Best picture oscar Winners; My Opinion on them.
by sdrake2-53-373531 | created - 21 Jun 2011 | updated - 02 Oct 2011 | PublicI am only adding the Best Picture winners that I have seen. i have yet a lot more to see. THE ORDER IS THE YEAR THE FILM CAME OUT (CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER).
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1. On the Waterfront (1954)
Approved | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An 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.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger
Votes: 164,687 | Gross: $9.60M
VERY EFFECTIVE WITH EXCELLENT ACTING AND DIRECTION.
10/10
2. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
PG | 161 min | Adventure, Drama, War
British 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.
Director: David Lean | Stars: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa
Votes: 233,109 | Gross: $44.91M
BEST DAVID LEAN FILM. ALEC GUINNESS IS IN TOP FORM AND THE DIRECTION IS EFFECTIVE.
10/10
3. The Apartment (1960)
Approved | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A 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.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston
Votes: 196,555 | Gross: $18.60M
SCREENPLAY IS A TREAT . JACK LEMMON IS GREAT, AS ALWAYS. SHIRLEY MACLAINE IS ALSO VERY GOOD.
10/10
4. West Side Story (1961)
Approved | 153 min | Crime, Drama, Musical
Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
Directors: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise | Stars: Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 121,097 | Gross: $43.66M
IF NOT AT ALL BELIEVABLE AT POINTS (IT IS A MUSICAL), IT IS VERY ENTERTAINING. THE TWO LEADS ARE DULL IN ACTING. RITA MORENO AND GEORGE CHAKIRIS STEAL THE SHOW .
8/10
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Approved | 218 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The 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.
Director: David Lean | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins
Votes: 314,003 | Gross: $44.82M
OVERRATED AND OVERLONG EPIC. EVERYBODY LOVES IT AND WILL DISAGREE WITH ME, BUT DOES THIS REALLY HAVE TO LAST FOR 4 HOURS? O' TOOLE, IS A FINE ACTOR, BUT HIS INTERPRETATION GIVES US NO INSIGHT ON WHY LAWRENCE LOVES TO KILL. SORRY TO BURST YOUR BUBBLE, LAWRENCE FANS, BUT I DID NOT LIKE IT THAT MUCH. HIGHLIGHTS: ALEC GUINNESS, SCORE, AND EDITING
4/10
6. My Fair Lady (1964)
G | 170 min | Drama, Family, Musical
In 1910s London, snobbish phonetics professor Henry Higgins agrees to a wager that he can make crude flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, presentable in high society.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White
Votes: 101,748 | Gross: $72.00M
SLIGHTLY OVERRATED ADAPTATION OF THE HIT BROADWAY MUSICAL. REX HARRISON IS THE HIGHLIGHT WHILE AUDREY HEPBURN GETS SLIGHTLY ANNOYING AT TIMES.
7/10
7. The Sound of Music (1965)
G | 172 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn
Votes: 260,531 | Gross: $163.21M
CHEESY MUSICAL THE SOMEHOW MAKES YOU LOVE IT. I THINK ITS THE SONGS AND THE CHARM OF JULIE ANDREWS. DIRECTION IS AWESOME WITH GREAT SHOTS OF AUSTRIA.
8/10
8. A Man for All Seasons (1966)
G | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
The 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.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Robert Shaw, Leo McKern
Votes: 37,134 | Gross: $28.35M
9. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Approved | 110 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant
Votes: 83,497 | Gross: $24.38M
EXCELLENT ACTING FROM THE 2 LEADS AND SOME INTENSE DIRECTION MAKE THIS FILM SO GOOD.
9/10
10. Patton (1970)
GP | 172 min | Biography, Drama, War
The World War II phase of the career of controversial American general George S. Patton.
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong
Votes: 107,874 | Gross: $61.70M
GEORGE C. SCOTT STEALS THE SHOW IN HIS HIGHLY REALISTIC PERFORMANCE AS PATTON. MALDEN IS OKAY. WISH THERE WAS MORE BATTLE SCENES.
8/10
11. The French Connection (1971)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A 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.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco
Votes: 135,505 | Gross: $15.63M
12. The Sting (1973)
PG | 129 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
Votes: 279,610 | Gross: $159.60M
VERY GOOD SCRIPT COMBINED WITH THE AWESOME CHEMISTRY BETWEEN NEWMAN AND REDFORD MAKES THIS FILM SHINE. ODDLY, I FIND THIS FILM AS SUSPENSEFUL AS IT IS ALSO DRAMA.
9/10
13. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In 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.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,071,322 | Gross: $112.00M
BY FAR MY MOST FAVORITE BEST PICTURE WINNER. MY FAVORITE FILM IN GENERAL. EXCELLENT ACTING, SUPERB DIRECTION, AN AWESOME SCREENPLAY. IT'S A TREAT!
10/10
14. Rocky (1976)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Sport
A 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.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 627,798 | Gross: $117.24M
SURPRISINGLY, SYLVESTER STALLONE IS REALLY GOOD! HE ALSO HAS SOME WRITING TALENT. IF ONLY HE COULD HAVE KEPT THAT WHEN HE DID THE EXPENDABLES. SOME GOOD ENSEMBLE WORK ALONG WITH NEAT DIRECTION FROM JOHN G. AVILDSEN.
8/10
15. Annie Hall (1977)
PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance
Alvy 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.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane
Votes: 278,187 | Gross: $39.20M
WOODY ALLEN IS AT HIS FINEST IN THIS FILM. DIANE KEATON IS ALSO WORTHY OF PRAISE AS ANNIE HALL. THE TWO HAVE GREAT SCREEN CHEMISTRY. I THINK THIS FILM WAS A LITTLE OVERRATED, BUT I STILL THINK IT WAS CREDIBLE.
9/10
16. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
PG | 105 min | Drama
After 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.
Director: Robert Benton | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry
Votes: 154,559 | Gross: $106.26M
I DON'T THINK I HAVE SEEN SUCH A POWERFUL FAMILY DRAMA AS THIS ONE. DUSTIN HOFFMAN IS COMPLETELY AMAZING IN THE TITLE ROLE. JUSTIN HENRY DESERVED THE OSCAR FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR. HE IS PROBABLY THE BEST CHILD ACTOR I HAVE EVER SEEN BESIDES HALEY JOEL OSMENT (OF COURSE, HE ISN'T A CHILD NOW). FANTASTIC SCREENPLAY AND EXCELLENT DIRECTION BY ROBERT BENTON. MERYL STREEP'S SPEECH IN THE COURTROOM IS STILL MYSTIFYING.
10/10
17. Chariots of Fire (1981)
PG | 125 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Two 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.
Director: Hugh Hudson | Stars: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers
Votes: 65,820 | Gross: $58.97M
OVERRATED FILM THAT DIDN'T REALLY DESERVE THE AWARD IN MY OPINION. BUT, FOR WHAT IT WAS, I MUST COMPLIMENT THE TWO LEADS AND THE SCORE. DIRECTION IS FLAWED, BUT IN THE RACE SEQUENCES, IT SOARS.
7/10
18. Gandhi (1982)
PG | 191 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth
Votes: 240,106 | Gross: $52.77M
OVERLONG BIO PIC THAT COULD HAVE MOST DEFINATLY BEEN CUT SHORTER. I THINK IT WOULD HAVE FAILED IF NOT FOR BEN KINGSLY'S DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE AS THE MAHATMA. ATTENBOUROGH'S DIRECTION SOLELY RELY'S ON KINGSLY.
6/10
19. Terms of Endearment (1983)
PG | 132 min | Comedy, Drama
Follows hard-to-please Aurora looking for love and her daughter's family problems.
Director: James L. Brooks | Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito
Votes: 65,397 | Gross: $108.42M
EMOTIONAL TEARJERKER THAT HAS A DYNAMITE CAST AND SUPERB DIRECTION FROM THE FIRST TIMER JAMES L. BROOKS. SCREENPLAY IS A TREAT. MacLAINE IS SO GOOD, AND NICHOLSON IS EQUALLY CREDIBLE. DEBRA WINGER ACTUALLY IS REALLY GOOD. PROBABLY THE BEST ROLE OF HER CAREER.
10/10
20. Amadeus (1984)
R | 160 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The 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.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice
Votes: 427,498 | Gross: $51.97M
THE LENGTH IS NO PROBLEM IN THIS MOVIE! PETER SHAFFER EXCELLENTLY WRITES THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF MOZART WHILST THE JEALOUSY OF SALIERI. F. MURRAY ABRAHAM IS STELLAR AS SALIERI, AND TOM HULCE PROGRESSIVELY BECOMES BETTER AS THE SOMEHOW AMERICAN ACCENTED MOZART ( I THOUGHT HE WAS AUSTRIAN?) MILOS FORMAN, AS ALWAYS, GIVES THE MOVIE FINE DIRECTION.
9/10
21. Out of Africa (1985)
PG | 161 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen
Votes: 86,259 | Gross: $87.10M
OVERLONG AND OVERRATED FILM THAT GOES NOWHERE. SYDNEY POLLACK GIVES GOOD DIRECTION, BUT THE NARRATIVE IS JUST BORING AND WE SIT THERE FOR TWO HOURS AND FORTY MINUTES (IT FEELS LIKE 4 HOURS) AND WATCH NOTHING PROGRESS. MERYL STREEP IS EXCEPTIONAL, BUT REDFORD IS HARD TO TAKE AS THE ENGLISHMAN. THE SCREENPLAY REALLY NEEDS A DOCTOR.
5/10
22. Rain Man (1988)
R | 133 min | Drama
After 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.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen
Votes: 546,148 | Gross: $178.80M
I CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW GOOD DUSTIN HOFFMAN IS IN THIS FILM. THIS MOVIE IS WORTH WATCHING JUST TO WATCH HIM. BARRY LEVINSON DIRECTS WELL, AND THE SCRIPT IS FLAWLESS. TOM CRUISE GIVES A SURPRISE TWIST IN GIVING A DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE.
9/10
23. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
PG | 99 min | Comedy, Drama
An old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone
Votes: 117,474 | Gross: $106.59M
OLD FASHIONED FILM THAT PROVIDES A SENSE OF HAPPINESS. IT'S NOT EXCELLENT, BUT YOU CAN'T DENY THE GREATNESS OF PAIRING MORGAN FREEMAN AND JESSICA TANDY TOGETHER. THEY BOTH DELIVER TRUE PERFORMANCES. DAN AKROYD IS ALSO WORTHY OF PRAISE IN WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE HIS FIRST DRAMATIC ROLE.
8/10
24. Dances with Wolves (1990)
PG-13 | 181 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
Lieutenant 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.
Director: Kevin Costner | Stars: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant
Votes: 290,230 | Gross: $184.21M
EXCELLENT, GRIPPING EPIC THAT WAS SUPERBLY DIRECTED BY KEVIN COSTNER (HIS FIRST TIME BEHIND THE CAMERA!) COSTNER IS NOT AS GREAT IN HIS ACTING, ALTHOUGH, HE DOES GET BETTER LATER IN THE FILM. THE INDIANS ARE GREAT.
9/10
25. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Votes: 1,546,601 | Gross: $130.74M
THIS FILM IS TOO GOOD TO PUT IN WORDS. IT DESERVED ALL THE AWARDS IT REICEVED. DEMME GIVES AWESOME, INTENSE DIRECTION WITH HIS TRADEMARK POINT OF VIEW CLOSE UPS. FOSTER AND HOPKINS ARE SO GREAT, THEY ARE PROBABLY THE BEST FILM PAIR EVER. SCRIPT IS GREAT.
10/10
26. Unforgiven (1992)
R | 130 min | Drama, Western
Retired 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."
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris
Votes: 435,755 | Gross: $101.16M
AWESOME WESTERN WITH GREAT DIRECTION, SCRIPT, AND A SUPERB PERFORMANCE BY GENE HACKMAN. THE OTHER LEADS ARE ALSO REALLY GOOD.
10/10
27. Schindler's List (1993)
R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
Votes: 1,448,919 | Gross: $96.90M
28. Forrest Gump (1994)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance
The 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.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
Votes: 2,253,882 | Gross: $330.25M
A LITTLE OVERRATED, BUT STILL TOUCHING DRAMA THAT IS OVER SENTIMENTAL AT TIMES. HANKS IS REALLY GOOD, AND ZEMECKIS IS AT HIS BEST AS THE DIRECTOR.
8/10
29. Titanic (1997)
PG-13 | 194 min | Drama, Romance
A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates
Votes: 1,278,795 | Gross: $659.33M
SAPPY ROMANCE NARRATIVE IS REALLY ANNOYING, BUT THE REAL TREAT THAT OUTWEIGHS THIS IS THE BACKGROUND. JAMES CAMERON IS FLAWLESS IN HIS DIRECTION. THE SECOND HALF IS MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST. VISUAL EFFECTS ARE AMAZING.
8/10
30. American Beauty (1999)
R | 122 min | Drama
A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley
Votes: 1,209,852 | Gross: $130.10M
EXCELLENT BLACK COMEDY/DRAMA THAT HAS EXCELLENT ACTING AND DIRECTION. SCRIPT IS A TREAT. SO IS THE CINEMATOGRAPHY.
10/10
31. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A 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.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 985,944 | Gross: $170.74M
FLAWED BUT EFFECTING FILM. CROWE IS IN TOP FORM ALONG WITH JENNIFER CONNELLY. RON HOWARD IS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AS A DIRECTOR.
10/10
32. Chicago (2002)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Crime, Musical
Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Taye Diggs
Votes: 243,175 | Gross: $170.69M
LAVISH FILM WITH GREAT EDITING AND DIRECTION. QUEEN LATIFAH AND CATHERINE ZETA JONES ARE REALLY GOOD WITH THEIR ROLES. MUSICAL NUMBERS ARE A TREAT.
8/10
33. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
PG-13 | 201 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Gandalf 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.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Votes: 1,976,946 | Gross: $377.85M
SUPERBLY DIRECTED BY PETER JACKSON, THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST VISUALLY SATISFYING FILMS OF ALL TIME. THE LENGTH IS NO PROBLEM BECAUSE IT DOESN'T DRAG ALONG.
10/10
34. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
PG-13 | 132 min | Drama, Sport
Frankie, 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.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel
Votes: 721,196 | Gross: $100.49M
MOODY AND DARK DRAMA WITH FRAT PERFORMANCES FROM THE LEADS. DIRECTION IS GOOD. i WISH THEIR WAS SOME LIGHT SOMETIMES THOUGH.
9/10
35. The Departed (2006)
R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
Votes: 1,420,734 | Gross: $132.38M
36. The King's Speech (2010)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
The 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.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi
Votes: 707,526 | Gross: $138.80M
EXCELLENT SCREENPLAY ALONG WITH SOME SUPERB ACTING FROM COLIN FIRTH AND GEOFFREY RUSH. DIRECTION IS FRESH AND ORIGINAL.
10/10
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