The Oscar for Best Picture: Michael's Revisionist History
The Oscars have come and gone in 2019 with yet another controversial winner for Best Picture. Green Book was a polarizing movie that fit certain criteria that seemed to give it an advantage in the Best Picture race: a biographical drama geared toward an older Academy voter base.
Similar to the Grammys, the film most deserving of Best Picture rarely wins, so it’s time to look back on the decade and revise the nominees and winner. For each year, I’ve selected the five most deserving nominees for the award (in lieu of the present format of the expanded nominee field, instituted after The Dark Knight was snubbed in 2008) according to the following criteria:
1. Popularity: the movie has to have been well-liked by audiences and had an impact on the popular culture in the year in which it was released. Box office data will be an important factor in the equation for this aspect.
2. Critical acclaim: even though movie critics can be overly negative about an enjoyable film’s flaws, we need expert opinions. The best way to determine the most acclaimed films are through year-end lists, which I’ve used as a tool in my determination of the revised nominees and winners.
3. Personal taste: I’ll do my best to keep this exercise objective (unless a movie from the Rocky franchise comes up – stay tuned), and even though I’ve seen the vast majority of the movies on the list that follows, it’s nearly impossible to have viewed all the worthwhile nominees prior to writing. Also, I have a slight personal bias toward movies that make for multiple viewings or are, to borrow the term coined by Bill Simmons of The Ringer, “rewatchable” (sorry, 12 Years a Slave).
Most importantly, while the Grammys seem to reward the most popular albums of the year, sometimes without consideration of the quality of music, the Oscars tend to reward films that adhere to its unwritten formula. Films like The King’s Speech, Argo, Spotlight, and Green Book serve as prime examples of scenarios in which “the formula” won out over films with a larger cultural impact. Counteracting this trend was one of my main focuses as I revised the nominee list for each year. I’ve also listed a few honorable mentions for each year, just like our revised Grammys, to honor those that weren’t quite popular enough or didn’t earn enough critics’ praise. We’ll start with 2010 with my revised winner underlined.
*denotes a film that was actually nominated for the award that year
** denotes the film that actually won Best Picture that year
The underlined nominee denotes my pick for Best Picture
2010
Black Swan*
The Fighter*
Inception*
The Social Network*
True Grit*
Also considered: The King's Speech, The Town, Toy Story 3
This was one of the easiest years to choose nominees for since the Academy actually selected the five most deserving films for this award. The King’s Speech ultimately won, thus beginning the decade-long trend toward predictable Oscar bait in the Best Picture race. However, this year really boils down to two instant classics: Inception and The Social Network.
Inception is a somewhat flawed, high concept action thriller directed by one of the great auteurs of this era, Christopher Nolan. Leonardo DiCaprio led a great cast, all of whom had great performances (well, except the stoic Joseph Gordon-Levitt). More importantly though, Inception had the largest cultural impact on 2010; it seemed like everyone saw it that summer, which is reflected in the box office data, and the dream-within-a-dream plot element became part of our cultural dialect. Like most Christopher Nolan films, it was also a technical wonder, winning Oscars for visual effects, cinematography, and sound mixing and editing.
However, this year’s award had to go to The Social Network. It was essentially the critical consensus best film of 2010 and while it falls into the typical biographical drama bucket that is so common at the Oscars, it provided a unique perspective on a relatively new edition into society, Facebook and social media. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and Trent Reznor’s score actually took home the Oscar for Best Original Score. The best part of this film, though, is Aaron Sorkin’s script, which also won the Oscar (Best Adapted Screenplay); this screenplay ranks amongst the best of his illustrious career.
2011
Bridesmaids
The Descendants*
Fast Five
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Moneyball*
Also considered: Drive, Midnight In Paris, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
You read that right – Bridesmaids wins my revised Best Picture in a particularly weak movie year. After all, it is the essential comedy film of the decade. The Oscars typically overlook the best comedy films; when a comedy is nominated, it’s usually more artsy, like The Grand Budapest Hotel or Birdman, both of which were nominated in 2014. Pure R-rated comedies like Bridesmaids aren’t serious enough for the Oscars.
However, this comedy stands out because of the brilliant premise and the performers who follow through on it. Melissa McCarthy was actually nominated for Best Supporting Actress, but Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph both deserve recognition for their comedic performances as well. The movie is hilarious and serves as a final entry to the run of R-rated comedies that began in the early 2000s, starting with the likes of Old School and Anchorman. Not to say that comedy films are dead, but they sure don’t seem to make them like they used to.
The two films on my list that received actual Oscars love were Moneyball and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the latter of which was not nominated for Best Picture but nominated for five other awards. Another great Aaron Sorkin screenplay and excellent performances from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill put Moneyball into the conversation for best sports film of the century, while David Fincher’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo won the Oscar for Best Film Editing.
Finally, even though the Academy typically dismisses action movies, Fast Five makes the revised nominee list because it is arguably the best of The Fast and the Furious franchise. The movies of this franchise have a corny element to them, but the action sequences from Fast Five are essentially unrivaled to any other action film of the decade.
2012
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained*
Silver Linings Playbook*
Skyfall
Also considered: Argo, Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty
The Best Picture race in 2012 is probably the best example of the Oscar formula conundrum. Other than Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook, the most mainstream nominees were Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, and Lincoln. All three were great films deserving of consideration, but the Oscars left out three of the biggest movies of the decade in The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and Skyfall.
Many of the biggest blockbusters that derive from intellectual property in the current era of film aren’t widely acclaimed, but the three aforementioned movies make my revised list because they were. The reason they make the cut over the likes of Argo and others is because the prevalence they still have over movie culture today. In simple terms, these are movies that can be and are oft revisited. For example, The Dark Knight Rises is on TNT every other weekend, while Lincoln, despite its quality, is rarely shown on television.
The best movie of the year, though, is Silver Linings Playbook, which featured masterful lead performances from Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, the latter of whom took home Best Actress. The cast sets this film apart from the others, but also the story: a modern-day romantic comedy that addresses mental illness in a refreshing way. Most importantly, this is the most memorable film of the year; Silver Linings Playbook is the type of movie that is particularly rewatchable. We’re now in an era where great romantic comedies are exceedingly rare, and no film has surpassed Silver Linings Playbook in the genre since.
2013
12 Years A Slave**
American Hustle*
Captain Phillips*
Gravity*
The Wolf of Wall Street*
Also considered: Frozen, Her, Iron Man 3
This year’s actual nominees were apt in another weak year for film even if many followed the traditional Oscar formula; the most widely praised blockbuster was Iron Man 3, which was nothing special in its own right. Process of elimination was necessary in order to pick a revised winner.
The first elimination is the actual winner, 12 Years a Slave. Despite it being a truly awe-inspiring film, it ought to be categorized as a film in which a rewatch is unnecessary, as it is deeply emotional and difficult to watch at times. The best blockbuster of the year was Gravity, which was more of a theatrical event than anything; it is a significantly different movie outside of the theater, as most of the redeeming qualities of the film are technical aspects. Captain Phillips and American Hustle both featured compelling performances, the latter receiving nominations in every acting category, but neither were memorable enough to receive my revised award.
After this exercise, the film that is left is Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, a truly over-the-top crime film that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill. Terence Winter, who created Boardwalk Empire and wrote some of the best episodes of The Sopranos, was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay along with Scorsese for Best Director. There are many aspects to this film that make it great, but another compelling DiCaprio performance is foremost among them. DiCaprio lost to Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club in the Best Actor category. It was one of the worst snubs of the decade, but DiCaprio would be redeemed a couple years later.
2014
Edge of Tomorrow
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel*
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
Also considered: American Sniper, Boyhood, Inherent Vice
While American Sniper was king at the box office, becoming the only film of the decade to gross the most for the year and not be a part of a movie franchise, Birdman won the actual Oscar for Best Picture. However, the Academy missed on nominations for three films in particular that made 2014 a memorable year for film.
Gone Girl had only one Oscar nomination – Rosamund Pike for Best Actress. In spite of this, it can be added to David Fincher’s streak of directed films that make my revised nominee list, along with The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. While Gone Girl is the last movie Fincher has directed as of now, he should be acknowledged as one of the best filmmakers of this generation.
Another filmmaker who was snubbed at the Oscars in 2014 was Christopher Nolan, who directed Interstellar. This film strictly was nominated for technical awards, winning Best Visual Effects, but the performances by Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain were deserving of recognition as well. Similarly to Gone Girl and Fincher, Interstellar is another example of why Nolan is one of our greatest working filmmakers.
However, the film that should’ve taken home the prize at the 87th Academy Award ceremony is Guardians of the Galaxy, the best Marvel film to date. Guardians introduced us to Marvel characters that we weren’t previously aware of for the most part and told a self-contained story so that casual fans didn’t have to connect the dots with other films. Most of all, though, Guardians is just a fun movie to watch because of the characters; all of whom were attached to great performances from the likes of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Bradley Cooper’s voice.
2015
Creed
Mad Max: Fury Road*
The Martian*
The Revenant*
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Also considered: The Big Short, The Hateful Eight, Sicario
It’s fitting that Creed is the greatest film of the 21st century, as Rocky was the greatest film of the 20th century. In all seriousness, though, this is my list, and if I was unbiased, I’d probably pick Mad Max, but I’m not and I love the Rocky franchise, so Creed it is.
Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone are great in Creed, which is the best sports movie of the decade, with apologies to Moneyball. Stallone was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, which shockingly is the only nomination Creed earned. Ryan Coogler’s directing touch was notable in this film, which brought the Rocky franchise back to prominence and away from the corny tone of the sequels. This was my favorite movie of the decade so far, so it was an easy selection.
The most impressive actual nomination for Best Picture this year was Mad Max: Fury Road, a science fiction action thriller that is an unlikely choice based on the unwritten Oscar genre rules. However, Mad Max was the best action film in a generation and won six technical Oscar awards, the most total awards won at the ceremony. The performances from Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron went largely unrecognized, but Mad Max wasn’t just a great film for its technical brilliance. Theron especially should have been at least nominated for Best Actress and could have given Brie Larson (for Room) a run for her money.
Besides the top two contenders, 2015 was arguably the strongest year for film this decade. Hardcore Star Wars fans argue that The Force Awakens is just a rip-off from the original Star Wars, but it introduced us to compelling new characters and is just plain fun. Leonardo DiCaprio finally took home the award for Best Actor for his performance in the epic The Revenant. Also, other films from this year have claims to be on this list, namely Sicario and The Hateful Eight.
2016
Arrival*
Deadpool
Hell Or High Water*
La La Land*
Manchester By The Sea*
Also considered: Everybody Wants Some!!, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Zootopia
While Moonlight ultimately won Best Picture in the most memorable Oscars moment of the decade (and perhaps ever), this year was about three films for me. La La Land was the presumed winner, and for good reason. Damien Chazelle’s musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling seemed to get the most buzz of any of the Best Picture nominees in a few years. Quality musicals are hard to pull off, but La La Land did so with ease. Chazelle won Best Director and Stone won Best Actress; in total, the film’s six wins were the most at this ceremony.
There had been conversation around whether Deadpool would be nominated for Best Picture all year, and it was ultimately left off. However, Deadpool is arguably the best superhero film of the decade. I’ve added others to my revised nominee list and even picked Guardians of the Galaxy as a winner, but Deadpool was unique in that it was also a self-aware comedy that parodied the genre at times.
The best film of the year was Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival, starring peak Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. It received the second-most nominations behind La La Land, but only came away with one win for Best Sound Editing. However, Villeneuve’s directing and Eric Heisserer’s screenplay should’ve won Oscars as their perspective on Ted Chiang’s book Story of Your Life resulted in arguably the best science fiction film of the decade.
2017
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk*
Get Out*
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Also considered: Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, Wonder Woman
Perhaps my biases are showing up again with Denis Villeneuve’s second win in a row, but Blade Runner 2049 is a true science fiction masterpiece, and the biggest competitor to Arrival for the title of best sci-fi movie of the decade. While Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the surrounding controversy overshadowed the sequel to 1982’s Blade Runner, the film was a technical marvel, winning both Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford turn in memorable performances in Villeneuve’s perfect science fiction world. Other than Creed, this is my favorite movie of the decade, so it was another easy selection.
After Blade Runner, there were many other great films in 2017. Christopher Nolan continues his streak with the epic World War II film, Dunkirk, which was visually captivating, but didn’t provide enough meaningful characters to win my revised award. Much of the controversy around The Last Jedi was overblown by hardcore Star Wars fans, but there are points to be made about plot holes and breaking the rules of the Star Wars universe.
Therefore, with apologies to Get Out, the runner-up to Blade Runner is Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, an action film with a great cast including Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm. This was another film mostly recognized for its technical aspects at the Oscars, but its premise and performances are what makes it great. Ansel Elgort plays the main character, a getaway driver looking to escape his criminal past in a creative new take on the heist film by Wright..
2018
BlackKklansman*
Black Panther*
Creed II
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
A Star Is Born*
Also considered: The Favourite, Vice, Widows
I’ve already expressed my thoughts about Green Book winning last month; it should not have been in the conversation as the best film in 2018. Instead, this year came down to two great films: A Star is Born and Black Panther. Both movies had the most cultural buzz throughout the year while also receiving universal acclaim from film critics.
A Star is Born was the most impressive of the two, due to Bradley Cooper’s foray into directing. Cooper left distinctive touches on a film whose story has already been through many previous iterations. He stars alongside Lady Gaga who turns in an award-worthy performance of her own. The music is phenomenal as well; Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” won Best Original Song and the film’s soundtrack spent multiple weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.
This was one of the toughest races because the runner-up on my revised list, Black Panther, is also qualified enough to win Best Picture. A Star is Born might be slightly more memorable, but Ryan Coogler’s entry into the Marvel universe won three Oscars at the most recent ceremony. There were multiple great performances in this visually stunning film, particularly from lead Chadwick Boseman and his foil, Michael B. Jordan. Black Panther also had a great soundtrack that reached the top of the Billboard 200, keeping within the movie trend of 2018.
While Creed II and Mission: Impossible – Fallout easily secure nominations due to my bias (although the latter belongs in the category of Fast Five as an action film that is arguably the most well made in its respective franchise), the final spot was somewhat up for grabs. Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman ultimately deserves it as it had the most cultural appeal to go along with its critical acclaim.