History of Best Picture winners
My verdict year by year on best picture winners.
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- DirectorDaniel KwanDaniel ScheinertStarsMichelle YeohStephanie HsuJamie Lee CurtisA middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.
- DirectorSian HederStarsEmilia JonesMarlee MatlinTroy KotsurAs a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.Should've won: TBA
Should've been nominated: tick, tick…BOOM!
Shouldn't been nominated: Don’t Look Up - DirectorChloé ZhaoStarsFrances McDormandDavid StrathairnLinda MayA woman in her sixties, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.Should've won: No; Judas and the Black Messiah; Minari; The Father
Should've been nominated:
Shouldn't been nominated: Comfortable with nominees - DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.Should've won: Yes
Should've been nominated: The Lighthouse
Shouldn't been nominated: Comfortable with nominees - DirectorPeter FarrellyStarsViggo MortensenMahershala AliLinda CardelliniA working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.Should've won: Roma; or A Star Is Born
Should've been nominated: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Shouldn't been nominated: Bohemian Rhapsody; Vice; Black Panther - DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsSally HawkinsOctavia SpencerMichael ShannonAt a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.Should've won: No
Should've been nominated: Baby Driver; Blade Runner 2049; Coco; I, Tonya
Shouldn't been nominated: The Darkest Hour; The Post - DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsMahershala AliNaomie HarrisTrevante RhodesA young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.Should've won: Yes; or La La Land
Should've been nominated: Silence; Toni Erdmann; The Lobster
Shouldn't been nominated: Fences; Hidden Figures; Lion; Hacksaw Ridge - DirectorTom McCarthyStarsMark RuffaloMichael KeatonRachel McAdamsThe true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.Should've won: Yes
Should've been nominated: Steve Jobs; Straight Outta Compton; Black Mass; Carol; Inside Out
Shouldn't been nominated: Bridge of Spies - DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsMichael KeatonZach GalifianakisEdward NortonA washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.Should've won: Yes; or Whiplash
Should've been nominated: Gone Girl; Foxcatcher; Intersteller; Ida
Shouldn't been nominated: Comfortable with nominees - DirectorSteve McQueenStarsChiwetel EjioforMichael Kenneth WilliamsMichael FassbenderIn the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.Should've won: Yes
Should’ve been nominated: Inside Llewyn Davis; Prisoners; The Great Beauty
Shouldn’t been nominated: Philomena - DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.Should've won: Amour; or The Master
Should’ve been nominated: The Master
Shouldn't been nominated: Life of Pi - DirectorMichel HazanaviciusStarsJean DujardinBérénice BejoJohn GoodmanWhen George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.Should've won: A Separation
Should've been nominated: A Separation; Drive; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Shouldn’t been nominated: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; The Help; War Horse - DirectorTom HooperStarsColin FirthGeoffrey RushHelena Bonham CarterThe story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.Outstanding year of nominees unlike the previous year.
Should've won: Yes or The Social Network
Should've been nominated: Blue Valentine
Shouldn’t been nominated: 127 Hours - DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJeremy RennerAnthony MackieBrian GeraghtyDuring the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.For the first time in 65 years the best picture category expands it's list to ten nominations. However some of these films are too much of a joke to be nominated for best picture such as The Blind Side, An Education, and Up in the Air. They are not bad movies at all but to be nominated for best picture is a different story. Movies such as Crazy Heart, The Last Station and A Single Man should've been considered.
Should've won: Yes
Should've been nominated: reduce back to five or nominate better films instead ones like The Blind Side; Up in the Air
:A Single Man; The Last Station; Crazy Heart
Shouldn’t been nominated: The Blind Side - DirectorDanny BoyleLoveleen TandanStarsDev PatelFreida PintoSaurabh ShuklaA teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.A weak year for nominations and great films such as The Wrestler, Changeling, The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Revolutionary Road and Doubt were not nominated made it worse. The nomination of The Reader was a symphony nomination for the late Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack. Frost/Nixon nomination was pathetic and only happened because the Academy is liberal, besides isn't there enough movies about Nixon already?
Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, and Curious Case were great nominations but I wouldn't feel comfortable with any winning the main honor. Just say any of these three movies after this list.... Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, Ben-Hur, The Godfather, Schindler's List, ___________. If I had to pick one it would've been Slumdog Millionaire because it was clearly the better movie but the ending with them dancing just made me sick.
Should've won: Yes; or Wall-E; or The Dark Knight
Should've been nominated: The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road, Gran Torino, Wall-E
Shouldn’t been nominated: The Reader; Frost/Nixon - DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.Two outstanding films that were nominated are worthy of winning best picture but the problem is only one of them can win. No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood were amazing movies that are instant classics.
Should've won: Yes; or There Will Be Blood
Should've been nominated: The Diving Bell and the Butterly; Ratatouille; Gone Baby Gone; Eastern Promises
Shouldn’t been nominated: Michael Clayton; Juno - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioMatt DamonJack NicholsonAn undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.First great mob film over a decade. This remake was brought to the American audience thanks to Marty and can already be considered a classic. Marty was able to use Jack Nicholson's basket case style acting as a mob boss that's losing his mind. The other films nominated were Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen, and Babel which are all great but fails to reach the same level as The Departed except for Letters from Iwo Jima.
Should've won: Yes
Should've been nominated: Pan's Labyrinth, Children of Men; The Prestige
Shouldn’t been nominated: Babel - DirectorPaul HaggisStarsDon CheadleSandra BullockThandiwe NewtonLos Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.Many consider this win wrong and an upset, I do too. Crash is a great film that shows the difficulty on racial profiling. The film isn't for or against racial profiling, it's just against racism which is the main message from this film. Other great films such as Good Night, and Good Luck., Munich, and Capote are great but are not best picture material. The real winner should've been Brokeback Mountain and Jack Nicholson's expression while giving the announcement should've shown something was wrong.
Should've won: Brokeback Mountain
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsHilary SwankClint EastwoodMorgan FreemanFrankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.A great year for nominees. Million Dollar Baby wins over The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Ray and Sideways. Even though they are all great films the only two that stood out were Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator but the unnominated Hotel Rwanda would've also been a good possibility. If I had to choose it would've been Million Dollar Baby.
Should've won: Yes; or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Should've been nominated: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Hotel Rwanda; The Incredibles; Downfall
Shouldn’t been nominated: Finding Neverland; Ray - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodViggo MortensenIan McKellenGandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.Lord of the Rings finally gets justice but was it the right year? Even though this is my favorite Lord of the Rings I believe that it was the wrong year that it won. The other nominated films were good but Mystic River is easily the best one.
Should've won: Mystic River (2003)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: City of God; Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Cold Mountain - DirectorRob MarshallStarsRenée ZellwegerCatherine Zeta-JonesRichard GereTwo death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention.The first real musical film to win best picture since Oliver! which was 34 years ago. It seems like the Academy really wanted a musical to win again and they believed this was the best opportunity. Chicago was not a bad movie at all, it was actually impressive but to win best picture is a different story. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Hours are good movies but not best picture material.
Gangs of New York is an extremely good movie that didn't receive a single win with ten nominations. However it is The Pianist that should've won best picture; it was just an incredible film that is almost as good as Schindler's List. Roman Polanski even won best director for the film.
Should've won: The Pianist (2002)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: Adaptation. (2002); Catch Me If You Can (2002); Talk to Her, Far From Heaven, About Schmidt, Minority Report - DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer ConnellyA mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.Pretty good movie but the acting by Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly were the main reason. This should've been the year for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Memento would've been a great film to consider too.
Should've won: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001); Memento (2000); Mulholland Drive
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: Memento (2000), Mulholland Drive - DirectorRidley ScottStarsRussell CroweJoaquin PhoenixConnie NielsenA former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.Interesting year for the Academy. The movies that were nominated were Chocolat; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Erin Brockovich; Gladiator; and Traffic. Erin Brockovich and Chocolat were easily the weakest ones while the main competition was between Gladiator; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; and Traffic.
Should've won: Yes; or Traffic (2000); or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: Requiem for a Dream (2000); You Can Count on Me (2000); Almost Famous (2000) - DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.Not a good year for nominees which includes The Green Mile, The Cider House Rules, The Insider and The Sixth Sense. American Beauty and The Insider are the only real good movies and American Beauty is the best of the year.
Should've won: Yes; or Fight Club
Should've been nominated: The Matrix; Boys Don't Cry; Being John Malkovich; Magnolia; Fight Club - DirectorJohn MaddenStarsGwyneth PaltrowJoseph FiennesGeoffrey RushThe world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.First off I want to start by stating that I personally do not like Saving Private Ryan, while everything in the movie is realistic the soldier's situation throughout the movie is not. For Shakespeare in Love I do think it is a great movie but The Thin Red Line might've deserved it more.
Should've won: The Thin Red Line (1998)
Should've been nominated: Rushmore, The Big Lebowski, The Truman Show - DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.Amazing epic that takes the viewer in 1912's Titanic through a love story. This movie was entertaining in almost every scene. Titanic was the appropiate choice for best picture. Other nominees such as L.A. Confidential, Good Will Hunting, and As Good as It Gets were amazing too. The Full Monty was a good movie but my least favorite of the bunch. Boogie Nights should've been considered for best picture.
Should've won: Yes; or L.A. Confidential
Shouldn't been nominated: The Full Monty
Should've been nominated: Boogie Nights (1997) - DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsRalph FiennesJuliette BinocheWillem DafoeAt the close of World War II, a young nurse tends to a badly burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.Outstanding film from start to end which fails to disappoint. The whole cast was amazing with a great screenplay and direction. The English Patient was easily the best film of 1996. The only other nominee that comes close to The English Patient is Fargo.
Should've won: Yes or Fargo
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996); Sling Blade (1996) - DirectorMel GibsonStarsMel GibsonSophie MarceauPatrick McGoohanScottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.Should've won: Heat
Should've been nominated: Heat; Se7en; The Usual Suspects; Toy Story; The Bridge of Madison County; Casino
Shouldn’t been nominated: Apollo 13; Babe - DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksRobin WrightGary SiniseThe history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.Should've won: Yes; or Pulp Fiction; or The Shawshank Redemption
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.Should've won:
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGene HackmanMorgan FreemanRetired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The "Schofield Kid."Should've won:
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott GlennA young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.Should've won: Yes
Should’ve been nominated: Terminator 2: Judgment Day; Boyz n the Hood; Thelma and Louise
Shouldn’t been nominated: The Prince of Tides - DirectorSydney PollackStarsMeryl StreepRobert RedfordKlaus Maria BrandauerIn 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.Oh boy, this was just a snooze fest. Was it a good movie, meh... it was ok but it was too long and extremely boring but with great acting. The movies that were also nominated are The Color Purple, Witness, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Prizzi's Honor. All of them are great movies, possibly even better than Out of Africa, but The Color Purple is the one that stands out.
Should've won: The Color Purple (1985); or Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: Ran (1985); Back to the Future (1985) - DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerMary McDonnellGraham GreeneLieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.Kevin Costner puts together an outstanding epic film not only does he act in it but also produces and directs. The other films nominated are Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather: Part III, and Goodfellas. All of them are too weak to be best picture material except for Goodfellas. Dances with Wolves is an amazing movie however Goodfellas is always, and deservingly, considered one of the greatest movies ever.
Should've won: Goodfellas
Should’ve been nominated: Reversal of Fortune; The Grifters
Shouldn’t been nominated: Ghost; Awakenings - DirectorBruce BeresfordStarsMorgan FreemanJessica TandyDan AykroydAn old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.Should've won: Born on the Fourth of July; or Do the Right Thing
Should've been nominated: Do the Right Thing; Cinema Paradiso
Shouldn’t been nominated: Driving Miss Daisy - DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsDustin HoffmanTom CruiseValeria GolinoAfter a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.Should've won:
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: The Last Temptation of Christ - DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsJohn LoneJoan ChenPeter O'TooleBernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatisation of the life story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi.Should've won: Full Metal Jacket
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: Full Metal Jacket - DirectorOliver StoneStarsCharlie SheenTom BerengerWillem DafoeChris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.Should've won:
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsShirley MacLaineDebra WingerJack NicholsonFollows hard-to-please Aurora looking for love and her daughter's family problems.Should've won:
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorMilos FormanStarsF. Murray AbrahamTom HulceElizabeth BerridgeThe life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.Should've won:
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsBen KingsleyJohn GielgudRohini HattangadiThe life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.Should've won:
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorHugh HudsonStarsBen CrossIan CharlesonNicholas FarrellTwo British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.Ugh, probably the worst year in Academy history and probably the most boring movie to win the main honor. The other films that were nominated are Reds, Raiders of the Lost Ark, On Golden Pond, and Atlantic City. Chariots of Fire was a poor choice and I believed it was overrated due to the music score by Vangelis therefore I believe it to be the worst best picture that I've seen.
Reds, Raiders of the Lost Ark and On Golden Pond are movies that crush Chariots of Fire in every aspect, well maybe except for music score.
Should've won: Reds (1981); or Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorRobert RedfordStarsDonald SutherlandMary Tyler MooreJudd HirschThe accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father and the guilt-ridden younger son.This is the year besides 1990 that hurts movie lovers to look back on. Ordinary People is a very good movie, a powerful drama that shows the realistic life of a depressed suicidal boy. The power of this film won over the hearts that belonged to the Academy voters and in return won best picture. However Raging Bull was superior to Ordinary People and should've taken the award.
Should've won: Raging Bull (1980)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: - DirectorRobert BentonStarsDustin HoffmanMeryl StreepJane AlexanderAfter his wife leaves him, a work-obsessed Manhattan advertising executive is forced to learn long-neglected parenting skills, but a heated custody battle over the couple's young son deepens the wounds left by the separation.Should've won: Apocalypse Now
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorMichael CiminoStarsRobert De NiroChristopher WalkenJohn CazaleAn in-depth examination of the ways in which the Vietnam War impacts and disrupts the lives of several friends in a small steel mill town in Pennsylvania.Should've won: Yes
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonTony RobertsAlvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.Should've won: Star Wars
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorMilos FormanStarsJack NicholsonLouise FletcherMichael BerrymanIn the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.Should've won: (-)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungA small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.Extremely tough decision for the Academy. The other movies nominated for best picture that year were All the President's Men, Bound for Glory, Network, and Taxi Driver. Right away I can point out the Bound for Glory is the weakest one. All the President's Men is a good movie but not best picture material. Network was a great film but with Rocky and Taxi Driver it didn't have a chance. Now between Rocky and Taxi Driver it's an extremely hard decision being completely opposite movies with their expressions. Rocky is one of the best motived films and Taxi Driver is one of the best personally isolated films. I believe you can go either way with this one.
Should've won: Yes; or Taxi Driver (1976)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.Should've won: Yes
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanRobert RedfordRobert ShawTwo grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.Should've won: (-)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.Should've won: Yes
Should’ve been nominated:
Shouldn’t been nominated: - DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsGene HackmanRoy ScheiderFernando ReyA pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.Should've won: (-)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsGeorge C. ScottKarl MaldenStephen YoungThe World War II phase of the career of controversial American general George S. Patton.Should've won: (-)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanJon VoightSylvia MilesA naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.Should've won: (-)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorRobert WiseStarsJulie AndrewsChristopher PlummerEleanor ParkerA young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorCarol ReedStarsMark LesterRon MoodyShani WallisAfter being sold to a mortician, young orphan Oliver Twist runs away and meets a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor in 1830s London.Should've won: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Should’ve been nominated: 2001: A Space Odyssey; Rosemary’s Baby; The Battle of Algiers; Bullitt; Planet of the Apes; The Producers
Shouldn’t been nominated: The Lion in Winter; Funny Girl; Rachel, Rachel - DirectorNorman JewisonStarsSidney PoitierRod SteigerWarren OatesA black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.First off I want to point out that this is one of the best years of cinema history along with 1939. This year is so great that movies such as Cool Hand Luke, The Dirty Dozen, Wait Until Dark, In Cold Blood, and The Jungle Book weren't nominated for best picture. For the ones that were nominated were Bonnie and Clyde, Doctor Dolittle, The Graduate and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. I think it's safe to say that Doctor Dolittle is a joke of a nomination. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a great movie but nowhere near as good as the other three nominated.
I would've felt comfortable with either Bonnie and Clyde, Cool Hand Luke, The Graduate, or In the Heat of the Night winning but if I had to choose it would've been The Graduate.
Should've won: The Graduate
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: Cool Hand Luke (1967); In Cold Blood (1967) - DirectorTony RichardsonStarsAlbert FinneySusannah YorkGeorge DevineThe romantic and chivalrous adventures of adopted bastard Tom Jones in 18th-century England.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsPaul ScofieldWendy HillerRobert ShawThe story of Sir Thomas More, who stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and remarry.Should've won: (-)
Shouldn't been nominated:
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorGeorge CukorStarsAudrey HepburnRex HarrisonStanley HollowayIn 1910s London, snobbish phonetics professor Henry Higgins agrees to a wager that he can make crude flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, presentable in high society.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonShirley MacLaineFred MacMurrayA Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorJerome RobbinsRobert WiseStarsNatalie WoodGeorge ChakirisRichard BeymerTwo youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorDavid LeanStarsPeter O'TooleAlec GuinnessAnthony QuinnThe story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.Should've won: Yes
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorVincente MinnelliCharles WaltersStarsLeslie CaronMaurice ChevalierLouis JourdanWeary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship which may not stay platonic for long.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorMichael AndersonJohn FarrowStarsDavid NivenCantinflasFinlay CurrieA Victorian Englishman bets that with the new steamships and railways he can circumnavigate the globe in eighty days.TO WATCH
Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorWilliam WylerStarsCharlton HestonJack HawkinsStephen BoydAfter a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorDavid LeanStarsWilliam HoldenAlec GuinnessJack HawkinsBritish POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorElia KazanStarsMarlon BrandoKarl MaldenLee J. CobbAn ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorDelbert MannStarsErnest BorgnineBetsy BlairEsther MinciottiA middle-aged butcher and a school teacher who have given up on the idea of love meet at a dance and fall for each other.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsJames StewartCharlton HestonBetty HuttonThe dramatic lives of trapeze artists, a clown, and an elephant trainer are told against a background of circus spectacle.TO WATCH
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsBurt LancasterMontgomery CliftDeborah KerrAt a U.S. Army base in 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his commanding officer's wife and top aide begin a tentative affair.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierJean SimmonsJohn LauriePrince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsGene KellyLeslie CaronOscar LevantThree friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsBette DavisAnne BaxterGeorge SandersA seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an aging Broadway star and her circle of theater friends.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorRobert RossenStarsBroderick CrawfordJohn IrelandJoanne DruThe rise and fall of a corrupt politician, who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorWilliam WylerStarsMyrna LoyDana AndrewsFredric MarchThree World War II veterans, two of them traumatized or disabled, return home to the American midwest to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorElia KazanStarsGregory PeckDorothy McGuireJohn GarfieldA reporter pretends to be Jewish in order to cover a story on anti-Semitism, and personally discovers the true depths of bigotry and hatred.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorBilly WilderStarsRay MillandJane WymanPhillip TerryThe desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four-day drinking bout.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorLeo McCareyStarsBing CrosbyBarry FitzgeraldFrank McHughWhen young Father O'Malley arrives at St. Dominic's, old Father Fitzgibbon doesn't think much of the church's newest member.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.Should've won: Yes
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorWilliam WylerStarsGreer GarsonWalter PidgeonTeresa WrightA British family struggles to survive the first months of World War II.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorJohn FordStarsWalter PidgeonMaureen O'HaraAnna LeeAt the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans, he stern, she gentle, raise coal-mining sons and hope their youngest will find a better life.Great year for movies and the winner was a great film but it was the wrong one. Great nominees that fell short were Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Little Foxes, The Maltese Falcon, Sergeant York, and Suspicion. Citizen Kane which also failed to win, easily should've won and to this day is considered the greatest movie of all-time.
Should've won: Citizen KANE
Should've been nominated: The Lady Eve (1941); Meet John Doe (1941) - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsLaurence OlivierJoan FontaineGeorge SandersA self-conscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrat's wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wife's spectral presence.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.Should've won: Yes; or The Wizard of Oz
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorFrank CapraStarsJean ArthurJames StewartLionel BarrymoreThe son of a snobbish Wall Street banker becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family not realizing that his father is trying to force her family from their home for a real estate development.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorWilliam DieterleStarsPaul MuniGale SondergaardJoseph SchildkrautThe biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfus Affair.TO WATCH
- DirectorRobert Z. LeonardStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyLuise RainerThe ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., famed producer of extravagant stage revues, are portrayed.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorFrank LloydStarsCharles LaughtonClark GableFranchot ToneFirst mate Fletcher Christian leads a revolt against his sadistic commander, Captain Bligh, in this classic seafaring adventure, based on the real-life 1789 mutiny.TO WATCH
- DirectorFrank LloydStarsDiana WynyardClive BrookUna O'ConnorA portrayal of the triumphs and tragedies of two English families, the upper-crust Marryots and the working-class Bridgeses, from 1899 to 1933.TO WATCH
- DirectorWesley RugglesStarsRichard DixIrene DunneEstelle TaylorA newspaper editor settles in an Oklahoma boom town with his reluctant wife at the end of the nineteenth century.TO WATCH
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsClark GableClaudette ColbertWalter ConnollyA rogue reporter trailing a runaway heiress for a big story joins her on a bus heading from Florida to New York and they end up stuck with each other when the bus leaves them behind at one of the stops along the way.Should've won: (-)
Should've been nominated: (-) - DirectorEdmund GouldingStarsGreta GarboJohn BarrymoreJoan CrawfordA group of very different individuals staying at a luxurious hotel in Berlin deal with each of their respective dramas.TO WATCH
- DirectorHarry BeaumontStarsBessie LoveAnita PageCharles KingA pair of sisters from the vaudeville circuit try to make it big time on Broadway, but matters of the heart complicate the attempt.TO WATCH
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsLew AyresLouis WolheimJohn WrayA German youth eagerly enters World War I, but his enthusiasm wanes as he gets a firsthand view of the horror.TO WATCH
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanHarry d'Abbadie d'ArrastStarsClara BowCharles 'Buddy' RogersRichard ArlenTwo young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.TO WATCH