About a year ago I wrote an article talking about some movies that I felt should've been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Since it's Oscar week I wanted to talk about some movies I feel should've won Best Picture. All of these movies were nominated for Best Picture but just didn't win. And look, all of this is my opinion so you very well might not agree and that's fine. I want to point out that Crash isn't on this list because, even though a lot of people don't care for that movie, I loved it and agree with it winning in 2006. Alright, let's talk movies!
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 2003
I'm one of those people that thinks all three Lord of the Rings movies should've won Best Picture! I get that these movies didn't connect with everyone but Chicago won Best Picture in 2003 and are you honestly telling me that it's a better movie than The Two Towers?? I get it's just my opinion but I can't understand that! The Battle of Helms Deep if one of the coolest battle scenes in cinema history!
14. E.T. - 1983
This movie set the standard for Sci-fi movies for me growing up. It's got so much heart and has clearly been the inspiration for an entire generation of movies. If you saw Bumblebee then you will see what I mean, cause it's basically E.T. I know back in the 80's the Academy wasn't into giving movies like this a win but looking back, I feel it should've won over Gandhi.
13. A Clockwork Orange - 1972
I saw this movie when I was in college and it blew me away with how wonderfully disturbing it is. I had heard a lot about it and saw the poster in several movies/tv shows but never got around to seeing it. I get that giving a Best Picture win to a disturbing movie might not be what they wanted to do but this movie has amazing acting and atmosphere that honestly has been burned in my brain since I saw it.
12. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 2009
I think Slumdog Millionaire is a good movie but the fact that it won over Benjamin Button is something I can't understand. It seems like the Academy hates David Fincher and I have no idea why because eveytime he's up for an award he always loses. This movie is such a unique story and one of the best performances by Brad Pitt. I get that some thought it was weird or boring but it still bothers me that it lost the big one in 2009. It pushed what we could do with visual effects in movies and was ahead of the de-aging stuff that the Marvel movies are doing in a movie like Captain Marvel.
11. Arrival - 2017
2017 was one of the first years that I wasn't hot on any of the movies that had a realistic chance of winning Best Picture. I will continue to think La La Land is super overrated and Moonlight is good but not Best Picture good. I saw Arrival right before the awards that year and was amazed by it. It told such a good story about language and how important it is and had some heartfelt moments that got to me. Moonlight won this year and this was the year that kinda broke me about Best Picture winners.
10. The Social Network - 2011
This is another year that a lot of great movies were up for Best Picture and of all the movies nominated The King's Speech won. It's a solid movie but my God there were so many other good ones. Inception was up, Toy Story 3, 127 Hours, and The Social Network which is the one I feel should've won. It's the story of the creation of Facebook and, again, it's the Academy not liking David Fincher. This is such a great movie that really put Jessie Eisenberg on the map. The "You have part of my attention" scene is one of my favorite scenes of all time!
9. Avatar - 2010
I totally get that a lot of people didn't care for this movie but I was in awe of it. I love James Cameron and pretty much all of his movies. I get that the overall plot of this movie is just Dances with Wolves but I'm cool with that. I loved the characters and world he created with this movie. To me, it's a classic movie that everyone needs to see at some point. The Hurt Locker won in 2010 and it's a very good movie but I feel that Avatar is an all timer and should've won over it. It just has that epic/important feel to it that few movies have the ability to have and it's hard to describe.
8. Raiders of the Lost Ark - 1982
It feels weird to say but I didn't grow up watching these movies, I saw them pretty late. I have no idea why the Indiana Jones movies went under my radar but they did. Once I saw them though I was amazed how well they held up and fell in love. I get that Chariots of Fire is a classic movie but man, Raiders is such a perfect movie that it's hard for me to swallow that it didn't win. It's one of those movies that I could sit down and watch the entire thing anytime and I always seem to notice a new small detail every time.
7. Gravity - 2014
So once again, this is a year with a lot of heavy-hitting movie up for the award. The Wolf of Wall Street, Captain Phillips, Her, and American Hustle. 12 Years a Slave won and...I just think that movie is overrated. It's a solid movie but man, not Best Picture stuff. I feel very strongly that Gravity should've won! I remember seeing it in IMAX and it was unlike anything I'd seen before. It had such amazing visuals, acting and music. It's a dam near perfect movie to me and it still bothers me that it didn't win.
6. Apocalypse Now - 1980
I can't believe this didn't win! I get that some consider thais movie overrated and it's a good war movie with an awesome Marlon Brando cameo at the end. I consider this to be one of the smartest war movies ever made and it took risks being anti-war in a time when the war had recently ended. It's shot so well and the acting is amazing! I prefer the Redux version but this is one of the best war movies ever made in my opinion. It's so dark and unlike any war movie ever made.
5. Fargo - 1997
If you're into Seinfeld then you might remember the episode where everyone is obsessed with The English Patient except Elaine, that's kinda how I feel about that movie. I like it but come on, Fargo is a much better movie and it should've won Best Picture in 1997! To me, Fargo is the best Coen Brothers movie and did amazing things for dark comedies.
4. Zero Dark Thirty - 2013
I'll admit to having a thing for Jessica Chastain but that's not the reason I think this movie should've won in 2013. I loved that this movie dug into the darker side of what goes on when hunting terroists and there are some very disturbing scenes in this movie. I know that some military people hate this movie because they feel it painted a false picture of what goes on but honestly that made me like it even more. It's amazingly well written and the ending shots are some of the best military movie shots I've ever seen. And Argo won this year and it's a really good movie but I liked Zero Dark Thirty a lot more.
3. Beauty and the Beast - 1992
Ok...I love Silence of the Lambs and if it weren't goin up against Beauty and the Beast I would've been all about it winning. Beauty and the Beast is one of my top five movies of all time and I fell in love for that movie. Even as a kid it got to me and it's one of the best told stories of all time. It was the first animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture and it should've won! I've always thought of myself as someone who looks different and intimidating even though I'm very much not and this story always gave me hope and touched my heart in ways no other movie ever has. It's my favorite Disney movie.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - 2002
I mentioned earlier that I felt all the Lord of the Rings movie should've won Best Picture and it started with this movie. This is my favorite movie in the trilogy and it's a movie that will stick with me for the rest of my life because I had never seen anything like it before. Peter Jackson crafted a prefect movie trilogy and didn't get rewarded for it until Return of the King. A Beautiful Mind is a great movie and deserved to be nominated but not win. I'll forever be on the side that all three movies should've won this award!
1. Saving Private Ryan - 1999
Well we end this list with the 1999 Academy Awards and I'm sure most of you know why. I would say this is the most controversial win in Oscars history and my God this will always be a thing to point at to tell you how little winning Best Picture really means in the grand scheme. Shakespeare in Love beat out Saving Private Ryan and it's, to this day, the moment that makes me the most angry about these awards. Saving Private Ryan is the pinnacle war movie of all time and changed movies/tv forever! It's such an important movie in the history of cinema and I honestly think the Academy went a different direction just to do it. It's honestly a stain on the Academy Awards and so stupid of a decision! Alright I'm done complaining.
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