92-76
75-51
50-26
25.)
As mentioned with Million Dollar Baby, there's just something special about boxing movies that draw my interest. Everyone's favorite punching bag makes his debut in a movie that Stallone tried to get made for years before somebody finally took it serious and gave it a chance. Now personally I don't think these movies get any better until maybe Rocky Balboa or Creed. As much as I like it, this movie did not blow me away like the movie I thought should have won the Oscar.
Who It Beat: All the President's Men, Taxi Driver, Network, Bound for Glory
What Should Have Won: Network
My Favorite of 1976: Network
24.)
Annie Hall (1977)Funny and offbeat, unlike Manhattan it doesn't set off any alarms that indicate Woody Allen might run off and marry his adoptive daughter. Diane Keaton makes this movie with her charm and it's the right amount of neurotic Allen.
Who It Beat: Julia, Star Wars, The Goodbye Girl, The Turning Point
What Should Have Won: Star Wars
My Favorite of 1977: Slap Shot
23.)
"I saw the Deer Hunter...it was hilarious!" Unfortunately that's what now rattles around in my brain when I think of this movie, a Christopher Walken sketch from SNL. The Russian Roulette scene is intense and uncomfortable and really that goes for the whole movie, actually that goes for some of the other nominees as well.
Who It Beat: Coming Home, An Unmarried Woman, Heaven Can Wait, Midnight Express
What Should Have Won: The Deer Hunter
My Favorite of 1978: The Deer Hunter
22.)
"They call me Mr. Tibbs!" I love police procedural shows and I saw this show before I saw the movie. The movie is fire and Sidney Poitier was so good in both showings in 1967 (also in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?), but he was shut out be his white co-stars, Spencer Tracy and Rod Steiger (who won for this movie). Granted it was a tough year to try and break in for the Best Actor nod with Warren Beatty in his iconic Clyde role, Paul Newman in another classic role for Cool Hand Luke, and Dustin Hoffman trying to be seduced in The Graduate.
Who It Beat: The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Doctor Dolittle, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
What Should Have Won: In the Heat of the Night
My Favorite of 1967: In the Heat of the Night
21.)
This was Hitchcock's best shot at taking home Best Director as he directed two Best Picture nominees, this and Foreign Correspondent. However, John Ford took home the honor for Grapes of Wrath. Producer David O. Selznick accepted the Oscar for Best Picture and George Barnes was the only other winner for the film for cinematography. Judith Anderson is wickedly good as the villainous housekeeper who helps make her employers second wife feel very unwelcomed, before meeting her untimely doom at the close of the film.
Who It Beat: Our Town, The Grapes of Wrath, Foreign Correspondent, All This and Heaven Too, Kitty Foyle, The Great Dictator, The Letter, The Long Voyage Home, The Philadelphia Story
What Should Have Won: The Great Dictator
My Favorite of 1940: The Great Dictator
20.)
Screwball comedy at its finest, this movie was introduced to me during a film class in college and it gained my affection almost immediately. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert are on the run as she's an heiress trying to escape her family and he's a reporter who's just found the story of a lifetime. It was a great year for Colbert as she also had two other films nominated for Best Picture with Cleopatra and Imitation of Life.
Who It Beat: Cleopatra, Imitation of Life, Flirtation Walk, Here Comes the Navy, One Night of Love, Barretts of Wimpole Street, The Gay Divorcee, The Thin Man, The House of Rothschild, Viva Villa!, The White Parade
What Should Have Won: It Happened One Night
My Favorite of 1934: It Happened One Night
19.)
Crash (2005)Arguably the most controversial Best Picture winner ever, Crash is so polarizing it has become the Nickelback of Best Picture winners. There's a lot of people who hate it, but there's also been over 407,000 votes on IMDB and it holds a 7.8. Personally I enjoyed this film, although admittedly it has been since it came out on DVD 15 years ago that I last watched it. I understand, like Green Book and Driving Miss Daisy, that it oversimplifies the overcoming of racism and that Hollywood loves to take a victory lap on this issue whenever they can to pat themselves on the back. Also, many people were so sure that Brokeback Mountain was going to win and I think that's what really serves as the straw that broke the camel's back. So go ahead and yell at the screen, but here it is.
Who It Beat: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Munich, Goodnight and Good Luck
What Should Have Won: Since I can't dispute how much I like it, it's still Crash, sorry.
My Favorite of 2005: V for Vendetta
18.)
On the Waterfront (1954)What a time to be alive. 1954 produced some fantastic films and On the Waterfront is no exception. Obviously it features the classic line, "I coulda been a contender," but it's not just Brando carrying this film. Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, Lee J. Cobb, and Eva Marie Saint are all terrific, but this is signature Brando. Unlike Sayonara or Mutiny on the Bounty, even some of Apocalypse Now, I'm not questioning anything he's doing with his creative choices in this film.
Who It Beat: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Caine Mutiny, The Country Girl, Three Coins in the Fountain
What Should Have Won: On the Waterfront
My Favorite of 1954: Dial 'M' for Murder
17.)
12 Years a Slave (2013)Steve McQueen and John Ridley broke barriers with this film as McQueen became the first African-American director and producer for a Best Picture winner and Ridley earned the same distinction for writing. Based on the incredible true story of Solomon Northrup who goes from free man to being kidnapped and sold into slavery. What unfolds is a disturbing sequence of cruelty before Northrup finally meets a Canadian abolitionist who helps set in motion the events that will eventually free him. Though it was nominated for nine Oscars, it only came home with Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o.
Who It Beat: Dallas Buyers Club, Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle, Her, Philomena, Captain Phillips, Gravity, Nebraska
What Should Have Won: 12 Years a Slave
My Favorite of 2013: Trance
16.)
The Return of the King (2003)The epic conclusion to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King is a fantastic bow that wraps up the incredible trio of films. While the last 30 minutes could have been trimmed down, Peter Jackson allows it to fully unfold and then has hours more for you to watch in extended footage. It's probably why he stretched The Hobbit into three movies, though those films are definitely not as engulfing or successful as the LOTR series.
Who It Beat: Lost in Translation, Mystic River, Master and Commander, Seabiscuit
What Should Have Won: The Return of the King
My Favorite of 2003: Big Fish
15.)
Birdman (2014)Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is so weirdly bizarre that I can't help enjoy every minute of it. I felt like Michael Keaton had sort of disappeared for a few years before popping up in a very funny, but minor role in The Other Guys. Then he comes back strong with this performance and then again the following year for Spotlight. I have yet to watch an Alejandro G. Inarritu film that I haven't loved and this is no exception.
Who It Beat: American Sniper, Boyhood, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash
What Should Have Won: Whiplash
My Favorite of 2014: Interstellar
14.)
Spotlight (2015)A movie about investigative journalism and the Catholic Church is a hard pair to beat for things that interest me greatly. An infuriating look at the hurdles journalist at The Boston Globe went through to uncover the truth about the child abuse scandal that would rock the church.
Who It Beat: Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, The Big Short, The Revenant, The Martian
What Should Have Won: Spotlight
My Favorite of 2015: The Hateful Eight
13.)
Speaking of weird movies, a deaf woman falls in love with a fish man. It has all the look and feel of a 1950's monster movie and of course Guillermo del Toro will never disappoint with his creature designs. I will say that watching Paddington 2 was much different than the first because of Mrs. Brown (Sally Hawkins) did with our mystery fish man. Michael Shannon and Richard Jenkins could be two of the most underrated actors and both of them shine in this film.
Who It Beat: The Post, Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Phantom Thread, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
What Should Have Won: The Shape of Water
My Favorite of 2017: The Shape of Water
12.)
Anton Chigurh is like if Two-Face stepped out of the comics and into the desert. One of my favorite villains of all-time, Javier Bardem shines throughout and goes toe-toe with acting greats Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, and Josh Brolin. If you're looking for a happy ending or for everything to wrap up nicely, this is not the film for you.
Who It Beat: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood
What Should Have Won: No Country for Old Men
My Favorite of 2007: Lars and the Real Girl
11.)
I am a sucker for a good western and Clint Eastwood is no stranger when it comes to quality movies about the wild west. Eastwood is joined by Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman (who wins Best Supporting Actor) as William Munny, who is contracted to seek justice against the men who brutally beat a prostitute.
Who It Beat: Scent of a Woman, Howard's End, A Few Good Men, The Crying Game
What Should Have Won: Unforgiven
My Favorite of 1992: Reservoir Dogs
10.)
As much as I love Westerns, I love heist movies with a big reveal of how it was pulled off, even more. Robert Redford and Paul Newman reunite for to pull of the biggest con against a murderous crime boss (Robert Shaw). Aside from The Exorcist, the rest of the nominees in this group are some of my least favorite.
Who It Beat: The Exorcist, Cries & Whispers, A Touch of Class, American Graffiti
What Should Have Won: The Exorcist
My Favorite of 1973: The Exorcist
9.)
The French Connection (1971)Popeye Doyle is one of the many gun slinging police officers of the 1970's, but The French Connection is head and shoulders above the competition. This movie also has one of the greatest car chases in cinema history.
Who It Beat: A Clockwork Orange, Nicholas and Alexandra, The Last Picture Show, Fiddler on the Roof
What Should Have Won: The French Connection
My Favorite of 1971: The French Connection
8.)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)A movie about a genius canibal that helps the FBI track a serial killer who wears peoples skin, is oddly quoted a lot in my household. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are outstanding and you definitely can't forget how creepy Ted Levine is as Buffalo Bill. This year does not have a lot of my favorites aside from JFK, but it was the first year to feature an animated film with Beauty and the Beast earning that distinction.
Who It Beat: JFK, Bugsy, The Prince of Tides, Beauty and the Beast
What Should Have Won: The Silence of the Lambs
My Favorite of 1991: The Silence of the Lambs
7.)
Arguably Jack Nicholson's finest performance, he plays a criminal who pleads insanity and then raises hell in a mental institution, especially drawing the ire of Nurse Ratched (an Oscar winning performance by Louise Fletcher). One of the darkest endings to a film that at times flirts with being a comedy thanks to Nicholson's antics. Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and Brad Dourif are just some of the familiar faces serving as patients. The crazy part about this year is that all five nominees rank 2-6 for my favorite movies of 1975 and for as great as this movie is, it only ranks third. Randomly this movie also earned Michael Douglas his first Oscar, but as a producer.
Who It Beat: Barry Lyndon, Jaws, Nashville, Dog Day Afternoon
What Should Have Won: Jaws
My Favorite Film of 1975/All-Time: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
6.)
Gladiator (2000)If you want to go back in time and know what middle school Kevin was all about, it was this movie. I could not get enough of this film, so much so, that I even listened to the soundtrack at night to put me to sleep. I would often quote "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." Now this movie is smack in the middle of my ten favorite films from 2000 alone. Such a good year with films like Snatch, Remember the Titans, Requiem for a Dream, and Memento, and those still aren't my favorite, because I love spectrums, opposites, and superhero movies.
Who It Beat: Traffic, Chocolat, Erin Brockovich, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
What Should Have Won: Gladiator
My Favorite Film of 2000: Unbreakable
5.)
If you're looking for a great ending, just watch all three Godfather films. These films wrap up any loose ends by shooting them. BAM! Just like that, all their problems are gone. Bring De Niro into the fold with Pacino, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton among others and you have one heck of a film that rivals its predecessor. With all that said, and stop me if you've heard me say this before, it's still not my favorite film from this year.
Who It Beat: Lenny, The Conversation, Chinatown, The Towering Inferno
What Should Have Won: The Godfather Part II
My Favorite of 1974: Blazing Saddles
4.)
The Godfather (1972)The blueprint for how every mob movie should be made. An engaging look at the Corleone family as the wayward son, Michael, returns home and eventually takes over the family business unexpectedly after the death of his father. This movie will certainly alter the way you think of horses, toll booths, and Italian restaurants. Often considered to be the greatest movie ever made and in my opinion, the greatest one, two punch when paired with its sequel (Part III is good, but nowhere near these two).
Who It Beat: Cabaret, The Emigrants, Deliverance, Sounder
What Should Have Won: The Godfather
My Favorite of 1972: The Godfather
3.)
Schindler's List (1993)What a year for Steven Spielberg not only did he release the blockbuster Jurassic Park, but also took home his first two Oscars for directing and producing Schindler's List. A film that was so hard to make that he received a daily phone call from Robin Williams for the sole purpose to make him laugh. A depressing three hour event about the Holocaust might be everyone's cup of tea, but there is something about the way it's all laid out that has really resonated with me since I first watched in middle school some 20 years ago. Also, the fact that Philadelphia didn't get nominated for Best Picture is astounding.
Who It Beat: The Piano, In the Name of the Father, The Fugitive, The Remains of Days
What Should Have Won: Schindler's List
My Favorite of 1993: Schindler's List
2.)
The Departed (2006)Based on the amazing Korean film Infernal Affairs that I unjustly saw after The Departed to spoil some of the surprise, this movie finally got Martin Scorsese his Oscar after seven tries. A wicked smaht film about an undercover police officer trying to find a mole within the police department by joining a Boston gang. I mean it's a Scorsese movie, so the soundtrack is going to be amazing, but to have DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, and Martin Sheen just makes this such a well acted and entertaining film. If you're a fan of easter eggs in movies, look for the black x in the background of scenes to let you know when someone is going to die, and there are certainly a lot of black x's. If I was stuck watching only one year worth of movies, it might be this one. Two of the nominated films (this and Little Miss Sunshine) are in My Top 20 all-time joined by some of my favorites: Pan's Labyrinth, The Science of Sleep, Little Children, The Prestige, Casino Royale, and Jesus Camp.
Who It Beat: Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Queen
Who Should Have Won: The Departed
My Favorite of 2006: The Departed
1.)
While I understand that this movie has plenty of detractors who bemoan the subject material, this film has always stuck with me. It's visually striking and Thomas Newman's score adds to the visuals provided by first time director Sam Mendes. Mendes would go on to win the Oscar for Best Director, and has a chance to do so again this year for 1917. I was the beneficiary of some lax standards for my rental choices at the public library thanks in part to my mother working there and giving her blessing for R rated releases. I might have been a bit too young (13) for this venture, but I think it plays an important role in my transition from someone who watches solely for what's happening on screen to (pretentious alert) paying attention to all the different aspects of each scene. It certainly encouraged me to look into and enjoy a variety of movies that I might have never tapped into if I stuck to solely watching movies like blockbuster action flicks and raunchy teen comedies. Without having screened American Beauty, I may have never had the desire to watch everything on this list and for these 25 movies listed, it would have truly been a shame.
Who It Beat: Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, The Insider, The Sixth Sense
Who Should Have Won: American Beauty
My Favorite of 1999: American Beauty
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