Oscars 2023: Are this years ‘Best Picture’ nominees worth the watch?

With the Golden Globes done and the recent announcement of the 2023 Oscar nominations ahead of its award ceremony on March 12, there’s no doubt it’s officially award season in Hollywood. 

Personally, I think judging and categorising acting and other subjective matter is a bit like trying to catch bubbles but they can be useful to preview movies you might want to have a look at.  

So many categories, which is great, it is important that all that talent involved in the making is acknowledged, including hair, make-up, costume, lighting, and sound. But for the sake of brevity, I will look at nominations for Best Picture with the exception that Jenny Beavan has been nominated for costumes in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris!– I loved the clothes in that movie, they were sensational.

The 2023 Academy Awards Best Picture Nominees are:

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Avatar
• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• The Fablemans
• TAR
• Top Gun Maverick,
• Triangle of Sadness

A couple of crossovers with the Golden Globes where the Banshees of Inisherin won Best Picture Musical or Comedy and The Fablemans won Best Picture, Drama. 

Of the nominee list, I have seen only Top Gun: Maverick. I thought that film had more cheese than the Bodalla factory but some great exciting moments that will allow you to feel the thrill of flying in a way that most people will never experience.  You get the feeling that there was nothing spared in the making of this one.

However, I am very keen to see The Banshees of Inisherin and I have heard people are raving about Cate Blanchett in TAR so I will look for that one too. 

Don’t take it all too seriously; you decide what you like and that is how it should be!

For those looking for films outside the Oscar nomination list, here are three films you should considering adding to your “must watch” list:

 A Man Called Otto

Tom Hanks plays “the grumpiest man in America” under Marc Fraser’s direction. A lonely widower who believes he has nothing left to live for has his plans changed when a lively young family become his neighbour.  It’s a story of friendship, connection and the important role that a sense of community has in our lives. 

It’s funny, sad, heartbreaking and heart-warming all at once.  Based on the book by Frederick Backman this version is the second screen adaptation.  Tom Hanks is masterful as Otto and his son Truman Hanks plays the younger Otto. More family, Rita Wilson, is one of the film’s producers. Trigger warning there are suicidal thoughts and plans of suicide depicted in the movie. 

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

Based on a popular children’s book Lyle, Lyle Crocodile is the story of a talented crocodile who lives in New York City directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck.   Lyle, Lyle Crocodile is a musical comedy and I suspect there may be a follow-up to come.  When the family move to NTC young Josh,  (Winslow Fegley) struggles but all that changes when he meets Lyle the singing crocodile ( voiced by Shawn Mendes) who lives in his attic.

With songs written by the team behind the Greatest Showman soundtrack, there are some anthemic tunes. My 7-year-old grandchild loved this film but wasn’t keen on eating food from skip bins, (which they did in the movie so we went to the Sushi train instead) and did have a teary moment in the Zoo scene but recovered quickly. Overall, a good family movie.  

Amadeus

I visited the newly renovated Concert Hall in the Sydney Opera House in January and saw Amadeus. What a treat it was! I had a front-row box seat (I splurged but the sound is so good you could sit anywhere) and saw some of the finest acting, costumes, movement, lighting and music I have ever seen on a stage.  There really are not enough superlatives in my vocabulary to do this production justice. Acclaimed actor Michael Sheen gave an amazing performance as Salieri with Rahel Romahn fabulous as Mozart and Lily Balatincz brilliant as Constanze Mozart.

Written by Peter Shaffer this production was amazing with every detail perfected. The costumes were lavish with the local fashion house Romance is Born responsible for costume direction. A visual and aural delight that will be long remembered. The power of the scene delivered by Sheen immediately before the interval was astounding.