Oscars: Every Best Picture Nominee Of The 2010s - Ranked Worst To Best

34. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Josh

There was a lot of controversy surrounding Three Billboards when it really became an Oscar frontrunner, but that wasn’t the film’s biggest problem. Though its central story, about two dysfunctional, pretty horrible people attempting to deal with a tragedy that means so much to some yet so little to others, was intensely moving, it was slightly undercut by a recurring issue of tonal whiplash.

Just like the rest of his movies, director Martin McDonagh injected a good dose of black comedy into the plot, which occasionally misses the mark. That, coupled with one pretty slapdash scene that could have been cut entirely, sadly drag down what’s otherwise a lively, nuanced take on trauma.

Which is a shame, because the character drama here is so good once the detached irony and attempts at comedy are dropped (or at least pushed to the side). It’s still worth your time regardless, but it lacks the balance that made In Bruges an instant classic.

JB

33. Django Unchained

While it may lack the complexity of or emotional impact of both The Hateful Eight and Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained makes up for it in pure, pulpy fun. The Western tackles some pretty hefty themes, particularly when it comes to race and slavery, yet manages to find a way to treat them with the respect they deserve while still delivering non-stop entertainment.

The film is more of a celebration than anything. From the first time Jamie Foxx's Django rides as a free man, draped in the most garish blue suit you'll ever see, to the moment he enjoys a triumphant dance with his horse after saving his wife and blowing up the house of his enemy in the climax, Quentin Tarantino constantly delivers those punch-the-air moments of triumph without sacrificing proper narrative dread or genuine human stakes.

32. Birdman

The 2015 Oscars were all about the battle between Birdman and Boyhood, and while everyone has their favourites, both were undeniably strong efforts.

Birdman in particular felt incredibly fresh and snappy, telling an almost meta-narrative about a former superhero actor, Riggan (played with reinvigorated vigour by Michael Keaton), attempting to revive his fading career.

The flick had more than this art-imitating-life gimmick going for it, though, with an outstanding ensemble cast and a real, biting deconstruction of LA and Hollywood politics. It was the perfect counter to Boyhood: where that movie was glacial and contemplative, this was quick, energetic and irreverent; where Boyhood was grounded and realistic, Birdman was surreal, abstract, and intentionally artificial.

31. The Martian

If you make statements like "The Martian is Ridley Scott's best film," you're usually called names while segments of the Internet question whether you have marital relations with your own family. It's the kind of hot-button topic that inspires that kind of high-brow discourse, you see.

But that doesn't make it any less true. Written as a loving ode to human spirit - a delightful, warming bit of propaganda minus the usual bitter after-taste of politics - it's awful but incredible at the same time. It's beautifully well-shot, gloriously written (especially considering a lot of it is a one man show) and the ending is so uplifting that you'd have to be made of stone not to fall in love with it.

SG