The Least Deserving Best Picture Winner?

[OmahaBlueDog]

Last week, Mike 03 had a great thread on "better than they say...not as good as they say."

Although the NCAAs are on, it is Friday, and that is typically movie night in OBDland. In honor of movie night, I'll throw the question out:

What was the least deserving Best Picture Oscar winner?

Even a casual glance at the list of winners gives one pause to say "That beat out WHAT!"

You may need help. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture will assist you in remembering every film that got ripped off, or rose to the top in an incredibly week year.

I have a hunch what will win, but I'll wait and see.

I left off SlumDog Millionaire because I think you really need a year or two of perspective; that said, feel free to bring it into the mix.

[Aristus]

1. I had heard that "The Greatest Show On Earth" was widely regarded as the worst "Best Picture."

n/t

[OmahaBlueDog]

2. Historically, that's correct

I think "Titanic" is giving TGSOE a run for its money in some circles.

[sarge43]

104. Yeah, that was a bowzer. It beat out High Noon. Jeebus.

Word is DeMille got the pat on the poo-poo for consistently making flicks that made money and dragged the unwashed away from that new gadget -- teevee.

The academy should have waited for his Two Do Its and Eight No-Nos, ie Ten Commandments. At least that was well aged gouda. Baxter heaving everything she's got, "Oh Moses, Moses, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!" That's prime cheesy entertainment.

[blue_onyx]

3. American Beauty

Horrible movie. It was so boring and I almost turned it off half way through.

[TK421]

23. wow....someone else who agrees with me on that horrid piece of fuck!

edited to add...wrong movie! sorry

[denem]

30. The only movie I went saw three times in the theaters.

So much 'not quite right' beneath the surface. The original script confirmed some of my suspicions.

[XemaSab]

70. Care to elaborate?

:shrug:

[Frank Cannon]

97. AB is one of the only movies that I hate with a burning passion

I am a fan of cinema and can see the good in just about anything. I would rather sit through Salo: 120 Days of Sodom TWICE than watch that piece of ridiculous, sophomoric shite again.

[riverdale]

100. terrible

Too much whacking off in that movie and not enough naked boobs. Why couldn't Kevin Spacey imagine his daughter's friend buck naked instead of covered with rose petals!!?

[Blue_Tires]

108. that's my choice, along with Crash

and No Country for Old Men

[lunatica]

111. Now, I loved No Country For Old Men!

I just watched it yesterday. It was riveting. A story shown in a completely different way where you find out what's happening as the characters do. You have to figure out what's going on. It gives the viewer credit for intelligently being able to fill in the blanks.

[Mz Pip]

4. I voted for Shakepeare in Love

but I thought The English Patient sucked, too.

[Xipe Totec]

5. I died of boredom watching the English Patient n/t

[OmahaBlueDog]

6. I thought about putting that on the list

I know the Coen Bros. fans wanted "Fargo" that year

[Genevieve]

74. so did I.

[Aristus]

11. You must never have participated in theater. Half the fun of the movie is seeing how all

those hoary old theater cliches got "started". :-)

Henslow: "The show must...must..."

Shakespeare: "Go on!"

[jobycom]

22. Or been in love, or had a heart, or enjoyed Shakespeare...

One of the greatest films ever. Easily in my top five.

[SoxFan]

51. Not even the best film in its year

Saving Private Ryan deserved the Oscar.

[mitchum]

61. ms mitchum and I have a long running argument about who is the better writer...

Tom Stoppard or Harold Pinter. I told her I can now rest my case; Stoppard wrote that horrible "Shakespeare In Love"
Pinter would never turn out such dreck.

[AlCzervik]

7. the only movies i really liked out of all of those is Marty and Annie Hall.

I thought Marty was excellent.

[OmahaBlueDog]

8. Annie Hall was put on the list because of Star Wars

..especially before Lucas made the "first" three episodes, many people expressed outrage that Annie Hall won over Star Wars.

I'll concede Marty is the most questionable pick I put on the list. I've met many who were less-than-pleased that it won over Mr. Roberts.

[AlCzervik]

14. i like 1950 because All about Eve won, i love that movie, i think i watch every time it's on TCM

an awesome cast and George Sanders was a fantastic shit.

[OmahaBlueDog]

21. Incredible movie

Incredible cast, and Bette Davis at possibly the peak of her powers.

[EastTennesseeDem]

9. Shakespeare in Love

It wasn't that I hated the movie. It was fine, but it was inconsequential.

The problem was what it was going up against. The fact that "Saving Private Ryan" did not win Best Picture that year is stupefying.

[Pale Blue Dot]

10. The only reason more people haven't picked "Cimarron"(1931) is because they haven't seen it.

It's a horrible, racist Western with absolutely no redeeming qualities.

[OmahaBlueDog]

12. ..and it beat out "The Front Page"

...which is a hilarious comedy.

[Pale Blue Dot]

18. Yep. Time has been very unkind to 1931 Academy voters. nt

[Mike 03]

13. LOL, I just saw this poll right now. Thanks for the mention, and I will

study the options and vote accordingly!

Peace

[OmahaBlueDog]

17. The mention was well deserved

That thread was a great argument starter - in a fun way.

[TK421]

15. Gigli...but only because I like to start a nice, toasty lounge flame war

edited to add: yeah, I do know it was never best picture...and that will just fan the flames

[OmahaBlueDog]

19. Sure, it didn't win best picture. OTOH, it may be as good as some of the films on the list.

:hi:

[TK421]

24. People will be sure to come after me if I comment back on that!

so let me just end this with a :hi:


and a :rofl:

[Mike 03]

16. It's impossible to vote, because you have listed too many worthy contenders.

I guess to be consistent I should vote for "Crash," but I have to agree that you have located so many other worth contestants: "Rocky" and "Annie Hall" for sure...

I LOVE topics like this!

[jobycom]

20. Shakespeare in Love?? That's one of the few times they got it RIGHT!!

I would say Braveheart, but considering the competition that year, it probably did deserve it. Ot "The Departed," but Scorcesse got robbed so many times he probably deserved one for even his weakest effort.

How about "Oliver!" or "Forrest Gump?" Should have been "The Lion in Winter" and "The Shawshank Redemption."

Or how about "The Return of the King"(the most boring 92 hours ever put on film) over "Mystic River," "Seabiscuit," and "Master and Commander?" Yeah, that's my choice--The Return of the King.

[OmahaBlueDog]

26. Let's take this one at a time

Shakespeare in Love gets ripped because many feel strongly Saving Private Ryan should have won (nothing you don't already know)

The Departed: I agree 100%. It's a horrible movie that got the award so Scorcese wouldn't have to settle for a Lifetime Achievement Award.

ROTK - It earned Best Picture as the "Thanks for making us several billion dollars" award. Usually, you get the Thalberg for doing that. Go figure?

Oliver v. Lion: Both great movies. Both great casts. I can't put Oliver on the most undeserving list.

Forrest Gump over Shawshank: I'm the wrong person to ask; I'm not a fan of Steven King and I'm not a huge fan of the movie.. However, I also know some argue for Pulp Fiction that year. I'll say this: Shawshank wins in a lot of other years (see 1999).

[jobycom]

28. Heck, I almost agree with almost all of that.

I know some think "Ryan" should have won, but I don't. Best Director was earned, but as an entire picture, from production to costumes to script to acting to total movie, Shakespeare in Love should have won, and did.

I agree ROTK won because of it made the industry a ton of cash, and also because of the revolutionary techniques, and overall impressive accomplishment of putting together such a grand project. But it was formulaic, disjointed, and just flat badly directed. "Master and Commander" was the opposite of all of that, while still being a tremendous production. "Seabiscuit" may not have been quite as impressive, but it had a lot of character and heart.

Oliver!--No. Lion was much better. Who watches Oliver! anymore? Not bad, but not close to The Lion in Winter. I'd choose it over anyon the list in the OP as least deserving, if by that you mean in comparison to the options in that year.

Forrest Gump won because of that whole political argument about character. It wasn't bad, it was just average, with a great performance. I'd have accepted Pulp Fiction or Shawshank that year.

[OmahaBlueDog]

40. Wow - Oliver as least deservine?

Directed by Carol Reed. Starring Ron Moody & Ollie Reed. I'll agree Lion is a better film, but I can't go along with Oliver being less deserving than, for example, Greatest Show on Earth (which was essentially a lifetime acheivement award for De Mille). By the way, I still watch and enjoy Oliver; it's a good family movie and a way to introduce kids to thenotion that Dickens wrote something other than Scrooge.

"Seabiscuit" had a hard time living up to the book. I thought the movie was OK and the book was incredible. "Master & Commander" , if you'll recall, came out at a time when the popular press was in a pretty anti Russell Crowe mood; I don't think that helped. Most people I met who read the books did love the movie, though.

[jobycom]

44. In comparison to competition, yes. But "Greatest Show" was way before my time.

I've never seen it, nor do I know that era, though now that I look at the other nominees that year, I can see the point. The Quiet Man, Ivanhoe, High Noon, and Moulin Rouge? "High Noon" is still one of the best westerns ever filmed.

Of those I'm familiar with, though, Oliver! wasn't close to Lion.

I'd have chosen "Master and Commander" over "Seabiscuit," and I always refuse to compare a movie to a book--just not a fair comparison--but Seabiscuit was a charming film, and well made. "Return of the King" is the only movie that's ever made me want to find the director and slap him until he understood my pain.

[Iggo]

49. Yeah, but you gatta be a hundred years old,,,

...to get the Thalberg award.

[OmahaBlueDog]

57. No. Lucas & Spielberg were relatively young when they got it

and Walt Disney was in his 40s.

1938 – Darryl F. Zanuck
1939 – Hal B. Wallis
Other nominees in 1939 (the only year for which non-winning nominations were announced):
Samuel Goldwyn
Joe Pasternak
David O. Selznick
Hunt Stromberg
Walter Wanger
Darryl F. Zanuck
1940 – David O. Selznick
1942 – Walt Disney
1943 – Sidney Franklin
1944 – Hal B. Wallis
1945 – Darryl F. Zanuck
1947 – Samuel Goldwyn
1949 – Jerry Wald
1951 – Darryl F. Zanuck
1952 – Arthur Freed
1953 – Cecil B. DeMille
1954 – George Stevens
1957 – Buddy Adler
1959 – Jack L. Warner
1962 – Stanley Kramer
1964 – Sam Spiegel
1966 – William Wyler
1967 – Robert Wise
1968 – Alfred Hitchcock
1971 – Ingmar Bergman
1974 – Lawrence Weingarten
1976 – Mervyn LeRoy
1977 – Pandro S. Berman
1978 – Walter Mirisch
1980 – Ray Stark
1982 – Albert R. Broccoli
1986 – Steven Spielberg
1988 – Billy Wilder
1991 – David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck
1992 – George Lucas
1995 – Clint Eastwood
1997 – Saul Zaentz
1999 – Norman Jewison
2000 – Warren Beatty
2001 – Dino De Laurentiis
No award was presented in the following years: 1941, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972-1975, 1979, 1981, 1983-1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002-2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_G._Thalberg_Memorial_Award

[paulsby]

73. i will 2

Shakespeare in love. mediocre and boring

The departed. how you can win best picture, when it's a REMAKE and the original is far better is beyond me. Infernal Affairs, the move "the departed" was a remake of was much better. yes, it was not an american movie, but if you win best picture, for a remake of a movie and it's not BETTER than the original... well that's just wrong.

i thought ROTK was incredible.

[SoxFan]

52. Fluff with chirpy English accents is still fluff

Saving Private Ryan was a much more powerful movie. The events of the past six years have driven home Speilberg's message, and Shakespeare in Love looks a bit silly and inconsequential in comparison.

[OmahaBlueDog]

54. I have to admit I like the way the Golden Globes does Best picture better

They have "Best Picture - Drama" and "Best Picture Musical or Comedy". I always felt that the SPR/SIL debate was comparing apples and oranges. It would have been as if "The Sting" (probably a bad example) had been released in the same year as "Schindler's List." How can you possibly compare those two movies or make any reasonable appraisal on which is better?

[Mad_Dem_X]

102. I agree. n/t

[TZ]

53. You've got to be fucking kidding about Return of The King

right? God the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was a MASTERPIECE. Anyone who thinks its boring..well...I guess your lack of taste as evinced by your hatred of Rush carrys over into movies...:P

[Chan790]

77. Really?

I think Shakespeare in Love is precisely the sort of mealy sap that occurs when a screenwriter kowtows to the urge to give an audience exactly what they want at every turn and attempts to be cute, at the cost of intelligence and urbanity in the process...it's full of itself, self-referential and shallow...it's the screenplay I hold up to my students as the example of how to write a non-compelling plot.

It's not a bad film per-say as it's fun, but it's fundamentally not the sort of film that belongs in the same sentence as the words "Oscar" and "Nomination".

(It's also not the film that got my vote in this poll. Surprisingly? I don't think Private Ryan deserved the award either. Beyond the opening Normandy scene, its' story was weak as well. Neither film was great.)

[OmahaBlueDog]

85. What would you have given the Oscar to that year?

[Chan790]

90. Not sure, to be honest...

nothing jumps out at me as, you know, the picture that is destined to become a classic and withstand the test of time.

There are a lot less of those than there used to be. More films made and less films that really seem to matter in a universal sense.

[Danger Mouse]

25. I'll be extremely disappointed if Titanic doesn't win this poll.

[jobycom]

29. No, you misread. It said "least deserving," not "most." Although it wasn't THE most deserving.

That would be Highlander. :)

[Danger Mouse]

33. The only movie possibly less deserving was Gladiator.

[jobycom]

35. Oh, you've just got no artistic sense, do you?

I'll give you a partial pass because of your sig pic, but it's only partial. You probably like Rush, too.

[Danger Mouse]

38. Rush the band? God no.

:puke:

[jobycom]

41. Alright, you got two things going for you, then.

But I'm watching you...

[grace0418]

92. Seriously. I love Kate Winslet but that movie hit the suck button in the first 5 minutes.

That was a bad year for watching the Oscars.

[crim son]

27. Shakespeare in Love. It was truly, truly awful

for those of us who like Shakespeare and love real history.

[jobycom]

31. As a history major who loves Shakespeare, I spit on your opinion.

Patooie! One of the greatest films ever made.

[crim son]

32. After I posted, I looked at the responses and saw yours.

I bet you liked "Titanic" too! :P

[jobycom]

34. Yes, I did.

Not as much as some, but I love lampooning false iconoclasts. :)

[crim son]

36. At least you have an explanation.

I'm not one to refuse to watch a film if it isn't historically accurate, but I think in another decade, that's exactly what I'll be.

[Bucky]

37. According to this poll, at least 10 DUers have not seen "Greatest Show on Earth"

It was a clunker with bad acting, bad stunts, horrible costumes, and a big damn cast full of people who should've known better. Truly horrid.

[mitchum]

63. And Jimmy Stewart in clown makeup!

It really is awful

[dysfunctional press]

112. and i just picked up the dvd in the blockbuster clearance bin for $1.99...

score.

[OmahaBlueDog]

113. It's worth $2

[Withywindle]

39. What, no Forrest Gump?

Sappy, sanctimonious, offensive dreck.


But of the ones on the list, I picked "Just sink the damn boat already!" That one definitely had its moments in the disaster-porn special-effects-extravaganza kind of way, but if that's all it takes for a BP winner, then Star Wars really was truly robbed. After all, R2-D2 and C-3PO had much better romantic chemistry than Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio!

(Kate and Leo are both good actors too, but woof, that script did them NO favors.)

[wickerwoman]

69. Yeah, doubly so since Pulp Fiction was also up that year.

Forrest Gump isn't necessarily the worst movie to ever win best picture but it's certainly the least deserving compared to the competition that year. (It also beat out "The Shawshank Redemption").

[cynatnite]

42. I have never gotten over Shawshank Redemption getting the snub...

in favor of Forrest Gump. But Crash was truly a bad movie.

[Bennyboy]

43. Other: Ordinary People.

Man, I hated this movie.

[OmahaBlueDog]

45. No way that should have won over "Raging Bull"

or "The Elephant Man"

[Bennyboy]

47. I didn't realize that it was against those movies...

I just hated it. ragin Bull? God that is a movie that should have won for sure...

[KamaAina]

46. I voted Rocky not so much because it wasn't a good film

we're talking here about original Rocky, the one where Apollo actually won the fight, not Rocky XXVIII or whatever.

But 1976 was a particularly good year for cinema. The losing nominees were Oscar didn't go to Network, All The President's Men, or Taxi Driver. Ouch.

[SoxFan]

50. That's not fair to Rocky

Rocky, Network, Taxi Driver, and Al the President's Men are all Oscar-caliber. It's just that they were all released at the same time. All four of these films are superior to Titanic.

[KamaAina]

68. I stipulated that Rocky was indeed a good film

it was, in fact, the fourth-best film of the year.

But the Oscar is supposed to go to the best film of the year, not the fourth-best.

[OmahaBlueDog]

72. I've always been convinced that "Rocky" won because it was a feel-good film in a down economy

You can't call "Rocky" forgettable, but I think it's mostly remembered for its multiple sequels than the merits of the original film.

Confession time: When I was...16 or 17 - I can't remember - I saw Rocky III seven times.

Back to the awards: "Rocky" used to be a popular answer to this question - or at least the question of "What was the biggest Oscar robbery?" prior to the Crash/Brokeback episode. With its Paddy Chayefsky screenplay, an Academy Award winning performance by Peter Finch, a lasting contribution to the American political conversation ("I'm mad as Hell, and I'm not gonna take it any more") and an overall incredible cast, I can't see (and nor can many critics) how "Network" did not win Best Picture.

I'm curious - if "Rocky" was 4th best, which film was 5th?

[OmahaBlueDog]

48. I'm kicking this for anyone who didn't see it yesterday

[SoxFan]

55. The Competiton

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

Shakespeare In Love (1998)
Saving Private Ryan
Elizabeth
Life Is Beautiful
The Thin Red Line

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

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

Rocky (1976)
All the President's Men
Taxi Driver
Network
Bound For Glory

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

Marty (1955)
Love is Many a Splendored Thing
Mr. Roberts
Picnic
The Rose Tattoo

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
High Noon
Moulin Rouge
Ivanhoe
The Quiet Man

Gone With The Wind (1939)
Dark Victory
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Love Affair
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Ninotchka
Of Mice and Men
Stagecoach
The Wizard of Oz
Wuthering Heights


By the way, look at the 1984 nominations. Amadeus, The Killing Fields, Places in the Heart, A Passage to India, and A Soldier's Story. All of these are more deserving than Crash or Titanic.

[OmahaBlueDog]

56. How about 1982?

Winner:
Gandhi - Columbia - Richard Attenborough

Runners up:
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - Universal - Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy
Missing - Universal - Edward Lewis and Mildred Lewis
Tootsie - Columbia - Sydney Pollack and Dick Richards
The Verdict - 20th Century Fox - Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown

I'd take any of those 4 runners up over "Crash" or "Titanic".

However, with "Crash", the issue is more genuinely like the "Saving Private Ryan/Shakespeare In Love" issue: the outrage there is that "Brokeback Mountain" did not win the Oscar that many feel it deserved.

[Va Lefty]

58. "Dances With Wolves" was a decent flick but...

no way should it have beat out "Goodfellas"!

[bigwillq]

59. I agree!

:toast:

[SoxFan]

60. Goodfellas stature has grown with time

Remember, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there were a lot of mob movies kicking around (Godfather III, Kings of New York, Prizzi's Honor, The Pope of Greenwich Village).

A revisionist western, Dances With Wolves had more of a novelty factor working in its favor.

[AlCzervik]

62. Absolutely.

[OmahaBlueDog]

64. I like them both.

"DWW" had 3 things going with it. 1) Costner was at the height of his popularity, 2) Westerns were enjoying something of a renaissance in the late 80s/early 90s (films like "Silverado"), 3) It's a sweeping epic (always popular) that tried to tell the Sioux side of the story and was beautifully filmed.

"GoodFellas" has grown in stature close to where "The Godfather" is in the crime film pantheon. It is based on a true story, is well written, and has great performances by all involved. It was certainly a more deserving winner than "The Departed".

If I had to vote, I think I'd have stuck with DWW, but it would have been very tough.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

107. The problem for Goodfellas with me was the lack of likable characters.

It's a good movie, but not even Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) is likeable. Which, as a mafia movie it probably should be. Because as much as I like The Sopranos, sometimes I find myself liking Tony Soprano too much notwithstanding that he is a brutal mob boss. But neither Liotta, DeNiro nor especially Pesci were any way sympathetic to the point where you actually wanted to care about them in Goodfellas. It was a well written, acted and engaging movie, but in the end, you kind of shrug your shoulders as to what happens to the characters.

On the other hand, Dances with Wolves had a very sympathetic central character, and also had the benefit of being a "new western." While it wasn't the first movie to feature Native Americans as good guys (Little Big Man and Jeremiah Johnson come to mind immediately), it was one of the most ambitious. And despite being somewhat sappy, it still was in fact a good movie.

So while they are both good movies, Dances with Wolves probably won because it was much more likeable than Goodfellas.

[Lethe]

67. DWW relies too much on soundtrack

the music was a perfect accompaniment to the epic western shots

but it was way overscored. if somehow, you can imagine DWW without music, it would have sucked, terribly.

[sammythecat]

86. But isn't the soundtrack an absolutely essential

ingredient in most movies? You're right that DWW might have sucked if it had an inappropriate score, but it didn't. It had an outstanding score and that's one of the reasons it was up for an oscar. Other things could have been done differently, and would have made it a lesser movie, but they weren't. They were done right and all those things being done right put the movie up for Best Picture.

[sammythecat]

78. I'm a huge Martin Scorsese fan but,

"Dances with Wolves" is one of the few movies I like to re-watch. I remember I liked "Goodfellas" but I never felt the urge to see it again.

That's all I have to say about it. Just my own completely subjective take. Some like pumpkin pie better than cherry pie, others don't. Both movies were exceptional but we disagree on which one we liked best.

[OmahaBlueDog]

81. I think the difference is this: You can make a good case for either film

It's not like "Crash." I'll confess, I've never seen Brokeback Mountain, but I knew of no one who expected "Crash" to win. Honest to God, when Nicholson opened the envelope and said "Crash", I kept waiting for him to grin even wider and say "Just Kidding."

I like Crash, but I'll readily concede that the vast majority of viewers and critics think "Brokeback" should have won.

[OmahaBlueDog]

65. I have to say this: I'm very surprised at the poll results.

I won't tell you the one I thought would win, so as to avoid skew, but I'm stunned that Shakespeare in Love is getting so pummeled.

[Chan790]

80. I'm not.

It tells me that DUers are closer to internal opinion of the film industry...SiL is widely considered, along with ROTK to be the weakest winner in recent (as in the past 20 years) history among those who work in the industry outside of the big-money Hollywood cadre...that is, the people who work in this field for love rather than the $$$.

There is a certain core within the academy who loves only money and that which makes them money. What often goes unnoticed to the public is this...those people love two films more than others: the blockbuster that earns an absolute fortune (Titanic or ROTK, for example) and the shoestring budget indie that is good enough to generate a huge profit margin (Slumdog Millionaire). Being the best movie typically has little to do with winning the Best Picture Oscar because of the weight thrown around by this insider's club.

Titanic usually wins these polls when put to the public, but it gets a lot of criticism which really has nothing to do with the film itself and its' Best Picture worthiness: that godawful Celine Dion song, Billy Zane's poor acting, backlash against its' success, overexposure and the fact that James Cameron is a schmuck.

[OmahaBlueDog]

84. Yes, But

All 3 LOTR films were nominated, and all generated massive box office. It stood to reason that, had Jackson not won for the first 2, he'd win for the third. Also, fantasy films with strong special effects don't typically do well in BP (Star Wars, Close Encounters, ET). Most here, I suspect, would have goven the award to Mystic River. I like Lost in Translation, but I don't think it's Best Picture Worthy. In the case of Seabiscuit (and to a lesser extent, Master & Commander), I think enough people who'd read the book didn't like the movie adaptation to allow for a best picture win.

I figured all of the LOTR movies would lose, and about now, they'd hand Jackson the Thalberg.

The thing with SiL is there's not much middle ground. People typically adore that movie or despise it. I suppose if you hated being force fed Shakespeare in English class, you're not going to like the movie. I liked it a lot at the time (I don't think it holds up well in repeat viewing), but I'd have given the Oscar to SPR. I think SPR was a better, more meaningful cinematic achievement. The counter claim is that it really doesn't give us anything new - we all know soldiers are brave, war is gory, and good men die.

[OmahaBlueDog]

66. First, thanks for playing, everyone

Second, I figured for sure that "Crash" would win this, and it wouldn't be close. I figured "Titanic" for second. I was very surprised at the reaction to "Shakespeare in Love".

Third, these movies seem to fall into two categories. One are movies that won, in spite of the presence of a film that a consensus of critics and the public thought was better; the other were films that emerged in clearly weak years.I'll leave it to you to judge which was which. That said, I was somewhat surprised at what I didn't see:

-I was suprised that no one suggested that "A Few Good Men" should have beaten "Unforgiven"

- that no one suggested "Field of Dreams" over "Driving Miss Daisy"

- from another thread, I know "Terms of Endearment" is pretty popular; personally, I wanter "The Right Stuff." I geek out over space;I also was pulling for "Apollo 13" to win.

- that no one suggested "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Reds" over "Chariots of Fire."

- that no one suggested either "A Clockwork Orange" or "Fiddler on the Roof" or "The Last Picture Show" over "The French Connection"

- that no one suggested either "Z" or "Butch Cassidy...." over "Midnight Cowboy"

- that no one suggested "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" over "Gigi"

- that no one suggested "It's a Wonderful Life" over "The Best Years of Our Lives"


I chose the films on the list due to my perception that they were regarded my a segment of the population as unworthy winners, or that there was a strong alternative contender their year. Some (like "GWTW" or, as someone mentioned, "Cimmaron") have undergone changed views over the years as social standards have changed. Long story short: I didn't simply pick films I disliked, and if a film that is beloved to you made the list, I hope you didn't take it personally.

Finally, what did I pick? My selection was "The Greatest Show on Earth". Don't misunderstand; it's a watchable, somewhat enjoyable movie. It was made when Ringling Bros. still went from town to town by train, and used elephants and roustabouts to put up tents. By all means, watch it with your kids. But for the love of Chrysler, it has no place on a Best Picture list. Heston is OK, but it is a genuinely odd performance by Jimmy Stewart. But more to the point - it beat out "High Noon". For those who are unfamiliar, "High Noon" is widely regarded as one of the best Westerns, and Gary Cooper is at his finest. What happened was the same thing that happened with "The Departed"; the powers that be in Hollywood decided it was Mr. DeMille's turn, and he got an Oscar. The theory, I think, was that it might be the last chance to give him an award. Ironically, he lost 4 years later for the much more deserving "The Ten Commandments."

[tigereye]

71. Forest Gump and Rocky (although Rocky is better)

I liked Shakespeare in Love, it looks like the Academy had a history of backing films that involved Shakespeare. Most of the other winners seemed to have deserved the win.

[JackDragna]

75. Driving Miss Daisy, Gladiator, Slum Dog Millionaire..

..just to name a few.

[saltpoint]

76. I'm going with TITANIC. I appreciate all the technical replication of the

boat.

But the best parts of the film were the class warfare between the upper-crust love interest and the scruffy bohemian and not least, the erotic painting scene, which was done beautifully.

The film made a load of cash but I think any number of hundreds of other nominated films over the years were superior films.

[OmahaBlueDog]

79. If Titanic had lost, the Oscar probably would have gone to "As Good As It Gets"

While I like "As Good As It Gets", I'm not sure it's Best Picture worthy either. I'd have given it to "Good Will Hunting", and I know many who say "LA Confidential" should have gotten the nod.

You are correct - it's stunningly filmed. However, by the time you see the umpteenth corridor flood, you do start to wonder if this barge will ever sink.

[saltpoint]

95. It wasn't a bad year for good movies that year but it wasn't exactly

a great year either.

Agree with you -- I bet AS GOOD AS IT GETS placed second in the balloting.

[XemaSab]

88. Here's what was wrong with the film:

Billy Zane is a hunk. Leonardo is cute, but not HAWT.

I just couldn't see her ditching Billy Zane for Leonardo.

It might have been a better film if DiCaprio had played the upper-crust fiance, and Zane had played the working-class hunk.

[saltpoint]

96. I hadn't approached it from that angle, but casting counts, and you might

have a point.

Zane's character did pose a problem for Our Heroine. Plus, the director places us in the awkward position of knowing that a good number of these folks are going to a cold, wet, watery grave inside a couple of hours. Still, they wear their best duds and finest jewelry.

[Mad_Dem_X]

103. Billy Zane was a sexist jerk. Leonardo treated her as an equal.

"I'd rather be his whore than your wife." Probably the best line in the whole movie.

[XemaSab]

110. But she wasn't Leonardo's equal

She was from the upper class, and he was a laborer. Not to mention, being upper class gave her a lot more freedom as a woman than most women had at that time.

[Pushed To The Left]

82. I voted for "Shakesphere in Love". Not because it wasn't good, but because "Saving Private Ryan"

was nominated the same year and should have won.

On the other hand, "Crash" and "American Beauty" are two of my all-time favorites!

[grace0418]

Saving Private Ryan DEFINITELY should have won. That was a travesty. As far as this poll,

I can't decide between that one and Titanic.

[grace0418]

93. dupe

[LostInAnomie]

83. You have to be fucking kidding me! No one has said Chicago!?

Come the fuck on!!! Not only had it been a musical for fucking ever, so it wasn't breaking any kind of new ground, but the shit sucked shit!

WTF!?

[Lyric]

87. Slumdog Millionaire

"Milk" was robbed.

[bif]

109. I saw it over the weekend. Great movie!

Absolutely loved it!

[WildEyedLiberal]

89. I didn't hate Titanic, but the fact that it beat out LA Confidential is fucking criminal

LA Confidential is the best recent movie that didn't win a Best Picture Oscar.

[LSdemocrat]

91. Other: Forrest Gump (1995) mainly for beating out Shawshank Redemption

[grace0418]

94. Well, Titanic sucked harder than Shakespeare in Love, but Shakespeare winning over Saving Private

Ryan was a bigger travesty. So I'm having trouble deciding which one gets my vote.

[annonymous]

98. Annie Hall was funny but hardly deserving of Best Picture

The Goodbye Girl was much better. I also thought Chariots of Fire was a pretty weak Best Picture winner too. That film was really boring. While I liked Shakesphere In Love, I thought it was mediocre except for Dame Judy Dench as Queen Elizabeth I.

[SacredCow]

99. I have to go with Titanic....

There really and truly was nothing Oscar-worthy about this flick. Shakespeare in Love was un-remarkable.

[Mad_Dem_X]

101. Definitely "Crash"!

The Academy was too goddamned scared to give Best Picture to "Brokeback Mountain"! I will never watch "Crash" on principle, because I am such a "Brokeback" fan.

[SteppingRazor]

105. I gotta go Shakespeare in Love. I mean, over Saving Private Ryan? Seriously?! n/t

[Tommy_Carcetti]

106. Titanic, The English Patient

Titanic because just because it broke box office records doesn't mean it should have won best picture. It was an overly long, overly sappy, poorly written and overacted movie that benefited from the fact that teenaged girls loved Leo (who to his credit is actually a good actor, but it took me a while to remove the Titanic stigma from my opinion of him). I forgot what other movies were in the running that year, but I would have to say that any number of them would probably be more deserving that Titanic.

The English Patient was just overpretentious and unlikeable dreck. Fargo--still the Coen's best work (although The Big Lebowski probably constitutes the most enjoyable Coen brother movie) was robbed that year, plain and simple.

[dysfunctional press]

114. Titanic was REALLY fucking dreadful...

it boggled my mind how all those moranesses were going to see it many multiples of times...o..m..g...:rofl: