Oscars: Every Best Picture Nominee Of The 2010s - Ranked Worst To Best
46. A Star Is Born
It's not an understatement to say that A Star Is Born took everyone by surprise. The directorial debut of Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga being cast in the lead role and it being the fourth take on a classic Hollywood plot raised worries in the run up to release - worries which its initial festival showing dashed utterly and completely.
The first hour in particular is stunning. It's here where Cooper's direction really shines as well, with long, improvised scenes making the formation of this relationship feel so organic and real, with the filmmaker allowing the chemistry between the two leads to essentially become the narrative. The second half only dips a little, and you won't even mind once you hit that final, heartbreaking musical number.
JB
45. Bridge Of Spies
Bridge of Spies seems to be largely forgotten about amidst Steven Spielberg's output this decade, and yet I'd argue he's never been better in the 2010s than with his supremely well-crafted Cold War thriller.
The film looks great, and Spielberg has a real mastery over the story here: he knows exactly when to ratchet up the tension in this game of cat-and-mouse, and when to catch you off-guard with a moment of humour instead. Crucial to this are the performances of Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance, whose relationship makes this stand apart. Hanks is as reliable as ever, but it's Rylance's compelling and emotional work that shows why he's been Spielberg's lucky charm the past few years.
JH
44. The Kids Are Alright
Looking at the likes of Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, The Descendants and August: Osage County, the Academy has something of a thing for dysfunctional family units and small scale dramas that break worlds apart across kitchen diners and dinner tables.
In The Kids Are Alright, they got that plus something else they love - a tense portrait of lost and found identity as Julianne Moore's Jules embarks on an affair with the sperm donor her son insists on finding behind her wife's back. It's the kind of interweaving, slow-brewing family drama that the committee eats up and the fact that it ends on a note of hope just makes it even more impressively crafted.
SG
43. Silver Linings Playbook
Director David O. Russell was on a pretty impressive hot-streak in the early 2010s, but his best release during this period wasn't the big, flashy American Hustle or The Fighter, but the unassuming romantic comedy, Silver Linings Playbook. Once again teaming up with Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Jennifer Lawrence, each actor gives unsurprisingly amazing performances, but ones which aren't conventionally recognised by the Academy.
It gets heavy when it needs to, but the most surprising thing is just how funny Silver Linings Playbook is. There's a frenetic energy running through its veins - perhaps best exemplified in the electric musical sequences - but it remains focused in a way that O. Russell's other flicks from this period never were.
JB