Monday, September 17, 2012

Best Pictures: If I Chose the Winners

First off, let me say that I have no idea why I’m on such a Best Picture kick right now. I wanted to talk about what I thought were the most important Best Picture winners of all time, then I felt it was appropriate to discuss the least worthy. Now I want to tell you which films I would have chosen to take the top prize. Again, I have no idea why my recent Best Picture fascination took hold, but I’m going to play it out for a while longer.

Now, although I have seen every Best Picture winner, I certainly have not seen every single film that has been nominated for the Oscars’ top prize. Given this, it simply isn’t fair for me to say what “should’ve” won if I haven’t seen any of the other nominees. In short, the purpose of list picks up at the year 1939, when the actual winner is in bold, and my chosen winner is in yellow.

Enjoy, and share any and all thoughts/picks you have in the comments!

(For the record, of the 72 years I chose winners for, the Academy and I agreed only 23 times. Yikes.)

1927/1928
The Racket
Seventh Heaven
Wings

1928/1929
Alibi
The Broadway Melody
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
In Old Arizona
The Patriot

1929/1930
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Big House
Disraeli
The Divorcee
The Love Parade

It Happened One Night (winner, 1934)














1930/1931
Cimarron
East Lynne
The Front Page
Skippy
Trader Horn

1931/1932
Arrowsmith
Bad Girl
The Champ
Five Star Final
Grand Hotel
One Hour with You
Shanghai Express
The Smiling Lieutenant

1932/1933
Cavalcade
A Farewell to Arms
42nd Street
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Lady for a Day
Little Women
The Private Life of Henry VIII
She Done Him Wrong
Smilin’ Through
State Fair

1934
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Cleopatra
Flirtation Walk
The Gay Divorcee
Here Comes the Navy
The House of Rothschild
Imitation of Life
It Happened One Night
One Night of Love
The Thin Man
Viva Villa!
The White Parade

1935
Alice Adams
Broadway Melody of 1936
Captain Blood
David Copperfield
The Informer
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Les Misérables
Mutiny on the Bounty
Naughty Marietta
Ruggles of Red Gap
Top Hat

1936
Anthony Adverse
Dodsworth
The Great Ziegfeld
Libeled Lady
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Romeo and Juliet
San Francisco
The Story of Louis Pasteur
A Tale of Two Cities
Three Smart Girls

1937
The Awful Truth
Captains Courageous
Dead End
The Good Earth
The Life of Emile Zola
Lost Horizon
In Old Chicago
One Hundred Men and a Girl
Stage Door
A Star is Born

1938
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Alexander’s Ragtime Band
Boys Town
The Citadel
Four Daughters
Grand Illusion
Jezebel
Pygmalion
Test Pilot
You Can’t Take it With You

1939
Dark Victory
Gone with the Wind
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Love Affair
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Ninotchka
Of Mice and Men
Stagecoach
The Wizard of Oz
Wuthering Heights

Double Indemnity (my winner, 1944)



















1940
All This, and Heaven Too
Foreign Correspondent
The Grapes of Wrath
The Great Dictator
Kitty Foyle
The Letter
The Long Voyage Home
Our Town
The Philadelphia Story
Rebecca

1941
Blossoms in the Dust
Citizen Kane
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Hold Back the Dawn
How Green Was My Valley
The Little Foxes
The Maltese Falcon
One Foot in Heaven
Sergeant York
Suspicion

1942
Kings Row
49th Parallel
The Magnificent Ambersons
Mrs. Miniver
The Pied Piper
The Pride of the Yankees
Random Harvest
The Talk of the Town
Wake Island
Yankee Doodle Dandy

1943
Casablanca
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Heaven Can Wait
The Human Comedy
In Which We Serve
Madame Curie
The More the Merrier
The Ox-Bow Incident
The Song of Bernadette
Watch on the Rhine

1944
Double Indemnity
Gaslight
Going My Way
Since You Went Away
Wilson

1945
Anchors Aweigh
The Bells of St. Mary’s
The Lost Weekend
Mildred Pierce
Spellbound

1946
The Best Years of Our Lives
Henry V
It’s a Wonderful Life
The Razor’s Edge
The Yearling

1947
The Bishop’s Wife
Crossfire
Gentleman’s Agreement
Great Expectations
Miracle on 34th Street

1948
Hamlet
Johnny Belinda
The Red Shoes
The Snake Put
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1949
All the King’s Men
Battleground
The Heiress
A Letter to Three Wives
Twelve O’Clock High

A Place in the Sun (my winner, 1951)



















1950
All About Eve
Born Yesterday
Father of the Bride
King Solomon’s Mines
Sunset Boulevard

1951
An American in Paris
Decision Before Dawn
A Place in the Sun
Quo Vadis
A Streetcar Named Desire

1952
The Greatest Show on Earth
High Noon
Ivanhoe
Moulin Rouge
The Quite Man

1953
From Here to Eternity
Julius Caesar
The Robe
Roman Holiday
Shane

1954
The Caine Mutiny
The Country Girl
On the Waterfront
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Three Coins in the Fountain

1955
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing
Marty
Mister Roberts
Picnic
The Rose Tattoo

1956
Around the World in 80 Days
Friendly Persuasion
Giant
The King and I
The Ten Commandments

1957
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Peyton Place
Sayonara
12 Angry Men
Witness for the Prosecution

1958
Auntie Mame
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The Defiant Ones
Gigi
Separate Tables

1959
Anatomy of a Murder
Ben-Hur
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Nun’s Story
Room at the Top

The Hustler (my winner, 1961)















1960
The Alamo
The Apartment
Elmer Gantry
Sons of Lovers
The Sundowners

1961
Fanny
The Guns of Navarone
The Hustler
Judgment at Nuremberg
West Side Story

1962
Lawrence of Arabia
The Longest Day
The Music Man
Mutiny on the Bounty
To Kill a Mockingbird

1963
America, America
Cleopatra
How the West Was Won
Lillies of the Field
Tom Jones

1964
Becket
Dr. Strangelove
Mary Poppins
My Fair Lady
Zobra the Greek

1965
Darling
Doctor Zhivago
Ship of Fools
The Sound of Music
A Thousand Clowns

1966
Alfie
A Man for All Seasons
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming
The Sand Pebbles
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1967
Bonnie and Clyde
Doctor Dolittle
The Graduate
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
In the Heat of the Night

1968
Funny Girl
The Lion in Winter
Oliver!
Rachel, Rachel
Romeo and Juliet

1969
Anne of the Thousand Days
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Hello, Dolly!
Midnight Cowboy
Z

A Clockwork Orange (my winner, 1971)
















1970
Airport
Five Easy Pieces
Love Story
MASH
Patton

1971
A Clockwork Orange
Fiddle on the Roof
The French Connection
The Last Picture Show
Nicholas and Alexandra

1972
Cabaret
Deliverance
The Emigrants
The Godfather
Sounder

1973
American Graffiti
Cries and Whispers
The Exorcist
The Sting
A Touch of Glass

1974
Chinatown
The Conversation
The Godfather Part II
Lenny
The Towering Inferno

1975
Barry Lyndon
Dog Day Afternoon
Jaws
Nashville
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

1976
All the President’s Men
Bound for Glory
Network
Rocky
Taxi Driver

1977
Annie Hall
The Goodbye Girl
Julia
Star Wars
The Turning Point

1978
Coming Home
The Deer Hunter
Heaven Can Wait
Midnight Express
An Unmarried Woman

1979
All That Jazz
Apocalypse Now
Breaking Away
Kramer vs. Kramer
Norma Rae

The Big Chill (my winner, 1983)














1980
Coal Miner’s Daughter
The Elephant Man
Ordinary People
Raging Bull
Tess

1981
Atlantic City
Chariots of Fire
On Golden Pond
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Reds

1982
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Gandhi
Missing
Tootsie
The Verdict

1983
The Big Chill
The Dresser
The Right Stuff
Tender Mercies
Terms of Endearment

1984
Amadeus
The Killing Fields
A Passage to India
Places in the Heart
A Soldier’s Story

1985
The Color Purple
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Out of Africa
Prizzi’s Honor
Witness

1986
Children of a Lesser God
Hannah and Her Sisters
The Mission
Platoon
A Room with a View

1987
Broadcast News
Fatal Attraction
Hope and Glory
The Last Emperor
Moonstruck

1988
The Accidental Tourist
Dangerous Liaisons
Mississippi Burning
Rain Man
Working Girl

1989
Born on the Fourth of July
Dead Poets Society
Driving Miss Daisy
Field of Dreams
My Left Foot

L.A. Confidential (my winner, 1997)














1990
Awakenings
Dances with Wolves
Ghost
The Godfather Part III
GoodFellas

1991
Beauty and the Beast
Bugsy
JFK
The Prince of Tides
The Silence of the Lambs

1992
The Crying Game
A Few Good Men
Howards End
Scent of a Woman
Unforgiven

1993
The Fugitive
In the Name of the Father
The Piano
The Remains of the Day
Schindler’s List

1994
Forrest Gump
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Pulp Fiction
Quiz Show
The Shawshank Redemption

1995
Apollo 13
Babe
Braveheart
The Postman
Sense and Sensibility

1996
The English Patient
Fargo
Jerry Maguire
Secrets & Lies
Shine

1997
As Good as It Gets
The Full Monty
Good Will Hunting
L.A. Confidential
Titanic

1998
Elizabeth
Life is Beautiful
Saving Private Ryan
Shakespeare in Love
The Thin Red Line

1999
American Beauty
The Cider House Rules
The Green Mile
The Insider
The Sixth Sense

Traffic (my winner, 2000)

















2000
Chocolat
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Erin Brockovich
Gladiator
Traffic

2001
A Beautiful Mind
Gosford Park
In the Bedroom
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Moulin Rouge!

2002
Chicago
Ganges of New York
The Hours
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Pianist

2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit

2004
The Aviator
Finding Neverland
Million Dollar Baby
Ray
Sideways

2005
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich

2006
Babel
The Departed
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

2007
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

2008
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

2009
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

The Tree of Life (my winner, 2011)














2010
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

2011
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

51 comments:

  1. We have a lot in common about our choices,Alex.

    The three misses on Scorsese were the biggest mistake Oscar has ever made.

    There are some of "your Best Picture" I haven't seen yet,need to check them out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cool man, glad to see we agree on a lot of them David!

      Delete
  2. Hmm, I agree with you on most occasions.

    A few personal notes:

    1958 - I could give it to Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Auntie Mame or The Defiant Ones. Love all of em.

    1965 - Is Darling that good? Over Sound of Music?!?

    1976 - My pick is All the President's Men, it's a solid year though.

    1985 - The Color Purple.

    1989 - Another strong year, I would go with Dead Poets Society.

    1990-1995 - I'm with the Academy.

    2001 - You would pick In The Bedroom? Interesting.

    2002, 2004 - Stellar lineups again.

    2010 - That's my favourite Best Picture field of them all. Love all of them, The Social Network and Inception being the standouts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice man, solid picks all around.

      1965 - To be fair, I hate most musicals. The Sound of Music is a good movie, for sure, but no where near as good as Darling, to me.

      1990 - Wolves over GoodFellas, huh?

      2001 - Anything but A Beautiful Mind (and LOTR haha)

      Delete
    2. I agree about All the President's Men! Great movie. Though I wouldn't choose it over Taxi Driver by a very wide margin. And I loved In the Bedroom.

      Delete
  3. Bleh, it's always Citizen Kane. Classic film lover or not, I could care less about that.

    I'm a little surprised by your choice for 1958. Nice to know I'm not the only one who saw it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In 1941, yeah, it's always Kane. And your choice would be....

      The Defiant Ones is a GREAT film.

      Delete
    2. That's definitely my number 2, no doubt.

      Delete
  4. Wow, that's a nice list of picks.

    Here's my pick of the Best Picture Winners from 1970-2011:

    1970-MASH
    1971-A Clockwork Orange
    1972-The Godfather
    1973-Cries and Whispers
    1974-The Conversation
    1975-Barry Lyndon
    1976-Taxi Driver
    1977-Annie Hall
    1978-The Deer Hunter
    1979-Apocalypse Now
    1980-Raging Bull
    1981-Raiders of the Lost Ark
    1982-E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
    1983-The Right Stuff
    1984-Amadeus
    1985-Witness
    1986-Platoon
    1987-The Last Emperor
    1988-Working Girl
    1989-Dead Poet Society
    1990-Goodfellas
    1991-The Silence of the Lambs
    1992-The Unforgiven
    1993-The Piano
    1994-Pulp Fiction
    1995-Braveheart
    1996-Fargo
    1997-L.A. Confidential
    1998-The Thin Red Line
    1999-The Insider
    2000-Traffic
    2001-Gosford Park
    2002-The Pianist
    2003-Lost in Translation (aka Best Film Ever!)
    2004-Sideways
    2005-Brokeback Mountain
    2006-Letters from Iwo Jima
    2007-There Will Be Blood
    2008-Milk
    2009-Inglourious Basterds
    2010-The Social Network
    2011-The Tree of Life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice man, great picks here.

      1999- I actually think The Insider is a better film than American Beauty, but I dunno, it's weird, I just love the fact that American Beauty won.

      Same for 1972, Deliverance is one of my favorite films ever, and if forced to choose, I suppose I like it more than The Godfather. But a Godfather Best Pic win just feels so right.

      Delete
  5. I really hated Precious - I was astounded that it had even been nominated. Interesting picks Alex

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel like people either love or hate that one. I absolutely adore it. So real and true and bold and unflinching. Movie knocks the wind out of me.

      Delete
  6. Dude, has anyone ever told you that you watch too many movies? ;-)

    No, honestly it's inspiring. I have watched relatively very few of these so I'm not well-equipped to choose the winners. I would say that we have things like Dr. Strangelove, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, A Clockwork Orange, The Graduate, Taxi Driver, The Pianist etc. in common because I honestly cannot see other films being better than them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahha YES! A girl, once, and I dumped her.

      I completely get what you're saying - how can any movie possibly be better than the ones you listed? Funny thing is, as you make your way through, you'll find some genuine surprises in there. The Lost Weekend and From Here to Eternity were probably the biggest shockers I discovered when I made my way through the Best Picture winners. Those are two flawless films right there.

      Delete
    2. Hah! Agreed. She wasn't girlfriend material, Dude. ;-)

      Delete
  7. I've seen all of the winners too, and I'm trying see all of the nominees. I'm over 70% through, so I'll get there one day. :)

    Mrs. Miniver, Lilies of the Field, Darling, The Big Chill, Mystic River, and Precious are welcome surprises.

    And I love that you went with The Best Years of Our Lives. Great film, but I give It's a Wonderful Life a slight edge.

    YAY for Giant, 12 Angry Men, Anatomy of a Murder, Virginia Woolf, Atlantic City, Broadcast News, Dangerous Liaisons, L.A. Confidential, The Thin Red Line, and Black Swan, among others.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice man!

      The Big Chill, my god, that is a flawless film. Just bloody perfect.

      Glad you dug so many of my choices!

      Delete
    2. Yep. It seems The Big Chill isn't that highly regarded anymore, but I love it.

      Delete
    3. Ha! Genius. Goldblum kills it.

      Delete
  8. As you go back in time, it becomes difficult for me to give an informed opinion since in many cases, I have only seen Winner. But I will weigh in on what I know.

    2011 - I saw The Artist just couple of days ago and I think I can go with it

    2010 - certainly one of the best line ups. I will go with Inception but Social Network and Black Swan are worthy winners too.

    2008 - ANYTHING absolutely anything over Slumdog

    2007 - another great year. Yes, I personally prefer There will be blood but I really can't argue against No Country. Equally great movie.

    2006 - I know you love it and I really don't think it's bad but why would you want to see Babel ? I felt like killing myself after watching it.

    2000 - I love that Chocolat was nominated, great little movie but I will still go with Traffic.

    98 - Alwys SPR for win(I feel like someone should make case for it)

    94 - Pulp FTW !!

    91 - I love JFK, probably only movie where I can stand Kevin Costner but you would choose that over Silence of the Lambs ? Hmmm

    90 - Anyone in their right minds will agree. GOODFELLAS !!

    I won't comment much about my 'Favorite' decade '80s but until a week or so ago, I didn't even know Broadcast News and in a week, this is third time someone mentioned it

    74, 75, 76 - Amazing Line-ups with 75 probably being the greatest ever. You almost can not go wrong.

    73 - I LOVE The Sting but I really can't decide between that, The Exorcist and Cries and Whispers. Great movies, all 3.

    From here on, I don't know much though I think I will agree with Virginia Woolf, Dr. Strangelove and definitely 12 Angry Men and I also think I will disagree with 61(Judgement at Nuremburg), 62(To Kill a Mockingbird) and 65(Sound of Music). I haven't seen The Darling though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "2008 - ANYTHING absolutely anything over Slumdog"- hear hear!

      Delete
    2. It's kind of refreshing that you both detest Slumdog so much. At the risk of being presumptuous, is your distaste based on your nationalities?



      Delete
    3. SDG:

      2007 - I can't argue against NCFOM either. Love that movie.

      91 - Just barely. I'm a huge Lambs fan, so I don't hate on its win at all.

      Delete
    4. Okay, gotcha. I didn't want to offend either of you by asking.

      Delete
  9. I love this post. And I think, from a personal point of view, that an experiment like this is very telling about consensus and how films find their place in our collective psyche over time.

    Going over the list, there are more than 50 instances where I agree with you and not the academy, but you're choosing NOW and they chose THEN, and I'm also choosing NOW. We have the benefit of hindsight to be able to tell what feels relevant after so many years. Whereas, in the past decade (since The Pianist) I only agree with you on two ocassions. Maybe in 30 years, we'll agree on our choices for these years, too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Amir, thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such an insightful comment.

      You're absolutely right, the benefit of hindsight makes all the difference here. And if you ask me in 10 years, I bet many of my picks will have changed (especially for the more recent years). That's why I really try to not hate on the Academy too much - they pick what they pick at that time. If awards were handed out five years after the movies were released, then the movies that are awarded would be completely different. So I definitely get you.

      Thanks again man, gonna check out your blog soon!

      Delete
    2. "I love this post. And I think, from a personal point of view, that an experiment like this is very telling about consensus and how films find their place in our collective psyche over time."

      Wow! I love that. That is so very true.

      Delete
  10. Woah Precious is your winner? Didn't know you like this movie so much, I quite enjoyed it and almost every single one of the nominees would be a better win than The Hurt Locker. That list remiinds of many shameful mistakes Academy made - Psycho not even being nominated for BP? Forrest Gump winning over Pulp Fiction and Quiz Show? Insane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I love Precious. I think it is American independent cinema at its rawest and most real.

      Yeah, in hindsight, it's so easy to call the Academy on its faults. It's really shocking how many now-classic films never got proper awards attention.

      Delete
  11. 7 years in a row they've got it wrong hey Alex? ;) Hope this year you get your wish. I definitely have to check out some of your best picture ones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha, well, rarely does my favorite film of the year win, or get nominated no less. Oh well!

      Delete
  12. Boy, hindsight really does change things. Very interesting experiment! I'm most impressed at how many hours you've logged in your life to see most of these films. I feel like I'm always catching up, and that I never will! There's so much to see, so little time. I envy you!! Seeing your perspective on the Academy's choices was enlightening, man.

    Keep it up, man. You're on fire!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks dude! Yeah, I can't imagine how many hours I spent watching all of these, and to be honest, it was kind of tough, because so many of these films are NOT types of movies I enjoy. But there is some odd satisfaction in completed a list like this, so it was worth it in the end!

      Delete
  13. Sting won over Cries and Whispers? Forrest Gump over Pulp Fiction? Huh. I really have no words.

    Great list! I don't follow Academy Award winners & such, so I'm glad I have you and Josh to educate me a bit on this facet of the Film Buff Universe. ;-) And I agree with many of your choices. Great minds think alike, y'know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Although I disagree with them WAY more than I agree, I love the Oscars. Glad Josh and I can help with your Oscar knowledge!

      Delete
    2. Yes, it's not something I care about enough to follow, but it is quite interesting. I appreciate the tremendous amount of work you must put into a list like this!

      Just curious, do you think Oscar picks are more about politics than honoring great film making? Or do you think the academy sincerely appreciates good film, first and foremost?

      Delete
    3. As much as it kills me to say this, I'd say they are far more about politics than art. But maybe politics isn't the right word... they're really just a hype show. Most of the time, I feel like they choose whatever film or performance is the most hyped at the time of the awards.

      Now this is a rather flimsy argument, because sometimes the best movie really does win. But I'd say more often than not, it's a popularity contest.

      Delete
  14. Hey, just stumbled upon your blog from looking around.
    Kudos for taking the time to go through every year since 1939. I couldn't begin to pretend I would be capable of picking a winner out of each year since my film watching resume of the classics is still quite light.
    The Academy has made several famous mistakes which you're right to point out in your summary. Let me make a comment about a few of the years:

    1941 - Citizen Kane was the clear winner but the Academy decided otherwise, perhaps the most famous flop it has ever made.
    1950 - I'd have to side with the Academy on this one. All About Eve is very compelling and entertaining. Bette Davis at her best.
    1954 - On the Waterfront was certainly the clear-cut winner. An excellent and influential piece of film.
    1957 - Completely agree with your choice. The Academy baffles me once again. 12 Angry Men is pretty much perfection.
    1961 - Controversial choice on your part that I happen to agree with.
    1964 - Another big Academy mistake. Dr. Strangelove is flawless.
    1970 - I'd side with the Academy with Patton. I really enjoyed it.
    1971 - Difficult choice here. I'd tend to lean in favor of Clockwork.
    1975 - Agreed
    1976 - Another big flop. Agree with you.
    1979&80 - Completely agree.
    1982 - A difficult choice. I'd probably still pick Gandhi over E.T.
    1990- Another big miss by the Academy. Goodfellas clearly the best out of the nominated films.
    1991,92&93 - Agreed
    1994 - Three absolute classics in the running. Very tough choice. I'd probably go with Pulp Fiction too.
    1995 - Agree with the Academy on this one.
    1998 - I'd have given it to Life is Beautiful. One of my favorite films ever.
    1999 - The Sixth Sense for me
    2000 - Agree, Traffic is superior.
    2001 - With the Academy on this one.
    2003 - Lost in Translation all the way. No doubt for me on this one.
    2007 - Another difficult one. I would have gone for either. Sometimes I think I liked No Country more, on other days I think I prefer There Will be Blood
    2009 - Agree. Precious out of the nominated ones. However, my pick for best film wasn't even in contention: Where the Wild Things Are
    2010 - Inception my choice. King's Speech second.
    2011 - Agree. Tree of Life or Moneyball out of the nominated. A Separation was my favorite though.

    Thanks for sharing. Great blog.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, excellent comment here. Love this.

    1941 - Yep.
    1950 - Close call for me indeed.
    1957 - YES!
    1971 - Very difficult choice there.
    1976 - (sigh)
    1995 - Tough year for me, I'm not too jazzed about any of those flicks.
    2007 - That was just a solid year. I love NCFOM.
    2009 - Ooooh solid choice from you.
    2011 - A Separation was excellent, wasn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Personally, I thought Rebecca really deserved the win for 1940. Although the other nominees were also very good (The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, The Philadelphia Story especially).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Rebecca is a fine film indeed, no question. But yeah, The Grapes of Wrath is... well, The Grapes of Wrath. Ha.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  17. Interesting you value Sunset Boulevard over All About Eve. I agree, but I thought you loved the latter more :P Glad to see Thin Red Line up there. It couldnt have won, but it still should have- somehow ;D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tough year, 1950, but I gotta go with ole Billy. The Thin Red Line... man, that's the movie for me right there.

      Delete
    2. God yes. One of the best. Glad to see the love for Babel shining through too. Departed is a damn fine film though, and its great Scorsese FINALLY won :D

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    3. For sure, 2006 was another great year. I would never take Marty's Oscar away from him, but Paul Greengrass deserved SOMETHING for United 93.

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    4. Hell yes. One of the most mortifying film experiences I've ever had, you were certainly right in calling it one of the scariest non-horror films ever made

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    5. Yeah man. Always such a brutal watch.

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