It’s been a good year for films. Most of the time, it can be pretty easy to call who is taking home the big prizes, and while this year has seen its award show favourites, so many movies would be very worthy winners. Ahead of the BAFTA Film Awards, here are my favourite movie nominees and why you must give them a watch if you haven’t just yet…
All of Us Strangers
Based on a Japanese novel, Strangers, this adaptation is surprising and totally affecting. The story follows a screenwriter, Adam, who is struggling to write about his dead parents, so he goes back to his childhood home where his parents are there, living as though they had never died.
Adam uses the opportunity to have conversations with them that he never got to have - all the while growing closer to his neighbour, Harry. This movie stayed with me for a long, long time after watching it, and much of it is down to Andrew Scott’s incredible performance as Adam. While the film as received six BAFTA nominations, including Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Paul Mescal and Claire Foy respectively - I still felt this was a huge snub for Andrew.
The Holdovers
An utterly charming movie that made me feel like I was watching an uplifting 90s classic for the first time, a la Good Will Hunting or Dead Poet’s Society. The story follows a student, his teacher and the school’s grieving head cook who are the only ones forced to stay within the school grounds over the Christmas holidays - and of course, all become besties to one another. A heartwarming gem of a film!
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten slightly jaded by superhero movies at the moment - but if there’s one superhero I’ll never tire of watching, it’s Spider-Man. While Tom Holland rules the live-action world, Miles Morales is Spider-Man in the Spider-Verse sequel, and I couldn’t be more invested in the guy if I wanted to. This sequel is whip-smart with a great plot line and looks fantastic. Honestly, what more could you ask of a movie?
Saltburn
For better or for worse, this was a very talked-about movie when it landed on Amazon Prime Video earlier this year. The story follows a uni student who befriends one of his wealthy classmates, and holidays at his family’s sprawling estate of Saltburn over the summer.
It’s an ‘eat the rich’ psychological drama with a lot of humour thrown in - particularly from Rosamund Pike who is nominated at the BAFTAs and deserves the win. The more I think about Saltburn (and I’ve thought about it a lot), the more I think that it is an incredibly clever, interesting movie deserving of plenty of praise. Let’s see if they’ll get it at the BAFTAs!
Barbie
Well, if you haven’t watched this by now then I may not be able to convince you, but Barbie did something truly special this year. Having cinema-goers queuing for tickets, dressing up and having a lot of fun with friends and family along the way seemed almost unheard of for a movie that isn’t part of a franchise - and it doesn’t hurt that the film itself is just great too. While Margot Robbie’s performance is unsurprisingly flawlessly wonderful, Ryan Gosling’s performance is hilarious and scene-stealing - and made us all feel like we are K-enough!
Poor Things
I’m sure I wasn’t the only person in my cinema at the Peckham Plex wondering what on earth I was watching - but that’s not to say I didn’t like it!
Director Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone have created a wild journey for us in a bizarre, fairytale, steampunk kind of world - where a mad scientist brings the body of a woman back to life - as she quickly learns about love, life, philosophy, society, and sex. Emma deserves all the awards for her fearless role as Bella Baxter.
Oppenheimer
I’m not going to lie, biopics aren’t always my favourite of films, and so Oppenheimer wasn’t my classic cup of tea, and by cup of tea, I mean three-hour traipse into what led to the USA dropping the first atomic bomb. However, even though it’s not my usual to-go genre, I would recommend putting aside time to watch this, because quite simply it is a masterpiece. Christopher Nolan’s vision, and Cillian Murphy’s incredible performance, will be talked about for years. So don’t miss out!