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Best Picture Power Rankings: Let the Games Begin

The Big Picture

December 2, 2022 · 1:35:44 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

Hosts: Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · With Laura Poitras

Chapters

Intro▶ 0:00
Sight & Sound's Greatest Films List▶ 3:15
The 2023 Best Picture power rankings▶ 1:10:21
Interview: Laura Poitras▶ 2:09

Lists in this episode

Sight and Sound's 2022 Critics' Poll: The Greatest Films of All Time (Top 10)

Published list · Sean Fennessey · ▶ 8:11

Read on air from Sean Fennessey’s published list.

  1. ·Singin' in the Rain (1952)▶ 8:11
  2. ·Man with a Movie Camera (1929)▶ 8:14
  3. ·Mulholland Drive (2001)▶ 8:16
  4. ·Beau Travail (1999)▶ 8:18
  5. ·2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)▶ 8:25
  6. ·In the Mood for Love (2000)▶ 8:28
  7. ·Tokyo Story (1953)▶ 8:29
  8. ·Citizen Kane (1941)▶ 8:30
  9. ·Vertigo (1958)▶ 8:31
  10. ·Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)▶ 8:32

Sight and Sound's 2012 Critics' Poll: The Greatest Films of All Time (Top 10)

Ranked list · Sean Fennessey · ▶ 7:39

Read on air from Sean Fennessey’s published list.

  1. ·8½▶ 7:39
  2. ·The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)▶ 7:40
  3. ·Man with a Movie Camera (1929)▶ 7:41
  4. ·The Searchers (1956)▶ 7:43
  5. ·2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)▶ 7:43
  6. ·Sunrise▶ 7:46
  7. ·The Rules of the Game (1939)▶ 7:47
  8. ·Tokyo Story (1953)▶ 7:48
  9. ·Citizen Kane (1941)▶ 7:48
  10. 1Vertigo (1958)▶ 7:51

The 2023 Best Picture Power Rankings

Ranked list · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · ▶ 47:57

  1. 6Tár (2022) · Sean Fennessey▶ 47:57
  2. 5Top Gun: Maverick (2022) · Sean Fennessey▶ 51:36
  3. 4The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) · Sean Fennessey▶ 53:28
  4. 1The Fabelmans (2022) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:08
  5. 2Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:14
  6. 3Elvis (2022) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:16
  7. 7Women Talking (2022) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:22
  8. 8The Woman King (2022) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:24
  9. 9Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:26
  10. 10Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:27

Movies Referenced (52)

Avatar (2009)

18 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 23:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Elvis (2022)

14 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 28:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Top Gun (1986)

14 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey▶ 20:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Woman King (2022)

12 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 25:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Glass Onion (2022)

10 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 25:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pinocchio (1940)

10 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 26:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Babylon (2022)

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 23:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Black Panther (2018)

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 27:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Whale (2022)

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 26:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 27:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Women Talking (2022)

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 26:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Vertigo (1958)

6 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey▶ 6:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (14)

Chris Smith

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Fyre▶ 11:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Laura Poitras

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for All the Beauty and the Bloodshed▶ 2:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Spielberg

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan▶ 42:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Lynch

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Laura Poitras · Known for Inland Empire▶ 4:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Baz Luhrmann

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby▶ 28:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daniel Kwan

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Swiss Army Man▶ 58:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barry Jenkins

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for If Beale Street Could Talk, Moonlight, Aftersun▶ 29:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Claire Denis

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for High Life, Beau Travail, Let the Sunshine In▶ 8:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Darren Aronofsky

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Pi, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream▶ 37:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gina Prince-Bythewood

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights, The Old Guard▶ 37:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Gray

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Ad Astra, The Lost City of Z▶ 1:06:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jonathan Demme

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married▶ 17:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (22)

Robert Downey Jr.

9 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Iron Man, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Endgame▶ 11:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adam Sandler

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for Big Daddy, Little Nicky▶ 38:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brendan Fraser

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for The Mummy, Crash, The Mummy Returns▶ 26:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

LeBron James

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for Trainwreck, Hustle▶ 21:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Austin Butler

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Elvis, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, The Dead Don't Die▶ 28:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Nighy

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Love Actually▶ 26:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cate Blanchett

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Carol, Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth▶ 48:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Greta Gerwig

2 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Barbie, Lady Bird, Mistress America▶ 1:03:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Downey Sr.

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for To Live and Die in L.A., Boogie Nights, The Family Man▶ 11:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tracy Brooks Swope

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Toy Soldiers▶ 17:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

3 Little Women

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 26:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adam Driver

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi▶ 1:03:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (8)

Guillermo del Toro

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio▶ 26:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Noah Baumbach

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story▶ 15:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Park Chan-wook

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for The Handmaiden, Oldboy, No Other Choice▶ 40:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rian Johnson

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Knives Out, Looper, Glass Onion▶ 33:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Cameron

2 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for Avatar, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day▶ 39:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Don DeLillo

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:03:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Howard Gertler

1 mentions · Laura Poitras · Known for How to Talk to Girls at Parties▶ 1:21:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tony Kushner

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for West Side Story, Lincoln, Munich▶ 56:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗