July 6, 2006

Best Pictures

Just finished watching "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" - the Oscar Best Picture for 1975.

I didn't know that aside from this movie, only two other films won the Top 5 Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay. The other two are "It Happened One Night" (1934) and "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991).

So, in my usual OCD thing, I looked up a list of all the best picture Oscar winners from time immemorial. Below is the list with an asterisk after the ones I've seen at least once. Of course, I now remember very little from the movies I've seen, but that's why I'm writing this now -- I want to see these gems again.

Those 60s and 70s ones would be fun to relive. This time I'll have a new perspective from the first time. Like in the Cuckoo's Nest... many of the actors were just being discovered then... like Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd (his first movie). Brad Dourif, our favorite Grima Wormtongue in LOTR was here billed as "and introducing..."

This should be a fun project. I'll tack this list on my wall and see how many films I can tick off for however long this journey takes. Netflix is flashing its "ca-ching" grin right now.

2005 - Crash *
2004 - Million Dollar Baby *
2003 - Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King *
2002 - Chicago *
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2000 - Gladiator *
1999 - American Beauty *
1998 - Shakespeare In Love *
1997 - Titanic *
1996 - The English Patient *
1995 - Braveheart *
1994 - Forrest Gump *
1993 - Schindler'S List *
1992 - Unforgiven *
1991 - The Silence Of The Lambs *
1990 - Dances With Wolves *
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy *
1988 - Rain Man *
1987 - The Last Emperor *
1986 - Platoon *
1985 - Out Of Africa
1984 - Amadeus
1983 - Terms Of Endearment
1982 - Gandhi *
1981 - Chariots Of Fire *
1980 - Ordinary People
1979 - Kramer Vs. Kramer *
1978 - The Deer Hunter *
1977 - Annie Hall *
1976 - Rocky *
1975 - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest *
1974 - The Godfather Part II *
1973 - The Sting *
1972 - The Godfather *
1971 - The French Connection *
1970 - Patton *
1969 - Midnight Cowboy *
1968 - Oliver! *
1967 - In The Heat Of The Night
1966 - A Man For All Seasons *
1965 - The Sound Of Music *
1964 - My Fair Lady *
1963 - Tom Jones
1962 - Lawrence Of Arabia *
1961 - West Side Story *
1960 - The Apartment
1959 - Ben Hur *
1958 - Gigi
1957 - The Bridge On The River Kwai *
1956 - Around The World In 80 Days *
1955 - Marty
1954 - On The Waterfront
1953 - From Here To Eternity *
1952 - The Greatest Show On Earth *
1951 - An American In Paris
1950 - All About Eve
1949 - All The King's Men
1948 - Hamlet *
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1946 - Best Years Of Our Lives
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1944 - Going My Way
1943 - Casablanca *
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1940 - Rebecca
1939 - Gone With The Wind *
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1937 - The Life Of Emile Zola
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1935 - Mutiny On The Bounty *
1934 - It Happened One Night
1933 - Cavalcade
1932 - Grand Hotel
1931 - Cimarron
1930 - All Quiet On The Western Front
1929 - The Broadway Melody
1928 - Wings

Oh, and ye, I liked Cuckoo's Nest much more this time around. Excellent movie, certainly deserving of the Top 5 Oscars.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey coincidentally i recently watched The Shining again. I made the connection with your post via Jack Nicholson in 'Cuckoo's Nest.

Remember his 'Here's Johnny!'? Easily one of the top creepiest movies of all time!

ruby said...

Ye, you gotta hand it to the man. He's gotten awards left and right from his roles as far back as Easy Rider, all through Chinatown, Eastwick, Good Men, Endearment, Batman, Prizzi's, Schmidt, As Good, and others. Very powerful actor.

Tery Lynne said...

You must see Terms of Endearment. What a good movie and very moving. It was mentioned that Shirley McClaine and Debra Winger despised eachother while making that movie. But as Mother and Daughter - it was priceless.

ruby said...

Gosh, I think the only reason I never really wanted to see Terms of Endearment was that I was sure to weep for days. More so now in my "mature" years. Haha! But ye, I should see it.