They Shoulda Won!! Best Picture Winners From Past Years...

-I honestly cannot imagine a single category that's harder to judge at the Academy Awards than Best Picture. The film which is awarded the top prize not only represents what the Academy as a whole liked the most over the past year, but the film chosen in a way also signifies the state of society over the past year as well as the mood and tone of the country. Sometimes films are awarded because of prestige. It looks good to vote for a film directed by one of the most edgy underground filmmakers around. Other times a film can make it based on sheer popularity. Big box-office returns often times sit comfortably with the voters. Still, at other times full-on campaigning can be a constant for a Best Picture nominee. A studio can push, and push, and push a nominated film relentlessly in front of voters until they have no choice but to select it as their pick for film of the year. This year the Academy has allowed 10 nominees to be entered into the Best Picture category even though only 7 of those deserve to actually be there (sorry District 9, A Serious Man, and The Blind Side). Still, it will be interesting to see with such a broad range of films, just which one of the three methods the Academy will succumb to. In any case, I'm taking this opportunity to look back on some past Best Picture nominees that fell victim to at least one of the above-mentioned tactics.

1940s:

Double Indemnity (1944)- lost to Going My Way

-The original blueprint for the classic film noir, this Billy Wilder classic was grossly robbed when it came time to had out the Best Picture Oscar. The film told the story of an insurance man played by Fred Macmurray who falls for the wife of one of his clients who convinces him to take part in the murder of her husband. The film was heavily criticized by censors of the day for being too racy with certain bits of dialogue. Yet the taut plot, solid direction and the pitch perfect performances from the two leads (especially Stanwyck who herself received a nomination for her role) led Double Indemnity to not only helping to establish a new genre, but also to become one of the best films of the decade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r69dQZHjkmY

1950s:

Giant (1956)- lost to Around the World in 80 Days

-One of the most grand and beloved films ever made about Texas, Giant was a sprawling epic spanning two generations of the wealthy Benedict family. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, Giant was a classic Hollywood production if there ever was one. Not only did the film have a top cast including Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean (in his final screen role), but also one of the most sought after directors (George Stevens) at the helm. Only a film like Giant could capture the feeling of Texas within the different eras. The racism, the pride, the tradition, the way of life and the changing of times are all captured accurately here and for all that is depicted, good and bad, Texas has never looked better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot1PmYwdXq8&feature=related

1960s:

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (1968)- lost to In the Heat of the Night

-I have always said that Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was one of the films that defined the decade of the 1960s. The film tells the story of a liberal couple who are caught off guard when their daughter announces she is marrying a black man; causing them to question their own beliefs. This film so brilliantly captures the many views on interracial couples from all sides and angles and does so in quite an entertaining way. Its speeches about society and the way of the future are presented not as sermons, but rather as wise observations and lessons. Above all, the film is about the enduring power of love and how it is an emotion which truly knows no bounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yt0wxoFl4o

1970s:

The Last Picture Show (1971)- lost to The French Connection

-It's absolutely appalling that one of the most seminal films of the 1970s was not given the Oscar for Best Picture. The Last Picture Show told the story of the citizens of a small Texas town in the 1950s. Shot in black and white and painted with a true authenticity by Peter Bogdanovich, The Last Picture Show truly feels like it came out of 1955. More than just an homage to the decade though, the film was also a love letter to the small town America which was rapidly disappearing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU0ddrNtZ-k

1980s:

The Killing Fields (1984)- lost to Amadeus

-One of the most compelling journalistic pieces ever put to film, The Killing Fields explicitly depicts the Cambodian war and how it affected the two men covering the events. On the one side is New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg who was able to leave Cambodia before the opposing force took over. On the other is Dith Pran, a photographer from Cambodia who worked alongside Sidney during this time. The film chronicles Pran's detention in Cambodia and his struggle to stay alive during this time of war and Schanberg's neverending efforts to locate his friend and bring him to the saftey of his family in America. It is one of the most incredible survivor stories ever and certainly one of most touching depcitions of cross-cultural friendship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z1sj7gzpCk

1990s:

As Good as it Gets (1997)- lost to Titanic

-While comedies don't seem to fare well with the Academy, James L. Brooks' humorous film about an obsessive-compulsive romance novelist, a sweet Manhattan waitress and a gay artist warmed the hearts of the film industry. The film offers plenty of laughs thanks to a rich script and high caliber actors, all of whom are at their career bests. But more than just a simple comedy, As Good as it Gets is a tesament to the strength of the human spirit in times of uncertainty and how human beings possess the ability to endure and win out against any kind of strife. Its a film about damaged people and how, in spite of their flaws can save one another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXHxg6Ug9GM

2000s:

Finding Neverland (2004)- lost to Million Dollar Baby

-While merely looked upon as a weepy drama, Finding Neverland is much, much more than that. Inspiried by the true story of how playwright J.M. Barry came to write the classic Peter Pan, the film is about the power of imagination and the importance of carrying it with you throughout life. The film is overflowing with many elements that make movies essential, real charactrs, a compelling story, and an overall magical quality that never ceases til the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqXYTSYHFKI