In Rain Man, the Academy bestowed its highest award for 1988 to a film that would become one of the most popular and most iconic films, not only of the decade, but in the history of American cinema. That statement might sound hyperbolic, but I do not believe that it is. Raymond Babbitt is an …
Category: Best Picture Blogs
1987 Winner for Best Picture – The Last Emperor
I must say that getting through The Last Emperor was a lot like work. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t my least favorite Best Picture winner, but it isn’t close to my favorite either. It’s a beautiful film and there are aspects to it that are very engaging and very entertaining. Perhaps the problem was …
1986 Winner for Best Picture – Platoon
If 1984’s Amadeus was the best film of the 80’s, then 1986’s Platoon was certainly the most intense. I would seriously have to consider ranking Platoon as the #2 film of the decade, or at worst the #3 film behind Amadeus and Raging Bull. Platoon is a powerful film that demands to be noticed, but …
1985 Winner for Best Picture – Out of Africa
I had never seen Out of Africa before, and I really wanted to love it. I am a fan of Sydney Pollack as a director. I am a fan of Meryl Streep and I am a fan of Robert Redford. One of the reasons I had shied away from seeing this picture until now …
1984 Winner for Best Picture – Amadeus
Amadeus is the best film of the 80’s. I totally understand anyone who would want to make a case for Raging Bull, E.T., The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Do the Right Thing, The Shining, or Platoon (which we’ll get to in a couple of weeks). Those are all excellent films, and …
1983 Winner for Best Picture – Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment is an exceptional, if unremarkable film that has some sterling individual performances, but like its immediate predecessors of the eighties, it turned out to be less than the sum of its parts. Now don’t get me wrong. I liked Terms of Endearment. It’s a tad sentimental for my taste, and the structure …
1982 Winner for Best Picture – Gandhi
Gandhi is a different kind of epic than the films like Ben-Hur and Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai that won Best Picture in previous decades. Gandhi is a bio-pic/historical drama that follows a man who preached and lived peace as a means of defeating his oppressors. After a long, difficult …
1981 Winner for Best Picture – Chariots of Fire
I will admit right up front that I was not looking forward to watching Chariots of Fire. I had never seen it before, but it looked like it would be terribly boring, and most of the people with whom I spoke about it confirmed that notion. With that said, I think I went into watching …
1980 Winner for Best Picture – Ordinary People
Having already been a star in Hollywood for two decades because of his acting, Robert Redford made his directorial debut in 1980 with Ordinary People (and he would win the Best Director Oscar for his efforts), an extraordinary film about redemption and coming to grips with the past so that you can embrace your future. …
1979 Winner for Best Picture – Kramer vs. Kramer
Kramer vs. Kramer is a wonderful film. It’s filled with drama and emotion and superb acting by everyone, including Justin Henry, who was just seven years old when he starred as Billy Kramer and became one of the youngest people ever to be nominated for an Academy Award, which he was for Best Supporting Actor …