As we wait for the 96th Academy Awards in March, let us take a look at some of the best movies 2023 had to offer. From Barbie to Oppenheimer, from comedies to historical dramas, let us take a deep dive into the list of nominees for the Oscars Best Picture award.
American Fiction
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23561236/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Director: Cord Jefferson
Cord Jefferson, Percival Everett
Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Plot: A novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Anatomy of a Fall
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17009710/
Director: Justine Triet
: Justine Triet, Arthur Harari
Starring: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner
Plot: A woman is suspected of her husband’s murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.
Barbie
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517268/?ref_=tt_mv_close
Director: Greta Gerwig
Writers: Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae
Plot: Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
Killers of the Flower Moon
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5537002/?ref_=tt_mv_close
Director: Martin Scorsese
Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese, David Grann
Genres: Crime, Drama, History
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone
Plot: When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one – until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
Maestro
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5535276/?ref_=tt_mv_close
Director: Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer
Genres: Biography, Drama, History
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Matt Bomer
Plot: This love story chronicles the lifelong relationship of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.
Oppenheimer
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15398776/?ref_=tt_mv_close
Director: Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin
Genres: Biography, Drama, History
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon
Plot: The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.
Past Lives
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13238346/mediaviewer/rm1070082817/?ref_=tt_ov_i
Director: Celine Song
Writers: Celine Song
Genres: Drama, Romance
Starring: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro
Plot: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
Poor Things
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14230458/?ref_=tt_mv_desc
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Tony McNamara, Alasdair Gray
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe
Plot: The incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter.
The Holdovers
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849194/
Director: Alexander Payne
David Hemingson
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
Plot: A cranky history teacher at a remote prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a troubled student who has no place to go and a grieving cook.
The Zone of Interest
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7160372/
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Martin Amis, Jonathan Glazer
Genres: Drama, History, War
Starring: Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, Freya Kreutzkam
Plot: The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
You’ve learned about the Oscars best picture contenders. Which one is your favorite? Share your thoughts below. Don’t forget to tune into the Academy Awards ceremony this March.
Click here to check out 10 highly anticipated movies of 2024.