A List Of Movies That Should Have Won Oscars In The Five Major Categories

[Antonio]

Aside from the big three that already did win Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screeplay Oscars (and totally deserved each and every statue)...IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS...what other films should have snagged the most prestigious five Golden Boys?

My choices:

AMERICAN BEAUTY: missed by one...Annette Bening's Best Actress loss to an equally worthy Hilary Swank. Tough call, although Ms. Bening-Beatty may finally get her shot this year for BEING JULIA.

CHINATOWN: No explanation necessary. Jack, Faye and Roman deserved their accolades as much as Robert Towne's winning screenplay.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE: The only movie in the history of cinema that I would have given all seven major awards to...including Supporting players Karl Malden and Kim Hunter, who did win. Brando didn't.

KILL BILL: VOLUME TWO: Bump up David Carradine's awesome title role to Lead Actor status, and much like STREETCAR...you'd be good to go: Uma, Daryl, Madsen and QT all the way! I'm hoping that Tarantino spends his dough wisely (instead of snorting all of the profits) campaigning for all of them come Oscar time.

[Tayzlor]

Chinatown
Leaving Las Vegas

[Briare Rabbit]

Yeah, Chinatown kicked The Godfather Part II's ass.

Others:
Bonnie and Clyde. Penn, Dunaway, Beatty- amazing!

[Trinity]

Of the three that did win all five, The Silence of the Lambs fully deserved it. I can also easily go along with It Happened One Night, although it would be my top choice only for screenplay. As for the rest:

Gone with the Wind - this one is a borderline case - I'd definitely give it Picture, Actress and Screenplay, but for Director and Actor I could just as easily go for Wuthering Heights.

The Heiress - easily Picture, Director (William Wyler), Actress (Olivia de Havilland), Actor (Ralph Richardson), and for Screenplay it's at least as deserving as A Letter to Three Wives.

A Streetcar Named Desire - would maybe go for Bogart over Brando, but the other four I'd definitely give to Streetcar.

The End of the Affair - no hesitation here: Picture, Director (Neil Jordan), Adapted Screenplay (Jordan), Actress (Julianne Moore) and Actor (Ralph Fiennes).

[Buck Turgidson]

Raging Bull comes to mind. You can say four with no hesitation whatsoever. The only item giving pause would be Cathy Moriarty, who gave an excellent performance, just not the slam dunk, no doubt about it "Best". Had the other four worked out as they should have, I believe she would have won it partially on their coattails.

Still, as it is, I would have no problem having seen a 5 part sweep for that brilliant movie.

[Buck Turgidson]

Originally posted by Briare Rabbit
Yeah, Chinatown kicked The Godfather Part II's ass.

Personally, I see that more like the cinematic equivalent of Ali-Frazier: two mighty titans that should be measured against each other to show their equal greatness. But that's just me.

Others:
Bonnie and Clyde. Penn, Dunaway, Beatty- amazing!

Agreed, definitely.

[bluesbrother965]

Chinatown, not really sure if I like it more than Godfather 2 but I could see it winning.

I'd go along with Bonnie and Clyde or the Graduate in 1967, the Graduate if I had to choose.

Streetcar Named Desire- Brando gave a better performance than Bogart that year. And Streetcar is definitely a better movie than an American in Paris, I hate Gene Kelly musicals.

North by Northwest or Some Like it Hot would have been acceptable in 1959, I think Ben-Hur is terribly overrated.

Psycho, if Janet Leigh's performance qualifies as leading.

Network, I haven't seen Taxi Driver yet but I like Network more than Rocky.

Fargo.

[Antonio]

Great calls on SOME LIKE IT HOT!, BONNIE & CLYDE and LEAVING LAS VEGAS!

[Tayzlor]

I would say Lost In Translation, if not for Charlize Theron and her performance.

[Briare Rabbit]

Originally posted by Buck Turgidson
Personally, I see that more like the cinematic equivalent of Ali-Frazier: two mighty titans that should be measured against each other to show their equal greatness. But that's just me.

While I think The Godfather Part II is a very good movie, it simply is not Chinatown. The Godfather Part II has it's editing problems; they mainly lie in the poor selection of time to insert the Vito sections, which in my opinion wouldve fit better either in the first movie or in one solid chunk around the middle- they disrupt the fluid narrative of the far more compelling story of Michael. Plus, I simply find the lack of Richard Castelleno, James Caan and Marlon Bando hurts the cast, as their characters are replaced by those with weaker personas.

I do feel Chinatown was superior in all aspects to the Godfather Part II, and it wouldve been my choice easily in the 1974 oscars.

[Hannibal21]

Casablanca: There's no question about it. Along with Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay, Bogart and Bergman (who wasn't even nominated for this! :mad:) would also receive the Best Actor and Actress Oscars from me.

Gone with the Wind for me, is also a borderline case, if not for Jimmy Stewarts turn in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, I'd definitely give it all the major Oscars.

Raging Bull would receive all 5 major awards, if Cathy Moriarty's performance qualifies as the lead, but it would sweep the other 4 awards without any hesitation.

I can never decide for the life of me if I should qualify Kim Novak's performance in Vertigo as a lead performance or a supporting performance, it changes constantly depends on my mood, but if I were to see her role as the female lead, then this film should have no problem dominating either.

[ilovemovies]

Originally posted by Antonio

KILL BILL: VOLUME TWO: Bump up David Carradine's awesome title role to Lead Actor status, and much like STREETCAR...you'd be good to go: Uma, Daryl, Madsen and QT all the way! I'm hoping that Tarantino spends his dough wisely (instead of snorting all of the profits) campaigning for all of them come Oscar time.

Actually I think Carradine is much more of a supporting character than a lead.


As for my choice, I would go with American Beauty although I haven't seen Boys Don't Cry so I don't know if Hilary Swank was worthy of her win.

I suppose I'll go with Casablanca, although it's probably the only movie I've seen from 1942.

The Godfather
The Godfather Part II (though I haven't seen Chinatown or The Conversation also from the same year that I think could be great)

I would say LA Confidential and Schindler's List but neither have a candidate for best actress. Ditto for Forrest Gump. And Se7en. And Malcolm X.

[charliebobo]

REDS (1981) - Picture, Director, Actor (Beatty), Actress (Keaton), Original Screenplay, and throw in Supp. Actor (Nicholson) and Actress (Stapleton) as well. Henry Fonda, Hepburn, Sarandon, Lancaster, Raiders, On Golden Pond, John Gielgud etc. are all deserving but Reds is one of my favorite movies and it would've swept if it had been up to me. (I'd also have given it Cinematography - which it deservedly won - and maybe costumes, score and art direction)

I agree with Han about CASABLANCA and VERTIGO, and with Buck's RAGING BULL comments.

ANNIE HALL (1977) maybe? (Fuck Star Wars.)

[Trinity]

I'd give Casablanca all five in 1943, but against 1942 movies I could only go three out of five: Picture, Screenplay and Actor. For Director I could go for either Casablanca or To Be Or Not To Be, but for Actress Bergman wouldn't even make the top five (the competition is much weaker in 1943, so I wouldn't mind her winning there).

And I agree with the Annie Hall mention, completely forgot about it.

[Hannibal21]

Originally posted by charliebobo
ANNIE HALL (1977) maybe? (Fuck Star Wars.)

Even though this film doesn't make my top 100, I would still hand it all the major awards, but only because 1977 wasn't a good year at all for movies IMHO so the competition was pretty weak, in that case I wouldn't mind Annie Hall winning everything.

[Tayzlor]

I was thinking Annie Hall...but then I remembered Woody for Best Actor. I love Woody, but it's obvious his acting is not much of a stretch.

They should've just given it to him anyways though because Woody playing Woody is, from what I've seen, much better than any other performance from that year.

[Gian-Sergio]

Amores Perros-Gladiator is a good film. I personally think Amores Perros is extremely better than Gladiator. Best Director(Inarritu), Best Original Screenplay(Jordan), Best Picture, Best Foreign Film, Best Actor(Echevarria), and Best Supporting Actress(Toledo)

[zeppelin]

Annie Hall
Vertigo
Brief Encounter
Casablanca

[Could Be Worse]

The Shawshank Redemption...at least in the picture, director, actor, and writing category.

[Mav-Man]

The Shawshank Redemption
Chinatown
MYSTIC RIVER (at least almost anyways)

Mystic River should have won Best Picture.
Clint Eastwood should've won Best Director.
Sean Penn deserved his Best Actor Oscar.
Brian Helgeland should have won Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

[Antonio]

THR PRINCESS & THE WARRIOR: Since foreign films and actors have been eligible at the Oscars, I'd like to add this superb German flick from 2001 to my list. With superb lead performances by Benno Furmann and Franka Potente, and a blazingly original screenplay/fascinating direction by Tom Tykwer (of RUN LOLA RUN fame), WARRIOR is simply the best foreign language film since the 1980's, when PELLE THE CONQUEROR and AU REVOIR, LES ENFANTS ruled the proverbial Oscar roost.

LOST IN TRANSLATION: Bill, Scarlett and Sofia Sofia Sofia. Coulda been a contender, despite a deserving win for Coppola's quietly moving script.

PSYCHO: Bump up Janet Leigh's role to leading lady status (her doomed Marion character had more screen time than any other role in the flick) + Perkins, Hitch and screenwriter Joseph Stefano, and you've got yourself a winner! Plus, this film was trend-setting and influential, and it's my favorite movie of all-time. Shoulda been at the top of my original list!

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?: If Rock Hudson and John Randolph weren't so damn good in SECONDS, Richard Burton and George Segal would have taken the top acting prizes in 1966, joining director Mike Nichols, screenwriter Ernest Lehmann and actresses Liz Taylor and Sandy Dennis...making this film a seven-for-seven winner in my book!

BUGSY: If THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS would have debuted a few months earlier to qualify for the 1990 Oscar race instead of 1991...this gangster flick would have snagged the top five Golden Boys-Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, producer/director Barry Levinson and screenwriter James Toback. Bening was robbed of a nom because of Bette Midler's unwarranted inclusion for FOR THE BOYS. The Divine Miss M. she ain't! She looked more like that fat fuck Divine from those old John Waters sextravaganzas!

[The Lolo]

Fargo
Annie Hall
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (it should)
The Graduate