Happy Tuesday, dear readers! Each week, we’ll rank the top 10 films in a specific category. While we aim to tie these lists to big releases, that won’t always be the case. Our goal? For you to enjoy, share your own lists, and join in on a lively, friendly debate. This is an interactive space to build community here at The Contending.
No fancy intros, no long essays – just a category and a list. Sound good?
With Emma Stone’s latest film, Bugonia, hitting theaters this weekend, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the two-time Oscar winner’s extraordinary career. Stone has evolved from a breakout teen comedy sensation into one of Hollywood’s most chameleonic and celebrated actresses. Celebrated for her effortless range, Stone has done it all: navigating high-stakes drama, musical reverie, or surreal absurdity.
Stone boasts an impressive roster of partnerships with auteur directors, including Damien Chazelle, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, and Woody Allen, but her most prolific and electric collaboration has been with Yorgos Lanthimos. Their joint ventures, starting with the short film Bleat and extending through The Favourite, Kinds of Kindness, and Poor Things, have pushed her into increasingly audacious territory. Bugonia represents their fifth outing together, a sci-fi comedy remake of the Korean hit Save the Green Planet!, where Stone unleashes a wild, multifaceted performance as a tech CEO entangled in a conspiracy of alien abductions and corporate intrigue.
Stone has been Oscar-nominated four times for acting and once for producing. She won Lead Actress statues for La La Land (2016) and Poor Things (2023).
I saw Bugonia in Telluride and really enjoyed it. Stone currently ranks fourth in my Best Actress predictions for this year.
Let’s take a look at her best performances so far!
10. The Help (Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, 2011)
