The Oscar ceremony is one week away and I thought it would be a good idea to quickly recap the Best Picture nominees. Admittedly, I’m not as excited for this year’s Oscars as I have been in the past, mainly because the nominees didn’t really appeal to me.

Let’s take a look!

Belfast

Kenneth Branagh does a good job showing how a boy’s life suddenly changes when “The Troubles” break out in Northern Ireland. Belfast, a semi-autobiographical movie, has a lot of heart and emotion, not to mention an excellent cast. It is a love letter not only to that city, but also to everyone who’s ever had to make a choice between leaving and staying – whichever decision that might have been.

Where to watch: In theaters and streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, AMC On Demand or Alamo On Demand.

CODA

What if the biggest passion in your life were something that your family wouldn’t be able to appreciate? That’s what happens in CODA, which stands for “Child of Deaf Adults.” It is definitely the most crowd-pleasing movie out of the ten nominees, with a sweet story about family and following your dreams. Even though I enjoyed it, I’m not sure it should be a contender for best picture, but I can see the appeal.

Where to watch: In theaters and streaming on Apple TV.

Don’t Look Up

Don’t Look Up feels like one of those movies that the Academy loves to nominate. Stellar cast? Check. Social commentary on society and media? Check. Written by one of their favorites screenwriters? Check. Despite having an interesting premise, Don’t Look Up drags for way too long and never fully takes advantages of its cast. There are some funny moments, mainly thanks to Jennifer Lawrence, but they’re not enough to make it the best movie of the year.

Where to watch: Streaming on Netflix.

Drive My Car

Drive My Car takes its time not only to set up the story, with the opening credits rolling 45 minutes after the movie’s begun, but also on its characters’ development. There are many scenes dedicated to Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya and while they’re there to show the deep connection between the main character and the play, it feels a bit tiring to see so many rehearsal scenes.

Where to watch: In theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

Dune

Some movies are simply not my type, specially sci-fi. For that reason, I was dreading Dune and, sadly, my pre-conceived opinion of it became true: I couldn’t connect to the story and I found the pacing extremely slow. However, I can see why it got so many nominations for the technical categories and it is truly baffling that Denis Villeneuve was snubbed for the best director category. How can you be impressed with so many aspects of the movie and not recognize the person responsible for conceiving it?

Where to watch: In theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

King Richard

It looks like this is finally Will Smith’s year to win the Oscar and King Richard is a great movie to showcase his talents. His portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ dad is extremely convincing and it evokes all types of emotions from the audience. Aunjanue Ellis is fantastic as his wife. The movie itself is a decent biopic, but I wouldn’t call it the best of the year.

Where to watch: In theaters and streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube.

Licorice Pizza

Every year, when the Oscar nominations come out, I disagree with some of them. However, I can usually see where the voters are coming from and while I don’t personally like that film, I understand its nominations. Sadly, that’s not the case with Licorice Pizza. I’ve yet to comprehend the appeal this movie has not only to the Academy, but the audiences in general, who seem to love it. It’s way too long and it’s just many incidents involving a young couple patched up in a pointless way and yet, somehow, it’s being called a great coming-of-age story. The nomination for original screenplay boggles my mind and the fact that Paul Thomas Anderson got nominated for best director and Denis Villeneuve didn’t is something I’ll never get my head around. And I didn’t even like Dune! But at least I can acknowledge its qualities. Licorice Pizza, in my opinion, is overhyped and overrated.

Where to watch: In theaters and streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft, and YouTube.

Nightmare Alley

Nightmare Alley is another example of a movie with an all-star cast that doesn’t fully take advantage of it. It is way too long, something that’s been happening a lot this year, and the story drags in parts. Bradley Cooper does a good job as the ambitious carnival worker with a mysterious past who wants to boost his career and we can see Guillermo del Toro’s signature all over the look of the film. It is a strong contender for production design, but it’s unlikely winning best picture.

Where to watch: In theaters and streaming on HBO Max and Hulu.

The Power of the Dog

I’m usually not a fan of Westerns, but The Power of the Dog has a psychological drama aspect, which made it way more interesting. Benedict Cumberbatch gives his best performance as Phil Burbank, an obnoxious ranch owner who makes everyone’s lives a living hell. That’s until Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee, outstanding) arrives and changes the dynamic. It starts a bit slow but, as you reach the end, you realize every single action shown before was necessary to reach to that conclusion.  

Where to watch: In select theaters and streaming on Netflix.

West Side Story

Without a doubt, it’s one of the best films of the year and an excellent work by Steven Spielberg. Released 60 years after the original film, this new version updates a few points (mainly the cast, now made up of actors of Latin origin), but it keeps the songs and emotions of the story. The best part, by far, is Ariana DeBose, who plays Anita. She had a big responsibility, as Rita Moreno, who won the Oscar for this role, is also in this version of the film, albeit playing a different character. You can read my full review here.

Where to watch: In theaters or streaming on Disney+ and HBO Max.

The Oscars will take place on March 27th at 8pm ET.