Oscars: Every Best Picture Nominee Of The 2010s - Ranked Worst To Best
62. Life Of Pi
Life of Pi is a curious example of how a film can burn bright during awards season, but then completely fade away. Ang Lee's film was lauded at the time for its visual effects, which came at a time when the industry was obsessed with 3D.
In fairness to Lee, the effects work on the movie is stunning, but what else about the film does anyone remember? The film doesn't go anywhere near deep enough into the thematics of its spiritual story. It's a shallow, shaggy-tiger tale that's biggest show of faith is that what it's doing is important. It's a technical marvel, but not much more besides.
JH
61. American Hustle
American Hustle is very much an "actor's film". The ensemble cast, including Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence, all give incredible, committed performances (bar a couple dodgy accents), each lavished with ridiculous, period-authentic hair and makeup.
The only real problem is the story itself isn't quite strong enough to support them. Despite the real-life inspiration, much of the narrative feels familiar in its presentation and execution, struggling to weave this tapestry of huge personalities together in a satisfying way.
Still, there's always entertainment to be found in just how unwieldily the film gets, and at 138 minutes, the opulence and indulgence of American Hustle's world is kind of the point.
JB
60. The Post
With Steven Spielberg directing, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep leading an incredible ensemble cast, and a great story that runs adjacent to All The President's Men, it was inevitable that The Post was going to be pretty good. But why isn't it great?
Part of the problem is that it gives so many of its cast - Bob Odenkirk! Sarah Paulson! Carrie Coon! Allison Brie! Matthew Rhys! - so little to do. But the bigger problem, and the one that stops it from reaching the heights of President's Men or Spotlight, is how passively it unpacks its stories. It's far too happy to tell, taking a more calculated approach that means it's good, but not much more.
JH
59. 127 Hours
The Academy loves a story of personal triumph in the face of profound adversity and you don't get much more profoundly adverse than the true story of Aron Ralston who goes hiking and ends up, rather notoriously, trapped in a canyon with his hand crushed by a boulder. It's hard not to just consider this to be the film where James Franco hacks his own arm off, but it is an awful lot more than that reductive summary.
It's an unflinching, haunting portrait of an unthinkable thing and how one man navigates the harrowing crisis of the decision he has to make to save his life. It's also lasting evidence that James Franco genuinely is great at times.