The nominations for the 2022 Oscar prediction are out. Since their release, I have been on a non-stop marathon of watching the 10 films nominated for best picture. Here’s what I have to say about each of them:

Belfast:

Belfast tells of the story of the titled city in the middle of a religious war between Catholics and Protestants. The film centers on a young boy named Buddy and how this war is affecting his life along with his family’s. The best one in the lot in my opinion, Belfast is a beautifully crafted story that will leave Protestant people in tears. The movie’s brilliant approach to it’s story is brought to life by the actor’s top-notch performances and Kenneth Branagh’s dazzling screenplay and direction. 

The Power of the Dog:

Set in Montana during 1925, The Power of the Dog tells the story of two brothers, Phil and George who own a ranch. When George marries a woman and she moves into the ranch with her son, Phil, the cold-hearted brother, becomes extremely jealous of this woman, constantly mocks her and makes her feel worthless. Despite this, he seems to get along with her son and the two of them connect strongly. The Power of the Dog is definitely not for everyone, as it is a slow ride, but beyond that is a very strong story about resentment, jealousy and love. 

West Side Story:

This movie is a remake based on the hit Broadway musical inspired from Shakesspeare’s Romeo and Juliet, tells the story of two rival street gangs where a boy from one and a girl from the the other, fall in love and must face the inherent conflict that their street gangs have toward one another. This musical was previously made into a movie in 1961, and 60 years later, they were able to remake it and not lose the heart and emotion that made it such a big hit not only on stage, but in cinema. Anyone who watches this movie will instantly fall in love with its energy and musical numbers.

Dune:

Taking place in the distant future, Dune tells the story of a young boy named Paul Atredies, the heir of  the Ocean Planet family empire, and his planet’s battle with other empires to obtain a rare and valuable spice on the planet called Dune. There will be some people that find Dune extremely boring and overlylong, whereas others, specifically science fiction buffs and fans of Frank Herbert’s original novel, will most definitely be intrigued by this film and enjoy it. 

King Richard:

Based on a true story, King Richard is about a man named Richard Williams and his journey with his two prodigy tennis playing daughters as he coaches and cajoles them into being two of the greatest tennis players of all time, Venus and Serena Williams. The film sets its course as a combination of a racial charged movie and a feel good sports movie. Critics and audiences have  been both touched by this film, especially Will Smith’s powerful performance. 

CODA:

An acronym for Children Of Deaf Adults, CODA tells the story of a young, gifted singer who struggles to move on with her life since she is always looking after and helping her deaf family with their needs because she is the only one in her family that isn’t deaf. Brought to life by remarkable performances, a brilliant script of the deaf community and the portrayals by real life deaf actors, CODA will have people giving it a standing ovation by raising your arms and shaking your hands. 

Licorice Pizza:

To sum it up in one sentence, Licorice Pizza is about a 15 years old boy and 26 year old woman and their relationship with each other through a five year period. While this is my least favorite of the nominees, it’s not a terrible movie. It had solid performances by the two lead actors, passable dialogue and really interesting guest star performances throughout the movie . The problem is that it lacks an overall cohesive plot and storytelling. Everything just happens out of nowhere and there are no aspects leading up to them. Overall, this film wasn’t bad, but I was really expecting more out of it based on the track record of the writers and directors of this movie.

Don’t Look Up:

Don’t Look Up tells the story of two astronomers that discover a comet from deep space that will strike the Earth and destroy it. The film revolves around the scientists’ attempt to warn everyone of the comet and stop the comet, which is proven to be difficult due to interference from the facist government. While I thought the film was decent, this film will definitely create mixed reactions from audiences. Others may think that it is well done and the filmmaker had valid points to make whereas others may find it ridiculous and heavy-handed with its subject. 

Nightmare Alley:

Set in 1939, Nightmare Alley tells the story of a con-man named Stanton Carlisle as he scams people out of money through the fake medium of mentalism. When Stanton meets a therapist who is just as cunning and malicious as he is, the two of them form a partnership to scam a wealthy man out of a great fortune. If there is one way to describe how people will review this film, it would be that it is overly long but kept alive by stylish visuals and a powerful ending.

Drive My Car:

Entirely in Japanese, Drive My Car tells the story of a widowed actor that hires a chauffeur and revolves around their developing relationship. Due to being completely in Japanese and having a 3 hour runtime, it will be very hard for viewers to sit through this movie, reading subtitles. Making it to the end though will result in an interesting story about self-acceptance and greed.

Each of these films will be honored throughout the 2022 Oscars Ceremony on ABC, March 27, with the winner announced at the bitter end of the telecast. Hope you enjoy the show!