Oscar 2015 Best Picture Nominees Ranked

I was very pleased with this year’s nominations for Best Picture.  There were obviously some movies I would have preferred to get in, but all the movies nominated, I am okay with.  There is no movie that makes me angry or upset like some years, *coughExtremelyLoudandIncrediblyClosecough*.  Here is how I would rank this year’s Best Picture nominees, from least favorite to best.

8 – Brooklyn

As I said at the beginning, I like all the movies nominated for Best Picture.  Brooklyn being at number eight is no knock against the movie, just a lot of the other movies on this list are damn near masterpieces.  It probably would have been one of my favorites every other year, just not this one.  Brooklyn is wonderful movie.  It’s a great coming of age tale, love story, and period piece, with lovely set design and costumes.  Led by the great Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn is as charming as movies got in 2015.

7- The Martian

The Martian is one hell of a good time.  Ridley Scott, criminally snubbed by the Academy, seems to be back in top form, making his best movie since 2007’s American Gangster.   Matt Damon gives one the best performances of his career and literally carries this movie on his shoulders, being on-screen by himself for nearly the whole thing.  Accompanied with amazing visuals, stellar action, a smart script, and a lot of heart, The Martian is movie everyone will love.

6- Room

This is where the list gets hard, because I gave all of these movies 4/4 and stand by my decision to do so.  Room is one of the most emotional filmgoing experiences os 2015.  Brie Larson and newcomer Jacob Tremblay give two of the best performances of the year as a mother and son who have been kidnapped for seven years and must adjust to life after they break free.  They portray the maternal bond perfectly.  This is a moving, powerful, beautiful movie.

5- The Revenant

The movie for which Leonardo DiCaprio will finally win his coveted Oscar is one of the most brutal movies you will ever see.  Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu proves he is one of the best directors in Hollywood with this movie.  Immersing the viewer in this frozen tundra, you feel everything the characters feel while watching it.  The cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki is stunning.  This is a visceral, heart racing, high art action film that will take your breath away.

4- Bridge of Spies

The most underrated movie amongst these nominees, Bridge of Spies is a masterclass in filmmaking and acting.  Tom Hanks is outstanding, as is Mark Rylance, rightly earning his Oscar nomination as a Soviet spy captured and used to help save two American’s captured in Soviet Russia.  Steven Spielberg is at the height of his powers, producing yet another masterful movie and yet, another one that flew under the radar for the most part.  I’m glad it got a Best Picture nomination, as it was definitely one of the best movies of 2015.

3- Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road was the biggest surprise of 2015.  Who would have thought a sequel 30 years after the last installment would end up being the best of the series?  Director George Miller’s bizarre and brilliant vision is one of true mastery.  Tom Hardy is great and Charlize Theron has never been better, in a performance that should have been nominated.  With its astounding visuals, excellent score, and a story deeper than it has any right to be, Mad Max: Fury Road is the reason why we go to the movies.

2- The Big Short

The Big Short was the smartest movie of 2015.  Writer/director Adam McKay, known for dumber comedies like Anchorman (2004) and Step Brothers (2008) is the brilliant mastermind behind this and he knocks it out of the park, with his darkly hilarious script and expert direction.  Looking at the 2008 housing crises, McKay takes a dense, complicated subject and makes it as exciting and interesting without being confusing.  With its quick, crisp editing and a stellar cast featuring top notch performances from Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, The Big Short is the wildest cautionary tale ever.

1- Spotlight

Spotlight isn’t the flashiest movie, but it is as exhilarating of an experience you will have at the movies.  This expertly crafted procedural takes a look at the Boston Globe’s investigation into priest molestation accusations in the early 2000’s.  Writer/director Tom McCarthy’s use of subtle direction and great editing to tell the story is a class in less is more.  The ensemble cast of Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber, and Oscar nominees Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo is one of the year’s best.  Spotlight is a masterpiece and this centuries All the President’s Men (1977).

What is your favorite of this year’s Best Picture nominees?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix or on Facebook at KevFlix.