STACKER (WSYR-TV) — The Oscars are almost here, however, you still have time to binge-watch many of the nominated films, especially the pieces film lovers recommend.

The Oscars can be seen on NewsChannel 9 Sunday, March 12 at 8 p.m.

2022 was a banner year for movies. It saw the return of the Avatar and Batman franchises, along with the unexpected soaring popularity of the sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun.”

In addition to tentpole blockbusters, you’ll find epics with ensemble casts like “Babylon” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” as well as Steven Spielberg’s sentimental metadrama “The Fabelmans.”

Moving beyond popular entertainment, 2022 also saw multiple films—from dramas to documentaries—examining humanity under dictatorial or authoritarian regimes.

Acclaimed nonfiction films took on such subjects as ecological disasters, systemic racism, abortion rights, LGBTQ+ experiences, and the pharmaceutical industry. Several dramas also examined oppressive histories in an effort to illuminate their impact on the present and future.

Using data from Letterboxd for all 2022 movies, we compiled a list of the top Oscar-nominated films across all genres, according to Letterboxd user scores. Ties are broken internally at Letterboxd, where the data goes deeper than what’s presented online.

Letterboxd is a uniquely insightful source for the year’s best films because it’s the most widely used film-centric social media platform, where cinephiles log, love-hate, rate, review, and discuss movies and explore film history.

As a result, the Letterboxd userbase is more well-versed and up to speed on the year in movies than, say, the IMDb userbase.

21. The Whale

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Letterboxd user rating: 3.8
Runtime: 117 minutes

Brendan Fraser has drawn praise for his emotional performance as a reclusive, ailing father who reconnects with his estranged teen daughter (Sadie Sink) in his final days. Director Darren Aronofsky garnered criticism for the film’s controversial depiction of obesity, however, which was considered insensitive and maudlin.

The Whale has three Oscar nominations including:

Brendan Fraser for Best Actor
Hong Chau for Best Supporting Actress
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley for Best Makeup and Hairstyling

20. Babylon

Director: Damien Chazelle
Letterboxd user rating: 3.8
Runtime: 188 minutes

Boasting over three hours of screen time, “Babylon” covers the heyday of old Hollywood’s silent period as it transitions to talkies in the 1930s. It’s a movie about spectacle, behind and in front of the camera, that depicts lavish parties and reckless chaos, with Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jean Smart and Diego Calva portraying industry forces.

Babylon has three Oscar nominations including:

Justin Hurwitz for Best Original Score
Mary Zophres for Best Costume Design
Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino for Best Production Design

19. All That Breathes

Director: Shaunak Sen
Letterboxd user rating: 3.8
Runtime: 97 minutes

Two brothers create a bird hospital in their New Delhi garage amid an encroaching ecological disaster, and a 2019 act in India’s parliament that bars Muslim immigrants from citizenship. The Muslim brothers, Muhammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, continue their work for the ailing bird population in a documentary that captures the systemic array of forces contributing to unrest for birds and humans alike.

All That Breathes has one Oscar nomination:

Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer for Best Documentary Feature

18. Navalny

Director: Daniel Roher
Letterboxd user rating: 3.9
Runtime: 98 minutes

Currently imprisoned in Russia, Alexei Navalny, the Russian activist known for his brazen opposition to Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime, is the subject of this CNN-produced documentary. The film chronicles the assassination attempt on Navalny’s life, his recovery, and the milieu surrounding the threat he represents as well as the resistance he inspires.

Navalny has one Oscar nomination:

Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris for Best Documentary Feature

17. Triangle of Sadness

Director: Ruben Östlund
Letterboxd user rating: 3.9
Runtime: 147 minutes

Set on a luxury yacht filled with elites, influencers and other members of the one percent, passengers soon find their social and financial power threatened when the ocean turns stormy. This scathing comedy won 2022’s Palme d’Or and stars Woody Harrelson as a luxury boat captain in a movie about shipwrecked rich people whose social order turns upside-down.

Triangle of Sadness has three Oscar nominations including:

Best Picture
Ruben Östlund for Best Director
Ruben Östlund for Best Original Screenplay

16. Avatar: The Way of Water

Director: James Cameron
Letterboxd user rating: 3.9
Runtime: 192 minutes

The long-awaited sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 megablockbuster set on the fictional planet Pandora has a reported production budget between $350 million-$400 million. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana play Jake Sully and Neytiri, the Na’vi couple whose kids must deal once more with colonizing humans.

Avatar: The Way of Water has four Oscar nominations including:

Best Picture
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett for Best Visual Effects
Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges for Best Sound
Dylan Cole, Ben Procter and Vanessa Cole for Best Production Design

15. All Quiet on the Western Front

Director: Edward Berger
Letterboxd user rating: 4.0
Runtime: 148 minutes

Adapting the famous 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, this harrowing film provides an unrelenting entry into the war drama canon. While the original material, including the first film adaptation in 1930, is known for its bleak despair, this update dives even further into the nihilism and meaningless horrors of war.

All Quiet on the Western Front has nine Oscar nominations including:

Best Picture
Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell for Best Adapted Screenplay
Best International Feature (Germany)
Volker Bertelmann for Best Original Score
James Friend for Best Cinematography
Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar for Best Visual Effects
Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte for Best Sound
Christian M Goldbeck and Ernestine Hipper for Best Production Design
Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová by Best Make-up and Hairstyling

14. Close

Director: Lukas Dhont
Letterboxd user rating: 4.0
Runtime: 105 minutes

In this Dutch Grand Jury Prize Cannes winner, Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele give powerful performances as two 13-year-old friends who fall prey to teasing from classmates. The film has been praised for its intimate, soulful style that gets at the emotional heart of both boys as they’re pulled apart.

Close has one Oscar nomination:

Best International Feature (Belgium)

13. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Director: Rian Johnson
Letterboxd user rating: 4.0
Runtime: 140 minutes

Daniel Craig returns as the intrepid Detective Benoit Blanc, who is back for more murder-solving adventures, this time set on a Greek Isle. The ensemble cast, each playing potential suspects in the central mystery, includes Ed Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery has one Oscar nomination:

Rian Johnson for Best Adapted Screenplay

12. The Quiet Girl

Director: Colm Bairéad
Letterboxd user rating: 4.1
Runtime: 94 minutes

The highest-grossing Irish language film of all time, “The Quiet Girl” proceeds with a lyrical directness in its tender tale of a young girl sent to live with foster parents for the summer. As the timid 9-year-old, Catherine Clinch gives an engrossing performance as a child not used to being seen as she slowly forms bonds with her new parents and learns of their own sorrows.

The Quiet Girl has one Oscar nomination:

Best International Feature (Ireland)

11. The Batman

Director: Matt Reeves
Letterboxd user rating: 4.1
Runtime: 176 minutes

The Batman franchise is known for its dark and gritty, pessimistic underworld—and the latest entry, starring Robert Pattinson as the caped billionaire crimefighter, creeps even further into lurid shadows and noir style. The all-star cast also features Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright and Colin Farrell in a murderous game of cat and mouse filled with riddles, twists, and a convoluted plan to destroy Gotham City.

The Batman has three Oscar nominations including:

Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy for Best Visual Effects
Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson for Best Sound
Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine for Best Make-up and Hairstyling

10. Top Gun: Maverick

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Letterboxd user rating: 4.1
Runtime: 130 minutes

The iconic 1986 action movie about aerial dogfights returns with Tom Cruise starring once again as the rebellious Maverick. This time, Maverick is a teacher at the hotshot pilot school where he used to be the star student. Miles Teller plays the grown son of Maverick’s deceased partner, Goose. “Top Gun: Maverick” was a stunning, record-breaking blockbuster, raking in over $1.4 billion worldwide.

Top Gun: Maverick has six Oscar nominations including:

Best Picture
Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie for Best Adapted Screenplay
Hold My Hand by Lady Gaga, BloodPop for Best Original Song
Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R Fisher for Best Visual Effects
Eddie Hamilton for Best Film Editing
Mark Weingarten, James H Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor for Best Sound

9. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Directors: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
Letterboxd user rating: 4.1
Runtime: 117 minutes

This captivating, PG-rated retelling of the classic fairy tale is as much for adults as it is for children. The mesmerizing stop-motion animation adds philosophical heft to the story’s familiar themes about what makes a human real. Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, and Cate Blanchett provide the voice talent with Gregory Mann voicing the titular puppet.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has one Oscar nomination:

Best Animated Feature

8. Tár

Director: Todd Field
Letterboxd user rating: 4.1
Runtime: 158 minutes

Cate Blanchett gives a virtuoso performance as a world-renowned maestro caught up in a storm of allegations about her conduct toward her underlings. The taut drama features a surreal style to indicate psychological turmoil in its examination of prestige, power, loss, and downfall.

Tár has six Oscar nominations including:

Best Picture
Cate Blanchett for Best Actress
Todd Field for Best Director
Todd Field for Best Original Screenplay
Florian Hoffmeister for Best Cinematography
Monika Willi for Best Film Editing

7. The Fabelmans

Director: Steven Spielberg
Letterboxd user rating: 4.2
Runtime: 151 minutes

The latest from iconic director Steven Spielberg is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama about a young filmmaker inspired by the magic of movie-making. The drama recreates 1950s family life with a Norman Rockwell aesthetic and many of the iconic filmmaker’s familiar themes, including the lost innocence of childhood as he faces the truth about his parents.

The Fabelmans has seven Oscar nominations including:

Best Picture
Michelle Williams for Best Actress
Judd Hirsch for Best Supporting Actor
Steven Spielberg for Best Director
Tony Kushner and Steven Spielberg for Best Original Screenplay
John Williams for Best Original Score
Rick Carter, Karen O’Hara for Best Production Design

6. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Director: Laura Poitras
Letterboxd user rating: 4.2
Runtime: 113 minutes

This award-winning documentary tells the story of the artist and activist Nan Goldin, who took on the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, responsible for creating the controversial painkiller OxyContin and the resultant opioid epidemic. The film approaches Goldin’s life and work—inncludinng her uncompromising work as a photographer records the depth and gravity of LGBTQ+ experiences—through the artist’s own photographs and narration.

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed has one Oscar nomination:

Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov for Best Documentary Feature

6. The Banshees of Inisherin

Director: Martin McDonagh
Letterboxd user rating: 4.2
Runtime: 114 minutes

Set in rural Ireland in 1923, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell star in this highly acclaimed black comedy about a strained friendship. The film has a 97% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics hailing the performances and taut, tragicomic plotline that features biting violence and a bleakness that disrupts the spare, coastal setting.

The Banshees of Inisherin has nine Oscar nominations including:

Best Picture
Colin Farrell for Best Actor
Kerry Condon for Best Supporting Actress
Brendan Gleeson for Best Supporting Actor
Barry Keoghan for Best Supporting Actor
Martin McDonagh for Best Director
Martin McDonagh for Best Original Screenplay
Carter Burwell for Best Original Score
Mikkel EG Nielsen for Best Film Editing

4. Aftersun

Director: Charlotte Wells
Letterboxd user rating: 4.2
Runtime: 102 minutes

Told with poetic splendor, “Aftersun” tells the story of a woman looking back at her idealized memories of her father as the truth comes in and out of focus. It’s the first major feature from Scottish writer-director Charlotte Wells and has received several nominations and honors during the 2022 awards season.

Aftersun has one Oscar nomination:

Paul Mescal for Best Actor

3. Argentina, 1985

Director: Santiago Mitre
Letterboxd user rating: 4.2
Runtime: 140 minutes

Director and co-writer Santiago Mitre’s acclaimed courtroom drama shines a light on the true story of the civil court case that brought Argentina’s military dictatorship to justice. With terse suspense, “Argentina, 1985” outlines how some 30,000 people reportedly perished under the regime and the efforts to prosecute those responsible for the horrors.

Argentina, 1985 has one Oscar nomination:

Best International Feature (Argentina)

2. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Director: Dean Fleischer-Camp
Letterboxd user rating: 4.3
Runtime: 90 minutes

Jenny Slate voices Marcel, a small shell with one eye, while Isabella Rossellini is his grandmother, another character created with delightful stop-motion animation. The quaintly absurd premise, and the mystery of the shell’s lost family as they become documentary subjects, provides a heartwarming and poignant tale adored by critics and audiences alike.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On has one Oscar nomination:

Best Animated Feature

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once

Directors: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Letterboxd user rating: 4.5
Runtime: 139 minutes

Michelle Yeoh gives a knockout performance as Evelyn, a Chinese American woman, disconnected from her grown daughter, her listless marriage, and her declining laundromat. Her life takes a turn toward the existential once she’s yanked into a psychedelic multiverse and caught up in epic battles.