When “Wings” walked away with the first ever Best Picture award there was very little competition, literally. There were only three nominees. It wasn’t hard to win. So “Wings” winning
doesn’t seem like a big deal. Seeing that "The Artist" was able to prove that a silent film could take Best Picture in the modern age, you can't rule out
"Wings" being a contender today. Plus, movies about any war are always contenders for a nomination. From “The Hurt Locker” to “Dunkirk,” war movies are favorites among the Academy. But
companion piece for fans for decades to come. "All Quiet on the Western Front" is just that. A classic. It's considered one of the greats in cinema in the war
genre and, like we've already said, people love a great war movie. In the grand scheme of things the book helps this movie gain its notoriety in a country that
Okay, so every genre has its ancestors, and "It Happened One Night" is like the grandpa of romcoms. There is absolutely NO WAY a romcom would ever come close to
getting a Best Picture statuette today. A shame, though, because if this had it in it to win once upon a time, then "The Wedding Planner" was surely robbed. No
disrespect to Clark Gable, but this is his "All About Steve." You know, that horrendous movie Bradley Cooper was in before he went on to impress in "Silver Linings Playbook."
"The Great Ziegfeld" is a lot of singing and dancing with some drama tossed in, which seemed to work for it at the time, but nowadays you really have to
go above and beyond if you're going to go the musical theater route and earn anything other than Best Costume or Sound. Also, again, this movie has as much diversity
Oh hey, now this is Clark Gable’s “Silver Linings Playbook”! Not to throw shade, but let's be real; "Gone with the Wind" was the first timeless movie to win Best
Picture. What makes a movie like this last is its ability to insinuate into every other avenue in pop culture. We've seen it referenced since it hit theaters. Oh, let's
also point to the casting and the history it made when Hattie McDaniel became the first Black actor to win an Oscar. Sure, she played "the help," but we're how
This is one of those movies your teacher puts on to torture you for misbehaving. This is not a teachable moment. "How Green Was My Valley" wouldn't stack up against
any other movie nominated today. That's especially if we were to put it up against its original nominees as it beat out "Citizen Kane" once upon a time. Not every
Best Picture nominee is a dramatic feature film, but "How Green Was My Valley" just seems like too much of a bore to make an impact on voters. Also...white on
"Here's lookin' at you kid." We all know the line. It's been parodied in everything from "Sesame Street" to "The Simpsons." "Casablanca" came four years after "Gone with the Wind"
and, let's be honest, was only the second movie to ever win Best Picture that could stand up against its peers. Still, it had only one Black dude playing the piano.
There have been, like, two times in history when Shakespeare has been great in film form. Once when Leonardo DiCaprio made every teen girl talk in iambic pentameter and again
in 1998 when Gwyneth Paltrow played the playwright's love interest. Other than that, NOPE. Moreover, "Hamlet" looked like it came from the Stone Age. After seeing the finesse of "Gone
with the Wind" and "Casablanca" it was like, what the hell is this? Makes you wonder how bad movies were that year if this was the best. Today “Hamlet” would
look like “The Blair Witch Project” compared to even the most indie of Oscar darlings and wouldn’t stand a chance. Forget it being a ghostly cast of white men. The
Let's face it, if "An American in Paris" were made today, it would be the tale of a Millennial going abroad to find themselves as a street artist with some
musical numbers tossed into the mix. Would it still be considered a modern classic? Probably not. Oscar worthy? Absolutely not. Still, couldn't you just see Ansel Elgort starring as a rough
and tough wannabe tag artist going to Paris, singing along the way? Replace street artist with regular old painter and Millennial with WWII vet, and you have the original plot
to "An American in Paris." Being that the plot isn't as great now that we've brought it to the 21st Century, we can say it wouldn't be an Oscar contender
Wait, this sounds familiar. In case you're as confused as I was, this is not "The Greatest Showman" starring Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron's biceps. We love stories about American
icons, and the circus is definitely one of them. That's likely why "The Greatest Show on Earth" won back in 1953 before people were sensitive to the so-called "freaks" and
the treatment of animals. While the circus, like the violence of war, is a part of American history, movies about it today are less likely to be celebrated for more
Think of movies in recent years that have won Best Picture Oscars. Now listen to what "Marty" is about... a single guy who lives with his mom and meets a
plain Jane. He's harassed about being single before and even after he meets her because the girl he winds up liking is plain. Um, what? "Marty" may have won over
well spent back then because it won Best Picture over "The Diary of Anne Frank." Historical dramas are hard to pull off, and this one seemed to get it right...
at the time. However, we've seen what a modernized "Ben-Hur" looks like and it's horrendous. The OG "Ben-Hur" will always be a had-to-be-there sort of movie because today that whole
You could see Kevin Hart starring in a remake of "The Apartment"; a lowly office worker's fancy apartment is used by his bosses for affairs while he falls for a
pretty girl who works in the building. It's got a little drama, but at the core it's a comedy... and not a great one. One could see why "The Apartment"
worked in its time and why it would be funny now. Back then it was racy to have adultery on screen. Now it'd just be hilarious to watch. While different
enough to be considered a great among the rest when it first hit theaters, it would basically be a more formatted "50 Shades of Grey" today with some intentional laughs.
The music, the drama, the romance. It was all on point and presented Puerto Rican culture as best as Hollywood could during that time. While many of the actors were
brown-faced to play the part, some would argue that it wasn’t in an offensive way. Yes, they could’ve had a casting call for actors who had some Hispanic in them
and not made Rita Moreno darker than she was, but those were the times. Fans often overlook the casting mishap because, at the end of the day, “West Side Story”
finds the balance between corny musical and endearing drama that other films often miss. Today though, you better be sure that every actor cast would have some Hispanic heritage in
There's no doubt that "Lawrence of Arabia" was well done in the grand scheme of things, but tanning one too many white guys in a movie about Arabia is a
total bummer. Perhaps because "West Side Story" got away with it, this movie thought they could too. Only this movie is a historical tale about someone NOBODY really cares about,
Apparently no other movie existed when "The Sound of Music" came out, because a musical featuring Nazis took home the gold. Considered a classic, there is no denying that this
Julie Andrews gem is a pop culture staple. An icon in cinema. BUT... a musical with Nazis. It could not happen again. There is no way a movie like this
Often considered one of the greatest films ever, it's hard to say whether or not "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" would fare as well if it were released today.
Whether it’s as a character, a single movie, or a franchise, just saying “Rocky” to anyone in the world conjures up images of boxing and running up a lot of
stairs. Of course, you want your movie to have heart, to tell a compelling story, and to make you some money, but all of those things mean nothing if the
Looking back, the Academy made a huge mistake in not awarding Best Picture that year to "Star Wars." While "Annie Hall" is memorable all these years later, it's notoriety is
for all the wrong reasons. We'd love to celebrate the talent that is Diane Keaton in this movie, BUT it's always going to be overshadowed by the drama and accusations
During the '70s, women were realizing that they didn't just have to be mothers. "Kramer vs. Kramer" brought that to the big screen in a huge way but told it
mostly from the perspective of the father. Failing to embrace the view of the mother made things a male-centric one-sided story that would not fly today.
thing, the person that Gandhi was and the message he preached are far more memorable than the movie about him. We don't love him because of the movie. Now, that
murder. Instead, there was an up and down mother-daughter relationship and terminal cancer. Stacked up against the movies it beat for Best Picture that year, "Terms of Endearment" is fine,
Can we just talk about the irony that a movie titled "Out of Africa" starred one too many white people? Even more so, it won over "The Color Purple," a
movie that more people would recognize on the street if you approached them about the two. In a year where two movies with strong female characters were presented, the Academy
It's been a minute since Tom Cruise was in anything that was Oscar Worthy, huh? Man, times have changed. Then though, this movie was a big hit. For many, this
movie still is great. Others see it as rude to those who are savant. It's like that show "Atypical" on Netflix. It received a lot of haters for the lead
actor portraying autism in the wrong light. Some could argue that "Rain Man" does the same. Had this movie been made today, it would've went through a whole lot of
The CliffsNotes of this movie make the plot seem basic. A white guy hires a Black man to drive his mom around. Then the old lady gets dementia and they
become friends. Okay, so was Miss Daisy low key racist before she started losing her memory? Black people as servants has never been an issue for the Academy. We all
know they love to see a Black person as a slave, but this just seems like a meh moment in movie history, especially since it was nominated against "Dead Poets
My best friend is Native American, so I had to ask her about this. Despite what a lot of articles will say about this movie celebrating Native culture is a
great way, she wasn’t pleased. Seeing that it was just a movie where the people of color were basically props for a white man’s story, it wasn’t great. Had we
Movies that land in the horror genre when browsing Netflix aren't typically the types of movies that receive much critical acclaim. "The Silence of the Lambs" changed that because it
changed the genre. It didn't use a comical or cliche monster to evoke fear, but took facets from real life serial killers to concoct a character that forever scares the
"The Sound of Music" served us musical Nazi realness. This movie gave us a whole other side that made us quite uneasy. It's masterfully done, but it's not a movie
the perfect balance between fiction and reality, so much so that some might believe Forrest is a real person. "Forrest Gump" is one of those movies that you could truly
We know the facepaint and the epic battle scenes, but do we really love "Braveheart"? It was just another movie set in a time when none of us were alive
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack will forever be loved, but "Titanic" was 100% Kate Winslet’s movie. Rose was the narrator, making this a full on girl power flick. Way too many movies
before this were centered around the male perspective, but “Titanic” really delivered as we got to see a strong woman finally take control of her life during one of the
world’s biggest tragedies. Imagine this movie being made in the ‘30s (umm, probably too soon then). Jack would’ve called all the shots and Rose would’ve been a damsel in distress
you’re going to have a very white cast. I don’t know if this would fly today. Shakespearean pieces haven’t gotten a lot of love since this one... Are we finally
and a younger boy. So really, have things changed that much? We like to think we’re heading towards a path of enlightenment, but a change in gender and setting puts
us right back in it. The only reason “American Beauty” gets thrown some shade now is because its leading man has had some real life accusations come to light. Put
"Gladiator" isn't timeless. It's an action movie with a little drama tossed in to make it seem well rounded. This very male-centric movie won in a year that presented us
with the real-life story of Erin Brockovich, a way better tale that still resonates with audiences all these years later. "Gladiator," on the other hand, is a movie you don't
really know where he's been since. Oh yeah, that horrible '70s movie with Ryan Gosling. Anyways, unlike "Gladiator," "A Beautiful Mind" did have some depth to it. It also had
Academy darlings Brian Grazer and Ron Howard behind it. So it isn't likely that the awe inspiring ways of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" or
the rambunctious "Moulin Rouge!" would win over it that year. A bummer, because each of those movies actually has a fan base that has kept it relevant. Honestly, can you
Peter Jackson, along with the cast and crew of this franchise, worked so hard that if the Academy hadn't give them Best Picture for at least one of these movies
there would have been a riot of nerds in the streets. It would've been the most awkward riot ever, but still... a riot. Jackson and Co. were nominated for all
three films but didn't win until the final one. Personally, I think the first one is the best, but that's debatable. Preferences aside, this win finally showcased that fandom is
"Crash" was as relevant then as it is today. Schools should show this when talking about race relations always and forever. Had this been nominated today, it'd win all over
actually remember and love from that year, "Little Miss Sunshine." This was the case of beloved creator vs. indie darling and obviously the Academy was going to award the man
we can all sit there and quote "Juno" over a decade later. It's another case of the Coen brothers being the bigger name than those who created the indie favorite.
A movie about people from India... starring Indian people? Thank the freaking Lord. Even if you'd never seen "Slumdog Millionaire," you knew all about it. Everyone was talking about it,
Being that this was directed by a woman, it was phenomenal when they read "The Hurt Locker" as the winner that night. Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman ever to
Here we are. The win that I will forever argue against. To be fair, there were a lot of remarkable movies the year "The King's Speech" managed to win. You
had the story of Facebook, a very strong female cast in "Black Swan," a simple but telling LGBTQ tale in "The Kids Are All Right," and then the masterful work
of "Toy Story 3." What won? The story of King George VI and his stutter. Really? Okay, we'll ignore the women, the lesbians, and the franchise that changed animation for
"The Artist" was a total oddball. A throwback to old Hollywood. A silent film in the 21st Century. Basically it was the hipster of the bunch and went the distance
This movie was a suspenseful true story that really kept you enthralled, but... Ben Affleck. He kind of leaves a bad taste in our mouths now that he's put his
“12 Years a Slave” is like a double edged sword. Here is a largely Black cast BUT it’s a movie about the worst time for Black folks in American history.
So yay! Diversity! But then it’s like, um...we have more stories than the one “Roots” gave the world in the ‘70s. The story behind it is quite remarkable, but as
far as pushing what a movie with a diverse cast could be, it fell short. Black people are more than slaves. Some years later "Moonlight" would prove exactly that.
Movie makers really stepped it up in 2015. "Birdman" had to beat out everything from biopics about extraordinary people like Martin Luther King Jr. to films using innovative techniques to
tell their story, such as "Boyhood," which was filmed over a decade with the same cast in order to capture the meaning of real boyhood. Will we remember "Birdman" in
ten years time? We'll remember elements of it, for sure. Well, we'll remember the scene of Michael Keaton in Times Square in his undies. But does that really make it
I've always been against the Academy awarding movies that literally make zero money for the industry. Of course, I don't think Vin Diesel deserves an Oscar for "Furious Eight Ball
The Academy Awards have been handed out to the best of cinema for almost a century. In that time almost 90 movies have walked away with Best Picture statuettes. That’s it.
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