Debbie’s Picks The Godfather (1972) The Godfather is the greatest movie in the history of movies.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) Jack Nicholson carried the film and launched his career as the unbalanced Randle McMurphy skewing sanity in an Oregon mental hospital. This film is one of three films that has won Oscar’s ‘big five’ (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay). The other two are It Happened One Night and The Silence of the Lambs.
3. The Sting (1973) Redford, Newman, the nose tap. We all know the danger of walking the tightrope between comedy and suspense. The Sting must be the reason so many filmmakers take the risk.
Patton (1970) George C. Scott famously refused the Oscar for his brilliant portrayal of General George S. Patton. He vehemently hated the idea of competing against other actors. Brando then did it two years later, refusing his Best Actor statue for The Godfather, though for different reasons. Yeah, Scott and Brando were that good.
Chariots of Fire (1981) I can still remember watching the broadcast as a kid and seeing this huge Oscar upset. Chariots beat out the heavily favored epic, Reds, and mirrored the film itself with the sentimental victory.
Schindler’s List (1993) For a while there in the ’80s, I had this image of Steven Spielberg going to bed at night and muttering to himself, What the hell do I have to do? He already had several Oscar-worthy films to his credit, but no statue. In 1993, he figured it out with this brilliant story of one small good deed amidst unbearable evil.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
photo by sarah crowder
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I’m absolutely convinced this film would have joined The Silence of the Lambs, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and It Happened One Night in that elusive ‘big five’ club had Russell Crowe not been going through a rough patch in his personal life. A couple of run-ins—tantrums, really—and the Best Actor Oscar went to Denzel Washington for Training Day; while Ron Howard’s heartwarming story of Princeton mathematician John Nash won every other award of the five, due in large part to Crowe. It was a glaring mistake, but the Academy is nothing if not in the moment.
BRANDON’s Picks
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The Godfather (1972) With The Godfather, Marlon Brando cemented his legacy with his portrayal of The Don, Al Pacino became an international icon, and Francis Ford Coppola became a household name. The film has aged gracefully, thanks to Gordon Willis’ exquisite use of light and color, and Nino Rota’s hauntingly beautiful score. The Godfather is the greatest film ever made—a perfect film if there ever was one.
The Godfather Part II (1974) Everyone expected The Godfather Part II to be good—but not this good. Not only did Coppola and company craft the greatest sequel of all time, they managed to make a film that had many critics holding it in higher regard than the original. It is easy to forget that, prior to The Godfather Part II, sequels were rare in films. For better or worse, this is the one that ignited the trend. It succeeds on all levels even without Brando’s participation, and Robert De Niro proved the naysayers wrong with his mesmerizing turn as the young Vito Corleone.
The French Connection (1971) New Hollywood was born. Gone were static shots and stale sets of old. Taking cues from the French New Wave, director William Friedkin took his kinetic cameras to the streets, capturing the grit of New York like never before. A true watershed film, The French Connection’s influence cannot be overstated. Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider were catapulted to instant stardom, and Friedkin became one of the youngest to ever win the Oscar for Best Director.
On the Waterfront (1954) Marlon Brando and Elia Kazan: one of the greatest actor/ director partnerships of all time. The duo also collaborated on the masterful A Streetcar Named Desire. On the Waterfront swept the Oscars in 1955, taking home eight awards, including Best Black & White Cinematography by the inimitable Boris Kaufman. On the Waterfront will never cease to be ‘a contender.’
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Epic. Merriam-Webster could use any single frame from the film to illustrate that word in the dictionary and no one would object. Its size and scale are astounding to this day. Clocking in at 222 minutes, Lawrence still is the longest film to ever win Best Picture.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) Nurse Ratched. Surely, writer Ken Kesey had the word wretched in mind when he penned her name. Louise Fletcher took home the Best Actress award for her portrayal of the detestable nurse, which stands as one of best screen villains of all time. A stellar supporting cast, including a young Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd, played a major role in netting Best Actor for Jack Nicholson in this heartbreaking masterwork by Milos Forman.
Rocky (1976) Still the definitive underdog story, Rocky mirrored Sylvester Stallone’s own life. It is real, comes from the heart, and you can see it in everything on screen. Bill Conti’s uplifting score is no less popular today than it was in ’76. Even the normally restrained Academy stood and cheered when the film was first screened.
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{LadueNews.com} February 28, 2014
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