Oscar season is here, and the list of the Best Picture nominees are open for all to see. Among this list are ten films that represent the best cinema had to offer in the year 2025–the only question left now is who will win. Read below to see a ranking of the ten films The Signal sees as least and most likely to take the top spot.

10. F1

Brad Pitt’s self-insert F1 fanfiction should just not be up for the running for Best Picture.

It is honestly baffling that a movie as “mid” as this got nominated, and its inclusion on this list is a disgrace to the quality of the rest of the films that have been forced to stand alongside it. If you want to watch a racing movie, watch Ford v Ferrari; it’s a far better film than this slop.

Score – 5/10

9. Sentimental Value

“Sentimental Value” is about sisters reconnecting with their estranged father through a new film he’s writing and directing.

While it is a sizable improvement over the previous film, it still has some problems that’ll keep it from reaching that Best Picture Academy Award.

For one–the length. This 133 minute-long movie’s pacing is often sluggish, and it really feels like cutting 20-30 minutes from the runtime would have made for an infinitely better movie.

The second problem is that the story feels like it goes nowhere for half of the already slow film. While the story really starts to move in the last 25 minutes, by the time it gets interesting, it’s over.

Overall, it’s still a good movie with emotional moments that will tug at your heartstrings. It just leaves a lot to be desired.

Score – 7/10

8. Bugonia

“Bugonia” is the story of two internet conspiracy theorists that kidnap a high profile CEO, believing that she’s an alien that’s infiltrated society in order to destroy Earth.

The film does an absolutely incredible job illustrating the dangers of conspiratorial thinking in addition to hammering the point home that there are people out in the world right at this moment that could end up thinking like this, if they don’t already, and how obvious tells might not always manifest in the ways people expect.

But one of the things thought keeping this from earning the Best Picture award is the fact that, without wanting to spoil anything, the ending betrays the narrative that’d been building for the entire film.

Score – 8/10

7. The Secret Agent

Set in 1970s Brazil, “The Secret Agent” is about a man who travels back to his hometown under a false identity in order to escape political prosecution and resist an authoritarian regime, only to find that his home wasn’t as safe as he once thought.

It does a great job of showcasing the different kinds of corruption that in authoritarian societies, with every scene showing off some form of corruption or another in order to drive the point home that every inch of the country is compromised from head to toe.

One notable aspect about this movie is that, since it’s a foreign-made film and comes in at a length of around three hours, reading the subtitles for that long can get a bit tiring.

Score – 8/10

6. Frankenstein

“Frankenstein” is yet another spin on Mary Shelley’s monumental story about a father and son, and serves to illustrate how domestic violence’s impacts can continue for generations.

Throughout the film, we see Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with defying death–defying God–and the measures he takes to get there. Oscar Isaac’s portrayal as Victor, with a cockiness betraying his belief that he’s smarter than everyone else, is impressive to say the least.

And Jacob Elordi as “The Creature” is no slouch either, able to convincingly portray a being that’s essential a baby upon creation and develop them into a young adult by the end of the film near seamlessly.

Aside from a few questionable CGI shots and one very bad line, everything in this movie is really great. It definitely has a really good chance at winning Best Picture.

Score – 8/10

5. One Battle After Another

“One Battle After Another” is about an ex-revolutionary being forced back into his old way once his daughter is hunted down by an out of control military officer.

This film is very much so has its fingers on the pulse of our country’s current political state with surprising prescience, echoing events happening today despite this film being written and produced before any of those events had even happened.

Couple that cleverness with a great story, compelling characters, solid pacing, and gripping action; and you have a recipe for an award-winning movie.

Score – 9/10

4. Hamnet

“Hamnet” details the events of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they met, fell in love, got married, and started a family, before the death of their son Hamnet and subsequent creation of Shakespeare’s famous play “Hamlet”.

The film surprisingly centers his wife Agnes, played by Jessie Buckley, instead of William, played Paul Mescal. This creative decision allows the audience to more closely connect with the pair’s children, since William would often work away from his family in Stanford for months at a time.

So when Hamnet dies, the impact is felt all the more strongly.

The film has excellent camera work that’s reserved, but powerful, in its use and elevated even higher by the hauntingly beautiful score crafted by composer Max Richter.

Score – 9/10

3. Marty Supreme

“Marty Supreme” is about a man named Marty Mauser who believes his purpose is to attain greatness by becoming the table tennis world champion–something he’ll achieve by any means necessary.

Marty is the most unlikable main character out of this list of films. He lies, scams, extorts, steals, and takes advantage of everyone and anyone he can in order to reach his goal. Even when he finds himself deep in a hole he got himself into, maybe on the cusp of getting out, he instead decides to dig even deeper: go even lower.

Yet even after all the crap he knowingly puts people through, there’s a part of you that can’t help but root for Marty.

But this would not have been possible without Timothée Chalamet’s stand-out acting chops. He lifts this movie up on his shoulders and carries it for the entire runtime, delivering an Oscar-worthy performance.

Score – 9/10

2. Train Dreams

“Train Dreams” delivers an emotionally powerful and devastating story that will leave the audience sobbing in just over an hour-and-a-half.

It focuses on Joel Edgerton’s character, Robert Grainier, as he deals with the aftermath of a horrific event that leaves him to deal with a terrible loss and question his purpose in life.

While the story’s good, the cinematography is what really shines. There was clearly a lot of thought put into making each scene unique from the last, which ends up with many scenes having wildly creative and unique shots.

Score – 10/10

1. Sinners

Truly a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical experience; there is no other film quite like “Sinners”. Everything about it stands out, from its story, characters, music, cinematography, to even just the movie’s base theme.

The premise of the film tackles the conflict between preserving one’s culture vs. assimilating into another, highlighting this internal battle between its central characters.

The outcomes of these battles are displayed in varied ways. Those in the film who betray their culture, often driven by lust or greed, are absorbed and turned into vampires. On the flipside, the characters who remember and hold their cultural roots close are able to survive the night.

“Sinners” is the best movie to come out of last year’s lineup and it’s not even close. This is why it has The Signal’s bet to win Best Picture at the Oscars.

Score – 10/10