I would rank it in the top 15. It's not as great as classics like Ben-Hur, Gone With the Wind, and The Godfather, but I would rank it above a lot of other winners.
shareNear the bottom. Beneath Shakespeare in Love and American Beauty. Right along with Shape of Water and Green Book and Nomadland and Parasite and above the nauseating Moonlight.
shareI'd lump it with Forrest Gump, and the other mediocre films that didn't deserve to win. It won not because of its qualities as a film, but because it checked the right messaging boxes with the Academy.
shareForrest Gump is an incredible film that is as beloved today as it was in ‘94 when it was released. It was a huge hit with audiences and critics.
There are films infinitely worse than Forrest Gump that have won Best Picture, so the fact you chose that specific best picture winner just shows you have some kind of personal bias, or have no clue what you’re talking about.
It is also a commonly derided film, and considered by many to be a very poor film. It's all a matter of opinion, though you think my dislike of it deserves insults. I see it as a dumbed down film aimed at less discerning viewers, and your uncalled for rude response to my post suggests to me that you are a perfect fit for what I perceive to be that film's target audience.
share🤣 Rude response? What world are you living in?
Yes, it is all a matter of opinion, and I believe you have the worst opinion on Forest Gump in human history.
It was a phenomenal film. That’s film’s “target audience” was over $320 million worth of box office, and that was in ‘94.
I’ll say again, dislike it if you want, but to say it was one of the worst Best Picture winners shows that you have some kind of personal bias against the film…I’m guessing politically in some way, because that’s always the answer on the internet.
It's a film aimed squarely at the lowbrow masses, hence the box office success you mention. My dislike for it, which is not an uncommon opinion about that film, has nothing to do with politics or bias. I typically like Tom Hanks' films quite a bit, and Zemeckis has directed several great films. I don't recall it having any sort of political message whatsoever. I think it's a maudlin, schmaltzy film that is made for people who either can't or don't want to think when they watch a film. It's pablum.
shareI haven't seen a really good movie in almost 20 years, so in comparison to anything else I have seen lately, it was decent.
shareYou need to get out to the movies more often!
shareI would LOVE some suggestions. Something that I could watch over and over like Aliens, The Princess Bride, The Big Lebowski, etc.
shareI don't know exactly how any of these match up to that particular trio of films, but off the top of my head some interesting and entertaining films from the last 20 years:
2046
A Coffee in Berlin
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
American Splendor
Anomalisa
Anything Else
Argo
Arrival
Baby Driver
Black Swan
Brawl in Cell Block 99
Brick
Burn After Reading
Cloverfield
Drag Me to Hell
Drive
Dunkirk
Election (Johnnie To, not the '90s American one)
Election 2
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Gangster Squad
Godzilla
Guardians of the Galaxy
Hacksaw Ridge
Hail, Caesar!
Hereditary
Hot Fuzz
Howl's Moving Castle
Idiocracy
In Bruges
Inception
Inglourious Basterds
Interstellar
Iron Man
Joker
Juno
Kamikaze Girls
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Knives Out
Layer Cake
Let Me In
Let the Right One In
Licorice Pizza
Little Miss Sunshine
Lost in Translation
Love, Actually
Mad Max: Fury Road
Midnight in Paris
Midsommar
Mission: Impossible III
Moneyball
Monsters
Napoleon Dynamite
Nebraska
No Country for Old Men
Old School
Oldboy
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood
Only Lovers Left Alive
Pan's Labyrinth
Parasite
Phantom Thread
Primer
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Shaun of the Dead
Sideways
Star Trek
Super 8
Superbad
Tangerine
Team America: World Police
The Artist
The Aviator
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Cabin in the Woods
The Darjeeling Limited
The Death of Stalin
The Departed
The French Dispatch
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Green Knight
The Hangover
The Highwaymen
The Host
The Interview
The Irishman
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Lives of Others
The Man From Earth
The Nice Guys
The Revenant
The Station Agent
The Vast of Night
There Will Be Blood
Thor: Ragnarok
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tropic Thunder
True Grit
Uncut Gems
Up In the Air
Win, Win
Young Adult
Zodiac
This is a great list. And so varied. Bravo. Brick is a great movie no one has seen. Lives of Others one of the greatest German movies ever. Or just a great movie period with some of the best performances. Layer Cake is what got Daniel Craig the Bond role. Nice Guys was wonderful and there was supposed to be another but not enough people saw it. Oldboy is one of the greatest revenge movies and one of the best Korean movies. Lost in Translation is a Coppola masterpiece. Best comedies: Sunshine Girl. Sideways. Hangover. The two Paul Thomas Anderson films are really good and it follows to revisit the great movie Magnolia. I could go on. But I don’t think any of these movies Wiggly would like and watch over and over. He’s in another time period with Aliens. Princess Bride. And Big L. He might like Master and Commander. Maybe.
shareWe probably have similar taste in movies. If you are into German films, check out A Coffee in Berlin. I had been thinking for years if I ever made a movie it would be about a guy trying to get a cup of coffee, but then I saw that film and realized it had been done.
And yeah, it does seem like maybe he's locked into the films he saw when he was younger. I hope he finds some new-to-him films to enjoy.
We do have similar tastes. Ulrich Mühe in The Lives of Others took my breath away. I’ve not seen Coffee in Berlin. I will look for it. When I first saw Brick, it was at a theater and they passed out this sheet of paper with the slang terms.
But in your opinion using your list. What are the movies you would you move to the very top. I would start with Fury Road and No Country for Old Men. I’m guessing your list is in the 2000s? There are some movies in this period you’ve not listed. Btw. Infernal Affairs (the original) is better than The Departed. But here are some: Mulholland Drive. Training Day. Million Dollar Baby. Match Point. Apocalypse Now Redux. My favorite was French movie Un prophete. But maybe not for you.
I went back to 2003, to share some films from the past 20 years. Infernal Affairs is a bit older than that, as are Training Day and Mulholland Drive, but all three are good movies. Match Point and Million Dollar Baby are in that time frame, but I didn't think of them as I was rattling off movies. I recall seeing Apocalypse Now Redux when it was in theaters, though in my mind it's still a '70s film. I have A Prophet on a list of films I intend to watch, but have not seen it yet. Thanks for reminding me about it. :)
shareI thank you kindly for the list. I've seen maybe ten of these. You were kind to provide the list, so I won't go into further critique or discussion about it (unless you would welcome it) other than to say I'll pick some of these and watch them for sure.
I think you guys are right about being locked into a different era. It could be affecting my judgement.
I'm here for discussion of film, and would love to know which ones you've seen and what you think of them.
shareOk, sorry it took me a bit to get back to it. Here is the list with my IMDB ratings I gave the movies at the time I watched them.
Idiocracy - The first ten minutes were interesting, and the rest was kind of silly. 4/10
Inception - Interesting idea, I think I preferred the abridged Rick and Morty version. 7/10
Inglorious Bastards - Not bad for an alternate history. Like most Tarantino movies, some parts were a bit drawn out. 7/10
Interstellar - I need to watch it again, but I recall enjoying it. 7/10
Iron Man - I really haven't enjoyed any super hero movies since Tobey Maguire in Spiderman. Huge Superman I and II fan with Reeves. 5/10
Knives Out - Liked it but don't remember much. 7/10
Napoleon Dynamite - one of the few on your list that I actively quote. 8/10
No Country for Old Men - Probably should watch it again. 6/10
Old School - I can't remember anything about it and forgot to rate it but recall thinking Animal House is the ultimate fraternity movie.
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood - Need to watch it again. 7/10
Pan's Labyrinth - Didn't rate it. Remember it being sad.
Star Trek - These movies are fun, although I prefer Shatner and Stewart. 8/10
The Aviator - forgot to rate it. Recall it being alright.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - I liked some of the shorts more than other. Should watch it again. 7/10
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Had trouble following this one. 5/10
The Irishman - Didn't do too much for me. Would watch anything with this cast though. 6/10
There Will Be Blood - Recall liking it but don't remember much else. 7/10
Actually, you’ve chosen 3 completely different movies that are all excellent from several categories: romance, comedy, and sci-fi. You’ve set a high bar. But, I too, would like to know what you’ve seen and your thoughts.
shareAdded above. I gave really brief reviews due to the length of the list. :D
shareQuick tally puts it at 50ish for me. The emotional side didn't land as well as it could have, and that's what held it back for me. Of the nominees, I would've picked Tár.
shareI HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS QUESTION ALL DAY...EEAAO RANKS SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK...BETTER TO ME THAN ABOUT 1/3 TO 1/2 OF OTHER WINNERS.
shareIt'd rank it in probably in the top 20. If I'm including nominees from that past that didn't win it would be lower. I often disagree with winners, and I'm not generally a fan of a lot of them.
I looked at the last 23 years and I'd place it 5th.
For me it is definitely near the bottom, better than Green Book but not by much.
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