Entertainment Desk

From dramas about the atomic bomb and Auschwitz, to comedies about dolls and sex-mad reanimated corpses, the lineup of best picture contenders at tomorrow’s Oscars is the most varied in years.

Here are the 10 movies from 2023 that will go head-to-head for Hollywood’s most prestigious prize:

“American Fiction”: “American Fiction” achieves a remarkable feat. It highlights systemic racism and bigoted hypocrisy -- while being flat-out hilarious.

The sharp satire won top prize at the influential Toronto film festival, and is frontrunner for the Oscar for best adapted screenplay.

“Anatomy of a Fall”: Cannes film festival winner “Anatomy of a Fall” -- an intricate French legal drama about a woman suspected in her husband’s death -- has taken Hollywood by storm. It is the favorite for best original screenplay.

“Barbie”: Simply by nominating “Barbie” for best picture, the Oscars have already won. Greta Gerwig's feminist satire drew hordes of pink-clad fans to theaters, sparked countless memes, and was the year's highest-grossing movie, netting $1.4 billion.

“The Holdovers”: A charming, witty, old-fashioned drama, The “Holdovers” follows an unlikely trio stranded together over the winter holidays at a 1970s New England boarding school.

The film reunites star Paul Giamatti with director Alexander Payne. Their previous collaboration, 2004's wine-country road trip movie "Sideways," is an all-time classic.

“Killers of the Flower Moon”: Yes, it is three-and-a-half hours long. But Martin Scorsese's sumptuous drama about the murders of Native Americans in 1920s Oklahoma was just too beautiful -- and important -- for Academy voters to ignore. cold.

“Maestro”: Perennial nominee Bradley Cooper’s latest bid to woo Oscars voters, Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro” -- which he writes, directs and stars in -- racked up an impressive seven nominations. Yet the film seems likeliest to win just the Oscar for best make-up.

“Oppenheimer”: It is hard to recall an Oscars with a more dominant frontrunner than “Oppenheimer.”

Christopher Nolan's drama about the father of the atomic bomb drew critical acclaim, grossed nearly $1 billion, and has won just about every top prize Hollywood has to offer.

“Past Lives”: No film had a longer journey to the Oscars than “Past Lives,” which reduced hardened festivalgoers to sobbing wrecks when it debuted at Sundance back in January 2023.

Hopping between continents, Celine Song's tearjerker follows the intense reunion of two childhood sweethearts, whose lives have diverged in dramatic fashion.

“Poor Things”: Another major festival winner, “Poor Things” took the prestigious top prize at Venice last fall. The rest of the world had to wait months to see Emma Stone as a sexually voracious reanimated corpse, roaming a steampunk vision of 19th century Europe, breaking the hearts of misogynistic men.

“The Zone of Interest”: “The Zone of Interest” is a Holocaust film like no other. Jonathan Glazer's harrowing drama keeps the horrors of Auschwitz strictly at the periphery, both visually and audibly.