Alternate Universe Best Picture Winners *Updated*

Sometimes the "Best Picture" really does take home that prestigious golden statue, but often times an amazing, even better film gets the shaft. Looking back at the history of the Best Picture Oscar winners there are many films that, while the academy fell in love with them at the time, probably wouldn't win if we held a year by year redo. So, I'm going to look back at every year's winner and offer an alternate 'Best Picture' scenario even if I do think they got it right the first time.

 Some of these will be films that I think are technically better then the actual winner, some held up better over time, some became audience favorites, and some I just plain like better. I'll list the actual winner first followed by my pick.

• 2017 - The Shape of Water
• A bit of an odd pick, but "American Made" was my favorite of 2017.
• 2016 - Moonlight
• My pick is "La La Land" although I did also really enjoy "Hacksaw Ridge".
• 2015 -  "Spotlight"
• 2015 wasn't an overall awesome year for movies so "Spotlight" is a safe choice, but I'm giving it to "Creed".
• 2014 - "Birdman"
• I loved "Birdman" and actually do think it was the best film that year but for the sake of this article my pick is "Edge of Tomorrow"
• 2013 - "12 Years a Slave"
• "Prisoners". No real reason I just really like that one.
• 2012 - "Argo"
• Some really good films came out in 2012, but I'm going to go with THE movie of that year based on pop-culture impact alone and give it to "The Avengers"
• 2011 - "The Artist"
• As much as I do enjoy "The Artist", I'm going with "Moneyball".
• 2010 - "The King's Speech"
• This isn't a year full of movies that I got into, but I thought "Easy A" was fun so I'll go with that.
• 2009 - "The Hurt Locker"
• It's "Inglorious Bastards", you can't convince me otherwise.
• 2008 - "Slumdog Millionaire"
• "Iron Man"... that was my favorite of 2008
• 2007 - "No Country for Old Men"
• There were a few contenders for 2007, but "There Will Be Blood" is sooo good.
• 2006 - "The Departed"
•  "Casino Royale". A Bond movie will never win, but that one maybe should have.
• 2005 - "Crash"
• "Walk the Line" is just a better movie.
• 2004 - "Million Dollar Baby"
• Let's get patriotic and go with "Miracle". Plus, Kurt Russell's great in that movie.
• 2003 - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
• I think "Lost in Translation" is a better pick.
• 2002 - "Chicago"
• I really like "Chicago", but I love " Minority Report"
• 2001 - "A Beautiful Mind"
• I actually do think "A Beautiful Mind" was the movie that deserved to win, so I'll make a wacky selection for this one and say "Zoolander"
• 2000 - "Gladiator"
• Why not "Momento"?
• 1999 - "American Beauty"
• I like a lot of movies from '99 but "Fight Club" gets my vote.
• 1998 - "Shakespeare in Love"
• C'mon "The Big Lebowski" is way better than "Shakespeare in Love"
• 1997 - "Titanic"
• I know "Titanic" was a cinematic phenomenon, but "L.A. Confidential" is a better movie. 
• 1996 - "The English Patient"
• In a hypothetical redo I think "Fargo" wins easily.
• 1995 - "Braveheart"
• '95 has probably 4 or 5 films that I could confidently argue are better than "Braveheart". My pick is "Apollo 13".
• 1994 - "Forrest Gump"
• Nothing against Gump but "Pulp Fiction" is the best film of '94
• 1993 - "Schindler’s List"
• I'm going to swap one Spielberg film for another and pick "Jurassic Park"
• 1992 - "Unforgiven"
•  Hard to argue against the Academy's pick on this one, but "A Few Good Men" is a really solid movie.
• 1991 - "The Silence of the Lambs"
• "Terminator 2" and "Beauty and the Beast" are both solid but I really like "The Doors" so that's my pick.
• 1990 - "Dances With Wolves"
• It should have been "Goodfellas". 

• 1989 - "Driving Miss Daisy"
• "Batman", "Field of Dreams", "Do the Right Thing", Born on the Fourth of July" "The Little Mermaid", "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"... Take your pick.
• 1988 - "Rain Man"
• "Rain Man" is a good movie, but it's no "Die Hard"
• 1987 - "The Last Emperor"
• "The Untouchables" is way better.
• 1986 - "Platoon"
• My head says "Aliens" but my heart says "Top Gun".
• 1985 - "Out of Africa"
•  "Back to the Future" period.
• 1984 - "Amadeus"
• "Amadeus" is a good movie, but it's not "Ghostbusters"
• 1983 - "Terms of Endearment"
• I'm going with "Scarface" on this one.
• 1982 - "Gandhi"
• I think "The Verdict" is hands down the better movie.
• 1981 - "Chariots of Fire"
• I think popular opinion favors "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
• 1980 - "Ordinary People"
•  I've got to give it "Raging Bull"

• 1979 - "Kramer vs. Kramer"
• There were a few personal favorites I considered for 1979 but ultimately "Apocalypse Now" won out
• 1978 - "The Deer Hunter"
• I'm going with a crowd-pleaser on this one and picking "Grease".
• 1977 - "Annie Hall"
• Say what you will but I'll take "Smokey and the Bandit" over "Annie Hall" any day.
• 1976 - "Rocky"
• "Rocky" is one of my all-time favorites, but I could make an argument for "All the President's Men"
• 1975 - "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"
• This one is a great movie, but "The Man Who Would Be King" is also really good.
• 1974 - "The Godfather Part II"
• "Young Frankenstein" 
• 1973 - "The Sting"
• I can't argue against "The Sting", it's great. So, "The Exorcist" I guess.
• 1972 - "The Godfather"
•  Uhhh... "Deliverance"? nothing was going to beat "The Godfather"
• 1971 - "The French Connection"
• "A Clockwork Orange". Although part of me was tempted to pick "The Abominable Dr. Phibes".
• 1970 - "Patton"
•  I'm picking "MASH"

• 1969 - "Midnight Cowboy"
• "True Grit" is the correct answer.
• 1968 - "Oliver!"
• Yea, the year "2001: A Space Odyssey" came out it lost to "Oliver!". It boggles the mind.
• 1967 - "In the Heat of the Night"
• "Cool Hand Luke" or " The Graduate". Flip a coin, both are better movies.
• 1966 - "A Man for All Seasons"
• "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" it's a no-brainer.
• 1965 - "The Sound of Music"
• I'm going with a personal favorite on this one. "Thunderball". Deal with it.
• 1964 - "My Fair Lady"
• This was a tough one, but I ultimately settled on "Dr.Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb".
• 1963 - "Tom Jones"
• "The Great Escape" is just better.
• 1962 - "Lawrence of Arabia"
• There were a lot of possibilities for '62, but I'm picking "The Longest Day"
• 1961 - "West Side Story"
• Easy pick, "The Hustler"
• 1960 - "The Apartment"
• "Psycho", without a doubt.

• 1959 - "Ben-Hur"
• "Ben-Hur" is a good movie, but a case could be made for "North by Northwest".
• 1958 - "Gigi"
• "Vertigo" or "Touch of Evil" should've won in '58
• 1957 - "The Bridge on the River Kwai"
• The right pick was probably made in 1957, although you could argue for " 12 Angry Men"
• 1956 - "Around the World in 80 Days"
• How this won over " The Searchers" is beyond me.
• 1955 - "Marty"
• "Rebel Without a Cause" 
• 1954 - "On the Waterfront"
• I'm pretty confident "Seven Samurai" would win if there was re-vote.
• 1953 - "From Here to Eternity"
• "Shane" maybe?
• 1952 - "The Greatest Show on Earth"
• "Singin' in the Rain" is the best movie of 1952. 
• 1951 - "An American in Paris"
• "Strangers on a Train" is also good...
• 1950 - "All About Eve"
• Nothing wrong with this pick, but "Harvey" is my personal favorite from 1950.

• 1949 - "All the Kings Men"
• "White Heat" is a great movie.
• 1948 - "Hamlet"
• I'd rather watch "Rope" or " The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"
• 1947 - "Gentleman's Agreement"
• I think "Out of the Past" is a better movie, but that's just me.
• 1946 - "The Best Years of Our Lives"
• I honestly have not seen "The Best Years of Our Lives" but "It's a Wonderful Life" is one of my all-time favorites so I'd probably pick it regardless.
• 1945 - "The Lost Weekend"
•  I'm picking "The Bell's of St. Marys" because, why not?
• 1944 - "Going My Way"
• "Laura" is a much better movie.
• 1943 - "Casablanca"
•  It's hard to argue against one of the all-time classics but, "Shadow of a Doubt" is a fantastic film.
• 1942 - "Mrs. Miniver"
• Nothing against "Mrs. Miniver", I just really like "Saboteur"
• 1941 - "How Green Was My Valley"
• Dear 1941, "Citizen Kane" you idiots.
• 1940 - "Rebecca"
• Since I have to pick something else, I'll pick "The Shop Around the Corner"

• 1939 - "Gone with the Wind"
• A lot of people would take "The Wizard of Oz" but I'm going with "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
• 1938 - "You Can't Take It with You"
• "The Adventures of Robin Hood" no question, it still holds up.
• 1937 - "The Life of Emile Zola"
• I like "You Only Live Once" so that's the pick
• 1936 - "The Great Ziegfeld"
• "Modern Times" hands down
• 1935 - "Mutiny on the Bounty"
• Time has been kind to "The Bride of Frankenstein" it's one of the great horror flicks and my pick for 1935.
• 1934 - "It Happened One Night"
• "The Thin Man" or the "The Black Cat" I like both.
• 1932/1933 - "Cavalcade"
• "King Kong"!
• 1931/1932 - "Grand Hotel"
• A great year for horror, I'd take "The Old Dark House" or "The Mummy"
• 1930/1931 - "Cimarron"
• "The Public Enemy" is such a better movie.
• 1929/1930 - "All Quiet on the Western Front"
• The right movie was chosen on this occasion but since I said I'd pick something for each year I'll go with "Animal Crackers"
• 1928/1929 - "The Broadway Melody"
• "Blackmail" is pretty good
• 1927/1928 - "Wings"
•  "The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog" it's awesome.

Those are my selections. What are some of your alternative universe best picture winners? 

A look back at 'The Firm'

 

Released in 1993, The Firm is an entertaining thriller based on a best-selling John Grisham novel.

Despite boasting a solid cast consisting of actors like Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Holly Hunter, and Ed Harris, I think this is an under-seen and probably under-appreciated movie. 

At approximately 2 1/2 hrs. it does drag a tad at a couple of points, but the plot is interesting and the acting is good.

 

The film is about a young lawyer named Mitch (played by Cruise) who accepts a too-good-to-be-true a job with a law firm in Memphis. He very quickly learns that the firm is involved in all sorts of shady activities including laundering money for the Mafia. Of course, the more Mitch looks into these dealings the more the higher ups at the firm grow suspicious. Pretty soon the FBI is also contacting Mitch hoping that he'll be their "man on the inside" feeding them the information needed for an ongoing investigation. Stuck between what the firm will do to him if they find out, and what the FBI will do if he refuses to cooperate results in an intriguing, tension-filled film.

 

Overall, while the movie isn't a masterpiece, I do think it's good. If you haven't seen it, or at least haven't seen it for a while, I recommend giving it a watch.

It's a solid 4 out of 5.