Overview of Ben Reviews Oscar's "Best Picture" Nominations
Ben (Daily Wire) watched all 10 Best Picture nominees and gives a blunt, opinionated rundown of each — rating them on a 0–5 scale, calling out politics, pacing, performances, and whether they deserve or will win Best Picture. He finds the year weak overall, singles out Marty Supreme as his pick for Best Picture, and repeatedly criticizes films he sees as heavy-handed politically or emotionally manipulative.
Key takeaways
- Overall verdict: a weak year for films; many are slow, speculative, politically blunt, or emotionally manipulative.
- Ben's top pick (should win): Marty Supreme — most artistically interesting and the best of the cohort.
- Most polarizing / most disliked: One Battle After Another (0/5) — called incoherent and agitprop.
- Frequently mentioned problems: heavy-handed social commentary, unlikable protagonists, slow pacing, and films that feel self-indulgent.
- Sponsors mentioned at start: Venmo college debit card, Nespresso Virtuo Up, and Kalshi (market odds referenced).
Ratings & concise film summaries
One Battle After Another — 0 / 5
- Premise: Paul Thomas Anderson adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon-esque novel about left-wing radicals, secret white supremacist conspiracies, and sexual politics.
- Pros: Paul Thomas Anderson’s cinematography/visual craft.
- Cons: Described as incoherent, unsubtle, extremist left-wing agitprop, poor acting and characters (Ben liked only Benicio Del Toro).
- Verdict: Total rejection; Ben says it's politically explicit and awful despite heavy Oscar nominations. (Kalshi noted 76% odds this would win, but Ben disagrees with its merit.)
Hamnet — 2.5 / 5
- Premise: Chloe Zhao’s speculative reimagining of Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway after their son Hamnet dies.
- Pros: Jesse Buckley’s performance, Emily Watson stands out; interesting premise.
- Cons: Slow, emotionally manipulative, highly speculative; Ben felt manipulated by the emotional arc.
- Verdict: Not terrible, but unconvincing and overly sentimental.
Sinners — 3 / 5
- Premise: Ryan Coogler’s reworking of From Dusk Till Dawn set in 1932 Mississippi Delta with blues, vampires, and racial allegory; Michael B. Jordan plays twins.
- Pros: Entertaining first act, strong visuals, compelling music and musical moments, good setup.
- Cons: Ugly, heavy-handed racial politics (vampires as stand-ins for white America), uneven dramatic payoff.
- Verdict: Watchable but problematic; praised musically, criticized politically.
Marty Supreme — 3.5 / 5
- Premise: 1950s-set film about obsessive ping-pong player Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) pursuing the world title; based loosely on real figures.
- Pros: Timothée Chalamet’s performance is outstanding; compelling table-tennis sequences (Chalamet trained extensively); thought-provoking.
- Cons: Unlikable protagonist, an ugly depiction of 1950s Jewish culture in Ben’s view, moral ambiguity that may put off voters.
- Verdict: Ben’s pick for Best Picture in a fair artistic world; thoughtful and the strongest film of the batch, though he doubts it will win.
Begonia — 2 / 5
- Premise: Yorgos Lanthimos black-comedy thriller where corporate power and conspiracy collide (Emma Stone as pharma CEO abducted by conspiracists).
- Pros: Strong actors (Jesse Plemons praised).
- Cons: On-the-nose social commentary, derivative of Lanthimos’ blunt style, implausible plot turns (Ben criticizes the alien/corporate allegory and finale).
- Verdict: Dumb and heavy-handed; disliked despite talent attached.
The Secret Agent — 2.5 / 5
- Premise: Brazilian political drama set during the military dictatorship, following a professor on the run after his wife’s politically motivated murder.
- Pros: Subject matter is meaningful; historical relevance.
- Cons: Flat, goes nowhere dramatically; Ben recommends The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) as a better Latin American political thriller.
- Verdict: Left Ben unmoved.
Train Dreams — 2 / 5
- Premise: A meditative, Malick-like life story of a man in Idaho (Joel Edgerton), focused on loss and solitude; emphasis on visuals.
- Pros: Beautiful imagery, good acting.
- Cons: Lacks plot and emotional engagement; slow and uneventful.
- Verdict: Pretty pictures but emotionally cold for Ben.
F1 — 3 / 5
- Premise: Brad Pitt-led racing drama with a veteran driver mentoring younger racers; compared to Top Gun: Maverick.
- Pros: Entertaining, holds attention; decent performances.
- Cons: Weaker than Top Gun: Maverick, some morally questionable behavior by lead (cheating/bending rules).
- Verdict: Solidly entertaining but not award-worthy in a stronger year.
Frankenstein — 2 / 5
- Premise: Guillermo del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with period setting and monster romance elements (Oscar Isaac, Jacob Lofland, Mia Goth).
- Pros: Visually beautiful, strong cast.
- Cons: Slow; makes odd creative choices (monster sexualized), shifts focus away from the novel’s theological/scientific conflicts to less convincing subplots.
- Verdict: Disappointing given del Toro’s pedigree; Ben still feels no definitive Frankenstein yet.
Sentimental Value — 2 / 5
- Premise: Actor-heavy drama about art, family, and a famous director father reuniting with daughters (Elle Fanning), self-referential about acting/art.
- Pros: Competent direction and acting.
- Cons: Self-indulgent, unlikable characters, overvalues art as highest good.
- Verdict: Not compelling or rewatchable; too self-referential.
Notable quotes & insights
- On One Battle After Another: “It’s the biggest piece of dog shit... utterly unsubtle.”
- On Marty Supreme: “Timothée Chalamet turns in a truly terrific performance... it makes you think.”
- On the year overall: “Very mediocre group of films... a very weak year for movies, frankly.”
- Recurrent critique: films often feel “emotionally manipulative” or “on-the-nose” with social commentary.
Recommendations / Action items
- If you want one film from the list to watch first: Marty Supreme (Ben’s top artistic pick).
- Watch but be prepared for problematic elements: Sinners (entertaining but politically blunt).
- Skip if you want to avoid heavy-handed politics or poor storytelling: One Battle After Another (Ben’s strongest negative reaction), Begonia, Frankenstein (if high expectations for del Toro).
- For fans of political Latin American drama instead of The Secret Agent, Ben recommends The Secret in Their Eyes (2009).
Final verdict
Ben views this Oscar field as underwhelming. Marty Supreme is the stand-out and his pick for Best Picture, but many nominees suffer from slow pacing, abrasive political messaging, or unlikable protagonists. If you want to prioritize one watch, choose Marty Supreme; otherwise, approach several nominees with lowered expectations.