Every year, after the fracas of awards season and studio campaigning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out the ultimate prize in cinema, the explicit recommendation that if you’re only going to watch one movie, make it the one we picked. We’re talking the Oscar for Best Picture. Less than 100 of these have been handed out through the centuries. But ever wonder how the movies of this exclusive golden club would fare against each other?
Welcome to our countdown of every Best Picture winner ever, from the Certified Fresh (Casablanca, Schindler’s List, Argo, Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King…most of them, fortunately), the kinda Fresh (Out of Africa, Forrest Gump), to the ‘HUH? HOW?’ Rottens (The Broadway Melody, Cimarron). We took ’em all and then ranked by Adjusted Tomatometer, which takes into account factors like year of release and number of reviews.
76% for Gladiator is inadimissible
Yep, cuz it deserved something less than 30%.
Seriously? It is a great film with Ridley Scott as his finest. Your comment is invalid as well because you didn’t even take the time to write “because”. I know we are on the Internet and all but please try.
Simple because it’s the most generic, uncompelling, and weak movie I’ve watched. Everyone with its own opinion though.
I really do love that, how we can all have such differing opinions. What is great is that neither of us is wrong because it is subjective. I just re read my comment and it was quite a dickish comment, sorry about that. I must have been in a bad mood because trying to correct someone’s grammar does not make their argument wrong. What is your favourite Tarintino film?
First off, thanks for the essay. That must have taken a lot of time and thought. I myself loved H8 eight but it isn’t my favourite. My top three Tarintino would be Pulp fiction, Reservoir dogs (I know it is one of the “weaker” ones to you which is cool. Finally Inglorious Basterds. That opening scene is incredible, the dialogue and the tension you feel. How many people could create such atmosphere with two actors and a kitchen? I love Dogs because of something similar. It has what 3 major scenes (car/diner/warehouse although I might be wrong, been a while since I have seen it)
As you said, H8 eight had an amazing soundtrack and in its own right was another character really ( well I thought so) I loved JJ leigh as well. She was menacing and that twist was great. Have you seen ‘True Romance’ I am sure you have being a Tarintino fan (if you are luckily enough to have not seen it then you are in for a treat, he wrote it) I hear his next project is going to be in Australia doing a Bonny/Clyde type movie which could be awesome. My only problem with H8 eight was Zoe Bell’s character. being a fellow Kiwi I felt it was a bit forced. Her accent stuck out so much and if this was 1870ish then why would A. A NZer be in America when we were a frontier our selves and B. Her accent was so strong, I knew she was a stunt actress and I thought she was not a good actress. She was so boisterous and upbeat where everyone else was so grounded and miserable. Perhaps he did that on purpose for some contrast but I felt it was not needed. But anyway.
I am currently on a bit of a Film journey at the moment. I decided that I had not seen enough classic movies and I wanted to understand more about what influenced todays film makers and just see some great movies that people recommended to me. So I bought lots of old DVD’s and I am loving it. I just watched ‘Cool Hand Luke’ which has soared into my favourite movies list. The Great Escape was another I just watched which was awesome as well. Plenty more but I won’t go through as you get the picture.
I do dislike when I hear people say ‘Oh movies are just not as good as they once were’ I think that is bonkers. So many old movies are so dated. Which is fine, a lot of movies now will be dated in 20-30 years (or sooner) Some people are just too pretentious about it,
I just realised I wrote War and peace, sorry. haha
Where are you from?
Btw, did you’ve watched The Magnificent Seven, The Searchers, The Thing, Stagecoach, Seven Samurai, or the Dollars Trilogy? I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy them! Similar to The Great Escape are “Escape from Alcatraz”, “Papillon”, and “Escape from New York”. They’re classics, and I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy them.
I am from Dunedin. Seen all those. Not seen the Searches but the rest I have. Seven Samurai is one of my favourites. Escape from New York is Kurt as his finest. I don’t mind subtitles at all and I think it would be weird if the Germans spoke in English.
Sicario was my favourite film from last year followed by Room. Have you seen them?
Well I think the key thing to remember with RT is it is a gauge whether critics liked the movie enough to be 6/10 at least. That is key, Fight club for example can be a bit polarizing and it isn’t everyone cup of tea. The Avengers however is a mass audience wide appeal. So Avengers having a higher score on RT does not necessarily mean it is better, just more critics gave it 6/10. The ones who did love Fight Club may have ranked it higher overall. You know what I mean?
The Thing is a great movie and it is a rare movie where the remake is excellent as well. Some say better, I have only seen each once so am undecided. (so far apart as well).
Ill put my top ten list here for ya.
1. Sicario
2. Room
3. Star Wars
4. Kingsman
5. Mad Max
6. Dope
7. The Hateful Eight (don’t be angry) haha
8. Ex Machina
9. Spotlight
10. Creed
Honestly, I think 2015 was one of the best years for movies in ages. I could easily put any of these movies higher on my list and there are other movies that I was so upset I had to leave off. I could easily do a top 20 if not more.
So here are my honourable mentions of movies I also really liked/loved
The Martian, Mission Impossible, Inside out, Ant Man, Mississipi grind, The Big Short,Bridge of spies, Ant man, Inside out, Jurassic World (had fun with it but would be on the lower end of the years), Avengers 2, Trainwreck, The night before, Straight outta Compton, The Revenant.
I am sure I am forgetting a couple of others and there are a couple I have not seen yet.
I really did love The Hateful Eight, I just found myself liking the films above more. It was hard to push Star Wars down to three, I am sure you can understand that given my username. haha
The whole film is a Masterpiece. From Development to Conclusion, From the Writing to Directing, From Directing to Acting, From the cinematography to Special Effects. Summing up From the Beginning to the End
Is one of Ridley Scott best achievement until then, I think the best of the 2000’s decade even better than American Gangster, where a generic movie has so brilliant screenplay, indicated in that category at the Oscars.
Most of the people not disagree, of the Gladiator (2000) having won the Oscar in the category of Best Movie.
The Battle in the beggining of the movie is extremely well coreographed, as well as the fight in the Coliseum, and in the other arenas, and the other fights of Maximus, and the last fight between Maximus and Commodus is an excellent entertainment, and the abundance of great performances Russel Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou and Connie Nielsen.
For all that Yep, cuz it deserved something more than 85%. But like you said is my opinion
I agree.
I hate Argo too. Argo is just a self fellation of the cinematography industry that really think they save the world. Team America is perfect to describe Argo and Ben Affleck.
Zippy analysis, skippy. You and every other donkey online.
thiago’s thesis that Team America perfectly describes Ben Affleck, is fun, Jack. Your little hippy-dippy-ippy rhyme wasn’t fun. it was a fun-killer. just like Argo.
“cinematography industry” lol….
I don’t share the hatred, but it certainly isn’t better than The Godfather, Part 2 (!)
The Hurt Locker at 9 is just staring back at me. No way.
Agree. Should not have even won an award.
Couldn’t agree more, the movie had a phony reality “verite” shot like reality TV when we all know it wasn’t real. Awful. I never got why it was so highly praised and always thought obscenely over-rated! “Zero Dark Thirty” on the other hand was excellent and maybe the best of that year.
For me, it was the best war movie ever.
Agree
Shakespeare in Love over Rocky???
I would object to it being that high period, but that’s probably because I’m still bitter about the Saving Private Ryan thing.
Shakespeare in Love on the list at all???
I really think that recent movies have too much high positions in this list.
All About Eve is also my favorite best picture winner – although i also love Sunset Boulevard and i can´t say whom is better (gosh, 1950 was a great year.) But this list is so wrong in so many ways – Argo, Spotlight, 12 Years a Slave, The Hurt Locker better than ANNIE HALL, Amadeus, One Flew, The Godfather II, ON THE WATERFRONT??? The King Speech is 22 on list but is probably the WORST best picture winner (not even Around the World in 80 Days and The Greatest Show, two movies that i really hate, are so bad as the pretentious, zoom-fetish King Speech). And the most part of recent movies are in good position over a lot of great classics.
horrible film.
I disagree. It should be much higher on this list where the truly awful films are.
Shouldn’t Tom Hanks be listed as starring in Forrest Gump?
Loving the adjusted (Bayesian) scores being over 100%…
You lost me at The Artist being #15
Hated it. Turned it off. Nauseating treacle.
Another film that didn’t deserve an Oscar. Nowhere near as good as many silent films made in the silent film era.
Did anyone even see Spotlight? Not a subject matter I want to have in front of me for 2 hours.
I get so sick of having to look at political correctness in these things. And to put this years “Spotlight” at #12 is absurd. Ten years from now, this film will not be making anyone’s’ top list.
That’s for sure! It is a mediocre film made very simply and plainly about important content. Had a good writer/director done the same story, it could have been a devastatingly effective movie. It’s a pedestrian bore with absolutely blown emotional opportunity. So what does this say? It says critics are worthless sheep who can be counted on to champion and over-rate based purely on subject matter and intent (which is misleading to audiences, poor advisement of time and finances, and NOT the critic’s job to review based on content alone). They are complete idiots who cannot make films themselves and why they are critics. And it also says that this whole site is dumb and a bunch of nonsense as well.
What was 49 again? Does dating movies, or saying their dated, really mean ‘they don’t think right’. This is not what I’d say about a movie. All About Eve is “timeless”, agreed. But, why not Midnight Cowboy? Is it too 60’s, and if so is All About Eve too 50’s?
Slumdog Millionaire was clearly a case of mass hypnosis. I was screaming obscenities at the screen by the end. What a crap film.
Yep, Slumdog Millionaire was an absolute crock of crap.
This list is laughable.. Argo, The Artist, The King’s speech better than Schindler’s list?? Please!!
Well, I think that Donald Trump’s Rush Limbaugh is better than Rush Limbaugh’s Rush Limbaugh. Same difference.
This is a great for reminding me why I can’t stand the Oscar’s.
The article should have been titled Best Picture winners that no one gave a second thought about and had no shelf life. Crash, the Artist, Spotlight, 12 Years A Slave, Argo, Slumdog Millionaire, Birdman, Ordinary People, Million Dollar Baby.
At least some of the older films that won that have not held up as well were huge in their day.
Birdman had a gross of 42 million. Fairly large cast. Ask who won in 2015, no one remembers. Crash had 55 but most everyone in LA was either in it or knew someone who was. Won the award, no one watches it now.
“Crash” remains quite popular on NetFlix. Near the top for its period.
The Hurt Locker, Spotlight, Argo, 12 Years a Slave – there is a definite slant here towards the newer pictures. These are solid movies but will never be considered “classics” in the same way as others far down the list.
You’re absolutely right, this list is foolish nonsense. That’s because this site and its editors are incompetent and shouldn’t be doing this.
This entire list is just nonsense. It only highlights what a poor tool the Tomatometer is.
You stupid jackasses! This is completely absurd! You cannot have over 100%! You can’t even have near 100% as it is utterly faulty. All of the films received some negative reviews for one thing, and for another the most positive reviews still don’t go all the way to perfect. The dumb editors here need to get FIRED and go back and get an education instead of spewing misinformation that is so dopey it’s embarrassing. You are UNFIT to do any kind of statistical analysis dopes!
75% for Crash? That piece of shit Oprah-platitude retard-superiority-complex preachy “poor little darkies who been done wrong by society” trite crap? Cronenberg’s Crash should be nominated for picture of the millennium before this pile of dog vomit is given a single positive review.