Best Picture Power Rankings and Wes Anderson’s Oscar Chances

The short-film fieldseven shorts and Wes Anderson's Oscar odds

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar 2023

The longest and most-watched of Anderson's four Roald Dahl shorts for Netflix; Amanda saw it in Venice, where Anderson took the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award. Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, and Ben Kingsley pass narration around at high speed. Sean and Amanda expect it nominated for Best Short, given the Netflix money behind it, and read the whole quartet as an extension of 'Asteroid City' and 'The French Dispatch': more picture frames around the picture.

The Swan 2023

Sean's favorite of the four Dahl shorts.

Poison 2023

Issued individually on Netflix rather than packaged. Its thumbnail is just a picture of Benedict Cumberbatch, with no 'Wes Anderson presents' framing.

The Rat Catcher 2023

The one Amanda watched first; Netflix served it with no autoplay to the next short, which both hosts read as deliberate.

Strange Way of Life 2023

Almodóvar's second English-language short, a roughly 25-minute gay Western with Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, funded and costumed by Saint Laurent. Amanda loves his work but found this rote and half-baked, more a trial balloon for his first English-language feature. Sean agrees it moves fast and covers familiar ground.

The Human Voice 2020

Almodóvar's first English-language short, a single Tilda Swinton performance on a classical soundstage set; screened with 'Strange Way of Life' and a Q&A. Amanda preferred it: it works as a thought experiment that couldn't sustain a feature.

Once Within a Time 2022

Godfrey Reggio's first film in over a decade, again scored by Philip Glass and executive produced by Steven Soderbergh. A black-and-white-and-colorized anarchic comedy that homages Méliès and German Expressionism. Sean saw it in a theater and pointed listeners to 'Koyaanisqatsi'; Amanda watched at home and argued it belongs in a MoMA gallery context.

Jackals & Fireflies 2023

Charlie Kaufman's 22-minute short built around the poetry of Eva H.D., shot on a Samsung S22 Ultra and paid for by Samsung, on YouTube. More impressionistic than Kaufman's usual linear work; the hosts found it hit-or-miss but a genuine experiment.

Best Picture Power Rankings22 contenders cut to 10, only two of them actually released

American Fiction 2023

In. Cord Jefferson's satirical dramedy; Sean liked it and calls it a contender but not a lock, since this genre rarely breaks through.

All of Us Strangers 2023

In. Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, and Jamie Bell; Amanda was wrecked by it, a Searchlight release she expects to campaign hard.

Barbie 2023

In. One of two contenders already released; the hosts argue it plays broadly enough to win over the Academy's boomers.

The Color Purple 2023

In. Neither host has seen it (it doesn't open until Christmas week and skipped the festivals), but they hold a spot for it as the musical/period piece the field is missing. Same studio as 'Barbie,' a possible campaign conflict.

The Holdovers 2023

In. Alexander Payne's new one; Sean hasn't seen it yet but keeps a place for it.

Killers of the Flower Moon 2023

In. All but a lock: Sean can't picture a scenario where Scorsese misses. A longer conversation is coming October 20th.

Maestro 2023

In. Bradley Cooper's Leonard Bernstein film; one of Sean's favorites of the year. Reception flipped from cool in Venice to strong at the New York Film Festival.

Oppenheimer 2023

In. Sean's firm frontrunner, the other already-released contender; academy-friendly and, per an Owen Gleiberman column, arguably strongest in its final hour.

Poor Things 2023

In. A no-brainer for both; Emma Stone, whom Sean has long called the actress of her generation, is his Best Actress favorite.

The Zone of Interest 2023

In. Among the best films Sean has seen this year; he swaps it in for 'Past Lives' as the A24 slot, despite Richard Brody's contrarian pan.

Anatomy of a Fall 2023

Holdover. Justine Triet's Palme d'Or winner with Sandra Hüller, distributed by Neon; Sean wants it to make a move. Opens October 13th.

May December 2023

Holdover. Todd Haynes's film with Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, and Charles Melton; the hosts, who haven't seen it, guess all three leads get nominated while the film misses Best Picture.

Napoleon 2023

Holdover. Ridley Scott's epic with Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby, with a four-hour director's cut promised for Apple TV+; the hosts sense costume-epic fatigue and an unlucky year opposite 'Oppenheimer.'

Past Lives 2023

Holdover. Greta Lee in Celine Song's beloved A24 debut; the hosts fear it gets chopped for 'The Zone of Interest' and worry her Oscar hopes are hurt by 'The Morning Show.'

Air 2023

Out. Sean eliminates it outright; Amanda enjoyed it but wouldn't put it in her top ten.

Asteroid City 2023

Out. Rising in Sean's estimation (he thinks they'll regret not celebrating it), but both agree it isn't contending.

The Bike Riders 2024

Out. Jeff Nichols's new film; Sean likes it a lot and sees possible acting nominations, but not Best Picture in a crowded field.

Ferrari 2023

Out. Michael Mann's return; Sean loved it (an 'A-plus experience') but doesn't think it's Academy material.

The Killer 2023

Out. Fincher's hitman movie, from the filmmaker Sean says he shares spiritual DNA with, but he'd be stunned if the Academy nominated it.

Nyad 2023

Out for Best Picture, alive in acting. Annette Bening and Jodie Foster carry it; some CGI swings don't land, but Sean and Amanda would watch these two do anything.

Priscilla 2023

Out. Sofia Coppola's film, which Sean liked and will dig into later, but neither expects a nomination.

Saltburn 2023

Out. Emerald Fennell's divisive follow-up to 'Promising Young Woman'; Sean reserves the right to be wrong but doesn't see it getting in.

Grant Singer on 'Reptile'

Grant Singer on

Reptile 2023

Singer's debut feature, a Netflix crime thriller with Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, Eric Bogosian, and Michael Pitt. The music-video director (The Weeknd, Lorde, Sky Ferreira) describes building the film around a mid-story protagonist handoff, a deliberately restrained and classical style, and peripheral scenes, like the kitchen remodel and the square-dance hall, that shade the world. Cut out of order over a year with editor Kevin Hickman; an executive's note was 'less Lost Highway, more Chinatown.'

Grant Singer on

Sicario 2015

How Singer got the meeting: his producers had made it with Benicio del Toro.

Grant Singer on

In Cold Blood 1967

One of the crime films Singer names as inspiration.

Grant Singer on

The Night of the Hunter 1955

Cited among his touchstones for the genre.

Grant Singer on

Serpico 1973

Another of the older crime pictures Singer says shaped 'Reptile.'

Grant Singer on

The Conversation 1974

Singer wanted to portray the hunter as the hunted, as Coppola does here.

Grant Singer on

Psycho 1960

His model for the protagonist switch a third of the way in; Singer is a big Hitchcock fan.

Grant Singer on

Chinatown 1974

The good end of the famous studio note: 'less Lost Highway, more Chinatown.'

Grant Singer on

Lost Highway 1997

The Lynchian pole earlier drafts leaned toward; Singer notes it was made for a far smaller audience than a Netflix film reaches.

Grant Singer on

Vertigo 1958

One of Singer's favorite films; he praises its rhythm and the way Bernard Herrmann's score is in dialogue with the images, and reads it as being about healing through the recreation of trauma.

Grant Singer on

You Were Never Really Here 2017

Lynne Ramsay's film, which Singer calls phenomenal and holds up as an example of rhythmic, propulsive filmmaking.

Grant Singer on

Wild Strawberries 1957

Singer's pick for the last great thing he's seen: Bergman rewatched after finishing 'Reptile,' arriving at a non-verbal emotional depth he finds staggering.

Grant Singer on

Shoeshine 1946

Named among the dream-like films that changed his life.

Also mentioned raised along the way

Wes Anderson's filmography Bottle RocketRushmoreThe Royal TenenbaumsThe Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouHotel ChevalierFantastic Mr. FoxMoonrise KingdomThe Grand Budapest HotelIsle of DogsThe French Dispatch

Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi trilogy KoyaanisqatsiPowaqqatsiNaqoyqatsi

Oscar-race comps and tangents The Taste of ThingsJudyDarkest HourFar from HeavenA Star Is BornSpider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseEverything Everywhere All at OncePromising Young WomanA Haunting in VeniceFair PlayNebraskaTicket to ParadiseZodiacThe Virgin SuicidesLost in Translation

Scorsese Hall of Fame callback Mean StreetsAfter HoursAlice Doesn't Live Here AnymoreCasinoThe AviatorThe King of ComedyBringing Out the Dead

Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads

TV Love Is BlindBeckhamThe Morning ShowThe RehearsalMayor of EasttownThe Night Of

Video games Spider-Man 2Super Mario Bros. WonderAlan WakeFive Nights at Freddy'sAssassin's Creed MirageFIFA World Cup Launch Edition

Ads Button MashCarvanaNOS EnergyMint MobileNetflixBoar's Head