Igor Toronyi-Lalic

Who will win best film at the Oscars? Here are the runners and riders.

The Oscars dispenses its wisdom tonight. By tradition the award for the past year’s best film won’t go to the past year’s best film. This means 12 Years a Slave will probably win. Here’s a quick recap of the movies in contention and what our film critic Deborah Ross thought of them.

Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

‘It’s … three hours of the same events, over and over. Make a ton of money, get totally whacked on drugs, have sex with hookers. Make a ton of money, get totally whacked on drugs, have sex with hookers. And sometimes, for variety: make a ton of money, get totally whacked on drugs, buy a yacht, buy a helicopter, have the hooker stand a candle in your bum…’

Read the rest of Deborah Ross’s Spectator review here.

12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)

Slavery was really really really really really really really bad. Thanks for clearing that up, Steve. Had no idea. I’ll unchain my maid now.

Read Deborah Ross’s Spectator review here.

Nebraska (Alexander Payne)

Just because a film is slow, boring and black and white, doesn’t make it good. Don’t let the film buffs tell you otherwise.

Philomena (Stephen Frears)

‘Philomena is based on the true story of an Irish woman searching for the son stolen from her by the Catholic Church 50 years earlier, and although, as a cinematic experience, it could so easily have felt as if you were being repeatedly slapped round the head by a copy of Woman’s Own, it is, thankfully, quite a few notches up from that…’

Read the rest of Deborah Ross’s Spectator review.

Her (Spike Jonze)

The one Emily Maitlis really didn’t like.

American Hustle (David O. Russell)

The 70s one.

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