Pick the winner of your choice; the one that should have been! ( nominee not required). All of mine are comedies, a genre hideously underrepresented in this category:
5. The Patsy (1928) — The first screwball comedy!
4. Moonstruck (1987) — Funny, and operatic. It’s the Italians.
3. Almost Famous (2001) – One of the best supporting casts, evereverever. And how the hell does the Best Screenplay Winner not even get a BP nod?
2. His Girl Friday (1940) – The best Cary Grant, the best Rosalind Russell, the best version of The Front Page. And the fastest dialogue in movie history.
1. A Room With A View (1986) – A perfect movie.
5. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
4. Goodfellas (1990)
3. Rear Window (1954)
2. Radio Days (1987)
1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
+JMJ+
It’ll take me a while to come up with a Top 5, but I already know that Singin’ in the Rain will be part of it!
1. The Ten Commandments (1956) – they really gave it to Around the World in 80 Days instead? Yeesh.
2. Star Wars (1977) – Annie Hall? Come on.
3. Saving Private Ryan (1998) – screw you, Shakespeare in Love!
4. Murderball (2005) – it was a weak year for movies, and this was by far the best film of the year, light years better than Crash.
5. Gran Torino (2008) – Anyone else notice that as soon as Clint stopped pandering to the liberal elites, his movies stopped winning awards? Funny how that works.
[Eric here -- Murderball, niiiiiiiice!!! So cool seeing one of its stars on Friday Night Lights, too.]
1. GoodFellas
2. L.A. Confidential
3. Best In Show
4. Back to the Future
5. Malcolm X (I can’t stand Lee’s politics — then or now — but this movie’s powerful in scope and performances)
Yeah, I love “His Girl Friday.” I’d also suggest it has the best in-joke about Cary Grant ever, as well. (“I’m the guy who got Archie Leech sent up the river!”)
Singin’ in the Rain
Saving Private Ryan
The Sand Pebbles — 1966 — also A Man For All Seasons… both beaten by Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — a good movie, but these two both got robbed — when Steve McQueen shoots his friend….
Stage Door
The Incredibles — knocks the shit out of Million Dollar baby
The Dark Knight also
Saving Private Ryan………….
In-frikkin’-credible landing on Omaha Beach opening segment aside, I liked Saving Private Ryan a lot better the first time, when it was called Empire of the Sun. That’s right, I’m glad
LucasShakespeare in Love won.That’s right, I’m glad Lucas Shakespeare in Love won.
Ees crap of bull, Eric.
Maybe, maybe not, but I’ll scrap X’s in my list above and say American History instead over Saving Private Ryan or Shakespeare in Love.
I agree about Saving Ryan’s Privates. After the incredible opening, it was a big let down when you realize they go through all that trouble just for Matt Damon. It’s funny how there were three WWII films, and two Elizabethan flicks, nominated that year. There were a lot of Oscar worthy movies that year … The Big Lebowski, Gods and Monsters, Buffalo 66, Dark City, A Simple Plan, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Affliction, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, etc.
After that amazing opening, it was Every Other War Film. And then there was that hideous epilogue!!
Empire of the Sun is a damn fine movie, though (of course) they took a hell of a lot of liberties with the story. I’d always wished they’d make the sequel in to a movie as well (“The Kindness of Women”), ideally with Christian Bale reprising his role.
This post inspired me to do some digging on Wikipedia. Didn’t know that “Master and Commander” was nominated in 2003. Wow. Didn’t know “Babe” was for 1995 either, or “Godfather Part III.” My lord.
It’s amazing, in retrospect, how many good films were nominated recently, and I do not include the last few years in this. It gives me hope that we’ll get back there.
The Usual Suspects.
(It wasn’t even nominated for BP the year Braveheart won)
Moonstruck is an excellent money in every way.
Always liked Empire of the Sun…thought John Malkovich was great