'American Fiction' (Oscars mini episode)

“Maestro,” from director Bradley Cooper, is a biopic of Leonard Bernstein. It stars Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan and is the first time a movie has ever been about the life of a musician. With a 79, it has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of any of the Best Picture noms and also carries an audience score of 59. “Maestro” runs two hours and nine minutes.  It is nominated for seven Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor - Bradley Cooper, Best Actress - Carey Mulligan, Best Original Screenplay - Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Sound.

Written and directed by former Gawker editor Cord Jefferson in his feature directorial debut, “American Fiction” tells the story of a frustrated writer whose satire of modern black books gets taken seriously by liberal white people. It has a 94 on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience score of 96, and runs one hour and 57 minutes.  “American Fiction” sits eighth in betting odds among Best Picture nominees at +8000. It is nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor - Jeffrey Wright, Best Supporting Actor - Sterling K. Brown, Best Adapted Screenplay - Cord Jefferson and Best Original Score - Laura Karpman.

'The Zone of Interest' is a Holocaust drama about a Nazi commandant’s family living next to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Though the death that surrounds this idyllic home is not shown, frequent reminders of the atrocities juxtaposed with the family’s cold demeanor make for a squeamish one hour and 45 minutes. “The Zone of Interest” carries a 93 on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience score of 78.  It is nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director - Jonathan Glazer, Best Adapted Screenplay - Jonathan Glazer, Best International Feature Film, Best Sound 

'Oppenheimer' (written and directed by Christopher Nolan) stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr. and many more Hollywood stars. It is the heavy favorite to win Best Picture at the Oscars and is nominated for a total of 13 academy awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor - Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor - Robert Downey Jr., Best Supporting Actress - Emily Blunt, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score - Ludwig Göransson, Best Production Design and Best Sound.

'The Holdovers,' directed by Alexander Payne, is the warmest and nicest movie. It has a runtime of 2 hours and 13 minutes and the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of the Best Picture nominees at 97. It is nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor - Paul Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress - Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. 

Past Lives, Celine Song's directorial debut, is a gourmet romantic comedy about two childhood friends who re-enter one another’s lives as adults. It is nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

'Killers of the Flower Moon', from director Martin Scorcese, is a Western crime drama based on the nonfiction book of the same name. It is nominated for 10 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress - Lily Gladstone, Best Supporting Actor - Robert De Niro, Best Costume Design, Best Original Song, Best Original Score - Robbie Robertson, Best Production Design, Best Editing and Best Cinematography. 

Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d'une chute), from director Justine Triet, is a French legal drama in which a writer is placed on trial for her husband’s death. It is nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress - Sandra Hüller, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing.

'Barbie,' from director Greta Gerwig, is a fantasy comedy starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling based on the iconic doll from Mattel. It is nominated for eight Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor - Ryan Gosling, Best Supporting Actress - America Ferrara, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and two nominations for Best Original Song: I’m Just Ken by Mark Robson and Andrew Wyatt, and What Was I Made For by Billy Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.

'Poor Things' is an absurd coming-of-age film from Yorgos Lanthimos that stars Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo. It's about a lady who gets a brain transplant done by a super cool scientist and then gets real good at sex.