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John Doe’s 10 WORST Best Picture Winners
John Doe’s 10 WORST Best Picture Winners
Regular readers will know that over the last couple of weeks John Doe has been slowly working his way through reviewing his top 10 Academy Award winners for Best Picture. (See reviews of: French Connection, All About Eve, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest)
Today, really tired and a little lazy too and when JD is tired, he gets grumpy. The latest issue of Empire magazine has a list of every Oscar Winner for Best Picture from 1929 till 2006.
The more John Doe glanced at the pages, the more pissed off he became. How could such over hyped, unskilled cinema sit alongside some of the greatest American Films ever made, bahhh humbug.
Some films on the list below are despised because of what didn’t win that year. Others were just plain generic filmmaking, a few were dumbed down for mass consumption to the point of moronic. Instead, becoming Politically Correct fodder for the toilet bowl with one dimensional characters preaching empty virtues or worse still, striving for greatness and tripping over their dolly cables.
About now John Doe should come clean about his prejudices. Firstly, for the past 15 years the acadamy have been about as accurate at choosing a winner as Arnold Schwarzenegger playing tinkerbell in an off broadway production of Peter Pan…
JD also finds it hard to be overly critical of films made before the mid 1960’s. Untouchable in a way because he refuses to acknowledge “dated” as a solid criticism. If it doesn’t work it’s because it’s being seen through modern eyes where anything worthwhile about the film has been recycled countless times............why am I even trying to convince you this is an objective post?
I won't have time to go through each cinematic turd individually, so if you want to know more, click HERE and read Johnny’s blog from a few months ago entitled “John Doe: 9 Movies That Piss Me Off!”
And here they are, the Top 10 Oscar winners that did not to deserve the crown.
10. Crash
9. My Fair Lady
8. Kramer vs Kramer
7. Chariots of Fire
6. Sound Of Music
5. Driving Miss Daisy
4. Rain Man
3. Shakespeare In Love
2. A Beautiful Mind
1. Forrest Gump
Here is a list of most of the films that have won Best Picture since 1929
Broadway Melody (1928/29)
Cimarron (1930/31)
Cavalcade (1932/33)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
You Can't Take It With You (1938)
How Green Was my Valley (1941)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Gentlemen's Agreement (1947)
Hamlet (1948)
An American In Paris (1951)
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
On The Waterfront(1954)
Marty (1955)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Gigi (1958)
Ben Hur (1959)
The Apartment (1960)
West Side Story (1962)
Lawrence of Arabia (1963)
Tom Jones (1964)
My fair Lady (1965)
A Man for All Seasons (1967)
In The heat Of the Night (1968)
Oliver! (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1970)
Patton (1971)
The French Connection (1972)
The Godfather (1973)
The Sting (1974)
The Godfather Part II(1975)
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1976)
Rocky (1977)
Annie Hall (1978)
The Deer Hunter (1979)
Kramer vs. Kramer (1980)
Ordinary People (1981)
Chariots of Fire (1982)
Ghandi(1983)
Terms Of Enderaments(1984)
Amadeus (1985)
Out Of Africa (1986)
Platoon (1987)
The Last Emperor (1988)
Rain Man (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1990)
Dances With Wolves (1991)
The Silence Of the Lambs(1992)
Unforgiven (1993)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Braveheart (1995)
The English Patient (1996)
Titanic (1997)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Shakespeare In Love (1999)
American Beauty (2000)
Gladiator (2001)
A Beautiful Mind (2002)
Chicago (2003)
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2004)
Million Dollar Baby (2005)
Crash (2006)
Now for those like me, going cross eyed from reading to much…here is a cool video montage of every best picture winner set to the rousing score of Ravel's "Bolero"
So what Cinematic blunder showered in undeserving accolades of Oscar praise, do you hate?
They aint want they used to be!
Today, really tired and a little lazy too and when JD is tired, he gets grumpy. The latest issue of Empire magazine has a list of every Oscar Winner for Best Picture from 1929 till 2006.
The more John Doe glanced at the pages, the more pissed off he became. How could such over hyped, unskilled cinema sit alongside some of the greatest American Films ever made, bahhh humbug.
Some films on the list below are despised because of what didn’t win that year. Others were just plain generic filmmaking, a few were dumbed down for mass consumption to the point of moronic. Instead, becoming Politically Correct fodder for the toilet bowl with one dimensional characters preaching empty virtues or worse still, striving for greatness and tripping over their dolly cables.
About now John Doe should come clean about his prejudices. Firstly, for the past 15 years the acadamy have been about as accurate at choosing a winner as Arnold Schwarzenegger playing tinkerbell in an off broadway production of Peter Pan…
JD also finds it hard to be overly critical of films made before the mid 1960’s. Untouchable in a way because he refuses to acknowledge “dated” as a solid criticism. If it doesn’t work it’s because it’s being seen through modern eyes where anything worthwhile about the film has been recycled countless times............why am I even trying to convince you this is an objective post?
I won't have time to go through each cinematic turd individually, so if you want to know more, click HERE and read Johnny’s blog from a few months ago entitled “John Doe: 9 Movies That Piss Me Off!”
And here they are, the Top 10 Oscar winners that did not to deserve the crown.
10. Crash
9. My Fair Lady
8. Kramer vs Kramer
7. Chariots of Fire
6. Sound Of Music
5. Driving Miss Daisy
4. Rain Man
3. Shakespeare In Love
2. A Beautiful Mind
1. Forrest Gump
Here is a list of most of the films that have won Best Picture since 1929
Broadway Melody (1928/29)
Cimarron (1930/31)
Cavalcade (1932/33)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
You Can't Take It With You (1938)
How Green Was my Valley (1941)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Gentlemen's Agreement (1947)
Hamlet (1948)
An American In Paris (1951)
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
On The Waterfront(1954)
Marty (1955)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Gigi (1958)
Ben Hur (1959)
The Apartment (1960)
West Side Story (1962)
Lawrence of Arabia (1963)
Tom Jones (1964)
My fair Lady (1965)
A Man for All Seasons (1967)
In The heat Of the Night (1968)
Oliver! (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1970)
Patton (1971)
The French Connection (1972)
The Godfather (1973)
The Sting (1974)
The Godfather Part II(1975)
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1976)
Rocky (1977)
Annie Hall (1978)
The Deer Hunter (1979)
Kramer vs. Kramer (1980)
Ordinary People (1981)
Chariots of Fire (1982)
Ghandi(1983)
Terms Of Enderaments(1984)
Amadeus (1985)
Out Of Africa (1986)
Platoon (1987)
The Last Emperor (1988)
Rain Man (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1990)
Dances With Wolves (1991)
The Silence Of the Lambs(1992)
Unforgiven (1993)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Braveheart (1995)
The English Patient (1996)
Titanic (1997)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Shakespeare In Love (1999)
American Beauty (2000)
Gladiator (2001)
A Beautiful Mind (2002)
Chicago (2003)
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2004)
Million Dollar Baby (2005)
Crash (2006)
Now for those like me, going cross eyed from reading to much…here is a cool video montage of every best picture winner set to the rousing score of Ravel's "Bolero"
So what Cinematic blunder showered in undeserving accolades of Oscar praise, do you hate?
Always interesting ...
I don't like many of the films you mentioned but ...
I would like to know why you didn't like Rain Main though ... To me? Dustin Hoffman's peformance in that film ... (and the film itself ... superb to me ... (Is it because you considered something worthier that year missed out??? ... I love the Rain Main story ... (and the non-fictional story behind the film ... the documentary on the Rain Man? The real one? Compelling viewing ... HIs mind? Leaves my memory for dead ... (can't stand Tom Cruise ... [or L. Ron Hubbard] * but I can put up with Cruise in this film, as I can in 'The Firm' ... He plays a dickhead Yank so well ... (due to typecasting??? ...
And I like Driving Miss Daisy ... (as annoying as the woman 'pretentious, sanctimonius bitch on wheels' is ... that's the value of the film ... If they'd set that film in 2007 I bet you she would have been a blogger who did MS Paint drawings ... *
What I find most amazing about Hollywood's Oscars is that films like The Elephant Man, Taxi Driver and Barton FInk and Pulp Fiction missed out ... and 7 ... and Basic Instinct ... etc, etc, etc ... (shit, hope none of those won best picture ... *** I'll expose my own ignorance for a change? Without other bloggers reminding me of it ??? ... ***
And, hence ... if I want a decent film list? ... I go and sniff out the Palm d'Or winners (or even selections) from the Cannes Film Festival .. (but even Cannes can get it wrong sometimes ... For Kieslowski to miss out? For either or all or any of his Three Colours Red, White & Blue Trilogy? ... Travesty of Justice .. No wonder the man died disillusioned with the film industry ...
David ...
Horrorphile
I actually enjoyed Kramer vs. Kramer all those eyars ago ... I had a soft spot for the two leads.
For me Platoon, Unforgiven, American Beauty, Gladiator and Return of the King stand out from the last twenty years ...
I can't stand whatsherface ... daughter of Blythe Danner ... see, can't even remember her damn name ... but Shakepeare in Love would probably be my pet hate from the last twenty years. And I haven't seven seen it. That and Titanic which I have seen.
Annie Hall sucked.
Oliver sucked.
Celebrity Obsession
Gotta agree with you on quite a lot of those. I couldn't stand Forest Gump, My Fair Lady or Shakespeare in Love (mostly because I hate Gwyneth Paltrow).
I really liked Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, but the rest of the movie didn't do it for me.
And Sound of Music? Honestly, that really won Best Picture???? Hmmmmm......
Kylie
Film & TV on DVD
You would think I didnt like Dustin Hoffman by looking at my list containing 2 of his films.
Just for fun here are my 10 fave Hoffman films
Lenny
Straight Time
Straw Dogs,
Pappillon
Wag The Dog
American Buffallo
All The Presidents Men
Little Big Man
Midnight Cowboy
The Graduate
Anyway, the reasons i dont dig Rain Manare numerous.
The script is lazy and takes the easy choices.
Dustin Hoffman's autism performance is such an extreme example of the disease that I found myself laughing at his over the top choices, rather than believing him in the role.
The whole thing played out like a Midday movie that could have starred John Stamos in the Tom Cruise role for me.
As for Kramer vs Kramer, I wont argue that the acting is good, but on a subjective level the story felt forced and its subject matter didn't really interest me.
Totally agree on the Miss Daisy analysis, pretty much why I can't stand it.
Im much more of a Canne and Sundance man too....The Palme D Or winners usually are quality, even if not always the best.....and Sundance audience choice awards are usually right up my alley.
Basic Instincty for an Oscar????Thats the first thing you ever wrote that scared me....I do smile about it though..
Anyway, thats enough babbling...hope that answered my problem with the films.
It has been a pleasure and a privelage sir..
Film & TV on DVD
i didnt mind Out of Africa, the filmmaking on display was to lush for me to resist. But I agree it was not the Best Picture of that year.
Annie Hall Im a sucker for, but again, not the best film of that year, nor Woody Allens best.
And yes, Oliver does suck! Nice camera work, but horrible tunes and grating performances.
Greetings Kylie,
I would never joke about the Sound of Musictaking best picture....it haunts me...shudder
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
Film & TV on DVD
I love Ordinary People but agree it wasnt the film of that year. The film itself deserved a nomination atleast, more than I can say for the 10 I listed. (None of them were in the top 5 films of that year IMO.)
Gigi and Chicago I agree with, they nearly made the list, I was very close to putting in Braveheart and Schindlers List too, but only 10 spots were available.
I think I may have to do a substitute list for the last 10 years citing what I would have Awarded Best Picture to of that given year.
The biggest disappointment for me was Forrest Gump, Crash, Kramer vs Kramer! I like these films..infact I loved Forrest Gump but that year....the Oscar belonged to The Shawshank Redemption!! Kramer vs Kramer was a shocker..a total shocker!!
Crash was a surprise for me! I thought Brokeback Mountain, another horribly overrated film would win but I was glad it didnt! Good Night and Good Luck would be my pick!!
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
I'm also against Forrest Gump and A Beautiful Mind. Seriously!?
Film & TV on DVD
Totally agree, Good Night and Good Luck was
worthier picture out of the nominees.
I wasnt a Shawshank Redemption fan myself, feel good prison dramas don't do it for me...there was just no threat or menace to the story.Of the nominees that year (1994) I would have gone with Pulp Fiction. Although off the top of my head-Ed Wood, Heavenly Creatures or Leon would have been more deserving.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Hi Cib,
Annie Hall is surprising for that year...a year that saw Star Wars, Eraserhead, Cross of Iron and the Duellists to name a few.
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
I agree with Nina, and most of your list. I think the 'timing' of these releases were very much about hidden agenda's, both political and other-oriented... Rain Man broke down much stigma in the "streets,' on a day to day basis, around autism and did wonders. (I have a child with Cerebral Palsy and can fully realise the value of such a movie, acting or not).
Forest Gump the same, although I know it's a "cypher-type" Eye-lid, pinned back experience for you... so I won't push it, okay? *giggle* .. Perhaps you should also ask about the worst advertisement too *rofl*
Anyway, what came to my mind with your comment (and Luke's), was this interesting thing that happened when that Movie, The China Syndrome came out with Henry Fonda and his daughter ...Bridgette Fonda? ... (she played Barbarella)... anyway they were both (cleverly) used as distractions, in a cheap shot movie, to gloss over the problems with Nuclear Reactor leaks... when at the same time ... unnoticed to most of the world, Australia put out one of the best Nuclear Reactor Leak films I've ever seen called The Chain Reaction... I do hope you, or someone else saw it, or I really will start to think I am a freak! *jj* (especially after Buckaroo Bonzai chase)...*lol*
Great Post
Lilla ...
Film & TV on DVD
Totally there is an agenda and usually its covering there asses...after not giving the likes of Kubrick or Hitchcock one, they still didnt learn their lesson.
Hi Lilla,
Interesting comment, I personallysee films like Forrest Gump and Rain Man as projecting an extremist stereotype. eg: all suffers of Autism are idiot sevants.
I suppose my opinion is also swayed by the fact that
all teh handicapped people I have met hate these films passionately for putting preconceived ideas in peoples heads. (EG: If someone is handicapped they MUST be a good person inside, instead of treating each individual as a human being with faults and foibles. The Gump image is just plain disrespectful IMO)
Great call with George Miller's The Chain Reaction, (not to be confused with Keanu film of same name).I love it..
Although I have to admit I also dig China Syndrome too...its screenplay is dynamite, the direction passionate resulting in an engrossing thriller.
As always great chatting, so many great responses!
Thank you
Don't get me started on Halle Berry winning it for being raped by Billy Bob Thorton.
Bridgitte is 43..Peter Fonda, her father, is in his late 60s and Jane is 70 this year.
My God...Barbarella is 70!
She is credited with the first on screen pee in a mainst...a non-porno movie.
In the original Fun with Dick & Jane from 1977, she takes a whizz while talking to her husband.
I only mention that because she basically did the same thing to her career by hooking up with Ted "I'm crazy like a fox with tertiary syphillis" Turner.
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
Horrorphile
Film & TV on DVD
You raise some interesting points, about what is considered Academy material. I agree there is certainly a leaning towards the safer, less challenging works that fit into a cliched vision of society.
It would be great for a Coen Brothers film or Paul Thomas Anderson work to take the statue but as you said it will likely be the more generic nominee that fits the mold easier.
My problem is that to the layman the Oscars are taken as at it's word as the "Best Feature Film of The Year", when it is seldom the case. (Even if it is subjective)
On the topic of years, it is an Oscars post and hence I see it as totally appropriate to list the year of the ceremony rather than film. (It was good enough for Empire magazine so who am I to change it?)
Thanks for the visit and thoughtful comments ,
Film & TV on DVD
Don't get me started on Halle Berry winning it for being raped by Billy Bob Thorton.
I'm a bit of a Liz taylor fan from back in the day though the assessment of her skills is pretty apt on a bad day....Berry bobbing Thornton
Screen Adventure
My worst ones would have to be rain man, rocky, chicago and sorry but why the fuck did titanic get an oscar, thays as ludicrous as sound of music getting one
Film & TV on DVD
Cinema is Truth
Cinema is Truth
Film & TV on DVD
Titanic winning has not really sunk in with me...an atrocious film for sure and such a waste.
An American in Paris I don't mind but when compared to what it was up against I agree with you....same with Marty..
Kramer versus Kramer just felt so Tv movie of the weeky to me. Sadly it seemed contrived and heavy handed IMO, which worked against the naturalistic performances...I am a big Hoffman fan though. (Lenny and Straw Dogs being to immediate faves.)
My Fair Lady just grates on me and the premise and themes of the film enrage me....so subjective these things that we love called film
Film & TV on DVD
Thank you - I actually take this as a compliment. I know its to my own detriment but I don't have the ability to switch of my brain when ingesting art of any flavour.
I know I should have explained each individual choice on the list but at the time I had recently done a post on 9 films that piss me off that I linked to in the body of the text above. From that post I wrote of Forrest Gump -
"Representing the modern-day dream of rewarding laziness, this is the story of a one dimensional, empty vessel who learns nothing and doesn’t appreciate anything that happens in his life. Insulting to the handicapped everywhere, read the book instead which shows that Forrest also has faults and unlike Tom Hanks portrayal Gump was not always likeable, just like a real life human being"
As for "Crash" it WAS on my list at #10.
Gladiator was an OK sword and sandal epic but not exceptional in my eyes. It didn't make the cut of 10 worst but may have been in the Top 20, give me Kubrick's Spartacus or Anthony Mann's The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire anyday. Gladiator is at least one of only 2 Russel Crowe films I can tolerate, his best naturally is Michael Mann's The Insider.
Glad that I provoked a passionate response from you Senor. The subjectivity of cinema is what makes it such a rich talking piece. Please drop back anytime for further film discussions.
Film & TV on DVD
Dances with Wolves does have some massive flaws and doesn't compare to 'Run of The Arrow". That being said I don't despise it as much as those that made my Top 10 and do find that the filmmaking technique on display (cinematography, sound, editing) have moments of traditionalist strength.
Thanks for dropping by and love that you have such a strong opinion on the film...just wondering if you could clarify what made it so terrible?