Oscars power rankings, Round 2: The top 10 best picture contenders right now

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Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” didn’t precisely wow audiences and critics erstwhile it premiered astatine the Venice Film Festival, and erstwhile it landed astatine the Telluride Film Festival a time aboriginal for a brace of late-night screenings, the effect was adjacent much muted. Leaving Colorado, the airdrome gross was afloat of hushed conversations betwixt radical registering their disappointment with the movie.

“Frankenstein,” the speech went, had 3 strikes against it — a plodding story, computer-generated imagery that looked appalling and was employed to often ridiculous effect and, extracurricular of Jacob Elordi’s affecting crook arsenic the monster, acting that seemed wildly excessive (Oscar Isaac) oregon hopelessly mislaid (Mia Goth). In short: a mess.

But past “Frankenstein” traveled to the Toronto, a metropolis Del Toro regards arsenic his “second home,” and finished arsenic runner-up to “Hamnet” for the festival’s People’s Choice Award. Now playing successful a theatrical constricted merchandise up of its Nov. 7 Netflix premiere, the movie has recovered favour with the filmmaker’s devoted instrumentality base, selling retired theaters, including dates astatine Netflix’s renovated Egyptian Theatre successful Hollywood, wherever admittance lines wrapped astir the block. And immoderate salient critics, including my workfellow Amy Nicholson, person written immoderate thoughtful reviews of the movie, praising Del Toro’s lifelong passionateness project. Amy calls it the “best movie of his career.”

So successful this update to my post-festival Oscar powerfulness rankings for champion picture, you’ll find “Frankenstein,” a movie that’s hard to spot connected this database but harder inactive to ignore. Previous rankings are parenthetically noted.

Falling retired of the rankings since September: “A House of Dynamite,” “Jay Kelly”

10. ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ (Unranked)

The past “Avatar” movie grossed $2.3 cardinal and, yes, earned an Oscar information for champion picture. Yet I’m hard-pressed to find anyone who’s genuinely excited astir devoting fractional a time to spot the adjacent installment, which clocks successful astatine 3 hours and 12 minutes. Just due to the fact that the archetypal 2 movies were nominated doesn’t mean this 1 volition be. But underestimating James Cameron’s quality to link with audiences — and awards voters — seems dumb. So present we are, No. 10, show (still) unseen.

9. ‘Bugonia’ (10)

Better than “Kinds of Kindness” but not astir the triumph of “Poor Things,” this is mid Yorgos Lanthimos — off-putting, punishing and misanthropic but besides featuring different showcase for Emma Stone’s bold, originative energy. There are a fig of movies that could displace it arsenic a nominee. Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” offers a much humane — and funnier — look astatine disfigured things radical tin bash erstwhile desperate. But I’ll instrumentality with “Bugonia” for now. After all, however galore movies animate radical to shave their heads for a ticket?

8. “Frankenstein” (Unranked)

Netflix has 4 movies arriving during the awards play model — the meditative stunner “Train Dreams,” Katherine Bigelow’s riveting, ticking-clock thriller “A House of Dynamite,” the George Clooney meta-charmer “Jay Kelly” and “Frankenstein.” (That’s however I’d fertile them successful presumption of quality.) One of these movies volition beryllium nominated. Maybe two. At this moment, nobody, including the awards squad astatine Netflix, knows which one(s) it volition be.

7. ‘It Was Just an Accident’ (7)

Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr, left, Madj Panahi and Hadis Pakbaten successful "It Was Just an Accident."

Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning thriller possesses a withering critique of the cruelty and corruption of an authoritarian regime, combined with a blistering consciousness of humor. Panahi (“The Circle,” “Taxi”) has been imprisoned by the Iranian authorities galore times for criticizing the government, and his courageousness has been celebrated for its tone of creator resistance. He has been a ubiquitous beingness connected the festival and awards circuit this year, anxious to stock some the movie and his story. As the Oscars person thoroughly embraced planetary movies the past respective years, “It Was Just an Accident” feels similar it’s connected coagulated ground.

6. ‘Wicked: For Good’ (6)

An academy subordinate precocious expressed immoderate reservations astir this movie to maine — not astir the sequel itself, but astir the imaginable of seeing stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande embark connected different tear-soaked promotional tour. Whatevs. The archetypal “Wicked” movie earned 10 Oscar nominations, winning for accumulation plan and costumes. With the added casting category, the sequel mightiness conscionable surpass that number.

5. ‘Marty Supreme’ (8)

Timothée Chalamet successful "Marty Supreme."

Josh Safdie’s wildly entertaining, over-caffeinated representation of a single-minded ping-pong subordinate premiered connected its location turf astatine the New York Film Festival and radical near the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall caught up successful the rapture of the movie’s delirium. It mightiness beryllium the movie that wins Timothée Chalamet his Oscar, though he’ll person to spell done Leonardo DiCaprio to cod the trophy.

4. ‘Sentimental Value’ (3)

Stellan Skarsgård, left, and Renate Reinsve successful "Sentimental Value."

Neon won champion representation past twelvemonth with Sean Baker’s “Anora,” and it’s not unreasonable to deliberation it could tally it backmost with “Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier’s piercing play astir a household reckoning with the past and wondering if reconciliation is imaginable — oregon adjacent desired. The 3 actors formed successful familial roles — Stellan Skarsgård, playing a legendary manager angling for a comeback, and Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas arsenic his daughters — are excellent, and Elle Fanning has a prime relation arsenic an A-list histrion who becomes entangled successful the household drama. And similar “Anora,” this movie ends connected a perfect, transcendent note. That counts for a lot.

3. ‘Sinners’ (4)

“Sinners” made a batch of sound erstwhile it was released successful April and, months later, belongs successful immoderate speech astir the year’s champion movie. The occupation present is to punctual voters of its worthy astatine events similar the American Cinematheque’s upcoming “Sinners” screening with filmmaker Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. With the level of its craft, it could people a twelve oregon much nominations, with lone “One Battle After Another” arsenic a menace to champion that count.

2. ‘Hamnet’ (2)

Since its tear-inducing Telluride premiere, Chloé Zhao’s tender representation of emotion and nonaccomplishment and the cathartic powerfulness of creation has been hitting determination movie festivals, racking up assemblage awards and proving that radical emotion a bully cry. Stock up connected tissues present for the film’s theatrical merchandise aboriginal this month.

1. ‘One Battle After Another’ (1)

Leonardo DiCaprio successful "One Battle After Another."

The Gotham Awards did distant with its fund headdress a mates of years ago, allowing indie-spirited workplace movies similar “One Battle After Another” to cleanable up and, 1 supposes, the show’s income squad to determination much tables astatine its ceremony. It was nary concealed that Paul Thomas Anderson’s angry, urgent epic would people good with movie critics groups. (Panels of critics ballot for the Gothams.) It’s conscionable a question of however galore dinners Anderson volition person to yet be for a movie that has easy go the astir wide seen movie of his career.

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