Let’s get this out of the way right now. I didn’t see Mirai. I intended to. Had a special screening targeted last week. But I got sick and missed and that’s all there is to that story. (Other than getting a flu shot does not guarantee you will not get the flu.) Now, I could have pretended that I did see Mirai, just snuck it somewhere in the middle of these rankings and no one would have been the wiser. But that’s not how I roll. And so, here is a ranking, from last to first, of the fifty-one movies that got at least one Oscar nomination this year. The 52^nd, Mirai, well, you can put that one wherever you like.

51. A Night at the Garden (Martin Curry, 1 nomination)

Short films may be at a disadvantage in these rankings, but there were some very good ones this year. However, the Documentary Short field was weak. Curry’s very short (seven minutes) compilation of archival footage from an American Nazi rally that occurred in Madison Square Garden in 1939, is certainly historically interesting, and may have extra relevance given the current political situation, but as a film, it does very little to give insight or context to the intriguing events it depicts.

50. Ready Player One (Steven Spielberg, 1 nomination)

I mean, it’s not terrible. Just very confusing. I just saw Alita: Battle Angel, which is across the board better.

49. Christopher Robin (Marc Forster, 1 nomination)

Pleasant enough to look at, but its story gets fairly ridiculous when it leaves the 100 Acre Wood for London.

48. Mary Poppins Returns (Rob Marshall, 4 nominations)

See Christopher Robin above, only with OK songs and a fun turn from Emily Blunt.

47. End Game (Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, 1 nomination)

There was a very good documentary short hiding in the frames of End Game, a movie which showed various end-of-life palliative care options. Unfortunately, the filmmakers, probably in attempt to show those various options, included several half-baked storylines, when they had one dynamite one to reveal. The result is very long (40 minutes) and only sporadically compelling.

46. Skin (Guy Nattiv, 1 nomination)

A lot of people I know liked Skin, and its brutally ironic consideration of racism is certainly potent. I think the fact that I could see the end coming from a long way off left me somewhat less moved by it. Live Action Short is a strong category this year, so just making the final cut is a good achievement.

45. Animal Behaviour (David Fine and Alison Snowden, 1 nomination)

There’s always at least one outright comedy amongst the Animated Shorts, and this year’s entry, about a support group for animals, is definitely funny. It’s also basically a one joke premise that, at 14 minutes, runs a bit long.

44. One Small Step (Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas, 1 nomination)

One Small Step is a charming animated short about a girl who wants to be an astronaut. I liked it while watching. I could barely recall it an hour later.

43. Mary Queen of Scots (Josie Rourke, 2 nominations)

It was great fun seeing Ronan and Robbie, and there was nothing particularly wrong with the movie. But it is a complicated story if you aren’t up on your English history, and most of it involves the wealthy and powerful talking about what to do. Perhaps Game of Thrones has spoiled me.

42. Marguerite (Marianne Farley, 1 nomination)

Marguerite may well win the Live Action Short award, because though not especially upbeat, it is the only entry that is not very, very dark. Beautifully acted by Beatrice Picard. If it had a stronger ending, I’m sure I would have rated it much higher.

41. Weekends (Trevor Jimenez, 1 nomination)

A heartfelt and mysterious animated short told from the point of view of a child living through divorce. I found it quite powerful at times, but occasional flirtations with surrealism undercut its impact.

40. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Ron Howard, 1 nomination)

I liked watching Solo. I think they did a good job with it. But really, how many more of these do we have to sit through?

39. Lifeboat (Skye Fitzgerald, 1 nomination)

Anyone who has filmed on water can marvel at what Fitzgerald was able to capture in this short about rescue workers coming to the aid of refugees at sea. It may meander a bit, but that’s the nature of life on the waves.

38. Detainment (Vincent Lambe, 1 nomination)

No movie enters the Oscar telecast with more baggage than Detainment, and I’ll admit I’m not sure how I feel about it. Lambe gets astonishing performances from two young actors, Ely Stone and Leon Hughes, who portray Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, two ten year old boys who were convicted of the brutal murder of two year old James Bulger in 1993. The story is recreated based on the transcripts of the boys’ interrogations shortly after the murder. This would be difficult material under any circumstance, but the fact that the family of the murder victim was never informed of the production of the movie adds an extra layer of queasiness. It is a riveting movie, and almost impossible to watch.

37. At Eternities Gate (Julian Schnabel, 1 nomination)

If I ran the world, Wiilem Dafoe would win awards every year. Even in years when he didn’t release a movie, I’d give him an award for baking or carpentry, or something. But the only thing I can remember about this portrait of van Gogh is the extended scene he plays with Mads Mikkelsen, so maybe this year he just gets an award for being the greatest Willem out there.

36. The Wife (Bjorn Runge, 1 nomination)

Glenn Close will probably win the Best Actress award, and when she is on screen with either Jonathan Pryce or Christian Slater, the movie is quite good. It is marred by a rather melodramatic subplot involving her son, which keeps it from finishing higher.

35. Incredibles 2 (Brad Bird, 1 nomination)

It’s funny, it has a decent message, it’s smart. And it’s a sequel. I’m getting quite tired of sequels.

34. Ralph Breaks the Internet (Phil Johnson and Rich Moore, 1 nomination)

Ditto.

33. First Man (Damien Chazelle, 4 nominations)

For those of you who read my blog suggesting that this should have had several more nominations, this ranking may seem a bit low. The movie is technically fantastic and has some genuine moments of anguish and triumph. But it is also a bit long and a bit dour. I believe it will eventually be seen as a key film in the evolution of one of our best young American filmmakers, as he learns to explore his obsession with obsession without the use of music as a leavening agent.

32. Late Afternoon (Louise Bagnell, 1 nomination)

A lovely examination of aging, progressing from youth through adulthood and toward the end of life. It’s a subject that several of this year’s shorts explored, and none did it better.

31. RBG (Julie Cohen and Betsy West, 2 nominations)

A clear fan favorite amongst this year’s documentaries, it’s hard to imagine anyone who deserves a biography more than the Notorious RBG. This is a respectful, well-mounted, occasionally hagiographic consideration of a magnificent life.

30. Border (Ali Abbasi, 1 nomination)

Until it devolves into a rather silly third act, Abbasi creates one of the year’s most offbeat and intriguing stories.

29. Vice (Adam McKay, 8 nominations)

Can I say that I admire a great deal of Vice but still declare it somewhat of a mess? Had McKay only focused on the older Dick Cheney, I think it might have been one of the best movies of the year. The material about the younger Cheney is often incongruous and not nearly as authentic. Plus it makes the movie pretty darn long.

28. Mother (Rodrigo Sorogoyen, 1 nomination)

A taut nightmare, with just two characters onscreen and a voice on the phone. Perfectly acted and paced, it is reminiscent of last year’s best live action short, DeKalb Elementary (the Academy voters didn’t agree, but what do they know?)

27. Black Sheep (Ed Perkins, 1 nomination)

A lot of people really were taken with Perkins’ documentary short, which touched on issues of race, immigration, and toxic masculinity, all wrapped up in a showy, but never fussy package. I must admit that the story left too many unanswered questions for me to totally buy in, but I also find that this one is staying with me longer than many of the other doc shorts.

26. Never Look Away (Florian Henckel von Donnesmarck, 2 nominations)

This is the first Foreign Language film on the list, which gives you some idea of how strong that category is this year. Von Donnesmarck’s strong return to form after his previous Oscar winner The Lives of Others, is long and ambitious, and just a bit too loose in its early passages. Since the other four nominees in this category are ranked very high, it’s easy for me to overlook it.

25. Bao (Domme Shi, 1 nomination)

When I left the theatre after seeing Bao, I thought it was a solid animated short in a rather weak year. I still think that, but I have to admit that the combination of humor and poignance is growing larger and larger in my memory.

23/24. Avengers: Infinity War (Anthony and Joe Russo, 1 nomination) and Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 7 nominations)

I really shouldn’t be writing about these movies. This genre means a great deal more to many other people, who both love and hate the fantasy world-building. For me, these are good solid entertainment. I don’t find their messages very penetrating, but they often have good elements. I admire Infinity War for actually killing a number of key characters, something action movies seem loathe to do in the 21^st century. And whether it’s appropriate or not, I do admire Black Panther for putting different types of characters in big budget mainstream movies. I’ll leave it to others to go deeper.

22. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel and Ethan Coen, 3 nominations)

Portmanteaus are hard to pull off, because telling six different stories and making them all strong is no picnic. Of course, it helps to be two of the best cinematic storytellers of the last half century. It may be a bit uneven, but the Coens are up to the task.

21. Bohemian Rhapsody (Bryan Singer, 5 nominations)

Among the year’s most divisive movies (read Richard Roeper’s withering review if you didn’t like it), I think you have to kind of take this as it is. It is not an in depth look at the astonishing Freddie Mercury. It is a fun journey for fans of his music.

20. Green Book (Peter Farrelly, 5 nominations)

One of the favorites for Best Picture is certainly an entertaining crowd pleaser. I still think that is a long shot considering it did not get nominated for either Directing or Editing, but if it wins, it will come from the same impulse as Argo six years ago. Quality Hollywood entertainment that is mostly self-congratulatory, showing a world that we would like to believe exists, instead of the world we have.

19. Period. End of Sentence (Rayka Zehtabchi, 1 nomination)

The best documentary short by a pretty wide margin has passion, humor, and a great story about women from a rural village in India building better worlds for themselves.

18. Fauve (Jeremy Comte, 1 nomination)

The best live action short by a pretty wide margin is an emotionally devastating story of two boys who go out to play and meet with tragedy.

17. Hale County This Morning, This Evening (RaMell Ross, 1 nomination)

Despite being presented with an honorary award a few years ago, documentarian Frederick Wiseman has never been nominated for an Oscar. It was therefore nice to see first time filmmaker Ross get some attention for his beautifully composed portrait of life in Alabama. Ross is treading in the direct cinema waters that Wiseman helped create with excellent results.

16. A Quiet Place (John Krasinski, 1 nomination)

This, along with horror/thriller Hereditary, made a number of critics ten best lists. It is nice to see a resurgence of smart, atmospheric horror that relies more on suspense than on shock and gore.

15. If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins, 3 nominations)

This is a tone poem, and not for everyone. It’s story in minimalist, but it’s sense of imagery, of music, of moment, is outstanding. Since you could say the same thing about Jenkins’ Oscar winning Moonlight, I suspect we may have a good handle on the types of movies he makes.

14. A Star is Born (Bradley Cooper, 8 nominations)

Fine filmmaking from first time director Cooper. The story is old fashioned (it has been filmed three times before), yet effectively updated. The acting is first-rate. I have had problems with the overly melodramatic conclusion of every one of Star’s incarnations, and this is no exception. I think it reaches for an ending that it hasn’t quite earned. But it is still a very good ride.

13. Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2 nominations)

I’ll admit right up front that I surprised myself as I put this list together how Isle of Dogs kept drifting further and further toward the top. I am not a huge animation guy, nor am I the biggest Wes Anderson fan. But this funny, bold adventure story struck a perfect nerve. And above all, it is original. Not a sequel, not part of a franchise or a cinematic universe. God I love that.

12. Can You Ever Forgive Me (Marielle Heller, 3 nominations)

It has been under the radar since its release, a quiet little story about a largely unlikeable character. Heller’s direction and McCarthy’s outstanding performance keep it watchable throughout. It is a sad, powerful story, which remains entertaining. No small feat.

11. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, 1 nomination)

Currently the 26^th ranked movie on IMDB’s all-time list. OK, it is not exactly a sequel, but it is a clever reinterpretation of a popular franchise. I don’t care. It is so well done, in terms of both story and execution. It occasionally rehashes super-hero tropes, but it usually puts a new twist on them. It is the year’s best animated feature.

10. Capernaum (Nadine Labaki, 1 nomination)

Four of my top ten this year come from the Foreign Language category (and if Birds of Passage had been nominated, then all five Foreign Language movies would be in my top eleven). Labaki’s story about a poor boy in Lebanon struggling to make some sense out of his life. It is difficult material, but Labaki and her lead actor Zain Al Rafeea never fail to bring energy, life and humor to the dark subject.

9. Roma (Alfonso Cuaron, 10 nominations)

When Cuaron wins the Directing award at this year’s Oscars, he will become the third Mexican director to take that prize over the past four years. Just imagine if Mexico really were sending their best.

8. Minding the Gap (Bing Lui, 1 nomination)

For all the kids out there, toting around their cameras, filming all the interesting stories that happen in their, and in their friends’ lives, Bing Lui provides a roadmap for how to tell a heartfelt, potent story about the drama of everyday life.

7. Cold War (Pawel Pawlikowski, 3 nominations)

I should not have liked Cold War as much as I did. I am usually drawn more toward tight narratives. Cold War has an almost lazy story, which bounces across Europe in the years following WWII. But it so perfectly realized, in terms of its stunning imagery, its sublime music, and its powerful performances, that it transcends any of my petty complaints. A truly beautiful film.

6. Of Fathers and Sons (Talal Derki, 1 nomination)

Forget Hereditary and A Quiet Place. This is without question the scariest movie of the year. Derki posed as a jihadist sympathizer to gain astonishing access to a family in his native Syria. For several years, he lived with this family and filmed them, documenting the way that children are raised to become soldiers. The movie is filled with so many gut-wrenching scenes of casual brutality and violence that it is difficult to watch. But is essential viewing for anyone seeking to gain a better understanding of religious extremism.

5. Blackkklansman (Spike Lee, 6 nominations)

Spike Lee has won an honorary Oscar, but has never received one for a particular film. That could change this year, as he has a pretty good chance for the Adapted Screenplay prize. He is one of the most important American filmmakers of the past thirty years, and such recognition in long overdue. I don’t generally support giving Oscars as make-ups calls for past omissions. Fortunately, Blackkklansman is a good enough movie to win all on its own.

4. The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos, 10 nominations)

A lot of critics loved Lanthimos’ 2015 movie The Lobster. I was not one of them. And though I liked his last movie The Killing of a Sacred Deer somewhat more, it was not among my favorites. But The Favourite is. A witty and penetrating screenplay that never lags, and outstanding performances from its three leads. Olivia Colman probably will not win the Best Actress award this year, but I would vote for her.

3. Shoplifters (Hirokazu Koreeda, 1 nomination)

The best foreign language film in a very strong year. A Japanese family struggles to survive on the fringes of society, drawing lines of morality in their own unique way. It is full of joy, pain, adventure, humor, and tragedy. Worlds this rich are rarely put on film.

2. Free Solo (Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, 1 nomination)

The best documentary in a very strong year. A marvel of both production and character. Alex Honnold does things that few in this world have ever been able to do. Chin and Vasarhelyi capture it all in this thrilling, thought-provoking film.

1. First Reformed (Paul Schrader, 1 nomination)

Regular readers are getting tired of hearing me go on about First Reformed. So I won’t say any more. The best movie of the year.

Unless maybe it was Mirai.