The Oscars are supposed to be pinacel of the film industry: the best of the best.
As I've written before, the Academy Awards have slowly slid into irrelevancy with their terrible taste in films that turn off most audiences. But that wasn't always the case.
Below are what I believe are the 10 Best Movies to ever win the Best Picture Oscar.
10. Forrest Gump (1995)
I think that this movie has been reduced in people's minds because of the caricature of the main character. But Robert Zemekis does an impressive feat along with Tom Hanks in creating a unique cinematic voice that is superbly acted, visually stunning, and always memorable.
9. Rocky (1977)
This is a raw movie. The sequels make people forget how rough and tumble this film was. Rocky's world is mean and dark. The whole point of the movie is to ask whether this man can stand up and be a man against the best in the world. The brilliance of this film is that in understands that the real prize is not the belt, but the fact that Rocky learns his own value.
8. Titanic (1998)
Because it was so popular, people sometimes write this film off as populist tripe. But director James Cameron achieves an incredibly epic story with a strong emotional center. There is a reason that this story struck such an emotional chord and Cameron was able to use all of his skills as a visual storyteller to make a film that pierced the heart.
7. West Side Story (1962)
This could easily be written off as a relic of its day with its stylized dialogue and color palate. In fact, that appears to be what Spielberg attempted to do in his remake. But that is a mistake, because there is magic in the way this movie is made. The opening prologue casts a spell on you that does not let go. You are pulled into a world that is our own but not. The bright colors and big, bombastic score promise love and adventure, which makes the tragedy all the more powerful.
6. The Sound of Music (1966)
This is a nearly perfect film. The casting is superb, the shots are gorgeous, and director Robert Wise created something truly iconic. There is a reason that this movie makes it to number one on so many people's favorite movies. It is a timeless film for the ages that beautifully captures the magic of love, faith, and music.
5. The Godfather (1973)
I first saw this movie as a child and I hated it. I wasn't ready for it. A friend of mine saw this later in life and said, "It reminded me of so many movies, probably because so many movies were influenced by it." The older I have gotten the more I've come to love this movie. Every shot, every sound is perfectly done with stellar performances that are both intriguing in their charisma and repellent in their evil.
4. Casablanca (1944)
Like The Sound of Music, this film is timeless. It is the story of a man who slowly finds his soul again. He was an empty shell living in purgatory. He has a chance to damn himself with selfishness, but that final scene is one of the greatest, manliest moments in movie history, where Rick sacrifices his own happiness for the greater good. And it has one of the best final lines of any film.
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2004)
CS Lewis said of Tolkien's story that the tale was "good beyond hope." That is how I felt about this film. People complain about the length of the ending, but when put into context of the entire epic, you need that time for closure. The entire second half is absolutely riveting. What Peter Jackson was able to do, which is incredibly rare nowadays, is take an amazing adventure epic and imbue it with a sense a reality, most particularly in the emotional life of the characters. I am still boggled that Sean Astin did not win an Oscar for his performance as Samwise.
2. Braveheart (1996)
Perhaps I saw this movie at just the right time as I was becoming a man, but this film is an epic masterpiece. It has all of the hallmarks of a war epic, but Mel Gibson films it in a way that feels timeless and as legendary as the main character. So many war films after this copied his style, from Saving Private Ryan to Gladiator and you can even see echoes of it in Avengers: Endgame. But the movie is ingrained in me that if I listen to the last 10 minutes of the score I can recite all of the lines word-for-word until the end.
1. Schindler's List (1994)
I will write more about this at a later date, but there is no other film that could take this position. This is a movie that can break your heart and change your life. I don't know why as a 15-year-old, this film touched my soul. There are only two movies that completely transported me. What I mean by that is I completely lost track of who and where I was because I was taken up by the experience. The first was Return of the Jedi when I was a child. But Schindler's List did that to me when I was almost a man. It is the perfect blend of artistry and history. It is Spielberg using all of skills to show both the absolute horror of humanity and its heavenly virtue in a way that shows us who we are and (more importantly) who we could be.
Honorable Mentions:
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