The Movie Waffler We Rank The 2017 Best Picture Oscar Nominees | The Movie Waffler

We Rank The 2017 Best Picture Oscar Nominees

Here's how we feel this year's nominees stack up.






The nine movies up for Best Picture at this year's Oscars may not be the nine we might have picked, but just for shits and giggles we've decided to rank them in terms of quality.


9. Hidden Figures
We said: "Hidden Figures has all the expected problems, including an abundance of cliches and shamelessly manipulative scenes throughout. But by some miracle, the film works. It's utterly pleasant and warmly touching, while eliciting a genuine feeling of triumph that so often rings false in similar efforts." Read our review




8. La La Land
We said: "La La Land might feel like it’s airily dancing its way into the hearts of incurable romantics, but as in Damien Chazelle’s other feature films, it hearkens back to a more serious question: what must we sacrifice to fulfil our dreams and our art, and is it all worth it in the end?" Read our review




7. Fences
We said: "At 139 minutes, it seems every one of August Wilson's words has carried over, and while the dialogue is fantastic, there are too many plot beats that play as lazy exposition when translated to the screen so literally. That said, as uncinematic filmed plays go, Fences' words and performances are enough to make it a compelling and powerful watch." Read our review




6. Hacksaw Ridge
We said: "Ever since Braveheart, Mel Gibson has grown a reputation for his visceral portrayal of bloodshed, and it reaches a peak here with arguably the most intensely hellish depiction of battle ever seen in a mainstream war movie." Read our review



5. Arrival
We said: "We're living in something of a golden age for sci-fi dramas whose protagonists are scientists and intellectuals determined to think rather than blast their way through obstacles, and Amy Adams' linguist is perhaps the most human of them all." Read our review




4. Moonlight
We said: "Barry Jenkins creates a complex portrait of an individual; we see how Chiron’s quietness as a kid stems from shyness, how his quietness as a teen stems from fear, and how his quietness as an adult allows him to survey and internalise his environment. He’s a full-blooded character, and it’s a moving experience to watch him grow." Read our review




3. Lion
We said: "Much of Lion plays out in silence as Garth Davis relies on subtle camerawork, effective staging and the power of an actor's eyes over dialogue. Luke Davies' script commendably shuns any Oscar reel speeches, which makes the few times its characters sit down and communicate their feelings verbally all the more cathartic and moving. And boy is this a moving film." Read our review




2. Hell or High Water
We said: "Scotsman David Mackenzie and his English cinematographer Giles Nuttgens fetishise the film's Texan setting in a way not seen since Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas. This is a stunning movie set in a beautiful, if broken and bent out of shape part of the world." Read our review




1. Manchester by the Sea
We said: "There's a lot more visual storytelling on display here than you might expect from a narrative of this nature, and Kenneth Lonergan's leading man is required to deliver a largely silent performance. It's not Casey Affleck's dialogue we ultimately remember so much as his moments of silence." Read our review