, unlike his 2015 winner “Birdman,” these takes feel much more than just gimmicky; they fit the narrative more naturally. The use of all natural lighting also makes way for some stunning shots. As for the story, it’s very straightforward: a revenge tale that Leonardo DiCaprio as real-life frontiersman Hugh Glass embarks on against Tom Hardy’s Fitzgerald in response to leaving him for dead, among other gruesome events. DiCaprio most likely will be rewarded for eating raw meat and suffering through the frigid cold with sopping pelts with his first ever-fleeting Best Actor award. The film is a little long at points, but in the end it doesn’t take away the fact that it is one of the most visually extraordinary pieces of art I’ve ever viewed.

2. “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Honestly, this is the best action movie I’ve seen in a long, long, long time. Quite frankly, this film has no business being this good or being an awards contender. But it simply is this good, and rightfully so, has been rewarded with numerous nominations. The premise is fairly simple, as a film filled entirely as a chase on the self-titled Fury Road. The complete non-stop action, along with all of the moving parts and explosions are awe-inspiring. The ultimate kicker is that director George Miller almost exclusively used practical rather than computer-generated effects. Nearly all that you see was performed and staged (including that guitar that shoots fire with each strum) for an effect that makes the viewing experience that more incredible. Tom Hardy accepts the reins of Max from Mel Gibson, but immediately hands the reins of the most impressive character to Charlize Theron’s Furiosa. Oh, what a glorious day it is when you can take this thrill ride.

1. “Spotlight.”

Visuals may be an intricate part of film, but as evidenced by my top choice, they are not everything. A perfectly-constructed film such as “Spotlight” doesn’t come around every day. And it deserves all of the praise it has received. Following the investigative Boston Globe journalist team that brought the Catholic Church Priest child-molestation scandal under the eye of the entire globe, the film is meticulous in its presentation of the investigative process. Much like the reporters depicted, the film takes no shortcuts in its creation. In a year with out of this world films, the roll-up-your-sleeves and get-to-work attitude of the film hits home, as does its final act with the outcome that the team worked painstakingly towards throughout the film. Of the eight, this was the only one where at the conclusion I immediately thought that this was the best film of the year. While the challengers have been strong, nothing has shaken that simple belief. It all boils down to the fact that no film told their story as impeccably well as “Spotlight” succeeded in doing this year.