Yesterday I watched the last of the nine Best Picture nominees.
I would rank them as follows, based purely on how much I admired them, not on their likelihood of winning:
1917
Parasite
JoJo Rabbit
Ford vs Ferrari
Little Women
One Upon a Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Marriage Story
Joker
I liked some other movies better than some of the nominees, but I didn’t like any film more than 1917. It’s not just a brilliantly designed and executed movie, but also a thrill ride. I was on the edge of my seat for pretty much every minute of that flick – and I was absolutely dazzled by several of the scenes.
Parasite is also very impressive and original.
I liked Little Women very much. I liked they way it interpreted Alcott’s characters, and I also liked the changes it introduced. But … I watched it with several women who have forgotten the book, having read it long ago from their high school summer reading lists, and they could not follow it. I was constantly having to pause to answer questions. “Now how old are they here?” “Does this scene happen before or after that one where …?” The script definitely has some problems with the time shifts, because a story originally written for juvenile readers should not confuse a bunch of adult women with graduate degrees, especially when they have already read the book. Since Greta Gerwig was doubly responsible for that as both author and director, I understand fully why the Academy passed her over for the best director Oscar. For the same reason, I don’t even think she should have received the nomination for best adapted screenplay – and she’s the favorite to win that one!
(I can’t fairly judge this confusion because I do so much homework before watching a film. I didn’t actually re-read Little Women and Good Wives, but I brought myself completely up to speed by reading a full synopsis of their plots, several short bios of Alcott, and some critiques of her books. As a result, none of the time shifts bothered me, and I was able to appreciate how Gerwig approached the project. But I also hear what my friends were saying.)
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IMDb voters rank them as follows:
Joker
Parasite
1917
Ford vs Ferrari
Marriage Story
Little Women
JoJo Rabbit
The Irishman
One Upon a Time in Hollywood
The bookies see it like this:
1917
Parasite
One Upon a Time in Hollywood
Joker
The Irishman
JoJo Rabbit
Marriage Story
Little Women
Ford vs Ferrari
Note that Parasite is second on all three lists. It may turn out to be the dark horse in the race.