Sparky Reviews Best Picture Lineup Part Two
- Sparky
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Best Picture Category is The Best Films in the Industry
During award ceremony time, there are a lot of different categories. Some of these categories include Cinematography, Writing, Musical Score, Actors and Actress roles, and so much more. Each film is determined by which category its best suits under. The biggest award of the night is Best Picture.
Best Picture encaptures all of the elements of each category. The films that are select to be nominated for the prestige honor of Best Pictures are the best of what the film industry states is the best films of that year. If they win, that film will go into a category of countless number of masterpiece films that have wowed audiences and critics. This is especially true with The Academy Awards.
At The Academy Awards, The Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences reviews films that are dubbed the best in the industry in a series of eliminations until the finalists are available to get an award. Last weekend, I went to AMC's Best Picture Showcase and covered the first five films nominated for Best Picture. Now, I'm here to review the next five films nominated for Best Picture. Which film will reign supreme? Let's find out together. In this episode of Sparky Reviews, we're going to continue The Oscar Best Picture nominations with a Best Picture Lineup Part Two.
Best Picture Lineup Number One - Sentimental Value *Trigger Warning*
Before we get into this quick review of Sentimental Value, I wanted to give this warning. Sentimental Value has talks and visual implications of hanging and suicide. If this is triggering to you, please keep this in mind before watching this film. I wanted to put this in here as someone who’s lost several family members to suicide, these scenes were triggering for me. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please contact 988 Lifeline - If you need emotional support, reach out to the national mental health hotline: 988. No matter what is going on right now, please know that you matter, you’re loved, and you’re valid.
The first film in this Best Picture Lineup is Sentimental Values. Sentimental Values is about two daughters whose estranged father who makes a film about their family. From the viewpoint of this film, Sentimental Values is an emotional rollercoaster.
According to The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in their article The 98th Academy Awards, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences state that “Sentimental Value was nominated for Actor in a Support Role, Actress in a Leading Role, two Actress in a Supporting Role, Directing, Editing, International Feature Film, Writing (Original Screenplay), and Best Picture” (1-3, 5, 6, 8, 10). From this list alone, there is something incredibly special for The Academy to nominate Sentimental Value.
There’s a number of things about this film that are incredibly special. One of the things that I love about this film is the constant use of multiple languages. Sentimental Value is currently nominated for Best International Film from Norway. However, the use of multiple languages really helps tell the story of the resistance that the daughters have with their father. As such, the film flips from English to Norwegian since their father hires an actress who speaks English.
Sentimental Value is a film that I feel anyone who’s experienced estrangement in addition to generational trauma. Out of the films that were shown during this showcase, Sentimental Value was the one that was the most tearjerker. Without a doubt, Sentimental Value deserves a spot in the list of Best Picture in addition to eight other nominations.
Best Picture Lineup Number Two - F1
The next film on our Best Picture Lineup is F1. Now, I’m not going to lie, this film was the bottom one in my list. However, F1 surprised me with not only how well this film was but also how many nominations it received.
According to The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in their article The 98th Academy Awards, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences state that “F1 was nominated for Film Editing, Sound, Visual Effects, and Best Picture” (6, 8, and 9). From this list alone, F1 has a lot going for it.
F1 follows a former F1 racer Sonny Hayes joins a team who is managed by a former teammate to which he has to work with a younger racer which causes discourse as they both have different driving styles.
Honestly, I feel that F1 is a great film. I feel that it shows amazing visual effects, sound, and film editing. Without a doubt, I feel that this film will win in those categories. However, I feel that it does have a lot to fight for the top spot for Best Picture.
Brad Pitt does a phenomenal job with his role as the main character. He’s cocky, arrogant, and confident. However, it’s not in a way like in the next film Marty Supreme which we will discuss.
I feel that F1 does deserve to be nominated for Best Picture. However, I feel that if it does go into the running of Best Picture, it’s going to have a lot of difficulties with being able to defeat One Battle After Another and Sinners.
Best Picture Lineup Number Three - Marty Supreme
The next film in the lineup is Marty Supreme. Essentially, Marty Supreme follows a man named Marty as he does whatever he can to become the champion in the ever-growing sport, tabletop tennis. Now, Marty Supreme is incredibly well done and deserves the nominations it’s gotten.
According to The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in their article The 98th Academy Awards, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences state that “Marty Supreme is nominated for Actor in a Leading Role, Casting, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Production Design, Writing (Original Screenplay), and Best Picture” (2, 4 – 6, 8, and 10). Just from this list alone, Marty Supreme has something special about it to be nominated for nine categories.
Marty Supreme has a lot going for it. Marty Supreme includes Post World War 2 history, Ping Pong history, the struggle of making a sport a career, and the struggle of making money. One of the main things that really makes this film so intricate is the main character.
Marty is cocky, determined to the point of carelessness, and will do anything to get to what he wants to do. There’s a significant difference between Sonny Hayes from F1 and Marty from Marty Supreme. While Sony is arrogant and reckless, he does it out of reason. Not saying that Marty isn’t doing it out of reason either. However, what makes these two characters somewhat different is Marty is willing to do whatever it takes to make his way to Japan to gain the title of world championship of Ping Pong.
Honestly, Marty Supreme is a fun time with a lot of historical elements that makes the film even more engagement.
Best Pictures Lineup Number Four - Sinners
Now, it’s time for the big one. The one The Academy has given the most nominations for. This film is none other than Sinners.
According to The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in their article The 98th Academy Awards, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences state that “Sinners is nominated for Actor in a Leading Role, Casting, Cinematography, Costume Design, Directing, Film Editing, Makeup and Hair Design, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Production Design, Sound, Visual Effects, Writing (Original Screenplay), and Best Picture” (2-10). This list alone will make anyone’s jaw drop. Sixteen nominations in addition to being a horror film is an unheard narrative.
Horror films are generally not selected by The Academy for The Academy Awards. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. However, it’s incredibly rare for horror films to be nominated especially for Best Picture.
This is due to the fact that the horror genre is incredibly popular to make films and has some of the worst films imaginable. This isn’t a bad thing since this entails that the horror genre is filled with countless numbers of content. In the same token, this also means that some of the worst films.
As a result, it’s incredibly rare for horror films to be nominated. With that said, Sinners deserve every single nomination. The acting, the cinematography, the music, the writing, literally everything about this film deserves a nomination. To be honest, I feel that Sinners will be the big winner of the night because it truly deserves every award.
Best Picture Lineup Number Five – Bugonia
Lastly, the final film in this Best Picture Lineup is Bugonia. Bugonia is a rollercoaster of storytelling that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. Essentially, Bugonia follows a woman who gets kidnapped by two men who are determined that she’s an alien.
According to The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in their article The 98th Academy Awards, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences state that “Bugonia is nominated for Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Actress in a Leading Role, Music (Original Score), and Best Picture” (2, 7-9). From the nomination list to the synopsis, Bugonia has a lot of things that keep audiences on their toes.
One of the main things that distinguishes Bugonia from the other films in the Best Picture showcase is suspense. Bugonia grips audiences with its masterful storytelling and psychological rollercoaster. Emma Stone is phenomenal in her role as the main character. She keeps her voice calm and her thoughts meticulous to help her escape her captors.
There is so much that this film has to offer that Bugonia is without a doubt a runner in the Best Picture category alongside One Battle After Another and Sinners.
Which Film Will Win Best Picture
Looking at this list, there's a lot of films that are in the running for winner of Best Picture. If you'd like to read the read Best Picture Lineup Part One, feel free to follow this link to read about the other five films nominated for Best Picture.
Since we're hours away from The Oscars, what film do you think will win Best Picture? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. If you'd like to watch the films that I discussed today, feel free to follow the following links.
Thank you so much for reading this review. If you liked it, feel free to share and subscribe for more reviews and news. More will come after The Oscars ceremony.
Word Reference:
The 98th Academy Awards | 2026. (2026, January 23). Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026
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