What should win on Oscar night? And what should have been nominated? Our critic has thoughts

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If this year’s best picture nominees had a theme, it’s: Back off and let me do my work, whether it’s lady-bossing, creature-building, race-car driving, “Hamlet”-writing, ping-pong playing, revolution-stoking, juke-joint opening or logging the timber that built America.I dug moments in every one of them.

But my work isn’t done until I pick the nominee I wish would win in each of these categories — and then shout out to the skipped films that deserved to be in the conversation.Awards The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced Thursday morning, with ‘Sinners’ leading the field with 16 total nominations.

Here’s the full list of 2026 Oscar nominees.“Bugonia”“Frankenstein”“F1”“Hamnet”“Marty Supreme”“One Battle After Another”“The Secret Agent”“Sentimental Value”“Sinners”“Train Dreams”Should win: “Sinners.” A best picture Oscar for “Sinners” is damned near superfluous.Ryan Coogler already made his point that people will show up for original blockbusters.

This Jim Crow-era murder musical is the best kind of smart filmmaking, a barn-burner about religion and art and race that ditches the speeches for scenes of action and romance.Every character — from Miles Caton’s rebellious guitarist and Jack O’Connell’s lilting vampire to Wunmi Mosaku’s soulful witch and Michael B.

Jordan’s bootlegging twins Smoke and Stack — has been scarred by life in 1930s Mississippi.What’s at stake for them is the chance to leave their own mark on the world in whatever time they’ve got left (possibly forever).

That’s Coogler’s challenge too, and this is his moment to encourage the industry to get back to making ambitious populist hits.Should’ve been a contender: “Eddington.” This year, I squabbled more about this mean and grisly pandemic satire than any other movie.But that’s in keeping with “Edd...