Tonight is the night. The 94th Academy Awards is upon and in just a few short hours, we will finally hear the names called for acting, directing, writing and for biggest award that’s given away at the end of the night. Full disclosure: I’m not looking forward to this awards ceremony. Typically, the Oscars is my favorite day of the year even over days that include Christmas and even my own damn birthday. In the past 5-10 years it’s been a night that I get so excited that I can’t even sleep the night before the ceremony. There’s a variety of factors on why this Academy Awards doesn’t excite me, and rather explaining in depth we’re just going to leave it at that. Nevertheless, the Academy Awards has been a night to celebrate the art of filmmaking and to commend the achievement of filmmaking by recognizing the talent of that year. Not just for the films that get awarded or nominated, but for the year of cinema. This is also the first year in some time where the Academy selected 10 total movies for Best Picture. They first expanded it to 10 slots, instead of 5 movies, at the 81st Academy Awards but have only did 1-2 times. This year, we finally got up to 10 movies nominated for Best Picture. Belfast, The Power of the Dog, West Side Story, Dune and so many more will all be awarded or recognized tonight.

This list will take all 10 of the Best Picture nominees and rank them from worst to best. Full transparency: none of these movies are bad. This is not a list over quality, it’s more of a personal preference. Hopefully you enjoy. Let’s get started!

#10 Drive My Car

Hate to put this movie so low on the list, considering that this is very much beloved by the people who have seen it, and while Drive My Car is an ambitious drama with effective storytelling, strong performances and elegant direction. The big problem that Drive My Car dealt with was the fact that it’s narrative was told a runtime of right at 180 minutes long. A 3-hour movie doesn’t make a movie good or bad, as long as the story calls for it. Drive My Car didn’t need to be that long in my opinion, and I also believe it’s what hurts its chances from being great. Good movie, but could have been better if it were 30 minutes shorter.

#9 Coda

I know no one wants to see this movie this low on a list like this, especially with this movie gaining so much momentum so late in the Oscar campaign game, and as sweet, delightful and as charming as Coda is, the fact that it’s in the race and is maybe the favorite to win is kind of crazy. The more I discuss Coda, the more people assume I criticize it just for getting a Best Picture nomination, which is completely false. Coda is a good movie and I’m thrilled that people are discovering it, but for Best Picture? Nah.

#8 The Power of the Dog

The same for Coda should also be said about The Power of the Dog. Again, good movie, beautiful to look at and great grounded performances from the cast. But the problem with Coda and The Power of the Dog isn’t a problem with the quality of either movies is that the Academy is picking movies that the general public isn’t as highly aware of as some might think. Is that a cop out of an answer? Probably. But for The Power of the Dog and Coda being the two from runners to win Best Picture and for not many people to be aware about is highly concerning going forward.

#7 Nightmare Alley

By far the biggest surprise was seeing Nightmare Alley getting a Best Picture nomination. It’s certainly a movie that was in the discussion for major awards contention, not just for acting or directing, but for Best Picture. After its release, the movie sort of lost its traction for numerous reasons. It’s certainly was going to get recognized for its cinematography and production design, but Best Picture seemed to be disappear. Nightmare Alley is certainly not Del Toro’s movie and it deserves Best Picture nomination more so than The Power of the Dog or Coda, but sadly that ain’t happening.

#6 King Richard

When a good sports biopic comes along, it can be a real special crowd pleaser. While King Richard is like any other sports movie or any other biopic, King Richard nails it. By all accounts, King Richard is the best crowd pleasing movie that’s nominated for Best Picture, and while we all know that Will Smith is finally getting that Oscar tonight for the first time in his career, King Richard is a worthy movie for a nomination and potentially, the Best Picture win.

#5 Licorice Pizza

Is Licorice Pizza Paul Thomas Anderson’s best or most groundbreaking movie? Not even remotely. However, it does have the Best Picture flare to it but it also felt like a personal and very intimate story for PTA to handle. While part of me does feel like the Academy gave Licorice Pizza any nomination is because the name PTA and they love having his name in the mix, regardless how good the movie is. Either way, it’s a fabulous and wondrous movie and a Best Picture win is okay for me.

#4 Belfast

While Licorice Pizza might not be Paul Thomas Anderson’s best movie, I do think that Belfast is indeed one of Kenneth Branagh’s best movies he’s ever made. Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast is everything Alfonso Cuarón‘s Roma wishes it was. Where Roma was this beautiful and striking painting with zero substance, Belfast had more heart, focus and way more substance to digest. This was the movie to win Best Picture months before the nominations ever came out, but sadly it lost it’s momentum and I’d much rather see this movie win Best Picture than The Power of the Dog or Coda.

#3 Don’t Look Up

Definitely a controversial pick to have this movie this high up on the list, let alone to have it as a Best Picture nomination. It’s not that Don’t Look Up is outrageously funny, irreverent and deeply satirical with its subject matter, there was something deeply horrifying and effective with what writer and director Adam McKay was trying to convey to the audience. This is even more of a bold choice for a Best Picture nomination that any of McKay’s previous work because at least Vice and The Big Short had his style painted all over it but they still felt a bit hinged on letting McKay letting go. Don’t Look Up was McKay grabbing the paintbrush and painting every single inch on the screen. The mixed response is understanding, but to have a comedy like this nominated for Best Picture is rad.

#2 Dune

The fact that Denis Villeneuve didn’t even get a nomination for Best Director is a travesty because everybody has his name as one that deserved a nomination. But Dune was guaranteed a nomination for Best Picture, and a variety of technical nominations. Dune could not have been adapted any better than how Denis Villeneuve brought it to the big screen. With an outstanding ensemble, grand set pieces and maybe Zimmer’s best music to date, Dune is a well deserved win for Best Picture.

#1 West Side Story

There’s no discussion that needs to be had. Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story was the best movie of 2021. With superb performances, rich emotion, wonderful music and majestic and classical lighting, Spielberg was able to prove, once again, that the man can literally do anything because he is the greatest of greats. The man has tackled every genre but he’s never done a musical, but not only did he crush it, West Side Story is perhaps one of his all time best.