The Academy Award nominees were announced Tuesday. From now through the awards, I’ll be looking at nominees in some of the film categories. Today, it’s a look at the nominees for Best Picture. Nominees appear in order of preference for me. The Academy Awards takes place on Sunday, March 10.

Oppenheimer
About: Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer led the pack with 13 nominations. It figures to be a front-runner in several categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. It’s an incredible achievement and stands out even among a good group of Best Picture nominees for me.

Barbie
About: It was fair to wonder how Greta Gerwig was going to pull this off. But she did it, delivering a beautiful and poignant film. If it wins Best Picture, it will be deserved. I wish Gerwig got a directing nomination and Margot Robbie was in the Lead Actress field, but I suspect this film will still do well at the Academy Awards.

Poor Things
About: This film was unlike anything I saw during the 2023 movie season. Yorgos Lanthimos delivers a striking and clever film that’s buoyed by a heck of a lead performance from Emma Stone. This won’t be for everyone, but I thought it was really well made.

Past Lives
About: This film is an emotional gut punch. I’m glad Celine Song’s script was nominated, but I wish she’d been nominated in the directing field. I also wish Greta Lee had gotten a nomination for her brilliant lead performance. This is an incredible film.

Maestro
About: This was a labor of love for Bradley Cooper, and it shows. He and Carey Mulligan are great in the film. It’s not always an easy watch, but the intensity and the emotions come through on the screen.

American Fiction
About: This film from Cord Jefferson was crisp and amusing. I loved Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown in these roles, and both were worthy of their nominations. I liked this movie a lot.

Killers of the Flower Moon
About: This was a high-profile project that delivers an important story well. Martin Scorsese puts together an interesting film and Lily Gladstone gives a heck of a performance. I could see this picking up a few awards.

The Holdovers
About: I’ve long enjoyed films from Alexander Payne. This is another engaging and powerful story. I enjoy Paul Giamatti in the lead role and the emotional highs and lows of the film. DaVine Joy Randolph is great and should be the front-runner in the Best Supporting Actress field.

The Zone of Interest
About: This is also in the Best International Feature competition. It’s a powerful film and a bit of a dark story. This could have plenty of dark horse appeal and I think it’s also the front-runner for International Feature.

Anatomy of a Fall
About: This didn’t qualify for the International Feature field because France elected to put up The Taste of Things. I enjoyed The Taste of Things more, but this is a powerful and well-written film. I think its best shot is in the screenplay competition, but it, too, could be a dark-horse in the Best Picture race.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.