This is my pic, followed by Titanic and Shakespeare in Love. What do you people think are the worst winners, being the
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john kenrick — 6 months ago(September 06, 2025 08:29 PM)
I have seen
The Greatest Show On Earth
, which has dated badly over the years, however, for what it is, I found it entertaining, and its director, Cecil B. DeMille knew what he was doing. Some of it is a lot of fun. Just don't take it too seriously. It's a
circus movie
, after all. -
john kenrick — 6 months ago(September 06, 2025 08:40 PM)
I liked
Out Of Africa
. Good, not great. The Academy Of Motion Pictures is a trade show sort of organization, not necessarily a sign of quality. It's more of a popularity contest. Even in its (relatively speaking) heyday, it was more about favorites, favoritism and box-office issues, not artistic achievement. A lot of the older Best Picture winners just strike me as old-fashioned, which for many people is a sort of "falling short":
Wings, Cimarron
and
Grand Hotel
are decent pictures for what they are; also, for those of us with a taste for classic Hollywood, they deliver the goods. Great films, not. -
theb_ronster — 20 years ago(January 17, 2006 06:34 AM)
A little part of me dies every time I watch:
Titanic, Chicago, Shakespeare in Love
and Tom Jones would have driven a good friend of mine to suicide if the film hadn't made him so stupid he couldn't figure out how
"Do I have an original thought in my head? My bald head?" -
antinichard — 19 years ago(September 20, 2006 05:14 PM)
Top Ten Worst Best Picture Winners
1.) The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
2.) Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
3.) A Man for All Seasons (1966)
4.) Tom Jones (1963)
5.) Crash (2005)
6.) Rain Man (1988)
7.) Chariots of Fire (1981)
8.) Rocky (1976)
9.) Million Dollar Baby (2004)
10.) A Beautiful Mind (2001) -
cyninbend-149-610489 — 10 years ago(February 21, 2016 10:27 PM)
antinichard, Great list! We have similar tastes. I have not seen all of thosenever even heard of Crash (wonder where I was?). But if I saw it, I can't dispute it being on your list! Chariots of Fire was treated as the greatest thing ever, and I wanted to cry sitting through it! But The English Patient ought to be on the list. It was frightful.
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rorshock — 20 years ago(February 15, 2006 11:45 PM)
"A little part of me dies every time I watch:
Titanic, Chicago, Shakespeare in Love"
A little part of you dies every time you watch these movies. Every time? Which implies you've watched these movies a whole bunch of times even though you think they're bad movies?
How sad your life must be if you waste so much of it watching movies that kill you just a little bit every time you watch them! -
mileniumanimator — 20 years ago(February 06, 2006 07:01 PM)
I liked Shakespeare in Love, which most people on this board seemed to disagree with me. For me Forest Gump crawled along at a snales pace, and I was so bored by the end. Also hated Tom Jones, didn't much care for Chicago, and actually found Ordinary People excruciatingly dull. Only my opinions. Feel free to disagree.
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DrEinstein — 20 years ago(February 08, 2006 10:30 AM)
There are very few Best Pictures that I think deserved the award. Almost every year, I think at least one other film nominated was better.
I was going to list them (
Titanic
was my first thought) but I realized it would be easier to list the good ones.
I have already reached the point where I ignore the Academy Awards. -
kamakazi_5033 — 20 years ago(February 17, 2006 07:20 PM)
I understand that many people on this site love a good western, so don't roast me when i state that Unforgiven might be high on this list. Honestly, i couldn't understand what was so great and acclaimed about it. If anyone could explain i would be happy to listen.
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noracharles05 — 20 years ago(March 04, 2006 01:31 PM)
I'm with everyone who said "Titanic." Also, on a side note, what was with Gwyneth Paltrow winning Best Actress for her performance in Shakespeare in Love when she was contending with Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth?
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ecjones1951 — 19 years ago(May 08, 2006 04:21 PM)
Unfortunately, politics has a LOT to do with what wins Best Picture.
Just three examples generally agreed upon by respected critics and film historians, (and me!, who does a little of both).
1952 Winner:
The Greatest Show on Earth
. The Real Best Picture:
High Noon
. Reason it lost? Red scare, blacklisted writers using pseudonyms. Result? Academy chose to chicken out and play it safe.
1998 Winner:
Shakespeare in Love
. The Real Best Picture:
Saving Private Ryan
. Reason it lost?
Ryan
too violent and bloody. The entire Academy membership, which votes for the Best Picture nominees, skews much older than the average moviegoer. It tends to steer away from certain kinds of controversy, which leads us to
2005 Winner:
Crash
. The Real Best Picture:
Brokeback Mountain.
Reason it lost? Hollywood became more tolerant of violence and profanity in eight years, but was not yet ready to lend its imprimatur to a love story that did not take place between a man and a woman. It's really that simple.
Significantly, none of these Oscar winning movies won for Best Direction.