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Oscar-winning films from worst to best (in my humble opinion), apart from Oppenheimer which I haven’t seen yet.
(If I remember to do two every day, I’ll get through them all before the ceremony.)
95) Platoon (1986)
Depressingly violent. I felt no empathy with any of the protagonists at any stage. There is no named female character. And Barber’s *bloody* Adagio for Strings, all the *bloody* time.
94) The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The central character is not all that interesting, and the stage spectaculars can’t completely make up for the absence of much in the way of plot.
93) Cimarron (1931)
Western clichés, racist, jarringly episodic, erases the feminism of the original novel.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/cimarron-or-how-to-erase-feminism/
92) Cavalcade (1933)
Oddly stagy on screen, and yet loses much of the attractive cynicism of Noël Coward's original theatre script.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/cavalcade-film-and-theatre-script/
91) Wings (1928)
The very first Oscar!!! Plot very obvious and make-up very weird (surely even by 1927 standards). But good cinematography for the aerial combat.
90) The Broadway Melody (1929)
Clichéd plot and some surprisingly poor acting, but some spectacular song and dance sequences.
89) All the King's Men (1949)
Curiously undramatic (reputedly under-rehearsed) despite dramatic political story, disgracefully erases the entire African-American population of the original book.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/all-the-kings-men-1949-film-and-novel-by-robert-penn-warren/
88) Argo (2011)
Appalling erasure of the women and people of colour in the real history on which the film is based. Good filmography though.
87) Forrest Gump (1994)
I don’t find learning disabilities particularly funny, and I don’t like people’s accents being used as markers of their stupidity. Not as sound on race as it thinks it is. Pointless trek across America. Some very good special effects.
86) Patton (1970)
The central character is not very nice and not very interesting, and goes around fighting people, mostly but not always the enemy.
85) Braveheart (1995)
A violent and silly film. Great use of (mostly Irish) scenery, swirling music, culminating in martyrdom. At least the characters are distinguishable and nearly interesting.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/braveheart-and-blind-harrys-wallace/
84) American Beauty (1999)
Protagonist's male gaze is very creepy. All of the (100% white) characters are awful people, apart from the daughter and the gay neighbours, so it’s difficult to be interested in what happens to them.
83) The Artist (2011)
Everyone is white, even in the crowd scenes, apart from some delusional African warriors. Derivative and pastiche - the good bits are not new and the new bits are not very good. Protagonist so unpleasant at the beginning that it’s difficult to be very pleased by his redemption at the end.
82) No Country for Old Men (2007)
I admired it a bit without really liking it. Almost all the speaking characters are white men. Lots of Mexicans get killed without a chance to do anything much. The law enforcers never do anything wrong. I found it quite shockingly racist. I also did not care for the fetishisation of violence.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/no-country-for-old-men-film-and-book/
81) A Beautiful Mind (2001)
A story of romance triumphing over adversity, but you won’t learn much from it, or indeed you may learn the wrong things from it, about mental illness, mathematics, John Nash, or Alicia Nash. A lot of Truth here has been sacrificed for Art, leaving only a basic glurge plot.
80) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Laughton is one-note, and there are some other shaky performances and set-up. But the Pacific filming is spectacular.
79) The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
Main characters melodramatically written, unimaginatively acted, heaving bosoms and glowering glances (supporting roles better). Circus well filmed and portrayed (but much animal cruelty and cultural appropriation).
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-greatest-show-on-earth-1952/
78) Crash (2005)
Terrible music, cinematography and acting. Also, racism. But, however ham-fisted the presentation and leaden the acting, it’s not actually boring, and I did keep watching to see how all the various different plotlines would tie up.
77) Tom Jones (1963)
As the director said, it is “incomplete and botched in much of its execution”. Lots of brilliant scenes, but doesn’t come together. Also most characters are not very nice. Grotesques can be funny to watch but difficult to relate to.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/tom-jones-film-1963-and-book-1749/
76) Gone with the Wind (1939)
Could easily have lost an hour and been better. First half has a tremendous impetus, but once the war is over, the narrative thrust has gone, and we slip into a series of somewhat disconnected episodes. Also, racism.
75) The Departed (2006)
2.5 hours long. Lots of people get killed. None of the characters is especially likeable. But the central theme of identity, involving two double agents operating in opposite directions, is fascinating and well executed.
74) The Hurt Locker (2009)
Iraq is a real country, with real people, but not in The Hurt Locker. Much unpleasant gore. I liked the fact that the protagonist is a real asshole. I think most of us have worked at some time or another with people like him.
73) Ordinary People (1980)
A story of father/son growth with the mother walking out. To be honest they are not just "ordinary" people, they are rather dull people as well. But the leads are all strong, even if I did not think all that much of their material.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/ordinary-people-1980-film-and-1976-book/
71) Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
Anti-semitism is a serious issue, but this is not a very good film about it. In the year when the state of Israel was created, there might be more than being barred from posh hotels? Wooden performance from Gregory Peck.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/gentlemans-agreement-1947-and-book-by-laura-z-hobson/
70) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Central character is unattractive and it’s difficult to sympathise with his (self-inflicted) problems. Maybe I’ve read too much sf not to find it all a bit glib. Good cinematography and music.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/birdman-or-the-unexpected-virtue-of-ignorance-writerjonleaf/
69) Annie Hall (1977)
A few *very* funny lines, but protag thinks he is more interesting than he is, and his failed relationships are largely his own fault. We are supposed to find this sympathetic and interesting, but I found it sad and rather boring.
68) Going My Way (1944)
Harmless; I guess the wartime mood in 1944 helped this feelgood escapism went down well with the public for reasons that we can understand. I didn’t find any of it awful, but I didn’t find any of it terribly memorable either.
67) The French Connection (1971)
It’s an unsophisticated story of two not very interesting policemen biffing the bad guys and occasionally also the good guys with whom they disagree. Admittedly it does have a couple of really brilliant moments.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-french-connection-film-1971-and-book-by-robin-moore/
66) My Fair Lady (1964)
Higgins’ misogynistic treatment of Eliza is awful – constant negging, and pretty close to gaslighting. But there are some wonderful songs, and one or two utterly stunning visuals. My absolute favourite sequence is the Ascot scene.
65) Gladiator (2000)
It’s great to look at, especially if you like to see acres of rippling male flesh (limited appeal for me). Core performances are all solid. The filmography is good and the music *really* good. But there isn’t really much there there.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/gladiator-2000-and-those-about-to-die/
64) How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Infamously, beat Citizen Kane. The tone is emotionally uneven. The various tragic events of the film seem to just happen and then life moves on to the next tragic event. Music good, looks fantastic.
63) Mrs. Miniver (1942)
A heartfelt, uplifting story of ordinary upper-middle-class English folk caught up in the Second World War. Wholesome enough, propaganda perhaps too obvious. Dodgy accents, working-class comic relief. But several good set-pieces.
62) On The Waterfront (1954)
Brando completely magnetic: portrays a not terribly bright kid who is compelled to raise his game and do the right thing. Music really impressive. Plot obvious as nice characters move along different arcs of redemption.