With so many Best Picture Oscar nominees to choose from, which one should you be settling in to watch - and which one is going to win at the Academy Awards? Team HELLO! have been watching all of the movies so you don’t have to, and these are our bite-sized reviews of some of our favourites - from Oppenheimer to American Fiction and more. Enjoy!
Poor Things
It’s about time Best Picture went to a rom-com. Especially a quirky, eye-opening and visually spectacular rom-com like Poor Things.
Whilst it’s not one I’d recommend watching with the parents (the sex scenes and full-frontal nudity will prompt a lot of awkwardness), this film will make you think, laugh, gasp and cry and in my eyes, those are all the elements of something deserving an Academy Award.
Based on the 1992 book by Alasdair Gray, Poor Things sees writer Tony McNamara (the brains behind The Favourite) team up once again with Emma Stone who plays Bella Baxter - a woman in Victorian England who, let’s just say, is not like other girls, and embarks on the ultimate journey of self-discovery.
Emma, who’s one of the bookies’ favourites to win Best Actress, says it was the hardest part she’s ever played, but boy did she knock it out of the park. Not only am I always impressed when an American nails an English accent, but she brings such vulnerability and vibrancy to the screen alongside her excellent co-stars Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe.
Throw in the steampunk sets and costumes and a dollop of existential dread, it’s the perfect film to watch with all your cinephile friends for an artsy night in. - Alex Lilly, Snapchat and Social Media Producer
The Zone of Interest
Zone of Interest is a film where everything and nothing happens simultaneously. Jonathan Glazer’s loose adaptation of Martin Amis’ novel is one of the most poignant, disturbing and original films to grace this year’s Oscar nominations list.
© A24Based on the family life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, the story unfolds in their home literally over the wall from where one of the most barbaric events in human history took place. This is a masterclass in audio design where the narrative is told primarily through the disturbing soundtrack orchestrated by Johnnie Burn coupled with a haunting film score composed by Mica Levi. There is not a moment of ease and neither should there be when watching this film.
This is evident at the film’s start where a musical cacophony accompanies a black screen as it metaphorically drags the audience down back in time and into this world we wish hadn’t existed. This film’s importance cannot be overstated due to the current geopolitical climate. It is a mirror with the darkest of reflections emphasising how humans are capable of compartmentalising human suffering when it is literally on our doorstep.
© A24The most disturbing thing about the film is that the Höss family are portrayed going about daily life while the horror unfolds next door. Gunshots, screams and the eternal deep throbbing of the gas chamber furnaces do not even seem to phase them. Could they be any one of us? What has also stuck with me is the use of medium and wide-angle shots; the camera itself is also wary of getting up close to these people. - Christian Anderson-Ramshall, Head of Video
American Fiction
American Fiction has been a bit of an underdog of the awards season this year, and while I understand why juggernaut movies like Oppenheimer are getting all of the attention, American Fiction more than deserves to be stood alongside them in the Best Picture category.
© Derek WhiteThe story follows Westworld star Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison, a frustrated middle-class author and professor who, irritated by the poor sales of his books, writes a satirical novel called ‘My Pafology’ about gang violence and drugs, purporting the cliches he felt had been requested of him as a Black novelist. Unfortunately for Monk. the literary world takes the novel seriously, and Monk’s novel - as well as his pseudonym’s persona as a wanted fugitive rise to fame and fortune.
This movie has it all. It’s very funny, particularly in regards to the absurdity of the novel and Monk’s increasing incredulity about its success, full of satire and commentary on race - but also has some truly affecting moments that I didn’t see coming and hit me hard! There are also plenty of ‘meta’ moments which I always enjoy when it comes to movies about books and writing - and certainly concluded on an interesting note that still has me thinking about it! - Emmy Griffiths, TV and Film Editor
The Holdovers
I had no expectations going into this film, the story of a few boys being left behind at a boarding school over the holiday period with a grumpy and overbearing teacher just seemed like another run-of-the-mill sort of film. How wrong I was!
© Focus FeaturesThe director decided to, in a masterful stroke of genius, give it an old look and feel of a 35mm film similar to classics such as Dead Poets Society, Scent of a Woman and Good Will Hunting. It's a beautifully crafted character-driven film that rarely gets made anymore, with powerhouse performances from Paul Giamatti and (a dead certain future Oscar winner) Da'Vine Joy Randolph.
© Focus FeaturesI think of all the Oscar movies this year, this one makes you leave the cinema with a smile on your face and hope in your heart. My only critique is, I wished I watched it during Christmas. - Vali Raza, Video Editor
Oppenheimer
Given Christopher Nolan's track record of blockbuster epics, I was hardly surprised when his latest war drama, Oppenheimer, blew me away – pardon the pun. This compelling feature tells the tragic story of theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, dubbed the "father of the atomic bomb", as he spends years working on the top-secret Manhattan Project and ultimately changes the course of history forever.
© Instagram/UniversalCillian Murphy is mesmerising in his portrayal of the titular scientist, leading an impressive cast of A-listers, including Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Florence Pugh. The film flits between courtroom drama-esque scenes showing government hearings involving Oppenheimer's nemesis Lewis Strauss (Downey Jr), which are interwoven with the story of Oppenheimer's life.
© Instagram/UniversalThis important, imaginative and bold film is every bit a cinematic masterpiece and deserves to take home Best Picture this year. - Nicky Morris, Senior TV Writer
Barbie
I don't go to the cinema often, but couldn't help but make the trip this summer with my sister and mother (a family first) to watch Barbie and it didn't disappoint. I loved Margot Robbie's Barbie, Greta's interpretation of the lives of my favourite childhood toys was perfect and her casting of Ken could not have been better.
© Alamy Stock PhotoIn the movie, if you're the one person left who hasn't watched it, Barbie has to head to the human world after having weird thoughts (and experiencing cellulite, so something is VERY wrong) and takes Ken along for the ride. The real world poses big questions for both of them. Is Barbie not the ideal role model? Is everything wrong about her way of life? What is the Patriarchy, and how does it involve horses? Meanwhile, Barbie World is taken over by the Kens meaning that she and the other Barbies - and a couple of human palas - need to take it back. - Andrea Caamano, Website Editor
