Dutchy
Sep 22nd, 2000, 06:52:04 AM
I hadn't seen a lot of the Best Picture winners of the past 30 years, but the past months I caught up on all of them. It gave me a lot of satisfaction. Just the sheer fact that I can say I have seen them all plus there were some nice surprises. I liked the vast majority (at least a B-) and three I thought were average.
What characterizes a Best Picture winner? They are quite long. Running times of more than 2 and a half hours are no exception. Six are even longer than 3 hours. The average running time is 2 hours and 25 minutes. What's also noticable is the acting which reaches high levels in many movies. I saw some of the best performances I've ever seen (Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, George C. Scott in Patton). That's what I thought was most remarkable. No matter how good a movie is, the acting is always good. Very good in most cases actually.
What are your favorite Best Picture winners of the past 30 years? (1970 - 1999)
Here are mine, starting from least favorite to most favorite:
30. The Last Emperor (1987) C+
The story is interesting, but the movie is not. The movie tells way too lil for its running time. I didn't care for any of the characters, not even for the poor emperor. The longer I think of this movie, the more boring it gets.
29. Out of Africa (1985) C+
The visuals of the African landscape are prolly even more beautiful in the theater than on TV. The movie doesn't have to offer much more than that though. Slow movie that didn't have my interest.
28. Shakespeare In Love (1998) C+
Just not my cup of tea. I was rather bored, even though it has a wonderful performance by the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow. The Shakespeare quotes are masterfully worked into the script, that I must admit.
27. Unforgiven (1992) B-
Not very interesting, but not bad either. I think Eastwood was lucky that 1992 was a rather weak year for movies.
26. The Godfather: Part II (1974) B-
Quite some people consider it even better than the original, but I sure don't. The switching back and forth in time was confusing and I found myself drifting away from the movie. I wanna give it a second try one day though. The acting was excellent.
25. The French Connection (1971) B-
One of the first Best Picture winners I ever saw. About 15 years ago I think. Unfortunately I don't remember much of it, but I did give it a B-.
24. The Sting (1973) - B-
Especially the ending was supposed to be very surprising, but I thought it was rather predictable. The movie comes off outdated. Paul Newman was gave a great performance. Very well thought off movie, that it was, but it didn't do that much for me.
23. Amadeus (1984) - B-
The movie looks great and the music's beautiful. It doesn't have much to tell though. It would have been better if like 45 minutes would have been left in the editing room. Tom Hulce's performance as Amadeus is catching. That idiotic lil lauch of his... I thought it was very funny. The movie wasn't even close the annoying movie I always thought it would be. The more I think of it, the more I appreciate it, but I have no desire to watch it again.
22. Chariots of Fire (1981) B-
I guess 1981 was a mediore movie year too with this movie as a winner. The images of the sport games are great and appealed to me very much. Vangelis' very well known music is fantastic. Interesting movie, but predictable and kinda lame. Decent movie though.
21. The English Patient (1996) B-
Gorgeous visuals, especially the scenes in the desert. I wish I would have seen it in the theater. The story itself is not that interesting, but it's masterfully constructed. That was the best aspect of the movie. It was much better than I thought it would be.
20. Platoon (1986) B
Yet another movie that shows the madness of war. Platoon perfectly shows this. I didn't think it was all that shocking, but it was quite intruiging. Especially the battle between the soldiers themselves. But it's definitely not the best war movie I've seen. Adagio For Strings is hauntingly beautiful.
19. Patton (1970) B
The story of George S. Patoon set against World War II. Interesting, compelling, but too long compared to the story it tells. Best thing about the movie is George C. Scott, who gives one of the best performances I've ever seen. He WAS Patton.
18. Ordinary People (1980) B
Good drama with a very good performance by Timothy Hutton. Compelling and well acted, but it doesn't come close to the very profound dramas of today. You can really feel this movie is 20 years old.
17. Braveheart (1995) B
Typically a movie I had no desire to see, but it was surprisingly good and interesting. Visually really good and the music is nice. Especially the fieldbattles are very powerful.
16. Terms of Endearment (1983) B
Good drama/comedy. Very convincing performances. Like Ordinary People, it's quite less profound that movies we see nowadays. But it's an entertaining movie that is very well constructed. Nicholson's car on the beach scene I though was hilarious.
15. Gandhi (1982) B+
I knew nothing about Mahatma Gandhi, but now I do and I'm impressed. His ideals appeal very much to me and I admire his work. Ben Kingsley's performance is fantastic and some of the best I've ever seen. Very impressive also how he ages about 50 years in the movie. As a movie not quite the best maybe, but historically very interesting.
14. Dances with Wolves (1990)         B+
The last Best Picture winner I watched. I was not looking forward to it at all, coz I thought I wouldn't like it. I was very wrong, coz I really liked it. Kostner's relationship with the Indians is very compelling. It's sad to see how white people treated Indians too. The movie looks beautiful and tells an interesting story.
13. Annie Hall (1977) B+
Nice, original romantic comedy. Besides some original inventions the movie has especially quite some witty dialogue, throughout the whole movie actually. Diane Keaton is delightful as Annie Hall.
12. Rain Man (1988) B+
Sympathetic movie with Hoffman giving an excellent performance.
11. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) B+
Very intense atmopshere and creepy, though it wasn't quite the scary movie people made it out to be. Anthony Hopkins is brilliant al Hannibal the Cannibal.
10. Driving Miss Daisy (1989) B+
A touching and warmhearted story. The relation between Tandy and Freeman is sweet. 25 years passes by in this movie and the characters change along very naturally. Impressive work of make-up. Definitely a very nice movie.
9. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) B+
Very good drama with an excellent performance by the very young Justin Henry. Compelling story. I loved the breakfast scene where no one says one word.
8. The Godfather (1972) B+
Francis Coppola's classic. Compelling movie with an excellent cast. Marlon Brando is brilliant as Vito Corleone. Al Pacino's character development is fabulous and one of the very best I've ever seen.
7. Forrest Gump (1994) A-
I loved it, in spite of the backlash. I thought it was touching at the time I watched it 5 years ago. Tom Hanks gives one of his best performances.
6. The Deer Hunter (1978) A-
Saw it a very long time ago, but I remember I was sucked in this movie. Disturbing and compelling.
5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) A-
Very touching and compelling movie. Jack Nicholson is excellent.
4. Rocky (1976) A
Very compelling. I can't remember anything concrete really, but it has always been one of my very fave movies.
3. Schindler's List (1993) A
Steven Spielberg's masterpiece. Visually and technically one of the very best movies ever made. It's SO masterfully filmed. World War II's cruelties are shown profoundly and left my with a lump in my throat.
2. Titanic (1997) A+
Two days ago this would have been nummer 1, but I put it down 1 notch. Titanic got a hold on me from start to finish. Everything looks so beautiful: the set decoration, the costumes, the boat itself, everything. The cinematography is brilliant as is the direction, which is prolly the best ever. The music is the most wonderful I've ever heard in a movie. The special effects are breathtaking. The ultimate theater movie. I saw it 4 times in the theater and I would definitely go see it again if I got the chance.
1. American Beauty (1999) A+
In my opinion, American Beauty is the perfect movie. There isn't a single flaw in this movie. There isn't a dull moment. The acting (one of the best ensembles ever), the music, the cinematography, the editing (you don't notice any transitions), the direction, everything is perfect. I'm in a complete trance every time I watch it. The ending is pure poetic which finds its summit in Lester Burnham saying the beautiful and unforgettable words "it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world"... that is SO true.
What characterizes a Best Picture winner? They are quite long. Running times of more than 2 and a half hours are no exception. Six are even longer than 3 hours. The average running time is 2 hours and 25 minutes. What's also noticable is the acting which reaches high levels in many movies. I saw some of the best performances I've ever seen (Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, George C. Scott in Patton). That's what I thought was most remarkable. No matter how good a movie is, the acting is always good. Very good in most cases actually.
What are your favorite Best Picture winners of the past 30 years? (1970 - 1999)
Here are mine, starting from least favorite to most favorite:
30. The Last Emperor (1987) C+
The story is interesting, but the movie is not. The movie tells way too lil for its running time. I didn't care for any of the characters, not even for the poor emperor. The longer I think of this movie, the more boring it gets.
29. Out of Africa (1985) C+
The visuals of the African landscape are prolly even more beautiful in the theater than on TV. The movie doesn't have to offer much more than that though. Slow movie that didn't have my interest.
28. Shakespeare In Love (1998) C+
Just not my cup of tea. I was rather bored, even though it has a wonderful performance by the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow. The Shakespeare quotes are masterfully worked into the script, that I must admit.
27. Unforgiven (1992) B-
Not very interesting, but not bad either. I think Eastwood was lucky that 1992 was a rather weak year for movies.
26. The Godfather: Part II (1974) B-
Quite some people consider it even better than the original, but I sure don't. The switching back and forth in time was confusing and I found myself drifting away from the movie. I wanna give it a second try one day though. The acting was excellent.
25. The French Connection (1971) B-
One of the first Best Picture winners I ever saw. About 15 years ago I think. Unfortunately I don't remember much of it, but I did give it a B-.
24. The Sting (1973) - B-
Especially the ending was supposed to be very surprising, but I thought it was rather predictable. The movie comes off outdated. Paul Newman was gave a great performance. Very well thought off movie, that it was, but it didn't do that much for me.
23. Amadeus (1984) - B-
The movie looks great and the music's beautiful. It doesn't have much to tell though. It would have been better if like 45 minutes would have been left in the editing room. Tom Hulce's performance as Amadeus is catching. That idiotic lil lauch of his... I thought it was very funny. The movie wasn't even close the annoying movie I always thought it would be. The more I think of it, the more I appreciate it, but I have no desire to watch it again.
22. Chariots of Fire (1981) B-
I guess 1981 was a mediore movie year too with this movie as a winner. The images of the sport games are great and appealed to me very much. Vangelis' very well known music is fantastic. Interesting movie, but predictable and kinda lame. Decent movie though.
21. The English Patient (1996) B-
Gorgeous visuals, especially the scenes in the desert. I wish I would have seen it in the theater. The story itself is not that interesting, but it's masterfully constructed. That was the best aspect of the movie. It was much better than I thought it would be.
20. Platoon (1986) B
Yet another movie that shows the madness of war. Platoon perfectly shows this. I didn't think it was all that shocking, but it was quite intruiging. Especially the battle between the soldiers themselves. But it's definitely not the best war movie I've seen. Adagio For Strings is hauntingly beautiful.
19. Patton (1970) B
The story of George S. Patoon set against World War II. Interesting, compelling, but too long compared to the story it tells. Best thing about the movie is George C. Scott, who gives one of the best performances I've ever seen. He WAS Patton.
18. Ordinary People (1980) B
Good drama with a very good performance by Timothy Hutton. Compelling and well acted, but it doesn't come close to the very profound dramas of today. You can really feel this movie is 20 years old.
17. Braveheart (1995) B
Typically a movie I had no desire to see, but it was surprisingly good and interesting. Visually really good and the music is nice. Especially the fieldbattles are very powerful.
16. Terms of Endearment (1983) B
Good drama/comedy. Very convincing performances. Like Ordinary People, it's quite less profound that movies we see nowadays. But it's an entertaining movie that is very well constructed. Nicholson's car on the beach scene I though was hilarious.
15. Gandhi (1982) B+
I knew nothing about Mahatma Gandhi, but now I do and I'm impressed. His ideals appeal very much to me and I admire his work. Ben Kingsley's performance is fantastic and some of the best I've ever seen. Very impressive also how he ages about 50 years in the movie. As a movie not quite the best maybe, but historically very interesting.
14. Dances with Wolves (1990)         B+
The last Best Picture winner I watched. I was not looking forward to it at all, coz I thought I wouldn't like it. I was very wrong, coz I really liked it. Kostner's relationship with the Indians is very compelling. It's sad to see how white people treated Indians too. The movie looks beautiful and tells an interesting story.
13. Annie Hall (1977) B+
Nice, original romantic comedy. Besides some original inventions the movie has especially quite some witty dialogue, throughout the whole movie actually. Diane Keaton is delightful as Annie Hall.
12. Rain Man (1988) B+
Sympathetic movie with Hoffman giving an excellent performance.
11. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) B+
Very intense atmopshere and creepy, though it wasn't quite the scary movie people made it out to be. Anthony Hopkins is brilliant al Hannibal the Cannibal.
10. Driving Miss Daisy (1989) B+
A touching and warmhearted story. The relation between Tandy and Freeman is sweet. 25 years passes by in this movie and the characters change along very naturally. Impressive work of make-up. Definitely a very nice movie.
9. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) B+
Very good drama with an excellent performance by the very young Justin Henry. Compelling story. I loved the breakfast scene where no one says one word.
8. The Godfather (1972) B+
Francis Coppola's classic. Compelling movie with an excellent cast. Marlon Brando is brilliant as Vito Corleone. Al Pacino's character development is fabulous and one of the very best I've ever seen.
7. Forrest Gump (1994) A-
I loved it, in spite of the backlash. I thought it was touching at the time I watched it 5 years ago. Tom Hanks gives one of his best performances.
6. The Deer Hunter (1978) A-
Saw it a very long time ago, but I remember I was sucked in this movie. Disturbing and compelling.
5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) A-
Very touching and compelling movie. Jack Nicholson is excellent.
4. Rocky (1976) A
Very compelling. I can't remember anything concrete really, but it has always been one of my very fave movies.
3. Schindler's List (1993) A
Steven Spielberg's masterpiece. Visually and technically one of the very best movies ever made. It's SO masterfully filmed. World War II's cruelties are shown profoundly and left my with a lump in my throat.
2. Titanic (1997) A+
Two days ago this would have been nummer 1, but I put it down 1 notch. Titanic got a hold on me from start to finish. Everything looks so beautiful: the set decoration, the costumes, the boat itself, everything. The cinematography is brilliant as is the direction, which is prolly the best ever. The music is the most wonderful I've ever heard in a movie. The special effects are breathtaking. The ultimate theater movie. I saw it 4 times in the theater and I would definitely go see it again if I got the chance.
1. American Beauty (1999) A+
In my opinion, American Beauty is the perfect movie. There isn't a single flaw in this movie. There isn't a dull moment. The acting (one of the best ensembles ever), the music, the cinematography, the editing (you don't notice any transitions), the direction, everything is perfect. I'm in a complete trance every time I watch it. The ending is pure poetic which finds its summit in Lester Burnham saying the beautiful and unforgettable words "it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world"... that is SO true.