20.) Chicago (2002)
I thold you I like musicals. Chicago was interesting because of how just out there Baz Luhrman was. Unlike most musicals that just make the songs part of the dialogue and the scenes, the idea to make most of the songs their own weird, atlernate fantasy dimension set pieces, was just brilliant. The showmanship of all the songs, especially my favorite in Cell Block Tango, was all great. The story itself was probably a bit thin, but the production of it all was the closest I've ever seen to watching a stage musical on the big screen.
19.) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
I get it. I realize this is seen as an all time classic. I realize that Jodie Foster, and of course Anthony Hopkins were brilliant. But at the end of the day, I just don't get why this is seen as some unimpeachable classic of the medium. It's a wonderfully good, provoking movie, but there's just a lot of best picture winners that I like a lot more.
18.) Parasite (2019)
I get it. I realize this was seen as a modern classic. But, and this might be seen as a hot take: I truly wonder if the exact same movie was made but featuring a poor American family weaseling their way into a rich American family, and it was in English - would it have won Best Picture? Maybe it does. The plot itself, the duality of who the parasite is?, the wittyness, was all excellent. I just think the English version of Parasite loses Best Picture to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is all - granted if Once Upon A Time won, it would rank lower on the list.
17.) Spotlight (2015)
I get that some people would've wanted Mad Max, a brilliantly entertaining action film, to win, but I just love that Spotlight did win. Of course its topical and a truly fully intentional view into the darkness of the Catholic Priest scandal, but more than that it was maybe one of the top to bottom best acted ensemble movies I've ever seen. It made being a journalist look fun, and more importantly, staggeringly important. Yes, a deep dive into investigative journalism was never going to be full of memorable scene-stealing moments, but Spotlight came about as close as you can get.
At the moment I was a bit surprised that Argo won over Lincoln or 12 Years a Slave, but in retrospect it makes sense. Yes, there's a common cliche of Hollywood loving nothing better than a movie about making movies, but I want to credit Argo for being a really well written and acted movie - with a great deal of drama. Yes, they absolutely butchered reality to make that plot work, but it did work. Yes, they should've been more fair to the fact Argo was largely a Canada-run operation, but as a movie itself, it worked amazingly well. The cast was great, the performances were great - even small roles like Bryan Cranston and Kyle Chandler as random feds, were excellent. Well done all around.
15.) Unforgiven (1992)
I was surprised to learn when trawling Best Picture lists that Unforgiven beat out A Few Good Men, a far more memorable and lasting film, but when I did sit down and just watch Unforgiven, I totally get it. A western that turns its head on the cowboy hero, giving a deep introspective look at the darkness and soullessness of it all. Clint Eastwood was probably never more introspective and raw than this in his late career. Hackman and Freeman were excellent as well. It looked great, the acting better, and the movie was about as good as a I could have imagined.
14.) Moonlight (2016)
Of course, the movie almost didn't win, but Moonlight losing to La La Land would have been a disgrace - La La Land would've been probably in the 30s for me. The story is raw, the acting was phenomenal - especially underrated was the scenes with the younger versions of Chiron. Mahershala Ali was incredible. It was poignant, it was shining a light on so many untold stories all at once. Yes it was depressing and sad and dour, but the story necessitated it, and earned it 100%/
13) Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Some have already said that EEAAO being such an Oscars juggernaut will not age well. For me, I saw it on a plane having heard a bit about it, and loved it the second I watched it. I had a dream it could win Best Picture. I saw a decent amount of the nominees this year, and I was overjoyed when it one. It was the closest thing to many of the TV shows I've often ranked #1 on my yearly lists: it was just the best piece of movie-making, the most entertaining and thought provoking one of the past year. The comedy, the questions it asked, all of it combined to something incredible.
12.) The Departed (2006)
Yes, this was far from Scorsese's best movie. Yes, the rat at the end scurrying was on the nose. Yes, god knows what accent Nicholson was doing. But aside from Nicholson's accent, the movie, let's be honest, is phenomenal. Dicaprio and Damon were both outstanding. Wahlberg gave to me his best performance. Sheen was great. The plot was great (even if it was a remake of a foreign movie), with teh dueling rats trying to outfox each other. The plot device of the therapist worked. It all worked. Take away a few Scorsese trappings that outstayed their welcome (Gimme Shelter, again?) and this may have been higher up.
11.) No Country for Old Men (2007)
While probably being my 3rd favorite Coen Brothers movie (Fargo and Lebowski higher up for me), there is no doubt No Country for Old Men was a breathtaking movie. The exactness of the shot, the direction, the still imagery. The painstakingly brilliant methodical performance that was Anton Cigurh. I don't know if Brolin was ever better either. It was cool to see the Coens return to their Blood Simple type roots and just make the hell out of a thriller, but do it with such perfecting flair. In many ways, little about it was Coen-esque at all, other than it being spectacular.
10.) Titanic (1997)
It's easy to make fun of Titanic, or more pointedly make fun of James Cameron for him being so damn full of himself, and certainly his attitude has not done him any favors. But Cameron promised the world a spectacle of never before seen proportions and by God did he deliver. Spectacle was Titanic and it was every bit of it. It helped that Dicaprio and Winslet had perfect chemistry and were captivating, but what I think is truly underrated about the movie was how great the scenes were from the iceberg hit to the end. It was a tremendous action/disaster movie that was worthy of oscars from that part itself. Yeah, maybe it didn't deserve all of the 14 or so oscars it got, but it is easily a landmark movie.
9.) On The Waterfront (1954)
This wasn't intentional, but the Top-9 are all from 1984 or earlier. Not to say movies these days aren't great, but anyway. On The Waterfront was Brando at his best with great performances all around. Brando though is the real draw, and he was incredibly engrossing in the movie. The plot itself was such a perfect little slice of life mob film, something that set the stage for so much - Mean Streets and to some degree Goodfellas being structured similarly - going for the small moments
8.) My Fair Lady (1964)
The music is great, Hepburn and Harrison were incredible together. If the only real knock against it is the singing was dubbed and not Hepburn, then you know you are absolutely grasping for straws. It is unreal that somehow that cost her a best actress nod. The plot itself is great even if the music was average, but the music is spectacular as well. Musicals were just better back in the day, from teh passion to the music itself, to the plot and how it weaves.
7.) West Wide Story (1961)
Speaking of which.... my highest rated musical is such because (1) the music itself is amazing, with maybe the best collection of songs of any musical and (2) the set direction and staging was basically as good as Chicago all thsoe years later. The choreography. The performances themselves. All of it was fantastic. West Side Story to me is the best musical (stage and film) the US ever produced and I'm glad it got a great view of it in even the 60s.
6.) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
To me, this is my version of The Silence of the Lambs - an old beloved psychological thriller that I am absolutely in love with. Nicholson was brilliant. Of course, I have a soft spot for DeVito's incredible character. The movie itself was well ploted, brilliantly directed and just captivating. It was an underrated funny movie, and underrated gloriously sad movie. It is just an underrated masterpiece over all.
5.) The Deer Hunter (1978)
I still think I would tab Apocalypse Now as the better war movie, but The Deer Hunter was the best war movie to not be about the war - it was about the people. The quick cut from the fun, joy and vibes of the wedding to them coming back to the steel town having endured hell was jarring and massively effective. The acting lineup is outrageous, with all of De Niro, Streep, Cazale, and most significantly, Walker putting up career type performances. Yes, you can criticize the film for their portrayal of the Vietnamese, but to me the movie isn't really as much about them. It's about four young bright-eyed kids getting beaten down the eventual death that is so poignant and lasting.
4.) Casablanca (1942)
I'll admit, I'm giving it a bit of extra credit for being a movie that came out in nineteen-forty-fucking-two, but Casablanca is eminently perfect. Bogart and Bergman were about as great a couple on screen as any ever, just captivating in every single scene. The plot itself is thin when you look at it from 2020 goggles. But really, let's just remember that a fully rewatchable masterpiece came out in a year that is closer to the end of the Civil War than it is to today. The setting, the incredible tone it sets from the start, all of it just jumps off the screen - as much today as it did 83 effing years ago.
3.) The Godfather, Pt. 2 (1974)
A masterpiece that if it was maybe 20 minutes shorter (making it similar to the original's run time) would likely be #2. Spoiler alert, the original is my #1. For part two, Pacino was just masterful, as were Cazale (just a phenomenal actor) and it gave a showcase for De Niro. Honestly, if anything I wish the De Niro / Young Vito scenes were longer and more plentiful. Yes, watching Pacino turn himself fully into a monster bit by agonizing bit is mesmerizing, but so was watching Vito turn into the don similarly bit by bit. There's nothing new to say about this, or the original. I already was told by basically the world these are two of the best movies ever, then watched part 2 for the first time I think in 2012, and somehow it beat my expectations.
2.) Amadeus (1984)
Period dramas became a bit of a thing in teh 80s. Most were forgettable. Amadeus, the fake story of contempt, jealousy, adoration and youth, was not. I remember the first time I encountered the movie was in a gift shop at Mozart's house in Vienna on our Orchestra tour. I was astounded to realize it won best picture. I watched it maybe a year or two later and got it instantly. The dynamism of Hucle and Abraham was just incredible. The competing dualities of so many of the pairs, from of course Mozart and Salieri, to Mozart and his Dad (and underrated storyline), to Mozart's wife and Mozart himself. All of it worked in front of resplendent sets, costumes, music, scenes. The movie just flies along from the opening beats of Mozart's music, to each guffawing laugh of Mozart himself, to every snide remark perfectly delivered by F. Murray Abraham. Just a perfect film.
1.) The Godfather (1972)
It's still the best single movie I've ever seen (quick aside - had Goodfellas rightfully beaten out Dances With Wolves and won best picture, it probably ranks #2 for me on this list). It sets it tone basically in that first line of "I believe in America" delivered in that stilted way in a dark room. Everything from that point on, including to me the best opening of any movie ever (the wedding that perfectly introduces every character with theri motivations, their beliefs, all in full display) and then proceeds to be as good throughout. The dynamics of the family worked perfectly, with one amazing performance after another. The Godfather set a level for film that honestly may never be topped.
