Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

1. The Power of the Dog
2. Belfast
3. West Side Story
4. Don't Look Up
5. Licorice Pizza
6. Drive My Car
7. Dune
8. Nightmare Alley
9. CODA
10. King Richard

On further reflection, Licorice Pizza moves up to third thereby dislodging Drive my Car which sadly moves out of its top five placement.

1. The Power of the Dog
2. Belfast
3. Licorice Pizza
4. West Side Story
5. Nightmare Alley
6. Drive My Car
7. Dune
8. Don't Look Up
9. King Richard
10. CODA

Maybe it's a cold weather vs. a warm weather thing, or I wasn't in the mood, or whatever, but I've revised my opinion of Licorice Pizza, which moves up from 10th place to 6th. Even the title that didn't make sense to me the first time around, now does. The pretty perfect soundtrack plays songs from records that would have been sold by the Licorice Pizza record store chain in the early 1970s. I still have a problem with the too broad cameos but they're just a mild distraction for me now. I could even laugh at Christine Ebersole's silly ass interpretation of Lucille Ball and Bradley Cooper's sick fuck interpretation of Jon Peters.

1. The Power of the Dog
2. Belfast
3. West Side Story
4. Nightmare Alley
5. Drive My Car
6. Licorice Pizza
7. Dune
8. Don't Look Up
9. King Richard
10. CODA

I still have a few films to watch, but here’s how I would have voted:

1. The Power of the Dog
2. CODA
3. Nightmare Alley
4. West Side Story
5. Dune
6. Don’t Look Up
7. King Richard

Looking forward to see how my own list will change once I catch up with the three films I’m missing right now.

A fairly mediocre line-up this year

1. The Power of the Dog
2. Drive My Car
3. Licorice Pizza
4. Dune
5. Belfast
6. West Side Story
7. King Richard
8. CODA
9. Nightmare Alley
10. Don't Look Up

1. The Power of the Dog
2. Belfast
3. CODA
4. Nightmare Alley
5. King Richard
6. West Side Story
7. Dune
8. Don't Look Up
9. Drive My Car

Will be watching Licorice Pizza in a few hours

Seems like a good many of us ended up with the same top 3 or 4, albeit sometimes in scrambled order.

There've been years where the differences were far more dramatic.

I put off watching Coda until almost the last minute, so now can do my ranking.

1. The Power of the Dog (great art, loved the visual storytelling)
2. Drive my Car (a cinematic feast, this might leap to my number one after another viewing)
3. Licorice Pizza (delightful cinema with a few too many flaws)
4. Dune (technically outstanding with a good enough story)
5. West Side Story (technically dazzling but left me a bit cold)
6. Belfast (I’m a sucker for Irish humor and sensibility, a nice little film)
7. King Richard (not bad as biopics go, pretty forgettable)
8. Nightmare Alley (visually gorgeous but felt like a pulpy cartoon, did not draw me in)
9. Don’t Look Up (decent idea for a movie, undisciplined filmmaking)
10. Coda (Hallmark movie)

Only the top 3 are truly worthy of a Best Picture nomination, in my opinion.

1. The Power of the Dog
2. Drive My Car
3. West Side Story
4. Licorice Pizza
5. Dune
6. CODA
7. King Richard
8. Nightmare Alley
9. Don’t Look Up
10. Belfast

Having now seen all of them, here's mine:

1. The Power of the Dog
2. Drive My Car
3. Licorice Pizza
4. Dune
5. Belfast
6. King Richard
7. CODA
8. West Side Story
9. Don't Look Up
10. Nightmare Alley

I haven't seen everything yet, like many Academy members, I'm sure, but here's how I'd rank them knowing what I know now.

1. The Power of the Dog
2. Dune
3. West Side Story
4. Nightmare Alley
5. Belfast
6. Licorice Pizza
7. Drive My Car
8. King Richard
9. Don't Look Up
10. CODA

Eric wrote:

Mister Tee wrote:1. Drive My Car
2. Licorice Pizza
…
10. CODA

In the slots where it truly counts, you and I are in total sync.

It happens they're the ones on which my position is most adamant.

Mister Tee wrote:1. Drive My Car
2. Licorice Pizza
3. Dune
4. The Power of the Dog
5. Belfast
6. Nightmare Alley
7. West Side Story
8. King Richard
9. Don't Look Up
10. CODA

Anything past the top 4 I could easily have skipped.

We may have them in a different order, but your top four is the only one I agree with so far. I have to see one more film before I can post my ranking.

Mister Tee wrote:1. Drive My Car
2. Licorice Pizza
…
10. CODA

In the slots where it truly counts, you and I are in total sync.

1. Drive My Car
2. Licorice Pizza
3. Dune
4. The Power of the Dog
5. Belfast
6. Nightmare Alley
7. West Side Story
8. King Richard
9. Don't Look Up
10. CODA

Anything past the top 4 I could easily have skipped.