Every year at theOscars, plenty of attention is given to the films nominated for the major categories, particularly Best Picture and the acting categories.But we often forget that there are 23 awards within the Academy Awards, each with brilliant films that are often underseen and underappreciated, yet bring us exciting new filmmakers and performers. Your next favorite director could be getting their start in the shorts category, or the next major director could’ve made one of the International Feature nominees. The Oscars aren’t just about the major names that we hear all the time, it’s about celebrating every facet of filmmaking, from sound to makeup and hairstyling to directing. Because of that, some great movies this year won’t get the attention of aBarbieor anOppenheimer.
To give equal attention to all the nominees this year, we’ve rounded up every single film nominated at the 2024 Academy Awards and ranked them from best to worst on their own.With 53 different films nominated at this year’s Oscars, let’s rank every nominee in all 23 categories.
53’War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko'
1 nomination - Animated Short Film
Considering how many talented people are involved withWar Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko, it’s shocking how completely laughable the animated short is.War Is Over!is directedDavid Mullins, who did additional directing onUpand won this category previously for his Pixar shortLou. The short also includes a score byThomas NewmanofThe Shawshank RedemptionandFinding Nemofame, and is co-written bySean Lennon, who also executive produces withYoko Ono. But despite this lineup,War Is Over!is the weakest nomination of the 2024 Oscars. Centering around a chess game played by both sides, thanks to a carrier pigeon delivering each player’s moves,War Is Over!has the most lackluster animation (it also uses animation and visual effects from Wētā FX, and Unreal Engine was used in creating the short), and a laughable needle drop to tie the whole thing together (take a wild guess what song it is). The result is a short whose message is essentially “war is bad,” and is presented as though Yoko Ono and John Lennon came up with that concept.In an incredibly strong year for the animation short category, both in terms of boundary-pushing animation and intriguing narratives,War Is Over!is a massive disappointment.
Buy tickets
1 nomination - Makeup and Hairstyling
‘Golda’ Review: Helen Mirren Is Stuck in Stuffy Historical Drama
There is a chapter in history worth exploring here, but this film is not the one to do it.
DirectorGuy Nattivmade one of the least nuanced and most absurd Oscar winners in recent memory, with his laughable live-action short, 2018’sSkin. After seeing that short, it’s not a surprise in the least that Nattiv brings that same lack of depth toGolda, a film that is basically a blander version ofThe Darkest Hour, but withHelen Mirrenin offensively over-the-top makeup to make her look like the former Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir.Goldafeels like the type of biopic the Oscars would’ve piled awards on years ago, but the Academy has since (mostly) moved past this type of dry drama. At the very least,Goldadoes do a decent job of showing the immense stress that making decisions in war would have on a person, a suffocating reality that so many similar films gloss over. But beyond that,Goldais a fairly basic historical drama, and the type of story we’ve seen handled in much better films.
Focuses on the intensely dramatic and high-stakes responsibilities and decisions that Golda Meir, also known as the ‘Iron Lady of Israel,’ faced during the Yom Kippur War.
Watch on Fubo
51’The After'
1 nomination - Live Action Short Film
David Oyelowo in The After
The After, from directorMisan Harriman, is a short that relies on big, over-the-top moments, and that isn’t to its benefit. The short follows, Dayo (David Oyelowo), who loses his family in a horrible tragedy, and much later, faces his grief during his new job as a rideshare driver. The inciting incident which comes out of nowhere is mostly absurd, these eighteen minutes feel like they’re spreading a thin idea out as much as possible, and the film’s finale is just as exaggerated as the aforementioned incident. Thankfully,The After’s saving grace is that it has Oyelowo, who does his best work here in silence, as he quietly deals with the various people he drives around. When the final family enters his car, it’s clear exactly where Harriman’s story is going, butwhen Oyelowo is given the opportunity to discreetly explore his grief,The Aftershows that it’s better in the silent moments than its grandiose choices.
50’Rustin'
1 nomination - Actor in a Leading Role (Colman Domingo)
‘Rustin’ Review: Colman Domingo Does What He Can to Save Stiff, Generic Biopic
From director George C. Wolfe, ‘Rustin’ is a by-the-numbers biopic that at least makes Colman Domingo a rightful star.
Rustinisn’t bad, but it is the type of by-the-numbers biopic that so many great stories have been stuck in that do a disservice to these incredible people. It’s a damn shame considering the team behind this, which includes directorGeorge C. WolfeofMa Rainey’s Black Bottom, and is written byJulian Breeceand Oscar-winnerDustin Lance Black. Naturally, the saving grace to Rustin isColman Domingo’s performance as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, but isn’t Domingo always great in everything fromZolatoThe Color Purple? That’s not to take away from Domingo finally getting his much-deserved flowers, but beyond his strong take on Bayard,Rustinis just too much like countless other biopics to do its title character—or Domingo—justice.
Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.
Watch on Netflix
49’The ABCs of Book Banning'
1 nomination - Documentary Short Film
Directed bySheila Nevins, the former President of HBO Documentary Films,The ABCs of Book Banningattempts to show the frustrations of book banning from the viewpoint of the children. Certainly, some of the short’s best moments come from children reading banned books and questioning why such literature would not be allowed—a clear example of stunting the education of children and stealing knowledge due to fear.While it’s important thatThe ABCs of Book Banningshows this perspective that is often ignored—from the children who suffer the most from such actions—Nevins’ documentary also doesn’t delve too much into thewhyandwhobehind the book banning.Instead, Nevins focuses on the books themselves, pointing out lines that likely helped in getting them banned in what essentially equates to a PowerPoint presentation. Banning books is, of course, an important topic to discuss, but Nevins’ approach doesn’t have the depth to change any hearts or minds on this matter.
48’Flamin’ Hot'
1 nomination - Music (Original Song)
‘Flamin’ Hot' Review: Eva Longoria’s Directorial Debut Trades Honesty for Heart
While not as good as Flamin' Hot Cheetos themselves, this is one movie that gets to the burning question about what snack is profitable for Frito-Lay.
Yes, a song from the movie about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos is nominated for an Oscar.But hey, compared to the other awful films that have received their sole nominations becauseDiane Warrenwrote a bad song for them (Tell It Like a Woman,Four Good Days,Breakthrough, etc.),Flamin’ Hotis one of the better ones. In a year that was packed with films about how beloved products fromTetristo Nike shoes were made,Flamin’ Hotis not bad, as directorEva Longoriaknows how to make a decent crowd-pleaser, while the film’s leadJesseGarciais a delight. Is the 2024 Oscars going to end with a song about Cheetos winning an award? Almost definitely not, butFlamin’ Hotis a decent film for a story about the creation of a cheesy snack.
Flamin' Hot
This is the inspiring true story of Richard Montañez who, as a Frito Lay janitor, disrupted the food industry by channeling his Mexican heritage to turn Flamin' Hot Cheetos from a snack into an iconic global pop culture phenomenon.
Watch on Hulu
47’Island in Between'
In one of the more personal documentary shorts,Island in Betweenhas Taiwan-born directorS. Leo Chiangexploring Kinmen, a series of islands that belong the Taiwan but are only 2 miles from China. Chiang discusses the conflict between Taiwan and China from his and his family’s experiences. For example, when he finally visits China—which only takes a 30-minute ferry ride to get to—he finds that the culture isn’t too different from his own, and we see the difficulties that still exist in going from one country to another. Despite being told from Chiang’s perspective,Island in Betweenis one of the more unobtrusive documentaries in its category, as Chiang mostly remains an observer throughout the short, a choice that can make this film feel a bit lighter than maybe it should.
46’Our Uniform'
As the shortest of all the shorts,Our UniformbyYegane Moghaddam, has plenty of style, but not enough time to give much of a story.Our Uniformshares what it’s like to go to school in Tehran, with mandatory hijabs, animated by embroideries and animations on clothes.The short is succinct and smart, pointing out that in going to school, “I became female, nothing more, nothing less.” Moghaddam (the first Iranian filmmaker ever nominated in this category) utilizes her time effectively, giving us a quick look at what growing up in that culture is like, and does so through a truly unique animation style—a rare accomplishment to bring something wholly new to this category.
45’Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó'
2024 has already been a big year for directorSean Wang, as his feature debut,Dìdiwon two awards at this year’s Sundance, and now, he’s earned his first Oscar nomination forNǎi Nai & Wài Pó. Easily the most lighthearted of the doc shorts, Wang shows the daily life of his two grandmothers, who became so close that they decided to live together, and even share the same bed at night. The two joke that they are only as wild as they are because Wang is there to visit, and he definitely captures that spirit that keeps them young at heart, as they arm wrestle, joke about their smelly farts, and watchSuperbadtogether. Wang’s grandmothers only barely touch on the rest of their lives, hinting that they had hard childhoods, and discussing the difficulties of being old. Which, especially in the doc shorts category it’s nice to have nominees that aren’t inherently bleak, butwhile Wang’s grandmothers are a delight to spend time with,Nǎi Nai & Wài Pócan’t help but feels like just a series of well-shot home movies.
44’Pachyderme'
Stéphanie Clément’sPachydermehas a simmering danger right underneath the surface. The narrator (Christa Théret), an older version of the character Louise, discusses her summer visit with her grandparents in the countryside when she was nine-year-old. Early on, she states that she doesn’t like it when her parents leave her, and through beautiful, yet slightly off animation, we learn why Louise feels this way.Pachydermeis incredibly subtle, often hinting at where her fear might come from, without overtly stating the obvious. In eleven minutes,Pachydermegives us a strong glimpse of what this ten-day vacation was like, while Clément lets the fear hide right underneath the surface.Pachydermeis probably the most understated animated short in the category this year,but it still leaves a staggering impact.
