In perhaps one of the most stacked rosters of all time, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released their nominations for The Oscars, the most prestigious awards in cinema, for 2026. Today we’ll be reviewing this year’s nominees for Best Picture and ranking them based on our predictions for who will take the crown as the best film of the past year. We invite YOU, the reader, to join us in our predictions by filling out the Google Form found at the bottom of this article. The most accurate ranking will win a highly coveted 🥁🥁🥁🥁 $50 CHICK-FIL-A GIFT CARD! If there’s a tie, we’ll draw a random winner from the ties.
Sinners
Deacon’s Rank: 4
Director Ryan Coogler uses his ultimate industry-green light to create one of the most inventive and meticulously crafted big budget releases in recent history. Micheal B. Jordan also turns what initially seemed like a gimmick into a fully realized performance (or two?), and that one scene might be the most ethereal sequence of the year (if you’ve seen it you know). Although I don’t believe it’s one of the frontrunners for Best Picture, it will surely be one of the defining movies looking back at 2025.
Trey’s Rank: 4
Director Ryan Coogler has to have a thing with Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Black Panther and now Sinners) but damn does he do so good in this movie. This is one of the most Stunning, Gripping and Beautiful movies of the decade. And with the amazing debut of Miles Canton who steals the show every scene he’s in. Although it isn’t in the top of my best picture rankings it surely found its audience and I can’t wait to see more Ryan Coogler in the future.
Shaurya’s Rank: 1
Coogler’s novel take on the vampire genre will keep you on the edge of your seat. Drawing from the Deep South’s vibrant culture, the score pays homage to the rich history of gospel without taking away from Michael B. Jordan’s masterful dual-role performance. The film’s record-breaking number of nominations so far is well deserved and places it in a competitive position for Best Picture.
Bugonia
Deacon’s Rank: 7
A horror/thriller film hasn’t won best picture since The Silence of the Lambs in 1991- I don’t think Bugonia will be the one to break this record, nor do I think it should. The general culty, atmospheric, and psychological trend in recent independent horror lead by director Yorgos Lanthimos is starting to lose its luster, which also isn’t helped by feeling conceptually squeezed dry by the front of Act 2. Despite the conceptual and stylistic drawbacks, Emma Stone and Yorgos’ chemistry is unparalleled, and Jessie Plemmons gives a simultaneously goofy yet harrowing performance, making for a flawed but entertaining experience.
Trey’s Rank: 9
While I left with more questions than answers, I can’t deny it is a very compelling and drawing movie with an astounding score and some breathtaking visuals.
Shaurya’s Rank: 6
Bugonia, a film whose title serves as a metaphor for hope, is a thought-provoking dark comedy that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With the captivating emotional performance of Emma Stone, with the suspense of Yorgos Lantimos’ directing, with the eccentric performance of Jesse Plemons, Bugonia forces us to reckon with the pressing issues of our time in the perfect balance between arthouse and mass appeal. Continuing their saga, Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos have created a film that truly stands out in such a competitive roster.
The Secret Agent
Deacon’s Rank: 6
International films have historically been a blind spot of the Academy up until very recently, and even when they are recognized they have to be a wide-scope, existential masterpiece, like Roma or Parasite, while films like F1 are recognized just for being spoken in English. Historically, when you’re making a film outside the US you’re graded on a different scale, which is why I commend the Oscars for nominating The Secret Agent, a really good crime thriller. I say all this because I don’t have much else to actually say about the movie, other than it being enjoyable and I’m happy that it will have this opportunity to get more eyes on it.
Trey’s Rank: 10
Secret Agent is a lean, moody, thriller that’s more about atmosphere and unease than nonstop action. The tension creeps in through sharp dialogue and motivation. It’s not the flashiest of work, but it’s fascinating if you like slow-burn suspense.
Shaurya’s Rank: 7
Wagner Moura’s transition from TV does not disappoint in The Secret Agent. This political thriller, though slow at times, is an astounding film in all respects. If you love cinema or history or both, you’re likely to love this movie — that is IF you can overcome the formidable one-inch-tall barrier of the subtitles.
F1
Deacon’s Rank: 10
Despite being ranked at the absolute last spot, I don’t have much negative to say about F1. An unabashedly man-driven film (literally) fitting seamlessly in the mold refined by Joseph Kosinski in Top Gun: Maverick, narrative-wise it isn’t reinventing the wheel. Rather, it chooses to revel in its technical accomplishments, featuring some of the most fun and gripping action sequences of the year. In its essence it’s a late 20th century action drama, flaws and all.
Trey’s Rank: 8
“I am speed” Not in the movie but damn should it have been, great movie with great action. It’s not the MIND BLOWING EXTRAVAGANZA, but it’s just fun.
Shaurya’s Rank: 10
An exciting watch, F1, has all the macho bravado of a typical Joseph Kosinski film but is ultimately shallow. Very surprised it was nominated for Best Picture.
Frankenstein
Deacon’s Rank: 9
Frankenstein deserves every bit of the love it’s getting from the Academy for its lush production design, its discomfortingly beautiful makeup, and its obviously great costume design- which makes it that much more frustrating when the cinematography and editing distracts from what should be an elegant film, opting to look like an episode of Cocomelon. Guillermo del Toro and his crew found their stride towards the third act, but I couldn’t help but feel there was so much more potential.
Trey’s Rank: 3
The king of makeup is back (Guillermo del Toro) and he’s better than ever. The mix of Oscar Issac and Jacob Elordi is a match up I never thought I needed but god did I need it. Also Mia Goth and Christopher Waltz in their supporting roles played them to absolute perfection. Lastly, the cinematography in this movie is beautiful, mixing gothic tones with Guillermo del Toro’s usual style to make a masterpiece.
Shaurya’s Rank: 9
Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein is a visually rich film whose intricate costume and set design make it a tedious watch due to its flat storytelling. As someone who hasn’t read the book, the film feels like a caricaturized version of Gothic horror. Films based on iconic books can go either way; this film lies amongst similarly disappointing films such as The Great Gatsby (2013) and Twilight (2008).
Hamnet
Deacon’s Rank: 5
Hamnet is quiet and beautiful, while simultaneously heartwrenching, fully submerging you in the turmoil of the Shakespeare family amidst the death of their child. The film hinges on the performances of Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal (not without mention of Jacobi Jupe delivering one of the best child performances I’ve ever seen) who feel like they’ve drained every ounce of them to make these characters come to life. I have no clue why an actor would do this to themself. Even if its subdued approach likely won’t lead to Hamnet excelling with the Academy, it is more than deserving of your time.
Trey’s Rank: 1
Breathtaking. Complexity to no bounds. And truly one of the best performances of the decade. No more, no less. Near perfection at its finest.
Shaurya’s Rank: 4
Hamnet is a poignant portrait of the human experience. Its excellent cinematography merely shines a light on, perhaps, the best performances I’ve ever seen, of Jessie Buckley and Jacobi Jupe, who, as Robin Williams quoting Thoreau, would say, suck the marrow out of every second on screen. A truly incredible film and a quintessential Best Picture that everyone ought to watch, despite feeling woefully outdated considering this year’s class of nominees.
Marty Supreme
Deacon’s Rank: 3
Marty Supreme is a modern American classic who’s only faults in terms of odds is being released so recently and in the same year as those above it. Read my full review here.
Trey’s Rank: 7
While yes exciting and fun. It feels hollow and lifeless with a scummy main character. While I get the point is to make it clear Marty Supreme is scummy, and yes Timothee Chamalet does a good job at it, It just makes me want him off my screen. Not the main character.
Shaurya’s Rank: 3
Following a LONG line of films focusing on an ambitious protagonist who comes to recognize that there’s more to life than an arbitrary goal, Marty Supreme brings the genre into the 21st century with faster pacing. If only the production had spent more on writing than they had on the grotesque and excessive marketing campaign, would this film have had a real shot at Best Picture. While Timothee Chalamet’s performance and the film’s pacing make it an exciting movie, stepping out of the theater, the film’s 150-minute runtime will leave you desperately searching for reasons it was worth the hype.
Sentimental Value
Deacon’s Rank: 2
Sentimental Value deeply resonated with me, but I’m hesitant to consider that in my ranking because the feelings on display here, of dysfunction and yearning for a family that stands at an arms reach of each other, are both universal and deeply personal. Every character in this movie is handled with so much tenderness, with a personal favorite performance from Renate Reinsve (but catch me on another day and it’ll probably be different), and director Joachim Trier’s central concept of handling the family home like a main character is nearly genius (any architecture/interior design please watch, I beg). Wholly unique and all-encompassing, there is something here that will resonate with everyone- and isn’t that the point of a ‘Best Picture?’
Trey’s Rank: 6
Sentimental Value feels less like a movie you finish and more like one you quietly carry around afterward. I don’t know where to rank it because it isn’t chasing impact or momentum—it’s chasing recognition, that small ache of seeing parts of your own emotional clutter reflected back at you. Some moments barely register while others land days later, out of order, like memories you didn’t know were still active. I’m not sure I loved it in a traditional sense, but it felt honest in a way that makes rankings feel beside the point, as if the film is asking to be remembered rather than judged.
Shaurya’s Rank: 5
Sentimental Value is a deeply reflective film that I think everyone ought to watch at least once in their lifetimes. With a performance that only someone like Stellan Skarsgård could pull off, it highlights the subtleties of unhealed trauma, and though I believe its praise so far has been well deserved, I doubt that it has a shot amongst this year’s roster.
Train Dreams
Deacon’s Rank: 8
Train Dreams teeters on style over substance, but with a style this beautiful I’d let a lot slide. Cinematographer Aldopho Veloso nearly encapsulates the film with some of the most breathtaking shots of the year, and apart from some confusing choices (narrator…) it tackles some heavy subject matter with poise and love.
Trey’s Rank: 5
Train Dreams is undeniably beautiful, patient and soaked in a kind of melancholy that feels carved out of the landscape itself—but it never quite rises to something that of sinners or Frankenstein. The film’s restraint is admirable, and its commitment to atmosphere over narrative gives it a haunting, lived-in quality, even if that same quiet often flattens its emotional peaks. I admired it more than I loved it, moved by individual moments rather than the whole, and while it lingers like a half-remembered dream, it doesn’t demand to be crowned. A lovely film, just not an Oscar one.
Shaurya’s Rank: 8
A truly indelible film. In this meditation on the American psyche, Clint Bentley masterfully balances beauty and tragedy. The ethereal landscapes of the American West and the 3:2 aspect ratio create an ethereal feeling, shaping every shot into a visual masterpiece that immediately becomes apparent. The film’s narrative, unlike many other films on this roster, doesn’t attempt to overdeliver. Dripping with existentialist influences, Train Dreams illuminates the sublimity of the human experience.
One Battle After Another
Deacon’s Rank: 1
Paul Thomas Anderson makes his foray into 21st century filmmaking, and the more I think about One Battle After Another, it just further solidifies itself as an all-time great movie. The entire cast and crew is firing on all cylinders; PTA’s direction and writing is oozing with personality, unbound by plot and genre conventions and focused on crafting unique yet captivating characters. Every cast member has fully lived and breathed through these characters, specifically Sean Penn’s performance, which has such a hilarious, frightening, and alien-like quality to it. The steady score pulsing throughout, the refreshingly bright and over-exposed cinematography- I could go on and on about it, but I suspect you’ll be hearing about One Battle After Another for years to come.
Trey’s Rank: 2
As an avid Paul Thomas Anderson enjoyer it makes me happier than life to see his newest movie be such a commercial and visual success. After his last movie (Licorice pizza) wasn’t a commercial success I was worried that Paul Thomas Anderson would take a break from directing or retire entirely but boy was I wrong. He instead made balls to the wall insane action movies with hilarity, tense action sequences, and performances of a lifetime. To start Leonardo DiCaprio plays such an interesting character with multiple layers to explore and makes him so compelling throughout the movie. Next Teyana Taylor puts a fresh perspective on cheating and the consequences of the said cheating throughout the movie pulling us in on what she’s gonna do next. Finally my supporting actor of the year Sean Penn who plays the villain, makes it so easy to want the absolute worst things to happen to him throughout the movie. He brings such a slimy and vial character with the worst inventions at all times. Comparing this to his characters in Milk and I Am Sam is absolutely stunning and honestly downright crazy to think about. I could talk about this movie forever but I’ll finish it off by saying Paul Thomas Anderson congratulations on the commercial success and I hope there is more of this in the near future.
Shaurya’s Rank: 2
On its surface, Paul Thomas Anderson’s hodgepodge of political metaphors, analogs, and themes lacks a coherent message. While I may have my personal qualms with this film, the fast-paced and chaotic style that seems to be dominating modern cinema, perhaps due to the rise of short-form content, is masterfully done and leaves room for the father-daughter story that lies at the core of this film to truly shine.
Do you feel like we got it wrong? Take your pick at the 2026 Best Picture and get the chance to enter a raffle for a $50 Chick-Fil-A gift card here! All winning picks are entered into the raffle.
