Ranking all eight recent Best Picture nominees, from worst to best

With American Sniper making a killing at the box office this weekend — no pun intended — and all the other Best Picture nominees on home video or already in theaters, the public has free reign to see them all by now.

But which one should you see first? Which one gives the most bang for your buck? Well, having seen all eight, here is a comprehensive list of all the movies going for the major award, and which ones deserve to be seen first and foremost.

To look at all the other nominees, here is the full list click here. Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, this year's Oscar ceremony is going to give their golden men away on February 22 on ABC.

Check out the best of the best.

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8. American Sniper
The new Clint Eastwood movie may have made over $90 million at the box office this weekend, but American Sniper is, on the whole, just a fairly average film. Bradley Cooper gives a great performance at the lead, and so does Sienna Miller as his wife, and the war scenes are appropriately tense, unflinching and haunting. But the rest of the movie feels rushed and overly simplistic, with Chris Kyle's life story feeling too simplistic and flat to really make an impact.

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7. The Theory of Everything
This Stephen Hawking-biopic hosts wonderful performances from leads Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, and works mainly on their charm, commitment and heartfelt work together. But, at the same time, The Theory of Everything all-too-often feels like it is required to check off a giant list of Oscar bait cliches.

It's the quality performances and the beautiful chemistry that makes this movie good, but it very much feels like a TV-level feature, with Hawking's achievements rushed and his life only partial examined. On that same token, however, the movie's dedication to showcasing the smaller moments in the Hawkings' lives over the big ones is what makes Theory of Everything ultimately resonate.

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6. The Imitation Game
Much like The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, a fellow British biopic, tries just a little too hard to make itself great. Its touching performances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley shine, and are thankfully not too overbearing. The movie always has a very witty screenplay, and some great editing making The Imitation Game moves at a great clip.

But, ultimately, its self-congratulatory examination of Alan Turing and its eye-rolling cliches undermine some of the great aspects of this film. It's still a good movie, and really comes into its own during its heartbreaking finale, but by no means is this the best biopic of the year.

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5. Boyhood
Richard Linklater's 12-years-in-the-making Boyhood is a very sincere, heartfelt and touching coming-of-age tale. At the same time, however, it's not the second coming. Everyone and their brother is making this movie seem like the best thing since the invention of bread, and, while it is very good, it's not that good.

Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette give great turns, and Linklater's direction is personable, diligent and nicely restrained. But his writing is often uneven, with some scenes as beautiful and elegant as Linklater's best work and others...well, not so much. Not to mention those horrible pop-culture transitions that almost always felt forced and awkward as can be. It's definitely worth a watch, and it's great to see this is the little indie that could. Although, everyone needs to take a breath and calm down at least a tad here.

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4. Selma
Ava DuVernay's Selma, an look at Martin Luther King Jr.'s battle against racial oppression in Alabama in 1965, is a timely, smart, thoughtful and powerful film. Anchored by great performances across the board, it's the rare movie who, while preachy and self-righteous, earns its stance and makes the most out of its message and call to action.

It does hit on a lot of the tired cliches and overused dramatic elements throughout. It also knows how to empower itself with tons of quiet, resilient moments to become a truly powerful film on activism and fighting to make your voice heard. In a time when activism as vigilant as ever, Selma is a welcomed rising battle cry.

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3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson, once again, makes a masterfully tinkered, wonderfully visioned comic slice of genius and lunacy with The Grand Budapest Hotel. Anchored by a rare comedic lead performance from Ralph Fiennes, it's a brisk, sharp, fantastically crass adventure, filled with imagination, heart and excitement.

The art direction is splendid as always, and so are the costume designs and period detail. Anderson, more confident in his vision than ever, makes good use of his signature style and wittiness, but doesn't make it as overbearing as his last feature Moonrise Kingdom occasionally did. As it gets colder, snuggle up to this warm little mountain tale.

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2. Birdman
Another great film from director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a frantically entertaining and fantastically furious film that's as telling as it is hilarious. Michael Keaton gives the performance of his career, with magnificent performances from Emma Stone, Zach Galifiankis, Naomi Watts and Lindsay Duncan surrounding him and empowering this masterwork.

Through its revolutionary uses of long takes, brilliant screenplay and everyone's full-forced dedication to the project, Birdman is the rare risk that soars completely. It makes fantastic use of its score, cast and location, and is an irresistible explosion of talent.

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1. Whiplash
Whiplash is, by and far, 2014's most exciting, heart-pounding, intense and, ultimately, best film. With incredible performances from Miles Teller, Paul Reiser and especially J.K. Simmons — a man who absolutely must win his best supporting Oscar — Damien Chazelle makes an unforgettable examination of art, the desire for greatness and one's sense of well-being in sacrifice.

It's a universal and haunting movie, one that will never stop banging in your head and one that you don't want to stop. With a fantastic score, incredible editing, a super tight script and magnificent direction, this is a powerful and electrifying film, and to know it's only the director's second is just unbelievable.

Image courtesy of INFphoto.com