The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Actress)

May 23, 2017, 1:30 pm

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The two macro articles I put up each time I do the Quest are the Viewer’s Guide and the Rankings. The Rankings are self-explanatory. The Viewer’s Guide is more universal. One is specific to the categories and picking winners. The Viewer’s Guide is more about how I feel about the films. If you wanted to find Oscar films to watch, you come here, and I tell you how I feel.

Last time I put out the Viewer’s Guide, it was done with a big color code, with each color used to signify how I felt about a film. Not the best system, especially since I put out hundreds of reviews each year on a star system. So we’re moving to the star system now.

Pretty simple — for each Oscar nominee’s film, I’ll assign a rating the way I’d assign a rating to any film I see each year. I don’t think anything’s gone under 2.5 stars, since I don’t think there are truly bad films nominated. The worst you’ll see is 2.5 stars, which for me means I was indifferent toward it. 3 stars is “pretty good.” 3.5 stars is “solid.” 4 stars is “liked it quite a bit.” 4.5 stars is “loved it.” And 5 stars is 5 stars.

The idea is for the ratings to help you find stuff you might like. Also, for each category I’ll tell you what I voted for, what I think would have held up as a winner from that category and how good a choice I think it was.

Here’s Best Actress:

2016 – Emma Stone, La La Land — * * * * * (5 stars)

Isabelle Huppert, Elle — * * * (3 stars)

Ruth Negga, Loving — * * * * (4 stars)

Natalie Portman, Jackie — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins —

My Vote: Natalie Portman, Jackie

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: B-

2015 – Brie Larson, Room — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Cate Blanchett, Carol — * * * * (4 stars)

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy — * * * * (4 stars)

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Brie Larson, Room

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: A-/B+

2014 – Julianne Moore, Still Alice — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything — * * * * (4 stars)

Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Reese Witherspoon, Wild — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: B/B+

2013 – Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine — * * * (3 stars)

Amy Adams, American Hustle — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Sandra Bullock, Gravity — * * * * * (5 stars)

Judi Dench, Philomena — * * * * (4 stars)

Meryl Streep, August: Osage County — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Judi Dench, Philomena

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: C+/B-

2012 – Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty — * * * * (4 stars)

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour — * * * * (4 stars)

Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild — * * * * (4 stars)

Naomi Watts, The Impossible — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

What Would Have Held Up: Lawrence, Chastain

The Choice: B/B-

2011 – Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs — * * * (3 stars)

Viola Davis, The Help — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

What Would Have Held Up: Streep’s really the only one, but it’s not great.

The Choice: C

2010 – Natalie Portman, Black Swan — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole — * * * (3 stars)

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

What Would Have Held Up: Portman

The Choice: A

2009 – Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Helen Mirren, The Last Station — * * * (3 stars)

Carey Mulligan, An Education — * * * * (4 stars)

Gabourey Sidibe, Precious — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Meryl Streep, Julia and Julia — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Carey Mulligan, An Education

What Would Have Held Up: If anyone, Mulligan.

The Choice: D

2008 – Kate Winslet, The Reader — * * * * (4 stars)

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married — * * * * (4 stars)

Angelina Jolie, Changeling — * * * * (4 stars)

Melissa Leo, Frozen River — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Meryl Streep, Doubt — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

What Would Have Held Up: Winslet has. Hathaway could have. Streep maybe.

The Choice: B/B+

2007 – Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose — * * * * (4 stars)

Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age — * * * (3 stars)

Julie Christie, Away from Her — * * * * (4 stars)

Laura Linney, The Savages — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Ellen Page, Juno — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

What Would Have Held Up: Cotillard, Christie

The Choice: A

2006 – Helen Mirren, The Queen — * * * * (4 stars)

Penèlope Cruz, Volver — * * * (3 stars)

Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Kate Winslet, Little Children — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Helen Mirren, The Queen

What Would Have Held Up: Miren

The Choice: A-

2005 – Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Felicity Huffman, Transamerica — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice — * * * (3 stars)

Charlize Theron, North Country — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Felicity Huffman, Transamerica

What Would Have Held Up: Witherspoon, ehh, but sure. Huffman on performance.

The Choice: B-

2004 – Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby — * * * * (4 stars)

Annette Bening, Being Julia — * * * (3 stars)

Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake — * * * (3 stars)

Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

What Would Have Held Up: Swank’s fine. Winslet’s a long shot, but possibly.

The Choice: B

2003 – Charlize Theron, Monster — * * * * (4 stars)

Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Diane Keaton, Something’s Gotta Give — * * * (3 stars)

Samantha Morton, In America — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Naomi Watts, 21 Grams — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Charlize Theron, Monster

What Would Have Held Up: Theron

The Choice: A

2002 – Nicole Kidman, The Hours — * * * * (4 stars)

Salma Hayek, Frida — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Diane Lane, Unfaithful — * * * (3 stars)

Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven — * * * * (4 stars)

Renée Zellweger, Chicago — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Julianne Moore, Far from Heaven

What Would Have Held Up: Moore, then Zellweger, then Kidman

The Choice: C

2001 – Halle Berry, Monster’s Ball — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Judi Dench, Iris — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge! — * * * * (4 stars)

Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom — * * * * (4 stars)

Renée Zellweger, Bridget Jones’s Diary — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Judi Dench, Iris

What Would Have Held Up: Berry’s fine. Spacek probably.

The Choice: C

2000 – Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich — * * * * (4 stars)

Joan Allen, The Contender — * * * * (4 stars)

Juliette Binoche, Chocolat — * * * * (4 stars)

Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream — * * * * (4 stars)

Laura Linney, You Can Count on Me — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich

What Would Have Held Up: Roberts. Allen maybe. Burstyn maybe.

The Choice: B/B+

1999 – Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Annette Bening, American Beauty — * * * * * (5 stars)

Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Julianne Moore, The End of the Affair — * * * (3 stars)

Meryl Streep, Music of the Heart — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Annette Bening, American Beauty

What Would Have Held Up: Bening, Swank

The Choice: B

1998 – Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station — * * * (3 stars)

Meryl Streep, One True Thing — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Emily Watson, Hilary and Jackie — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth

What Would Have Held Up: Blanchett

The Choice: C-

1997 – Helen Hunt, As Good as It Gets — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Helena Bonham Carter, The Wings of the Dove — * * * (3 stars)

Julie Christie, Afterglow — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Judi Dench, Mrs. Brown — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Kate Winslet, Titanic — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Helen Hunt, As Good as It Gets

What Would Have Held Up: Hunt. Maybe Dench.

The Choice: B

1996 – Frances McDormand, Fargo — * * * * * (5 stars)

Brenda Blethyn, Secrets & Lies — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Diane Keaton, Marvin’s Room — * * * (3 stars)

Kristin Scott Thomas, The English Patient — * * * * (4 stars)

Emily Watson, Breaking the Waves — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Frances McDormand, Fargo

What Would Have Held Up: McDormand, Watson, Blethyn

The Choice: A-

1995 – Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas — * * * * (4 stars)

Sharon Stone, Casino — * * * * * (5 stars)

Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas

What Would Have Held Up: Sarandon, Shue

The Choice: B

1994 – Jessica Lange, Blue Sky — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jodie Foster, Nell — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Miranda Richardson, Tom & Viv — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Winona Ryder, Little Women — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Susan Sarandon, The Client — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Jodie Foster, Nell

What Would Have Held Up: Foster, Lange

The Choice: B-

1993 – Holly Hunter, The Piano — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Angela Bassett, What’s Love Got to Do with It — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Stockhard Channing, Six Degrees of Separation — * * * (3 stars)

Emma Thompson, The Remains of the Day — * * * * (4 stars)

Debra Winger, Shadowlands — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Holly Hunter, The Piano

What Would Have Held Up: Hunter

The Choice: B+

1992 – Emma Thompson, Howards End — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Catherine Deneuve, Indochine — * * * (3 stars)

Mary McDonnell, Passion Fish — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Michelle Pfeiffer, Love Field — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Susan Sarandon, Lorenzo’s Oil — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Mary McDonnell, Passion Fish

What Would Have Held Up: Thompson, and I think McDonnell could have

The Choice: B

1991 – Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs — * * * * * (5 stars)

Geena Davis, Thelma & Louise — * * * * (4 stars)

Laura Dern, Rambling Rose — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Bette Midler, For the Boys — * * * (3 stars)

Susan Sarandon, Thelma & Louise — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs

What Would Have Held Up: Foster

The Choice: A-

1990 – Kathy Bates, Misery — * * * * (4 stars)

Anjelica Huston, The Grifters — * * * * (4 stars)

Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman — * * * * (4 stars)

Meryl Streep, Postcards from the Edge — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Joanne Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Kathy Bates, Misery

What Would Have Held Up: Bates

The Choice: B+

1989 – Jessica Tandy, Driving Miss Daisy — * * * * (4 stars)

Isabelle Adjani, Camille Claudel — * * * (3 stars)

Pauline Collins, Shirley Valentine — * * * (3 stars)

Jessica Lange, Music Box — * * * (3 stars)

Michelle Pfeiffer, The Fabulous Baker Boys — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Jessica Tandy, Driving Miss Daisy

What Would Have Held Up: Tandy, possibly Pfeiffer

The Choice: B

1988 – Jodie Foster, The Accused — * * * * (4 stars)

Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons — * * * * (4 stars)

Melanie Griffith, Working Girl — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Jodie Foster, The Accused

What Would Have Held Up: Foster

The Choice: A-

1987 – Cher, Moonstruck — * * * * (4 stars)

Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction — * * * * (4 stars)

Holly Hunter, Broadcast News — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Sally Kirkland, Anna — * * * (3 stars)

Meryl Streep, Ironweed — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Holly Hunter, Broadcast News

What Would Have Held Up: Hunter, Cher, maybe Close

The Choice: B

1986 – Marlee Matlin, Children of a Lesser God — * * * * (4 stars)

Jane Fonda, The Morning After — * * * (3 stars)

Sissy Spacek, Crimes of the Heart — * * * (3 stars)

Kathleen Turner, Peggy Sue Got Married — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Sigourney Weaver, Aliens — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote:

What Would Have Held Up:

The Choice:

1985 – Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Anne Bancroft, Agnes of God — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jessica Lange, Sweet Dreams — * * * (3 stars)

Meryl Streep, Out of Africa — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple

What Would Have Held Up: Goldberg

The Choice: C+

1984 – Sally Field, Places in the Heart — * * * * (4 stars)

Judy Davis, A Passage to India — * * * (3 stars)

Jessica Lange, Country — * * * (3 stars)

Vanessa Redgrave, The Bostonians — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Sissy Spacek, The River — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Sally Field, Places in the Heart

What Would Have Held Up: Ehh. Field has, but it’s a weak category.

The Choice: C

1983 – Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jane Alexander, Testament — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Meryl Streep, Silkwood — * * * * (4 stars)

Julie Walters, Educating Rita — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Debra Winger, Terms of Endearment — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment

What Would Have Held Up: MacLaine, Winger

The Choice:

1982 – Meryl Streep, Sophie’s Choice — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Julie Andrews, Victor Victoria — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jessica Lange, Frances — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Sissy Spacek, Missing — * * * * (4 stars)

Debra Winger, An Officer and a Gentleman — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Meryl Streep, Sophie’s Choice

What Would Have Held Up: Streep, then Lange

The Choice: A

1981 – Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Diane Keaton, Reds — * * * * (4 stars)

Marsha Mason, Only When I Laugh — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City — * * * * (4 stars)

Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant’s Woman — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Diane Keaton, Reds

What Would Have Held Up: Hepburn’s fine. Keaton would have.

The Choice: C+

1980 – Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner’s Daughter — * * * * (4 stars)

Ellen Burstyn, Resurrection — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Goldie Hawn, Private Benjamin — * * * * (4 stars)

Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People — * * * * (4 stars)

Gena Rowlands, Gloria — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner’s Daughter

What Would Have Held Up: Spacek, Moore

The Choice: A-

1979 – Sally Field, Norma Rae — * * * * (4 stars)

Jill Clayburgh, Starting Over — * * * (3 stars)

Jane Fonda, The China Syndrome — * * * * (4 stars)

Marsha Mason, Chapter Two — * * * (3 stars)

Bette Midler, The Rose — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Sally Field, Norma Rae

What Would Have Held Up: Field, then Midler

The Choice: A

1978 – Jane Fonda, Coming Home — * * * * (4 stars)

Ingrid Bergman, Autumn Sonata — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Ellen Burstyn, Same Time, Next Year — * * * (3 stars)

Jill Clayburgh, An Unmarried Woman — * * * * (4 stars)

Geraldine Page, Interiors — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

My Vote: Jill Clayburgh, An Unmarried Woman

What Would Have Held Up: Clayburgh, Fonda

The Choice: B

1977 – Diane Keaton, Annie Hall — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Anne Bancroft, The Turning Point — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jane Fonda, Julia — * * * * (4 stars)

Shirley MacLaine, The Turning Point — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Marsha Mason, The Goodbye Girl — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Diane Keaton, Annie Hall

What Would Have Held Up: Keaton

The Choice: A-/A

1976 – Faye Dunaway, Network — * * * * * (5 stars)

Marie-Christine Barrault, Cousin, cousine — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Talia Shire, Rocky — * * * * * (5 stars)

Sissy Spacek, Carrie — * * * * (4 stars)

Liv Ullmann, Face to Face — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

My Vote: Faye Dunaway, Network

What Would Have Held Up: Dunaway

The Choice: A-

1975 – Louise Fletcher, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ann-Margret, Tommy — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Isabelle Adjani, The Story of Adele H. — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Glenda Jackson, Hedda — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Carol Kane, Hester Street — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

What Would Have Held Up: Fletcher

The Choice: A

1974 – Ellen Burstyn, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Diahann Carroll, Claudine — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Faye Dunaway, Chinatown — * * * * * (5 stars)

Valerie Perrine, Lenny — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Gena Rowlands, A Woman Under the Influence — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Gena Rowlands, A Woman Under the Influence

What Would Have Held Up: Rowlands, Burstyn, Dunaway

The Choice: B+

1973 – Glenda Jackson, A Touch of Class — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Ellen Burstyn, The Exorcist — * * * * * (5 stars)

Marsha Mason, Cinderella Liberty — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Barbra Streisand, The Way We Were — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Joanne Woodward, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

My Vote: Marsha Mason, Cinderella Liberty

What Would Have Held Up: Jackson’s fine. Burstyn maybe. Mason possibly.

The Choice: B

1972 – Liza Minnelli, Cabaret — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Diana Ross, Lady Sings the Blues — * * * (3 stars)

Maggie Smith, Travels with My Aunt — * * * (3 stars)

Cicely Tyson, Sounder — * * * (3 stars)

Liv Ullmann, The Emigrants — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Liza Minnelli, Cabaret

What Would Have Held Up: Minnelli

The Choice: A

1971 – Jane Fonda, Klute — * * * * (4 stars)

Julie Christie, McCabe & Mrs. Miller — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Glenda Jackson, Sunday Bloody Sunday — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Vanessa Redgrave, Mary, Queen of Scots — * * * (3 stars)

Janet Suzman – Nicholas and Alexandra — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Jane Fonda, Klute

What Would Have Held Up: Fonda

The Choice: A-

1970 – Glenda Jackson, Women in Love — * * * (3 stars)

Jane Alexander, The Great White Hope — * * * * (4 stars)

Ali MacGraw, Love Story — * * * * * (5 stars)

Sarah Miles, Ryan’s Daughter — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Carrie Snodgress, Diary of a Mad Housewife — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Ali MacGraw, Love Story

What Would Have Held Up: No comment.

The Choice: D

1969 – Maggie Smith, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Geneviève Bujold, Anne of the Thousand Days — * * * * (4 stars)

Jane Fonda, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Liza Minnelli, The Sterile Cuckoo — * * * * (4 stars)

Jean Simmons, The Happy Ending — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Liza Minnelli, The Sterile Cuckoo

What Would Have Held Up: Smith, Fonda

The Choice: B+

1968 – Katharine Hepburn, The Lion in Winter — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl — * * * * (4 stars)

Patricia Neal, The Subject Was Roses — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Vanessa Redgrave, Isadora — * * * (3 stars)

Joanne Woodward, Rachel, Rachel — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl

What Would Have Held Up: Streisand, Hepburn. So that worked out.

The Choice: A

1967 – Katharine Hepburn, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Anne Bancroft, The Graduate — * * * * * (5 stars)

Faye Dunaway, Bonnie and Clyde — * * * * * (5 stars)

Edith Evans, The Whisperers — * * * (3 stars)

Audrey Hepburn, Wait Until Dark — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Katharine Hepburn, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

What Would Have Held Up: Hepburn, Bancroft, Dunaway

The Choice: B+

1966 – Elizabeth Taylor, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — * * * * * (5 stars)

Anouk Aimée, A Man and a Woman — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Ida Kaminska, The Shop on Main Street — * * * * (4 stars)

Lynn Redgrave, Georgy Girl — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Vanessa Redgrave, Morgan! — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

My Vote: Elizabeth Taylor, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

What Would Have Held Up: Taylor

The Choice: A

1965 – Julie Christie, Darling — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Samantha Eggar, The Collector — * * * * (4 stars)

Elizabeth Hartman, A Patch of Blue — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Simone Signoret, Ship of Fools — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Julie Christie, Darling

What Would Have Held Up: Christie, then Andrews

The Choice: A

1964 – Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Anne Bancroft, The Pumpkin Eater — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Sophia Loren, Marriage Italian Style — * * * (3 stars)

Debbie Reynolds, The Unsinkable Molly Brown — * * * (3 stars)

Kim Stanley, Séance on a Wet Afternoon — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins

What Would Have Held Up: Andrews

The Choice: A-

1963 – Patricia Neal, Hud — * * * * (4 stars)

Leslie Caron, The L-Shaped Room — * * * * (4 stars)

Shirley MacLaine, Irma La Douce — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Rachel Roberts, This Sporting Life — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Natalie Wood, Love with the Proper Stranger — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Leslie Caron, The L-Shaped Room

What Would Have Held Up: Neal, Caron

The Choice: B+

1962 – Anne Bancroft, The Miracle Worker — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bette Davis, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? — * * * * (4 stars)

Katharine Hepburn, Long Day’s Journey Into Night — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Geraldine Page, Sweet Bird of Youth — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Lee Remick, Days of Wine and Roses — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Lee Remick, Days of Wine and Roses

What Would Have Held Up: Bancroft, Remick

The Choice: A-

1961 – Sophia Loren, Two Women — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Piper Laurie, The Hustler — * * * * * (5 stars)

Geraldine Page, Summer and Smoke — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Natalie Wood, Splendor in the Grass — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Natalie Wood, Splendor in the Grass

What Would Have Held Up: Loren, Wood, potentially Hepburn. Maybe Laurie

The Choice: B+

1960 – Elizabeth Taylor, BUtterfield 8 — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Greer Garson, Sunrise at Campobello — * * * (3 stars)

Deborah Kerr, The Sundowners — * * * * * (5 stars)

Shirley MacLaine, The Apartment — * * * * * (5 stars)

Melina Mercouri, Never on Sunday — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Shirley MacLaine, The Apartment

What Would Have Held Up: MacLaine

The Choice: C

1959 – Simone Signoret, Room at the Top — * * * * (4 stars)

Doris Day, Pillow Talk — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Audrey Hepburn, The Nun’s Story — * * * * (4 stars)

Katharine Hepburn, Suddenly, Last Summer — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Elizabeth Taylor, Suddenly, Last Summer — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Simone Signoret, Room at the Top

What Would Have Held Up: Signoret, maybe Audrey Hepburn

The Choice: A-

1958 – Susan Hayward, I Want to Live! — * * * * (4 stars)

Deborah Kerr, Separate Tables — * * * * (4 stars)

Shirley MacLaine, Some Came Running — * * * * (4 stars)

Rosalind Russell, Auntie Mame — * * * * (4 stars)

Elizabeth Taylor, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Susan Hayward, I Want to Live!

What Would Have Held Up: Hayward. Maybe Kerr. Possibly Taylor.

The Choice: B+

1957 – Joanne Woodward, The Three Faces of Eve — * * * * (4 stars)

Deborah Kerr, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Anna Magnani, Wild is the Wind — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Elizabeth Taylor, Raintree County — * * * (3 stars)

Lana Turner, Peyton Place — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Joanne Woodward, The Three Faces of Eve

What Would Have Held Up: Woodward

The Choice: A-

1956 – Ingrid Bergman, Anastasia — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Carroll Baker, Baby Doll — * * * * (4 stars)

Katharine Hepburn, The Rainmaker — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Nancy Kelly, The Bad Seed — * * * * (4 stars)

Deborah Kerr, The King and I — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Carroll Baker, Baby Doll

What Would Have Held Up: Bergman on paper. Baker. Maybe Kerr.

The Choice: C+/B-

1955 – Anna Magnani, The Rose Tattoo — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Susan Hayward, I’ll Cry Tomorrow — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Katharine Hepburn, Summertime — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jennifer Jones, Love is a Many-Splendored Thing — * * * (3 stars)

Eleanor Parker, Interrupted Melody — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Susan Hayward, I’ll Cry Tomorrow

What Would Have Held Up: Hayward, Magnani

The Choice: B+/B

1954 – Grace Kelly, The Country Girl — * * * * (4 stars)

Dorothy Dandridge, Carmen Jones — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Judy Garland, A Star is Born — * * * * (4 stars)

Audrey Hepburn, Sabrina — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jane Wyman, Magnificent Obsession — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Judy Garland, A Star Is Born

What Would Have Held Up: Garland, Kelly

The Choice: A-/B+

1953 – Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday — * * * * * (5 stars)

Leslie Caron, Lili — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Ava Gardner, Mogambo — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Deborah Kerr, From Here to Eternity — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Maggie McNamara, The Moon is Blue — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday

What Would Have Held Up: Hepburn

The Choice: A-

1952 – Shirley Booth, Come Back, Little Sheba — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Joan Crawford, Sudden Fear — * * * (3 stars)

Bette Davis, The Star — * * * (3 stars)

Julie Harris, The Member of the Wedding — * * * * (4 stars)

Susan Hayward, With a Song in My Heart — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Julie Harris, The Member of the Wedding

What Would Have Held Up: Booth is fine. Harris could have.

The Choice: B

1951 – Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire — * * * * * (5 stars)

Katharine Hepburn, The African Queen — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Eleanor Parker, Detective Story — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Shelley Winters, A Place in the Sun — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jane Wyman, The Blue Veil — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire

What Would Have Held Up: Leigh

The Choice: A+

1950 – Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday — * * * * (4 stars)

Anne Baxter, All About Eve — * * * * * (5 stars)

Betty Davis, All About Eve — * * * * * (5 stars)

Eleanor Parker, Caged — * * * * (4 stars)

Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday

What Would Have Held Up: Holliday, Swanson, then Davis/Baxter

The Choice: A-

1949 – Olivia de Havilland, The Heiress — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jeanne Crain, Pinky — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Susan Hayward, My Foolish Heart — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Deborah Kerr, Edward, My Son — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Loretta Young, Come to the Stable — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

My Vote: Olivia de Havilland, The Heiress

What Would Have Held Up: de Havilland

The Choice: A

1948 – Jane Wyman, Johnny Belinda — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Ingrid Bergman, Joan of Arc — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Olivia de Havilland, The Snake Pit — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Irene Dunne, I Remember Mama — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Barbara Stanwyck, Sorry, Wrong Number — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Jane Wyman, Johnny Belinda

What Would Have Held Up: Wyman, de Havilland, then Dunne

The Choice: A

1947 – Loretta Young, The Farmer’s Daughter — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Joan Crawford, Possessed — * * * (3 stars)

Susan Hayward, Smash-up, the Story of a Woman — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Dorothy McGuire, Gentleman’s Agreement — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Rosalind Russell, Mourning Becomes Electra — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Rosalind Russell, Mourning Becomes Electra

What Would Have Held Up: Russell, then Young

The Choice: C+

1946 – Olivia de Havilland, To Each His Own — * * * * (4 stars)

Celia Johnson, Brief Encounter — * * * * * (5 stars)

Jennifer Jones, Duel in the Sun — * * * * (4 stars)

Rosalind Russell, Sister Kenny — * * * (3 stars)

Jane Wyman, The Yearling — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Olivia de Havilland, To Each His Own

What Would Have Held Up: de Havilland, Johnson

The Choice: B+

1945 – Joan Crawford, Mildred Pierce — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Ingrid Bergman, The Bells of St. Mary’s — * * * * (4 stars)

Greer Garson, The Valley of Decision — * * * (3 stars)

Jennifer Jones, Love Letters — * * * (3 stars)

Gene Tierney, Leave Her to Heaven — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Gene Tierney, Leave Her to Heaven

What Would Have Held Up: Crawford

The Choice: B+

1944 – Ingrid Bergman, Gaslight — * * * * (4 stars)

Claudette Colbert, Since You Went Away — * * * * (4 stars)

Bette Davis, Mr. Skeffington — * * * (3 stars)

Greer Garson, Mrs. Parkington — * * * (3 stars)

Barbara Stanwyck, Double Indemnity — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Ingrid Bergman, Gaslight

What Would Have Held Up: Bergman, Stanwyck

The Choice: B+

1943 – Jennifer Jones, The Song of Bernadette — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jean Arthur, The More the Merrier — * * * * (4 stars)

Ingrid Bergman, For Whom the Bell Tolls — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Joan Fontaine, The Constant Nymph — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Greer Garson, Madame Curie — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Jennifer Jones, The Song of Bernadette

What Would Have Held Up: Jones, then Bergman

The Choice: B+

1942 – Greer Garson, Mrs. Miniver — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bette Davis, Now, Voyager — * * * * (4 stars)

Katharine Hepburn, Woman of the Year — * * * * (4 stars)

Rosalind Russell, My Sister Eileen — * * * * (4 stars)

Teresa Wright, The Pride of the Yankees — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Teresa Wright, The Pride of the Yankees

What Would Have Held Up: Garson, then Davis

The Choice: A-

1941 – Joan Fontaine, Suspicion — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Bette Davis, The Little Foxes — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Olivia de Havilland, Hold Back the Dawn — * * * (3 stars)

Greer Garson, Blossoms in the Dust — * * * * (4 stars)

Barbara Stanwyck, Ball of Fire — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Greer Garson, Blossoms in the Dust

What Would Have Held Up: Garson, Fontaine somewhat.

The Choice: B-

1940 – Ginger Rogers, Kitty Foyle — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Bette Davis, The Letter — * * * (3 stars)

Joan Fontaine, Rebecca — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Katharine Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Martha Scott, Our Town — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Joan Fontaine, Rebecca

What Would Have Held Up: Fontaine, Rogers is fine.

The Choice: B-

1939 – Vivien Leigh, Gone with the Wind — * * * * * (5 stars)

Bette Davis, Dark Victory — * * * * (4 stars)

Irene Dunne, Love Affair — * * * * (4 stars)

Greta Garbo, Ninotchka — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Greer Garson, Goodbye, Mr. Chips — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Vivien Leigh, Gone With the Wind

What Would Have Held Up: Leigh

The Choice: A+

1938 – Bette Davis, Jezebel — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Fay Bainter, White Banners — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Wendy Hiller, Pygmalion — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Norma Shearer, Marie Antoinette — * * * * (4 stars)

Margaret Sullivan, Three Comrades — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Wendy Hiller, Pygmalion

What Would Have Held Up: Davis, Hiller

The Choice: B

1937 – Luise Rainer, The Good Earth — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Irene Dunne, The Awful Truth — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Greta Garbo, Camille — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Janet Gaynor, A Star is Born — * * * * * (5 stars)

Barbara Stanwyck, Stella Dallas — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Irene Dunne, The Awful Truth

What Would Have Held Up: Dunne, Gaynor. Rainer on role only.

The Choice: B-

1936 – Luise Rainer, The Great Ziegfeld — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Irene Dunne, Theodora Goes Wild — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Gladys George, Valiant is the Word for Carrie — * * * (3 stars)

Carole Lombard, My Man Godfrey — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Norma Shearer, Romeo and Juliet — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Carole Lombard, My Man Godfrey

What Would Have Held Up: Rainer’s fine. Lombard could have.

The Choice: B

1935 – Bette Davis, Dangerous — * * * (3 stars)

Elisabeth Bergner, Escape Me Never — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Claudette Colbert, Private Worlds — * * * (3 stars)

Katharine Hepburn, Alice Adams — * * * * (4 stars)

Miriam Hopkins, Becky Sharp — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Merle Oberon, The Dark Angel — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Katharine Hepburn, Alice Adams

What Would Have Held Up: Hepburn. Davis is fine, I guess.

The Choice: C+

1934 – Claudette Colbert, It Happened One Night — * * * * * (5 stars)

Grace Moore, One Night of Love — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Norma Shearer, The Barretts of Wimpole Street — * * * * (4 stars)

Bette Davis, Of Human Bondage (write-in) — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

My Vote: Claudette Colbert, It Happened One Night

What Would Have Held Up: Colbert, Shearer

The Choice: A-

1932-1933 – Katharine Hepburn, Morning Glory — * * * (3 stars)

May Robson, Lady for a Day — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Diana Wynyard, Cavalcade — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Katharine Hepburn, Morning Glory

What Would Have Held Up: Hepburn

The Choice: B

1931-1932 – Helen Hayes, The Sin of Madelon Claudet — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Marie Dressler, Emma — * * * (3 stars)

Lynn Fontaine, The Guardsman — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Helen Hayes, The Sin of Madelon Claudet

What Would Have Held Up: Hayes

The Choice: B

1930-1931 – Marie Dressler, Min and Bill — * * * (3 stars)

Marlene Dietrich, Morocco — * * * (3 stars)

Irene Dunne, Cimarron — * * * * (4 stars)

Ann Harding, Holiday — * * * (3 stars)

Norma Shearer, A Free Soul — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Ann Harding, Holiday

What Would Have Held Up: At this point, it’s on name recognition. So Dietrich and Dunne.

The Choice: C

1929-1930 – Norma Shearer, The Divorcée — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Nancy Carroll, The Devil’s Holiday — * * * (3 stars)

Ruth Chatterton, Sarah and Son — * * * (3 stars)

Greta Garbo, Anna Christie — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Greta Garbo, Romance — * * * (3 stars)

Norma Shearer, Their Own Desire — * * * (3 stars)

Gloria Swanson, The Tresspasser — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Norma Shearer, The Divorcee

What Would Have Held Up: Shearer, Garbo

The Choice: B

1928-1929 – Mary Pickford, Coquette — * * * (3 stars)

Ruth Chatterton, Madame X — * * * (3 stars)

Betty Compson, The Barker — * * * (3 stars)

Jeanne Eagels, The Letter — * * * (3 stars)

Corrinne Griffith, The Divine Lady — * * * (3 stars)

Bessie Love, The Broadway Melody — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Corrinne Griffith, The Divine Lady

What Would Have Held Up: Pickford

The Choice: C

1927-1928 – Janet Gaynor, Seventh Heaven — * * * * * (5 stars)

Janet Gaynor, Street Angel — * * * * (4 stars)

Janet Gaynor, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans — * * * * * (5 stars)

Louise Dresser, A Ship Comes In — * * * (3 stars)

Gloria Swanson, Sadie Thompson — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Janet Gaynor, Seventh Heaven & Street Angel & Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

What Would Have Held Up: Gaynor

The Choice: A

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The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Actress)

May 23, 2017, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Actor)

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Actress)

Each time I write up Oscar categories for the Quest, I put rankings at the bottom. I can say what I want, but it really only gains perspective when I show you how I feel about each of the films or performances in relation to the others in the category. Plus, lists are easy to read.

They tend to be slightly different each time. The actual rankings are of course different, but also my methodology behind how I ranked them is different. Each time I do it, I seem to be getting closer to a consensus, so hopefully this one sticks.

The way I’m ranking these performances, as least in this current iteration: for each of the performance-related categories, the rankings are about quality of performance. I’ll vote for what I vote for, but the rankings are meant to reflect what I believe to be the best performances of the category, in order. Now, there may be some slight skewing on a few categories where my personal preference outweighs what may be objective criticism, but I promise those are limited.

Hopefully I can continue updating this as we go, and whenever I watch another movie again and shift my opinion, I’ll go back and reorganize these lists as I see fit. So that means, if this page is different than the actual category I wrote up, that’s the reason. Ideally one day I’ll have set pages for each of the categories and can just have one master location. I think we’re moving closer to that. I just need to get to a place where I feel my opinions have leveled out. We’re not there yet, but I’m working on it.

Anyway, this is a compilation of my rankings for the Best Actress categories:

(NOTE: A * means that’s what I voted for. A nominee that is underlined means that it won.)

2016

Natalie Portman, Jackie *
Emma Stone, La La Land
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

2015

Brie Larson, Room *
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

2014

Julianne Moore, Still Alice *
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

2013

Judi Dench, Philomena *
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Sandra Bullock, Gravity

2012

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook *
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

2011

Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo *
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Viola Davis, The Help
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

2010

Natalie Portman, Black Swan *
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

2009

Carey Mulligan, An Education *
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

2008

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married *
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River

2007

Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose *
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

2006

Helen Mirren, The Queen *
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Kate Winslet, Little Children
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

2005

Felicity Huffman, Transamerica *
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents
Charlize Theron, North Country
Keira Knightley, Pride and Prejudice

2004

Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind *
Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Catalina Santina Moreno, Maria Full of Grace
Annette Bening, Being Julia

2003

Charlize Theron, Monster *
Samantha Morton, In America
Naomi Watts, 21 Grams
Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
Diane Keaton, Something’s Gotta Give

2002

Julianne Moore, Far from Heaven *
Renée Zellweger, Chicago
Nicole Kidman, The Hours
Diane Lane, Unfaithful
Salma Hayek, Frida

2001

Judi Dench, Iris *
Halle Berry, Monster’s Ball
Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom
Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge
Renée Zellweger, Bridget Jones’ Diary

2000

Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich *
Laura Linney, You Can Count on Me
Joan Allen, The Contender
Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream
Juliette Binoche, Chocolat

1999

Annette Bening, American Beauty *
Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry
Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds
Julianne Moore, The End of the Affair
Meryl Streep, Music of the Heart

1998

Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth *
Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love
Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station
Emily Watson, Hilary & Jackie
Meryl Streep, One True Thing

1997

Helen Hunt, As Good As It Gets *
Helena Bonham Carter, The Wings of the Dove
Judi Dench, Mrs. Brown
Kate Winslet, Titanic
Julie Christie, Afterglow

1996

Emily Watson, Breaking the Waves
Frances McDormand, Fargo *
Brenda Blethyn, Secrets & Lies
Kristin Scott Thomas, The English Patient
Diane Keaton, Marvin’s Room

1995

Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas *
Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking
Sharon Stone, Casino
Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County
Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility

1994

Jodie Foster, Nell *
Jessica Lange, Blue Sky
Miranda Richardson, Tom & Viv
Winona Ryder, Little Women
Susan Sarandon, The Client

1993

Holly Hunter, The Piano *
Angela Bassett, What’s Love Got to Do With It
Emma Thompson, The Remains of the Day
Debra Winger, Shadowlands
Stockard Channing, Six Degrees of Separation

1992

Mary McDonnell, Passion Fish *
Emma Thompson, Howards End
Michelle Pfeiffer, Love Field
Susan Sarandon, Lorenzo’s Oil
Catherine Deneuve, Indochine

1991

Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs *
Laura Dern, Rambling Rose
Susan Sarandon, Thelma and Louise
Geena Davis, Thelma and Louise
Bette Midler, For the Boys

1990

Kathy Bates, Misery *
Anjelica Huston, The Grifters
Meryl Streep, Postcards from the Edge
Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman
Joanna Woodward, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge

1989

Jessica Tandy, Driving Miss Daisy *
Michelle Pfeiffer, The Fabulous Baker Boys
Jessica Lange, Music Box
Isabelle Adjani, Camille Claudel
Pauline Collins, Shirley Valentine

1988

Jodie Foster, The Accused *
Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark
Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons
Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist
Melanie Griffith, Working Girl

1987

Holly Hunter, Broadcast News *
Cher, Moonstruck
Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction
Meryl Streep, Ironweed
Sally Kirkland, Anna

1986

Marlee Matlin, Children of a Lesser God *
Sigourney Weaver, Aliens
Sissy Spacek, The Morning After
Kathleen Turner, Peggy Sue Got Married
Jane Fonda, The Morning After

1985

Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple *
Meryl Streep, Out of Africa
Jessica Lange, Sweet Dreams
Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful
Anne Bancroft, Agnes of God

1984

Sally Field, Places in the Heart *
Judy Davis, A Passage to India
Jessica Lange, Country
Sissy Spacek, The River
Vanessa Redgrave, The Bostonians

1983

Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment *
Debra Winger, Terms of Endearment
Meryl Streep, Silkwood
Julie Walters, Educating Rita
Jane Alexander, Testament

1982

Meryl Streep, Sophie’s Choice *
Jessica Lange, Frances
Sissy Spacek, Missing
Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria
Debra Winger, An Officer and a Gentleman

1981

Diane Keaton, Reds *
Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Marsha Mason, Only When I Laugh
Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant’s Woman
Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City

1980

Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner’s Daughter *
Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People
Goldie Hawn, Private Benjamin
Gena Rowlands, Gloria
Ellen Burstyn, Resurrection

1979

Sally Field, Norma Rae *
Bette Midler, The Rose
Jane Fonda, The China Syndrome
Marsha Mason, Chapter Two
Jill Clayburgh, Starting Over

1978

Jill Clayburgh, An Unmarried Woman *
Jane Fonda, Coming Home
Ingrid Bergman, Autumn Sonata
Ellen Burstyn, Same Time, Next Year
Geraldine Page, Interiors

1977

Diane Keaton, Annie Hall *
Marsha Mason, The Goodbye Girl
Jane Fonda, Julia
Shirley MacLaine, The Turning Point
Anne Bancroft, The Turning Point

1976

Faye Dunaway, Network *
Talia Shire, Rocky
Sissy Spacek, Carrie
Liv Ullmann, Face to Face
Marie-Christine Barrault, Cousin, Cousine

1975

Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest *
Ann-Margret, Tommy
Isabelle Adjani, The Story of Adele H.
Carol Kane, Hester Street
Glenda Jackson, Hedda

1974

Gena Rowlands, A Woman Under the Influence *
Ellen Burstyn, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Faye Dunaway, Chinatown
Valerie Perrine, Lenny
Diahann Carroll, Claudine

1973

Marsha Mason, Cinderella Liberty *
Glenda Jackson, A Touch of Class
Ellen Burstyn, The Exorcist
Barbra Streisand, The Way We Were
Joanne Woodward, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams

1972

Liza Minnelli, Cabaret *
Diana Ross, Lady Sings the Blues
Cicely Tyson, Sounder
Liv Ullmann, The Emigrants
Maggie Smith, Travels with My Aunt

1971

Jane Fonda, Klute *
Janet Suzman, Nicholas and Alexandra
Julie Christie, McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Vanessa Redgrave, Mary, Queen of Scots
Glenda Jackson, Sunday Bloody Sunday

1970

Ali MacGraw, Love Story *
Jane Alexander, The Great White Hope
Carrie Snodgress, Diary of a Mad Housewife
Sarah Miles, Ryan’s Daughter
Glenda Jackson, Women in Love

1969

Liza Minnelli, The Sterile Cuckoo *
Jane Fonda, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Maggie Smith, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Genevieve Bujold, Anne of the Thousand Days
Jean Simmons, The Happy Ending

1968

Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl *
Katharine Hepburn, The Lion in Winter
Vanessa Redgrave, Isadora
Patricia Neal, The Subject Was Roses
Joanne Woodward, Rachel, Rachel

1967

Katharine Hepburn, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner *
Anne Bancroft, The Graduate
Faye Dunaway, Bonnie and Clyde
Edith Evans, The Whisperers
Audrey Hepburn, Wait Until Dark

1966

Elizabeth Taylor, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? *
Ida Kaminska, The Shop on Main Street
Lynn Redgrave, Georgy Girl
Anouk Aimée, A Man and a Woman
Vanessa Redgrave, Morgan!

1965

Julie Christie, Darling *
Elizabeth Hartman, A Patch of Blue
Samantha Eggar, The Collector
Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music
Simone Signoret, Ship of Fools

1964

Anne Bancroft, The Pumpkin Eater
Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins *
Kim Stanley, Séance on a Wet Afternoon
Sophia Loren, Marriage, Italian Style
Debbie Reynolds, The Unsinkable Molly Brown

1963

Leslie Caron, The L-Shaped Room *
Patricia Neal, Hud
Rachel Roberts, This Sporting Life
Natalie Wood, Love with the Proper Stranger
Shirley MacLaine, Irma la Douce

1962

Lee Remick, Days of Wine and Roses *
Anne Bancroft, The Miracle Worker
Katharine Hepburn, Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Bette Davis, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Geraldine Page, Sweet Bird of Youth

1961

Natalie Wood, Splendor in the Grass *
Sophia Loren, Two Women
Piper Laurie, The Hustler
Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Geraldine Page, Summer and Smoke

1960

Shirley MacLaine, The Apartment *
Elizabeth Taylor, BUtterfield 8
Deborah Kerr, The Sundowners
Melina Mercouri, Never on Sunday
Greer Garson, Sunrise at Campobello

1959

Simone Signoret, Room at the Top *
Audrey Hepburn, The Nun’s Story
Elizabeth Taylor, Suddenly, Last Summer
Katharine Hepburn, Suddenly, Last Summer
Doris Day, Pillow Talk

1958

Susan Hayward, I Want to Live! *
Deborah Kerr, Separate Tables
Elizabeth Taylor, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Shirley MacLaine, Some Came Running
Rosalind Russell, Auntie Mame

1957

Joanne Woodward, The Three Faces of Eve *
Elizabeth Taylor, Raintree County
Anna Magnani, Wild Is the Wind
Lana Turner, Peyton Place
Deborah Kerr, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

1956

Carroll Baker, Baby Doll *
Katharine Hepburn, The Rainmaker
Ingrid Bergman, Anastasia
Nancy Kelly, The Bad Seed
Deborah Kerr, The King and I

1955

Susan Hayward, I’ll Cry Tomorrow *
Anna Magnani, The Rose Tattoo
Katharine Hepburn, Summertime
Eleanor Parker, Interrupted Melody
Jennifer Jones, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing

1954

Judy Garland, A Star Is Born *
Grace Kelly, The Country Girl
Dorothy Dandridge, Carmen Jones
Audrey Hepburn, Sabrina
Jane Wyman, Magnificent Obsession

1953

Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday *
Deborah Kerr, From Here to Eternity
Leslie Caron, Lili
Ava Gardner, Mogambo
Maggie McNamara, The Moon Is Blue

1952

Julie Harris, The Member of the Wedding *
Shirley Booth, Come Back, Little Sheba
Susan Hayward, With a Song in My Heart
Joan Crawford, Sudden Fear
Bette Davis, The Star

1951

Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire *
Shelley Winters, A Place in the Sun
Katharine Hepburn, The African Queen
Eleanor Parker, Detective Story
Jane Wyman, The Blue Veil

1950

Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday *
Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard
Anne Baxter, All About Eve
Bette Davis, All About Eve
Eleanor Parker, Caged

1949

Olivia de Havilland, The Heiress *
Jeanne Crain, Pinky
Deborah Kerr, Edward, My Son
Susan Hayward, My Foolish Heart
Loretta Young, Come to the Stable

1948

Jane Wyman, Johnny Belinda *
Olivia de Havilland, The Snake Pit
Irene Dunne, I Remember Mama
Ingrid Bergman, Joan of Arc
Barbara Stanwyck, Sorry, Wrong Number

1947

Rosalind Russell, Mourning Becomes Electra *
Dorothy McGuire, Gentleman’s Agreement
Susan Hayward, Smash-Up, The Story of a Woman
Loretta Young, The Farmer’s Daughter
Joan Crawford, Possessed

1946

Olivia de Havilland, To Each His Own *
Celia Johnson, Brief Encounter
Jane Wyman, The Yearling
Jennifer Jones, Duel in the Sun
Rosalind Russell, Sister Kenny

1945

Joan Crawford, Mildred Pierce
Gene Tierney, Leave Her to Heaven *
Ingrid Bergman, The Bells of St. Mary’s
Jennifer Jones, Love Letters
Greer Garson, The Valley of Decision

1944

Ingrid Bergman, Gaslight *
Barbara Stanwyck, Double Indemnity
Claudette Colbert, Since You Went Away
Greer Garson, Mrs. Parkington
Bette Davis, Mr. Skeffington

1943

Jennifer Jones, The Song of Bernadette *
Jean Arthur, The More the Merrier
Ingrid Bergman, For Whom the Bell Tolls
Greer Garson, Madame Curie
Joan Fontaine, The Constant Nymph

1942

Greer Garson, Mrs. Miniver
Teresa Wright, The Pride of the Yankees *
Bette Davis, Now, Voyager
Katharine Hepburn, Woman of the Year
Rosalind Russell, My Sister Eileen

1941

Greer Garson, Blossoms in the Dust *
Olivia de Havilland, Hold Back the Dawn
Bette Davis, The Little Foxes
Joan Fontaine, Suspicion
Barbara Stanwyck, Ball of Fire

1940

Joan Fontaine, Rebecca *
Ginger Rogers, Kitty Foyle
Katharine Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story
Bette Davis, The Letter
Martha Scott, Our Town

1939

Vivien Leigh, Gone With the Wind *
Greer Garson, Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Irene Dunne, Love Affair
Greta Garbo, Ninotchka
Bette Davis, Dark Victory

1938

Wendy Hiller, Pygmalion *
Margaret Sullavan, Three Comrades
Fay Bainter, White Banners
Bette Davis, Jezebel
Norma Shearer, Marie Antoinette

1937

Janet Gaynor, A Star Is Born
Irene Dunne, The Awful Truth *
Luise Rainer, The Good Earth
Barbara Stanwyck, Stella Dallas
Greta Garbo, Camille

1936

Carole Lombard, My Man Godfrey *
Luise Rainer, The Great Ziegfeld
Irene Dunne, Theodora Goes Wild
Gladys George, Valiant Is the Word for Carrie
Norma Shearer, Romeo and Juliet

1935

Katharine Hepburn, Alice Adams *
Elisabeth Bergner, Escape Me Never
Miriam Hopkins, Becky Sharp
Bette Davis, Dangerous
Merle Oberon, The Dark Angel
Claudette Colbert, Private Worlds

1934

Claudette Colbert, It Happened One Night *
Bette Davis, Of Human Bondage (if we’re officially counting her)
Norma Shearer, The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Grace Moore, One Night of Love

1932-1933

Katharine Hepburn, Morning Glory *
May Robson, Lady for a Day
Diana Wynyard, Cavalcade

1931-1932

Helen Hayes, The Sin of Madelon Claudet *
Marie Dressler, Emma
Lynn Fontanne, The Guardsman

1930-1931

Ann Harding, Holiday *
Irene Dunne, Cimarron
Marie Dressler, Min and Bill
Norma Shearer, A Free Soul
Marlene Dietrich, Morocco

1929-1930

Norma Shearer, The Divorcee *
Gloria Swanson, The Trespasser
Ruth Chatterton, Sarah and Son
Greta Garbo, Anna Christie
Greta Garbo, Romance
Nancy Carroll, The Devil’s Holiday
Norma Shearer, Their Own Desire

1928-1929

Corinne Griffith, The Divine Lady *
Jeanne Eagels, The Letter
Ruth Chatterton, Madame X
Mary Pickford, Coquette
Bessie Love, The Broadway Melody
Betty Compson, The Barker

1927-1928

Janet Gaynor, Seventh Heaven & Street Angel & Sunrise *
Gloria Swanson, Sadie Thompson
Louise Dresser, A Ship Comes In

– – – – – – – – – –

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The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Actor)

May 24, 2017, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Actor)

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Actress)

Pretty simple — for each Oscar nominee’s film, I’ll assign a rating the way I’d assign a rating to any film I see each year. I don’t think anything’s gone under 2.5 stars, since I don’t think there are truly bad films nominated. The worst you’ll see is 2.5 stars, which for me means I was indifferent toward it. 3 stars is “pretty good.” 3.5 stars is “solid.” 4 stars is “liked it quite a bit.” 4.5 stars is “loved it.” And 5 stars is 5 stars.

Here’s Best Actor:

2016 – Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge — * * * * (4 stars)

Ryan Gosling, La La Land — * * * * * (5 stars)

Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Denzel Washington, Fences — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: A-

2015 – Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Matt Damon, The Martian — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: B+/A-

2014 – Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything — * * * * (4 stars)

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher — * * * * (4 stars)

Bradley Cooper, American Sniper — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game — * * * * (4 stars)

Michael Keaton, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Michael Keaton, Birdman

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: B

2013 – Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club — * * * * (4 stars)

Christian Bale, American Hustle — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bruce Dern, Nebraska — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: B+

2012 – Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Denzel Washington, Flight — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: A

2011 – Jean Dujardin, The Artist — * * * * * (5 stars)

Demián Bichir, A Better Life — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

George Clooney, The Descendants — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy — * * * * * (5 stars)

Brad Pitt, Moneyball — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

What Would Have Held Up: Jury’s out on Dujardin. Clooney might have. Oldman could have.

The Choice: B-

2010 – Colin Firth, The King’s Speech — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Javier Bardem, Biutiful — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jeff Bridges, True Grit — * * * * * (5 stars)

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network — * * * * * (5 stars)

James Franco, 127 Hours — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

What Would Have Held Up: Firth

The Choice: B+

2009 – Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart — * * * * (4 stars)

George Clooney, Up in the Air — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Colin Firth, A Single Man — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Morgan Freeman, Invictus — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

What Would Have Held Up: Bridges

The Choice: B/B+

2008 – Sean Penn, Milk — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Richard Jenkins, The Visitor — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon — * * * * (4 stars)

Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Sean Penn, Milk

What Would Have Held Up: Penn, and probably Rourke

The Choice: A

2007 – Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood — * * * * * (5 stars)

George Clooney, Michael Clayton — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

What Would Have Held Up: Daniel Day-Lewis, and then Clooney

The Choice: A+

2006 – Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Peter O’Toole, Venus — * * * (3 stars)

Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

What Would Have Held Up: Whitaker

The Choice: B/B-

2005 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote — * * * * (4 stars)

Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow — * * * * (4 stars)

Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote

What Would Have Held Up: Hoffman. Possibly Strathairn, or Ledger

The Choice: A-

2004 – Jamie Foxx, Ray — * * * * (4 stars)

Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda — * * * * (4 stars)

Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Jamie Foxx, Ray

What Would Have Held Up: Foxx. Possibly DiCaprio. Maybe Cheadle

The Choice: B+

2003 – Sean Penn, Mystic River — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ben Kingsley, House of Sand and Fog — * * * * (4 stars)

Jude Law, Cold Mountain — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Bill Murray, Lost in Translation — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Bill Murray, Lost in Translation

What Would Have Held Up: Murray, if any

The Choice: D

2002 – Adrien Brody, The Pianist — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Nicolas Cage, Adaptation — * * * * * (5 stars)

Michael Caine, The Quiet American — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Adrien Brody, The Pianist

What Would Have Held Up: Brody, Day-Lewis, possibly Nicholson, maybe Cage

The Choice: B+/A-

2001 – Denzel Washington, Training Day — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Russell Crowe, A Beautiful Mind — * * * * (4 stars)

Sean Penn, I Am Sam — * * * * (4 stars)

Will Smith, Ali — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Russell Crowe, A Beautiful Mind

What Would Have Held Up: Crowe, and to an extent Washington

The Choice: B-

2000 – Russell Crowe, Gladiator — * * * * * (5 stars)

Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Tom Hanks, Cast Away — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ed Harris, Pollock — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Geoffrey Rush, Quills — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Tom Hanks, Cast Away

What Would Have Held Up: Crowe kind of has, Hanks could have

The Choice: B/B-

1999 – Kevin Spacey, American Beauty — * * * * * (5 stars)

Russell Crowe, The Insider — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Sean Penn, Sweet and Lowdown — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Denzel Washington, The Hurricane — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Kevin Spacey, American Beauty

What Would Have Held Up: Spacey, Crowe, maybe Washington

The Choice: B+

1998 – Roberto Benigni, Life is Beautiful — * * * * (4 stars)

Tom Hanks, Saving Private Ryan — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ian McKellen, Gods and Monsters — * * * * (4 stars)

Nick Nolte, Affliction — * * * (3 stars)

Edward Norton, American History X — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Ian McKellen, Gods and Monsters

What Would Have Held Up: Hanks, McKellen. Potentially Norton

The Choice: C+

1997 – Jack Nicholson, As Good as It Gets — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Robert Duvall, The Apostle — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Peter Fonda, Ulee’s Gold — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Dustin Hoffman, Wag the Dog — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Jack Nicholson, As Good as It Gets

What Would Have Held Up: If any, Nicholson

The Choice: B-

1996 – Geoffrey Rush, Shine — * * * * (4 stars)

Tom Cruise, Jerry Maguire — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient — * * * * (4 stars)

Woody Harrelson, The People vs. Larry Flynt — * * * * (4 stars)

Billy Bob Thornton, Sling Blade — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Billy Bob Thornton, Sling Blade

What Would Have Held Up: Thornton, Harrelson, Rush a little bit

The Choice: B-

1995 – Nicolas Cage, Leaving Las Vegas — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Richard Dreyfuss, Mr. Holland’s Opus — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Anthony Hopkins, Nixon — * * * * (4 stars)

Sean Penn, Dead Man Walking — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Massimo Troisi, Il Postino — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Nicolas Cage, Leaving Las Vegas

What Would Have Held Up: Cage, and Penn

The Choice: B+

1994 – Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump — * * * * * (5 stars)

Morgan Freeman, The Shawshank Redemption — * * * * * (5 stars)

Nigel Hawthorne, The Madness of King George — * * * (3 stars)

Paul Newman, Nobody’s Fool — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

John Travolta, Pulp Fiction — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump

What Would Have Held Up: Hanks

The Choice: A-

1993 – Tom Hanks, Philadelphia — * * * * (4 stars)

Daniel Day-Lewis, In the Name of the Father — * * * * (4 stars)

Laurence Fishburne, What’s Love Got to Do with It — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Anthony Hopkins, The Remains of the Day — * * * * (4 stars)

Liam Neeson, Schindler’s List — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Liam Neeson, Schindler’s List

What Would Have Held Up: Hanks seems like he has. Neeson

The Choice: C+/B-

1992 – Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Robert Downey Jr., Chaplin — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven — * * * * * (5 stars)

Stephen Rea, The Crying Game — * * * * (4 stars)

Denzel Washington, Malcolm X — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Denzel Washington, Malcolm X

What Would Have Held Up: Washington, to an extent Pacino. Eastwood maybe

The Choice: B

1991 – Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs — * * * * * (5 stars)

Warren Beatty, Bugsy — * * * * (4 stars)

Robert De Niro, Cape Fear — * * * * (4 stars)

Nick Nolte, The Prince of Tides — * * * (3 stars)

Robin Williams, The Fisher King — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs

What Would Have Held Up: Hopkins, maybe Beatty

The Choice: A

1990 – Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune — * * * * (4 stars)

Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves — * * * * (4 stars)

Robert De Niro, Awakenings — * * * * (4 stars)

Gérard Depardieu, Cyrano de Bergerac — * * * (3 stars)

Richard Harris, The Field — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune

What Would Have Held Up: If any, Irons mostly has.

The Choice: B-

1989 – Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Kenneth Branagh, Henry V — * * * * (4 stars)

Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July — * * * * (4 stars)

Morgan Freeman, Driving Miss Daisy — * * * * (4 stars)

Robin Williams, Dead Poet’s Society — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot

What Would Have Held Up: Day-Lewis, then Cruise

The Choice: A

1988 – Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man — * * * * * (5 stars)

Gene Hackman, Mississippi Burning — * * * * (4 stars)

Tom Hanks, Big — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Edward James Olmos, Stand and Deliver — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Max von Sydow, Pelle the Conqueror — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man

What Would Have Held Up: Hoffman

The Choice: A

1987 – Michael Douglas, Wall Street — * * * * (4 stars)

William Hurt, Broadcast News — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Marcello Mastroianni, Dark Eyes — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Jack Nicholson, Ironweed — * * * (3 stars)

Robin Williams, Good Morning, Vietnam — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Michael Douglas, Wall Street

What Would Have Held Up: Douglas

The Choice: A-/B+

1986 – Paul Newman, The Color of Money — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Dexter Gordon, Round Midnight — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Bob Hoskins, Mona Lisa — * * * * (4 stars)

William Hurt, Children of a Lesser God — * * * * (4 stars)

James Woods, Salvador — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Paul Newman, The Color of Money

What Would Have Held Up: Newman

The Choice: B

1985 – William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman — * * * * (4 stars)

Harrison Ford, Witness — * * * * (4 stars)

James Garner, Murphy’s Romance — * * * (3 stars)

Jack Nicholson, Prizzi’s Honor — * * * * (4 stars

Jon Voight, Runaway Train — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman

What Would Have Held Up: Hurt

The Choice: B

1984 – F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus — * * * * * (5 stars)

Jeff Bridges, Starman — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Albert Finney, Under the Volcano — * * * (3 stars)

Tom Hulce, Amadeus — * * * * * (5 stars)

Sam Waterston, The Killing Fields — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus

What Would Have Held Up: Abraham, Hulce

The Choice: A-

1983 – Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Michael Caine, Educating Rita — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Tom Conti, Reuben, Reuben — * * * (3 stars)

Tom Courtenay, The Dresser — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Albert Finney, The Dresser — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies

What Would Have Held Up: Duvall

The Choice: B

1982 – Ben Kingsley, Gandhi — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Dustin Hoffman, Tootsie — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jack Lemmon, Missing — * * * * (4 stars)

Paul Newman, The Verdict — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Peter O’Toole, My Favorite Year — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Paul Newman, The Verdict

What Would Have Held Up: Kingsley, Newman, maybe even Hoffman or O’Toole

The Choice: A-

1981 – Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Warren Beatty, Reds — * * * * (4 stars)

Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City — * * * * (4 stars)

Dudley Moore, Arthur — * * * * * (5 stars)

Paul Newman, Absence of Malice — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Dudley Moore, Arthur

What Would Have Held Up: Fonda mostly has. Beatty could have.

The Choice: B

1980 – Robert De Niro, Raging Bull — * * * * * (5 stars)

Robert Duvall, The Great Santini — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

John Hurt, The Elephant Man — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jack Lemmon, Tribute — * * * (3 stars)

Peter O’Toole, The Stunt Man — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Robert De Niro, Raging Bull

What Would Have Held Up: De Niro, then Hurt

The Choice: A+

1979 – Dustin Hoffman, Kramer vs. Kramer — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jack Lemmon, The China Syndrome — * * * * (4 stars)

Al Pacino, …And Justice for All — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Roy Scheider, All That Jazz — * * * * * (5 stars)

Peter Sellers, Being There — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Dustin Hoffman, Kramer vs. Kramer

What Would Have Held Up: Hoffman, Sellers, Scheider maybe

The Choice: A-

1978 – Jon Voight, Coming Home — * * * * (4 stars)

Warren Beatty, Heaven Can Wait — * * * * (4 stars)

Gary Busey, The Buddy Holly Story — * * * (3 stars)

Robert De Niro, The Deer Hunter — * * * * * (5 stars)

Laurence Olivier, The Boys From Brazil — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Jon Voight, Coming Home

What Would Have Held Up: Voight. Maybe De Niro

The Choice: B+

1977 – Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Woody Allen, Annie Hall — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Richard Burton, Equus — * * * (3 stars)

Marcello Mastroianni, A Special Day — * * * (3 stars)

John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl

What Would Have Held Up: If any, Dreyfuss. Doubtful Allen, possibly Travolta

The Choice: B-

1976 – Peter Finch, Network — * * * * * (5 stars)

Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver — * * * * * (5 stars)

Giancarlo Giannini, Seven Beauties — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

William Holden, Network — * * * * * (5 stars)

Sylvester Stallone, Rocky — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Peter Finch, Network

What Would Have Held Up: Finch, De Niro, maybe even Stallone. Maybe Holden.

The Choice: A-

1975 – Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — * * * * * (5 stars)

Walther Matthau, The Sunshine Boys — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon — * * * * * (5 stars)

Maximilian Schell, The Man in the Glass Booth — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

James Whitmore, Give ‘em Hell, Harry! — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon

What Would Have Held Up: Nicholson, probably Pacino

The Choice: A

1974 – Art Carney, Harry and Tonto — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express — * * * * (4 stars)

Dustin Hoffman, Lenny — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jack Nicholson, Chinatown — * * * * * (5 stars)

Al Pacino, The Godfather, Part II — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II

What Would Have Held Up: Pacino, Nicholson, potentially Hoffman (but after those two)

The Choice: C-

1973 – Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Marlon Brando, Last Tango in Paris — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail — * * * * (4 stars)

Al Pacino, Serpico — * * * * (4 stars)

Robert Redford, The Sting — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger

What Would Have Held Up: Lemmon mostly has. Nicholson. Maybe Pacino

The Choice: B/B+

1972 – Marlon Brando, The Godfather — * * * * * (5 stars)

Michael Caine, Sleuth — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Laurence Olivier, Sleuth — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Peter O’Toole, The Ruling Class — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Paul Winfield, Sounder — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Marlon Brando, The Godfather

What Would Have Held Up: Brando

The Choice: A+

1971 – Gene Hackman, The French Connection — * * * * * (5 stars)

Peter Finch, Sunday Bloody Sunday — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Walther Matthau, Kotch — * * * (3 stars)

George C. Scott, The Hospital — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Chaim Topol, Fiddler on the Roof — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Gene Hackman, The French Connection

What Would Have Held Up: Hackman

The Choice: B/B+

1970 – George C. Scott, Patton — * * * * (4 stars)

Melvyn Douglas, I Never Sang for My Father — * * * (3 stars)

James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope — * * * * (4 stars)

Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces — * * * * (4 stars)

Ryan O’Neal, Love Story — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: George C. Scott, Patton

What Would Have Held Up: Scott, maybe Jones, possibly Nicholson

The Choice: A

1969 – John Wayne, True Grit — * * * * (4 stars)

Richard Burton, Anne of the Thousand Days — * * * * (4 stars)

Dustin Hoffman, Midnight Cowboy — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Peter O’Toole, Goodbye, Mr. Chips — * * * (3 stars)

Jon Voight, Midnight Cowboy — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Dustin Hoffman, Midnight Cowboy

What Would Have Held Up: Wayne kind of has. Hoffman would have.

The Choice: C+

1968 – Cliff Robertson, Charly — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Alan Arkin, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter — * * * * (4 stars)

Alan Bates, The Fixer — * * * (3 stars)

Ron Moody, Oliver! — * * * * (4 stars)

Peter O’Toole, The Lion in Winter — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Peter O’Toole, The Lion in Winter

What Would Have Held Up: O’Toole, if any

The Choice: C

1967 – Rod Steiger, In the Heat of the Night — * * * * (4 stars)

Warren Beatty, Bonnie and Clyde — * * * * * (5 stars)

Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate — * * * * * (5 stars)

Paul Newman, Cool Hand Luke — * * * * * (5 stars)

Spencer Tracy, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate

What Would Have Held Up: Honestly, all of them

The Choice: B+

1966 – Paul Scofield, A Man for All Seasons — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Alan Arkin, The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming — * * * * (4 stars)

Richard Burton, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — * * * * * (5 stars)

Michael Caine, Alfie — * * * * (4 stars)

Steve McQueen, The Sand Pebbles — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Paul Scofield, A Man for All Seasons

What Would Have Held Up: Scofield, then Burton

The Choice: A

1965 – Lee Marvin, Cat Ballou — * * * * (4 stars)

Richard Burton, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold — * * * * * (5 stars)

Laurence Olivier, Othello — * * * (3 stars)

Rod Steiger, The Pawnbroker — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Oskar Werner, Ship of Fools — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Richard Burton, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

What Would Have Held Up: Burton, maybe Steiger

The Choice: C-

1964 – Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Richard Burton, Becket — * * * * (4 stars)

Peter O’Toole, Becket — * * * * (4 stars)

Anthony Quinn, Zorba the Greek — * * * * (4 stars)

Peter Sellers, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Peter Sellers, Dr. Strangelove

What Would Have Held Up: Harrison sort of has. Sellers.

The Choice: B

1963 – Sidney Poitier, Lilies of the Field — * * * (3 stars)

Albert Finney, Tom Jones — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Richard Harris, This Sporting Life — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Rex Harrison, Cleopatra — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Paul Newman, Hud — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Paul Newman, Hud

What Would Have Held Up: Newman, maybe Harris. Poitier has on achievement, but not specific performance

The Choice: B-/C+ (and also A)

1962 – Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird — * * * * * (5 stars)

Burt Lancaster, Birdman of Alcatraz — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jack Lemmon, Days of Wine and Roses — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Marcello Mastroianni, Divorce, Italian Style — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Peter O’Toole, Lawrence of Arabia — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird

What Would Have Held Up: Peck, O’Toole

The Choice: A+

1961 – Maximilian Schell, Judgment at Nuremberg — * * * * * (5 stars)

Charles Boyer, Fanny — * * * * (4 stars)

Paul Newman, The Hustler — * * * * * (5 stars)

Spencer Tracy, Judgment at Nuremberg — * * * * * (5 stars)

Stuart Whitman, The Mark — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Maximilian Schell, Judgment at Nuremberg

What Would Have Held Up: Schell, Newman

The Choice: B+/A-

1960 – Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Trevor Howard, Sons and Lovers — * * * * (4 stars)

Jack Lemmon, The Apartment — * * * * * (5 stars)

Laurence Olivier, The Entertainer — * * * (3 stars)

Spencer Tracy, Inherit the Wind — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry

What Would Have Held Up: Lancaster. Possibly Lemmon. Tracy too.

The Choice: A-

1959 – Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Laurence Harvey, Room at the Top — * * * * (4 stars)

Jack Lemmon, Some Like it Hot — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Paul Muni, The Last Angry Man — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

James Stewart, Anatomy of a Murder — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: James Stewart, Anatomy of a Murder

What Would Have Held Up: Heston kind of has. Stewart

The Choice: B+/B

1958 – David Niven, Separate Tables — * * * * (4 stars)

Tony Curtis, The Defiant Ones — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Paul Newman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Sidney Poitier, The Defiant Ones — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Spencer Tracy, The Old Man and the Sea — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Paul Newman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

What Would Have Held Up: Newman, probably Poitier. Maybe Curtis

The Choice: C+

1957 – Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai — * * * * * (5 stars)

Marlon Brando, Sayonara — * * * * (4 stars)

Anthony Franciosa, A Hatful of Rain — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Charles Laughton, Witness for Prosecution — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Anthony Quinn, Wild is the Wind — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai

What Would Have Held Up: Guinness

The Choice: A

1956 – Yul Brynner, The King and I — * * * * (4 stars)

James Dean, Giant — * * * * * (5 stars)

Kirk Douglas, Lust for Life — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Rock Hudson, Giant — * * * * * (5 stars)

Laurence Olivier, Richard III — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Rock Hudson, Giant

What Would Have Held Up: Hudson, Dean, Brynner kind of has

The Choice: B/B+

1955 – Ernest Borgnine, Marty — * * * * * (5 stars)

James Cagney, Love Me or Leave Me — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

James Dean, East of Eden — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Frank Sinatra, The Man with the Golden Arm — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Spencer Tracy, Bad Day at Black Rock — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Frank Sinatra, The Man with the Golden Arm

What Would Have Held Up: Borgnine has. Sinatra would have. Dean would have.

The Choice: B+

1954 – Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront — * * * * * (5 stars)

Humphrey Bogart, The Caine Mutiny — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bing Crosby, The Country Girl — * * * * (4 stars)

James Mason, A Star is Born — * * * * (4 stars)

Dan O’Herlihy, Robison Crusoe — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront

What Would Have Held Up: Brando first. Then Bogart and Crosby.

The Choice: A+

1953 – William Holden, Stalag 17 — * * * * * (5 stars)

Marlon Brando, Julius Caesar — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Richard Burton, The Robe — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Montgomery Clift, From Here to Eternity — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Burt Lancaster, From Here to Eternity — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: William Holden, Stalag 17

What Would Have Held Up: Holden. Probably Clift or Lancaster

The Choice: B+

1952 – Gary Cooper, High Noon — * * * * * (5 stars)

Marlon Brando, Viva Zapata! — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Kirk Douglas, The Bad and the Beautiful — * * * * * (5 stars)

José Ferrer, Moulin Rouge — * * * * (4 stars)

Alec Guinness, The Lavender Hill Mob — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Gary Cooper, High Noon

What Would Have Held Up: Cooper, probably Douglas

The Choice: B+/A-

1951 – Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Marlon Brando, A Streetcar Named Desire — * * * * * (5 stars)

Montgomery Clift, A Place in the Sun — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Arthur Kennedy, Bright Victory — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Fredric March, Death of a Salesman — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Marlon Brando, A Streetcar Named Desire

What Would Have Held Up: Brando, then Bogart

The Choice: B

1950 – José Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac — * * * (3 stars)

Louis Calhern, The Magnificent Yankee — * * * (3 stars)

William Holden, Sunset Boulevard — * * * * * (5 stars)

James Stewart, Harvey — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Spencer Tracy, Father of the Bride — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: William Holden, Sunset Boulevard

What Would Have Held Up: Holden, Stewart, if any

The Choice: C

1949 – Broderick Crawford, All the King’s Men — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Kirk Douglas, Champion — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Gregory Peck, Twelve O’Clock High — * * * * (4 stars)

Richard Todd, The Hasty Heart — * * * * (4 stars)

John Wayne, Sands of Iwo Jima — * * * * (4 stars

My Vote: Broderick Crawford, All the King’s Men

What Would Have Held Up: Crawford

The Choice: A

1948 – Laurence Olivier, Hamlet — * * * * (4 stars)

Lew Ayres, Johnny Belinda — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Montgomery Clift, The Search — * * * * (4 stars)

Dan Dailey, When My Baby Smiles at Me — * * * (3 stars)

Clifton Webb, Sitting Pretty — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Laurence Olivier, Hamlet

What Would Have Held Up: Olivier

The Choice: B+/A-

1947 – Ronald Colman, A Double Life — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

John Garfield, Body and Soul — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Gregory Peck, Gentleman’s Agreement — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

William Powell, Life with Father — * * * (3 stars)

Michael Redgrave, Mourning Becomes Electra — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Gregory Peck, Gentleman’s Agreement

What Would Have Held Up: Peck. Colman somewhat has.

The Choice: C+

1946 – Fredric March, The Best Years of Our Lives — * * * * * (5 stars)

Laurence Olivier, Henry V — * * * * (4 stars)

Larry Parks, The Jolson Story — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Gregory Peck, The Yearling — * * * * (4 stars)

James Stewart, It’s a Wonderful Life — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: James Stewart, It’s a Wonderful Life

What Would Have Held Up: March, Stewart

The Choice: A

1945 – Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bing Crosby, The Bells of St. Mary’s — * * * * (4 stars)

Gene Kelley, Anchors Aweigh — * * * * (4 stars)

Gregory Peck, The Keys of the Kingdom — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Cornel Wilde, A Song to Remember — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

My Vote: Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend

What Would Have Held Up: Milland

The Choice: A-

1944 – Bing Crosby, Going My Way — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Charles Boyer, Gaslight — * * * * (4 stars)

Barry Fitzgerald, Going My Way — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Cary Grant, None But the Lonely Heart — * * * * (4 stars)

Alexander Knox, Wilson — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Cary Grant, None But the Lonely Heart

What Would Have Held Up: Grant, Crosby mostly has

The Choice: B

1943 – Paul Lukas, Watch on the Rhine — * * * (3 stars)

Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca — * * * * * (5 stars)

Gary Cooper, For Whom the Bell Tolls — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Walter Pidgeon, Madame Curie — * * * (3 stars)

Mickey Rooney, The Human Comedy — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca

What Would Have Held Up: Bogart

The Choice: C+

1942 – James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ronald Colman, Random Harvest — * * * * * (5 stars)

Gary Cooper, The Pride of the Yankees — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Walter Pidgeon, Mrs. Miniver — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Monty Woolley, The Pied Piper — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy

What Would Have Held Up: Cagney, then Cooper

The Choice: B+

1941 – Gary Cooper, Sergeant York — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Cary Grant, Penny Serenade — * * * * (4 stars)

Walter Huston, The Devil and Daniel Webster — * * * * (4 stars)

Robert Montgomery, Here Comes Mr. Jordan — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Orson Welles, Citizen Kane — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Orson Welles, Citizen Kane

What Would Have Held Up: Welles first. Then Cooper

The Choice: B

1940 – James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Charlie Chaplin, The Great Dictator — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Henry Fonda, The Grapes of Wrath — * * * * * (5 stars)

Raymond Massey, Abe Lincoln in Illinois — * * * (3 stars)

Laurence Olivier, Rebecca — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Henry Fonda, The Grapes of Wrath

What Would Have Held Up: Fonda, Chaplin

The Choice: C-

1939 – Robert Donat, Goodbye, Mr. Chips — * * * * (4 stars)

Clark Gable, Gone with the Wind — * * * * * (5 stars)

Laurence Olivier, Wuthering Heights — * * * * (4 stars)

Mickey Rooney, Babes in Arms — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

James Stewart, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: James Stewart, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

What Would Have Held Up: Stewart. Donat does on performance, just not over Stewart.

The Choice: B

1938 – Spencer Tracy, Boys Town — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Charles Boyer, Algiers — * * * * (4 stars)

James Cagney, Angels with Dirty Faces — * * * * (4 stars)

Robert Donat, The Citadel — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Leslie Howard, Pygmalion — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Leslie Howard, Pygmalion

What Would Have Held Up: Tracy does on paper. Cagney would have. Howard could have.

The Choice: D

1937 – Spencer Tracy, Captains Courageous — * * * * (4 stars)

Charles Boyer, Conquest — * * * (3 stars)

Fredric March, A Star is Born — * * * * * (5 stars)

Robert Montgomery, Night Must Fall — * * * (3 stars)

Paul Muni, The Life of Emile Zola — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Spencer Tracy, Captains Courageous

What Would Have Held Up: Tracy, maybe March, Muni on performance alone

The Choice: B

1936 – Paul Muni, The Story of Louis Pasteur — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Gary Cooper, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Walter Huston, Dodsworth — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

William Powell, My Man Godfrey — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Spencer Tracy, San Francisco — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Walter Huston, Dodsworth

What Would Have Held Up: Huston, Muni sort of has, maybe Cooper

The Choice: C/C+

1935 – Victor McLaglen, The Informer — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Clark Gable, Mutiny on the Bounty — * * * * * (5 stars)

Charles Laughton, Mutiny on the Bounty — * * * * * (5 stars)

Paul Muni, Black Fury — * * * (3 stars)

Franchot Tone, Mutiny on the Bounty — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Charles Laughton, Mutiny on the Bounty

What Would Have Held Up: Laughton, McLaglen

The Choice: B+

1934 – Clark Gable, It Happened One Night — * * * * * (5 stars)

Frank Morgan, The Affairs of Cellini — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

William Powell, The Thin Man — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Clark Gable, It Happened One Night

What Would Have Held Up: Gable, and maybe Powell

The Choice: B+

1932-1933 – Charles Laughton, The Private Life of Henry VIII — * * * (3 stars)

Leslie Howard, Berkeley Square — * * * (3 stars)

Paul Muni, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Paul Muni, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

What Would Have Held Up: Muni, Laughton

The Choice: C

1931-1932 – Wallace Beery, The Champ — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Alfred Lunt, The Guardsman — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Wallace Beery, The Champ

What Would Have Held Up: Beery was best

The Choice: B+

1930-1931 – Lionel Barrymore, A Free Soul — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Adolphe Menjou, The Front Page — * * * * (4 stars)

Jackie Cooper, Skippy — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Richard Dix, Cimarron — * * * * (4 stars)

Fredric March, The Royal Family of Broadway — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Jackie Cooper, Skippy

What Would Have Held Up: Barrymore’s fine

The Choice: C/C+

1929-1930 – George Arliss, Disraeli — * * * (3 stars)

George Arliss, The Green Goddess — * * * (3 stars)

Wallace Beery, The Big House — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Maurice Chevalier, The Big Pond — * * * (3 stars)

Maurice Chevalier, The Love Parade — * * * * (4 stars)

Ronald Colman, Bulldog Drummond — * * * (3 stars)

Ronald Colman, Condemned — * * * (3 stars)

Lawrence Tibbett, The Rogue Song — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Wallace Beery, The Big House

What Would Have Held Up: If any… honestly any, actor-wise. Performances — ehh.

The Choice: C

1928-1929 – Warner Baxter, In Old Arizona — * * * (3 stars)

George Bancroft, Thunderbolt — * * * (3 stars)

Chester Morris, Alibi — * * * (3 stars)

Paul Muni, The Valiant — * * * (3 stars)

Lewis Stone, The Patriot — LOST

My Vote: Warner Baxter, In Old Arizona

What Would Have Held Up: Baxter, if any

The Choice: B

1927-1928 – Emil Jannings, The Last Command — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Emil Jannings, The Way of All Flesh — LOST

Richard Barthelmess, The Noose — N/A (Haven’t seen yet)

Richard Barthelmess, The Patent Leather Kid — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Emil Jannings, The Last Command & The Way of All Flesh

What Would Have Held Up: Jannings

The Choice: B/B+

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The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Actor)

May 24, 2017, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Director)

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Actor)

The way I’m ranking these performances, as least in this current iteration: for each of the performance-related categories, the rankings are about quality of performance. I’ll vote for what I vote for, but the rankings are meant to reflect what I believe to be the best performances of the category, in order. Now, there may be some slight skewing on a few categories where my personal preference outweighs what may be objective criticism, but I promise those are limited.

Anyway, this is a compilation of my rankings for the Best Actor categories:

(NOTE: A * means that’s what I voted for. A nominee that is underlined means that it won. Anything in RED means I haven’t seen it.)

2016

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea *
Denzel Washington, Fences
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Ryan Gosling, La La Land

2015

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs *
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Matt Damon, The Martian
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

2014

Michael Keaton, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) *
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper

2013

Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club *
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Christian Bale, American Hustle

2012

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln *
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Denzel Washington, Flight

2011

Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy *
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Demian Bichir, A Better Life

2010

Colin Firth, The King’s Speech *
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
James Franco, 127 Hours

2009

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart *
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Colin Firth, A Single Man
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Morgan Freeman, Invictus

2008

Sean Penn, Milk *
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

2007

Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood *
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

2006

Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland *
Peter O’Toole, Venus
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond

2005

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote *
David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow

2004

Jamie Foxx, Ray *
Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland

2003

Bill Murray, Lost in Translation *
Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ben Kingsley, House of Sand and Fog
Jude Law, Cold Mountain
Sean Penn, Mystic River

2002

Adrien Brody, The Pianist *
Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York
Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt
Nicolas Cage, Adaptation
Michael Caine, The Quiet American

2001

Russell Crowe, A Beautiful Mind *
Sean Penn, I Am Sam
Denzel Washington, Training Day
Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom
Will Smith, Ali

2000

Tom Hanks, Cast Away *
Geoffrey Rush, Quills
Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls
Russell Crowe, Gladiator
Ed Harris, Pollock

1999

Kevin Spacey, American Beauty *
Russell Crowe, The Insider
Denzel Washington, The Hurricane
Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story
Sean Penn, Sweet and Lowdown

1998

Ian McKellen, Gods and Monsters *
Tom Hanks, Saving Private Ryan
Edward Norton, American History X
Roberto Benigni, Life Is Beautiful
Nick Nolte, Affliction

1997

Jack Nicholson, As Good As It Gets *
Robert Duvall, The Apostle
Peter Fonda, Ulee’s Gold
Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting
Dustin Hoffman, Wag the Dog

1996

Billy Bob Thornton, Sling Blade *
Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient
Woody Harrelson, The People vs. Larry Flynt
Geoffrey Rush, Shine
Tom Cruise, Jerry Maguire

1995

Nicolas Cage, Leaving Las Vegas *
Anthony Hopkins, Nixon
Sean Penn, Dead Man Walking
Massimo Troisi, Il Postino
Richard Dreyfuss, Mr. Holland’s Opus

1994

Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump *
Morgan Freeman, The Shawshank Redemption
Nigel Hawthorne, The Madness of King George
John Travolta, Pulp Fiction
Paul Newman, Nobody’s Fool

1993

Liam Neeson, Schindler’s List *
Daniel Day-Lewis, In the Name of the Father
Anthony Hopkins, The Remains of the Day
Tom Hanks, Philadelphia
Laurence Fishburne, What’s Love Got to Do With It

1992

Denzel Washington, Malcolm X *
Robert Downey, Jr., Chaplin
Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman
Stephen Rea, The Crying Game
Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven

1991

Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs *
Robin Williams, The Fisher King
Warren Beatty, Bugsy
Robert De Niro, Cape Fear
Nick Nolte, The Prince of Tides

1990

Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune *
Richard Harris, The Field
Robert De Niro, Awakenings
Gerard Depardieu, Cyrano de Bergerac
Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves

1989

Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot *
Kenneth Branagh, Henry V
Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July
Morgan Freeman, Driving Miss Daisy
Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society

1988

Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man *
Tom Hanks, Big
Gene Hackman, Mississippi Burning
Edward James Olmos, Stand and Deliver
Max von Sydow, Pelle the Conqueror

1987

Michael Douglas, Wall Street *
William Hurt, Broadcast News
Robin Williams, Good Morning, Vietnam
Jack Nicholson, Ironweed
Marcello Mastroianni, Dark Eyes

1986

Paul Newman, The Color of Money *
William Hurt, Children of a Lesser God
Bob Hoskins, Mona Lisa
James Woods, Salvador
Dexter Gordon, Round Midnight

1985

William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman *
Jack Nicholson, Prizzi’s Honor
Harrison Ford, Witness
Jon Voight, Runaway Train
James Garner, Murphy’s Romance

1984

F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus *
Tom Hulce, Amadeus
Albert Finney, Under the Volcano
Sam Waterston, The Killing Fields
Jeff Bridges, Starman

1983

Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies *
Michael Caine, Educating Rita
Tom Courtenay, The Dresser
Albert Finney, The Dresser
Tom Conti, Reuben, Reuben

1982

Paul Newman, The Verdict *
Ben Kingsley, Gandhi
Dustin Hoffman, Tootsie
Peter O’Toole, My Favorite Year
Jack Lemmon, Missing

1981

Dudley Moore, Arthur *
Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond
Warren Beatty, Reds
Burt Lancaster, Atlantic City
Paul Newman, Absence of Malice

1980

Robert De Niro, Raging Bull *
John Hurt, The Elephant Man
Robert Duvall, The Great Santini
Peter O’Toole, The Stunt Man
Jack Lemmon, Tribute

1979

Dustin Hoffman, Kramer vs. Kramer *
Roy Scheider, All That Jazz
Peter Sellers, Being There
Jack Lemmon, The China Syndrome
Al Pacino, …And Justice for All

1978

Jon Voight, Coming Home *
Robert De Niro, The Deer Hunter
Warren Beatty, Heaven Can Wait
Laurence Olivier, The Boys from Brazil
Gary Busey, The Buddy Holly Story

1977

Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl *
John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever
Marcello Mastroianni, A Special Day
Richard Burton, Equus
Woody Allen, Annie Hall

1976

Peter Finch, Network *
William Holden, Network
Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver
Sylvester Stallone, Rocky
Giancarlo Giannini, Seven Beauties

1975

Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon *
Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Maximilian Schell, The Man in the Glass Booth
Walter Matthau, The Sunshine Boys
James Whitmore, Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!

1974

Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II *
Jack Nicholson, Chinatown
Dustin Hoffman, Lenny
Art Carney, Harry and Tonto
Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express

1973

Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger *
Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail
Al Pacino, Serpico
Marlon Brando, Last Tango in Paris
Robert Redford, The Sting

1972

Marlon Brando, The Godfather *
Peter O’Toole, The Ruling Class
Michael Caine, Sleuth
Laurence Olivier, Sleuth
Paul Winfield, Sounder

1971

Gene Hackman, The French Connection *
Topol, Fiddler on the Roof
George C. Scott, The Hospital
Walter Matthau, Kotch
Peter Finch, Sunday Bloody Sunday

1970

George C. Scott, Patton *
James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope
Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces
Ryan O’Neal, Love Story
Melvyn Douglas, I Never Sang For My Father

1969

Dustin Hoffman, Midnight Cowboy *
Jon Voight, Midnight Cowboy
Richard Burton, Anne of the Thousand Days
John Wayne, True Grit
Peter O’Toole, Goodbye, Mr. Chips

1968

Peter O’Toole, The Lion in Winter *
Cliff Robertson, Charly
Alan Arkin, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Ron Moody, Oliver!
Alan Bates, The Fixer

1967

Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate *
Rod Steiger, In the Heat of the Night
Paul Newman, Cool Hand Luke
Spencer Tracy, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Warren Beatty, Bonnie and Clyde

1966

Paul Scofield, A Man for All Seasons *
Richard Burton, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Michael Caine, Alfie
Steve McQueen, The Sand Pebbles
Alan Arkin, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming

1965

Richard Burton, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold *
Rod Steiger, The Pawnbroker
Oskar Werner, Ship of Fools
Lee Marvin, Cat Ballou
Laurence Olivier, Othello

1964

Peter Sellers, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb *
Peter O’Toole, Becket
Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady
Anthony Quinn, Zorba the Greek
Richard Burton, Becket

1963

Paul Newman, Hud *
Richard Harris, This Sporting Life
Albert Finney, Tom Jones
Sidney Poitier, Lilies of the Field
Rex Harrison, Cleopatra

1962

Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird *
Peter O’Toole, Lawrence of Arabia
Jack Lemmon, Days of Wine and Roses
Burt Lancaster, Birdman of Alcatraz
Marcello Mastroianni, Divorce, Italian Style

1961

Maximilian Schell, Judgment at Nuremberg *
Paul Newman, The Hustler
Spencer Tracy, Judgment at Nuremberg
Stuart Whitman, The Mark
Charles Boyer, Fanny

1960

Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry *
Jack Lemmon, The Apartment
Spencer Tracy, Inherit the Wind
Laurence Olivier, The Entertainer
Trevor Howard, Sons and Lovers

1959

James Stewart, Anatomy of a Murder *
Jack Lemmon, Some Like It Hot
Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur
Laurence Harvey, Room at the Top
Paul Muni, The Last Angry Man

1958

Paul Newman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof *
Tony Curtis, The Defiant Ones
Sidney Poitier, The Defiant Ones
David Niven, Separate Tables
Spencer Tracy, The Old Man and the Sea

1957

Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai *
Charles Laughton, Witness for the Prosecution
Anthony Quinn, Wild Is the Wind
Anthony Franciosa, A Hatful of Rain
Marlon Brando, Sayonara

1956

Rock Hudson, Giant *
James Dean, Giant
Yul Brynner, The King and I
Kirk Douglas, Lust for Life
Laurence Olivier, Richard III

1955

Frank Sinatra, The Man with the Golden Arm *
Ernest Borgnine, Marty
James Dean, East of Eden
James Cagney, Love Me or Leave Me
Spencer Tracy, Bad Day at Black Rock

1954

Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront *
Bing Crosby, The Country Girl
Humphrey Bogart, The Caine Mutiny
James Mason, A Star Is Born
Dan O’Herlihy, Robinson Crusoe

1953

William Holden, Stalag 17 *
Montgomery Clift, From Here to Eternity
Burt Lancaster, From Here to Eternity
Marlon Brando, Julius Caesar
Richard Burton, The Robe

1952

Gary Cooper, High Noon *
Kirk Douglas, The Bad and the Beautiful
José Ferrer, Moulin Rouge
Marlon Brando, Viva Zapata!
Alec Guinness, The Lavender Hill Mob

1951

Marlon Brando, A Streetcar Named Desire *
Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen
Montgomery Clift, A Place in the Sun
Arthur Kennedy, Bright Victory
Fredric March, Death of a Salesman

1950

William Holden, Sunset Boulevard *
Jose Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac
James Stewart, Harvey
Spencer Tracy, Father of the Bride
Louis Calhern, The Magnificent Yankee

1949

Broderick Crawford, All the King’s Men *
Gregory Peck, Twelve O’Clock High
John Wayne, Sands of Iwo Jima
Kirk Douglas, Champion
Richard Todd, The Hasty Heart

1948

Laurence Olivier, Hamlet *
Montgomery Clift, The Search
Dan Dailey, When My Baby Smiles at Me
Lew Ayres, Johnny Belinda
Clifton Webb, Sitting Pretty

1947

Gregory Peck, Gentleman’s Agreement *
Ronald Colman, A Double Life
John Garfield, Body and Soul
Michael Redgrave, Mourning Becomes Electra
William Powell, Life with Father

1946

Fredric March, The Best Years of Our Lives
James Stewart, It’s a Wonderful Life *
Laurence Olivier, Henry V
Gregory Peck, The Yearling
Larry Parks, The Jolson Story

1945

Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend *
Gregory Peck, The Keys of the Kingdom
Bing Crosby, The Bells of St. Mary’s
Gene Kelly, Anchors Aweigh
Cornel Wilde, A Song to Remember

1944

Cary Grant, None But the Lonely Heart *
Charles Boyer, Gaslight
Bing Crosby, Going My Way
Barry Fitzgerald, Going My Way
Alexander Knox, Wilson

1943

Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca *
Paul Lukas, Watch on the Rhine
Gary Cooper, For Whom the Bell Tolls
Mickey Rooney, The Human Comedy
Walter Pidgeon, Madame Curie

1942

James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy *
Ronald Colman, Random Harvest
Gary Cooper, The Pride of the Yankees
Walter Pidgeon, Mrs. Miniver
Monty Woolley, The Pied Piper

1941

Orson Welles, Citizen Kane *
Cary Grant, Penny Serenade
Walter Huston, The Devil and Daniel Webster
Gary Cooper, Sergeant York
Robert Montgomery, Here Comes Mr. Jordan

1940

Henry Fonda, The Grapes of Wrath *
Charlie Chaplin, The Great Dictator
Laurence Olivier, Rebecca
Raymond Massey, Abe Lincoln in Illinois
James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story

1939

James Stewart, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington *
Robert Donat, Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Clark Gable, Gone With the Wind
Mickey Rooney, Babes in Arms
Laurence Olivier, Wuthering Heights

1938

Leslie Howard, Pygmalion *
James Cagney, Angels with Dirty Faces
Charles Boyer, Algiers
Robert Donat, The Citadel
Spencer Tracy, Boys Town

1937

Spencer Tracy, Captains Courageous *
Fredric March, A Star Is Born
Paul Muni, The Life of Emile Zola
Charles Boyer, Conquest
Robert Montgomery, Night Must Fall

1936

Walter Huston, Dodsworth *
Paul Muni, The Story of Louis Pasteur
Gary Cooper, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
William Powell, My Man Godfrey
Spencer Tracy, San Francisco

1935

Charles Laughton, Mutiny on the Bounty *
Victor McLaglen, The Informer
Franchot Tone, Mutiny on the Bounty
Paul Muni, Black Fury*
Clark Gable, Mutiny on the Bounty

1934

William Powell, The Thin Man *
Clark Gable, It Happened One Night
Frank Morgan, The Affairs of Cellini

1932-1933

Paul Muni, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang *
Charles Laughton, The Private Life of Henry VIII
Leslie Howard, Berkeley Square

1931-1932

Wallace Beery, The Champ *
Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Alfred Lunt, The Guardsman

1930-1931

Jackie Cooper, Skippy *
Adolphe Menjou, The Front Page
Lionel Barrymore, A Free Soul
Richard Dix, Cimarron
Fredric March, The Royal Family of Broadway

1929-1930

Wallace Beery, The Big House *
George Arliss, Disraeli
Maurice Chevalier, The Love Parade
Maurice Chevalier, The Big Pond
Ronald Colman, Condemned
Ronald Colman, Bulldog Drummond
George Arliss, The Green Goddess
Lawrence Tibbett, The Rogue Song

1928-1929

Warner Baxter, In Old Arizona *
George Bancroft, Thunderbolt
Paul Muni, The Valiant
Chester Morris, Alibi
Lewis Stone, The Patriot (LOST FILM)

1927-1928

Emil Jannings, The Last Command & The Way of All Flesh *
Richard Barthelmess, The Noose & The Patent Leather Kid

– – – – – – – – – –

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↧

The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Director)

May 25, 2017, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Director)

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Actor)

Here’s Best Director:

2016 – Damien Chazelle, La La Land — * * * * * (5 stars)

Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge — * * * * (4 stars)

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight — * * * * * (5 stars)

Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Denis Villeneuve, Arrival — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Damien Chazelle, La La Land

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: B+

2015 – Alejandro G. Inarritu, The Revenant — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Lenny Abrahamson, Room — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Todd McCarthy, Spotlight — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Adam McKay, The Big Short — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Alejandro G. Inarritu, The Revenant

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: A-

2014 – Alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Richard Linklater, Boyhood — * * * * (4 stars)

Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher — * * * * (4 stars)

Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ingorance)

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: A-

2013 – Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity — * * * * * (5 stars)

Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Alexander Payne, Nebraska — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

David O. Russell, American Hustle — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

What Would Have Held Up: N/A

The Choice: A-

2012 – Ang Lee, Life of Pi — * * * * (4 stars)

Michael Haneke, Amour — * * * * (4 stars)

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

What Would Have Held Up: I guess Lee. Maybe Spielberg. Possibly Zeitlin.

The Choice: B-

2011 – Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist — * * * * * (5 stars)

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris — * * * * (4 stars)

Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life — * * * * (4 stars)

Alexander Payne, The Descendants — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Martin Scorsese, Hugo — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

What Would Have Held Up: Maybe Malick. Maybe Scorsese. Jury’s out on Hazanavicius

The Choice: B

2010 – Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit — * * * * * (5 stars)

David Fincher, The Social Network — * * * * * (5 stars)

David O. Russell, The Fighter — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit

What Would Have Held Up: Most of them. Maybe not Russell as much, but the rest are good.

The Choice: B-/B

2009 – Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

James Cameron, Avatar — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Lee Daniels, Precious — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jason Reitman, Up in the Air — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

What Would Have Held Up: Bigelow

The Choice: A

2008 – Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Stephen Daldry, The Reader — * * * * (4 stars)

David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon — * * * * (4 stars)

Gus Van Sant, Milk — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

What Would Have Held Up: Boyle

The Choice: A-/B+

2007 – Joel & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood — * * * * * (5 stars)

Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jason Reitman, Juno — * * * * (4 stars)

Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

What Would Have Held Up: Anderson, the Coens. Gilroy on his own, but not next to the other two

The Choice: A/A-

2006 – Martin Scorsese, The Departed — * * * * * (5 stars)

Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima — * * * * (4 stars)

Stephen Frears, The Queen — * * * * (4 stars)

Paul Greengrass, United 93 — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Alexander Gonzalez Iñárritu, Babel — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Martin Scorsese, The Departed

What Would Have Held Up: Scorsese

The Choice: B+

2005 – Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck — * * * * * (5 stars)

Paul Haggis, Crash — * * * * (4 stars)

Bennett Miller, Capote — * * * * (4 stars)

Steven Spielberg, Munich — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: George Clooney, Good Night and Good Luck

What Would Have Held Up: Lee, Clooney

The Choice: A-/B+

2004 – Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby — * * * * (4 stars)

Marc Forster, Finding Neverland — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Taylor Hackford, Ray — * * * * (4 stars)

Alexander Payne, Sideways — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Martin Scorsese, The Aviator — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Martin Scorsese, The Aviator

What Would Have Held Up: Good question. Maybe Scorsese only? Not sure about Eastwood.

The Choice: C

2003 – Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King — * * * * * (5 stars)

Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Clint Eastwood, Mystic River — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Fernando Meirelles, City of God — * * * * (4 stars)

Peter Weir, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

What Would Have Held Up: Jackson

The Choice: A

2002 – Roman Polanski, The Pianist — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Pedro Almodóvar, Talk to Her — * * * (3 stars)

Stephen Daldry, The Hours — * * * * (4 stars)

Rob Marshall, Chicago — * * * * (4 stars)

Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Roman Polanski, The Pianist

What Would Have Held Up: Polanski, Scorsese

The Choice: A-

2001 – Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind — * * * * (4 stars)

Robert Altman, Gosford Park — * * * * (4 stars)

Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — * * * * * (5 stars)

David Lynch, Mulholland Drive — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Ridley Scott, Black Hawk Down — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

What Would Have Held Up: Jackson. Maybe Lynch.

The Choice: D

2000 – Steven Soderbergh, Traffic — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — * * * * (4 stars)

Ridley Scott, Gladiator — * * * * * (5 stars)

Steven Soderbergh, Erin Brockovich — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Ridley Scott, Gladiator

What Would Have Held Up: Soderbergh, and probably Scott

The Choice: B+/A-

1999 – Sam Mendes, American Beauty — * * * * * (5 stars)

Lasse Hallström, The Cider House Rules — * * * * (4 stars)

Spike Jonze, Being John Malkovich — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Michael Mann, The Insider — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Sam Mendes, American Beauty

What Would Have Held Up: Mendes, maybe Mann, possibly Jonze

The Choice: B+

1998 – Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan — * * * * * (5 stars)

Roberto Benigni, Life is Beautiful — * * * * (4 stars)

John Madden, Shakespeare in Love — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Terrence Malick, The Thin Red Line — * * * * (4 stars)

Peter Weir, The Truman Show — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan

What Would Have Held Up: Spielberg

The Choice: A+

1997 – James Cameron, Titanic — * * * * * (5 stars)

Peter Cattaneo, The Full Monty — * * * * (4 stars)

Atom Egoyan, The Sweet Hereafter — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Curtis Hanson, L.A. Confidential — * * * * * (5 stars)

Gus Van Sant, Good Will Hunting — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: James Cameron, Titanic

What Would Have Held Up: Cameron

The Choice: A/A+

1996 – Anthony Minghella, The English Patient — * * * * (4 stars)

Joel & Ethan Coen, Fargo — * * * * * (5 stars)

Miloš Forman, The People vs. Larry Flynt — * * * * (4 stars)

Scott Hicks, Shine — * * * * (4 stars)

Mike Leigh, Secrets and Lies — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Joel & Ethan Coen, Fargo

What Would Have Held Up: Minghella kind of has. Coens would have been better

The Choice: B/B+

1995 – Mel Gibson, Braveheart — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Mike Figgis, Leaving Las Vegas — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Chris Noonan, Babe — * * * * (4 stars)

Michael Radford, Il Postino — * * * (3 stars)

Tim Robbins, Dead Man Walking — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Mel Gibson, Braveheart

What Would Have Held Up: Gibson

The Choice: B+

1994 – Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump — * * * * * (5 stars)

Woody Allen, Bullets Over Broadway — * * * * (4 stars)

Krystof Kieślowski, Three Colors: Red — * * * (3 stars)

Robert Redford, Quiz Show — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump

What Would Have Held Up: Zemeckis, Tarantino

The Choice: A-

1993 – Steven Spielberg, Schindler’s List — * * * * * (5 stars)

Robert Altman, Short Cuts — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Jane Campion, The Piano — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

James Ivory, The Remains of the Day — * * * * (4 stars)

Jim Sheridan, In the Name of the Father — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Steven Spielberg, Schindler’s List

What Would Have Held Up: Spielberg

The Choice: A+

1992 – Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven — * * * * * (5 stars)

Robert Altman, The Player — * * * * (4 stars)

Martin Brest, Scent of a Woman — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

James Ivory, Howards End — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Neil Jordan, The Crying Game — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven

What Would Have Held Up: Eastwood

The Choice: A

1991 – Jonathan Demme, The Silence of the Lambs — * * * * * (5 stars)

Barry Levinson, Bugsy — * * * * (4 stars)

Ridley Scott, Thelma and Louise — * * * * (4 stars)

John Singleton, Boyz N the Hood — * * * * (4 stars)

Oliver Stone, JFK — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Jonathan Demme, The Silence of the Lambs

What Would Have Held Up: Demme, Stone, then Singleton, possibly even the other two

The Choice: A

1990 – Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves — * * * * (4 stars)

Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part III — * * * * (4 stars)

Stephen Frears, The Grifters — * * * * (4 stars)

Barbet Schroeder, Reversal of Fortune — * * * * (4 stars)

Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas

What Would Have Held Up: Scorsese, then Costner

The Choice: B/B+

1989 – Oliver Stone, Born on the Fourth of July — * * * * (4 stars)

Woody Allen, Crimes and Misdemeanors — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Kenneth Branagh, Henry V — * * * * (4 stars)

Jim Sheridan, My Left Foot — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Peter Weir, Dead Poet’s Society — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Oliver Stone, Born on the Fourth of July

What Would Have Held Up: Stone. Maybe the others, but ehh.

The Choice: B/B+

1988 – Barry Levinson, Rain Man — * * * * * (5 stars)

Charles Crichton, A Fish Called Wanda — * * * * (4 stars)

Mike Nichols, Working Girl — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Alan Parker, Mississippi Burning — * * * * (4 stars)

Martin Scorsese, The Last Temptation of Christ — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Barry Levinson, Rain Man

What Would Have Held Up: Levinson mostly has. Scorsese could have. Parker maybe.

The Choice: B

1987 – Bernardo Bertolucci, The Last Emperor — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

John Boorman, Hope and Glory — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Lasse Hallström, My Life as a Dog — * * * (3 stars)

Norman Jewison, Moonstruck — * * * * (4 stars)

Adrian Lyne, Fatal Attraction — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Bernardo Bertolucci, The Last Emperor

What Would Have Held Up: Bertolucci

The Choice: B+/A-

1986 – Oliver Stone, Platoon — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Woody Allen, Hannah and Her Sisters — * * * (3 stars)

James Ivory, A Room with a View — * * * (3 stars)

Roland Joffé, The Mission — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

David Lynch, Blue Velvet — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Oliver Stone, Platoon

What Would Have Held Up: Stone, Lynch

The Choice: A-

1985 – Sydney Pollack, Out of Africa — * * * * (4 stars)

Héctor Babenco, Kiss of the Spider Woman — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

John Huston, Prizzi’s Honor — * * * * (4 stars)

Akira Kurosawa, Ran — * * * * (4 stars)

Peter Weir, Witness — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Sydney Pollack, Out of Africa

What Would Have Held Up: Pollack, Kurosawa

The Choice: B-

1984 – Miloš Forman, Amadeus — * * * * * (5 stars)

Woody Allen, Broadway Danny Rose — * * * (3 stars)

Robert Benton, Places in the Heart — * * * * (4 stars)

Roland Joffé, The Killing Fields — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

David Lean, A Passage to India — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Milos Forman, Amadeus

What Would Have Held Up: Forman, possibly Joffe

The Choice: A

1983 – James L. Brooks, Terms of Endearment — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bruce Beresford, Tender Mercies — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Ingmar Bergman, Fanny and Alexander — * * * * (4 stars)

Mike Nichols, Silkwood — * * * * (4 stars)

Peter Yates, The Dresser — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: James L. Brooks, Terms of Endearment

What Would Have Held Up: Brooks has. Maybe Bergman. Possibly Nichols.

The Choice: B

1982 – Richard Attenborough, Gandhi — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Sidney Lumet, The Verdict — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Wolfgang Petersen, Das Boot — * * * * (4 stars)

Sydney Pollack, Tootsie — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Steven Spielberg, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Wolfgang Petersen, Das Boot

What Would Have Held Up: Attenborough, Petersen, Spielberg

The Choice: B+

1981 – Warren Beatty, Reds — * * * * (4 stars)

Hugh Hudson, Chariots of Fire — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Louis Malle, Atlantic City — * * * * (4 stars)

Mark Rydell, On Golden Pond — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark

What Would Have Held Up: Spielberg, Beatty

The Choice: B+

1980 – Robert Redford, Ordinary People — * * * * (4 stars)

David Lynch, The Elephant Man — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Roman Polanski, Tess — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Richard Rush, The Stunt Man — * * * * (4 stars)

Martin Scorsese, Raging Bull — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Martin Scorsese, Raging Bull

What Would Have Held Up: Scorsese, Lunch

The Choice: C-

1979 – Robert Benton, Kramer vs. Kramer — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Francis Ford Coppola, Apocalypse Now — * * * * * (5 stars)

Bob Fosse, All That Jazz — * * * * * (5 stars)

Édouard Molinaro, La Cage aux Folles — * * * (3 strs)

Peter Yates, Breaking Away — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Francis Ford Coppola, Apocalypse Now

What Would Have Held Up: Coppola, then Fosse, then Benton. In that order.

The Choice: C+/B-

1978 – Michael Cimino, The Deer Hunter — * * * * * (5 stars)

Woody Allen, Interiors — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Hal Ashby, Coming Home — * * * * (4 stars)

Warren Beatty & Buck Henry, Heaven Can Wait — * * * * (4 stars)

Alan Parker, Midnight Express — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Michael Cimino, The Deer Hunter

What Would Have Held Up: Cimino, maybe Parker

The Choice: A-/A

1977 – Woody Allen, Annie Hall — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

George Lucas, Star Wars — * * * * * (5 stars)

Herbert Ross, The Turning Point — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Fred Zinnemann, Julia — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: George Lucas, Star Wars

What Would Have Held Up: Lucas, Allen

The Choice: B+/A-

1976 – John G. Avildsen, Rocky — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ingmar Bergman, Face to Face — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Sidney Lumet, Network — * * * * * (5 stars)

Alan J. Pakula, All the President’s Men — * * * * * (5 stars)

Lina Wertmüller, Seven Beauties — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: John G. Avildsen, Rocky

What Would Have Held Up: Avildsen, Lumet, Pakula

The Choice: A-

1975 – Miloš Forman, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest — * * * * * (5 stars)

Robert Altman, Nashville — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Federico Fellini, Amarcord — * * * (3 stars)

Stanley Kubrick, Barry Lyndon — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Sidney Lumet, Dog Day Afternoon — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Sidney Lumet, Dog Day Afternoon

What Would Have Held Up: Forman mostly has. Altman, Lumet, Kubrick. All good choices.

The Choice: B/B+

1974 – Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part II — * * * * * (5 stars)

John Cassavetes, A Woman Under the Influence — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bob Fosse, Lenny — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Roman Polanski, Chinatown — * * * * * (5 stars)

François Truffaut, Day for Night — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part II

What Would Have Held Up: Coppola, Polanski. Fosse and Cassavetes, but lesser than the other two

The Choice: A+

1973 – George Roy Hill, The Sting — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ingmar Bergman, Cries and Whispers — * * * (3 stars)

Bernardo Bertolucci, Last Tango in Paris — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

William Friedkin, The Exorcist — * * * * * (5 stars)

George Lucas, American Graffiti — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: George Roy Hill, The Sting

What Would Have Held Up: Hill, Friedkin

The Choice: A-

1972 – Bob Fosse, Cabaret — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

John Boorman, Deliverance — * * * * (4 stars)

Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather — * * * * * (5 stars)

Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Sleuth — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jan Troell, The Emigrants — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather

What Would Have Held Up: Coppola, and Fosse

The Choice: A-

1971 – William Friedkin, The French Connection — * * * * * (5 stars)

Peter Bogdanovich, The Last Picture Show — * * * * (4 stars)

Norman Jewison, Fiddler on the Roof — * * * * (4 stars)

Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

John Schlesinger, Sunday Bloody Sunday — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: William Friedkin, The French Connection

What Would Have Held Up: Friedkin, Bogdanovich, probably Kubrick

The Choice: A-/A

1970 – Franklin J. Schaffner, Patton — * * * * (4 stars)

Robert Altman, MASH — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Federico Fellini, Satyricon — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Arthur Hiller, Love Story — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ken Russell, Women in Love — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Franklin J. Schaffner, Patton

What Would Have Held Up: Schaffner

The Choice: B+

1969 – John Schlesinger, Midnight Cowboy — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Costa Gravas, Z — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

George Roy Hill, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid — * * * * * (5 stars)

Arthur Penn, Alice’s Restaurant — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Sydney Pollack, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: George Roy Hill, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

What Would Have Held Up: Hill, Schlesinger, maybe Pollack

The Choice: B+/A-

1968 – Carol Reed, Oliver! — * * * * (4 stars)

Anthony Harvey, The Lion in Winter — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey — * * * * * (5 stars)

Gillo Pontecorvo, The Battle of Algiers — * * * * (4 stars)

Franco Zeffirelli, Romeo and Juliet — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey

What Would Have Held Up: Kubrick

The Choice: C-

1967 – Mike Nichols, The Graduate — * * * * * (5 stars)

Richard Brooks, In Cold Blood — * * * * (4 stars)

Norman Jewison, In the Heat of the Night — * * * * (4 stars)

Stanley Kramer, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Arthur Penn, Bonnie and Clyde — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Mike Nichols, The Graduate

What Would Have Held Up: Nichols, Penn

The Choice: A-/A

1966 – Fred Zinnemann, A Man for All Seasons — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Michelanelo Antonioni, Blowup — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Richard Brooks, The Professionals — * * * * (4 stars)

Claude Lelouch, A Man and a Woman — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Mike Nichols, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Mike Nichols, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

What Would Have Held Up: Nichols, Antonioni, somewhat Zinnemann

The Choice: C

1965 – Robert Wise, The Sound of Music — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

David Lean, Doctor Zhivago — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

John Schlesinger, Darling — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Hiroshi Teshigahara, Woman in the Dunes — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

William Wyler, The Collector — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Hiroshi Teshigahara, Woman in the Dunes

What Would Have Held Up: Wise, probably Lean, maybe Schlesinger

The Choice: A-/A

1964 – George Cukor, My Fair Lady — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Michael Cacoyannis, Zorba the Greek — * * * * (4 stars)

Peter Glenville, Becket — * * * * (4 stars)

Stanley Kubrick, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb — * * * * * (5 stars)

Robert Stevenson, Mary Poppins — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Stanley Kubrick, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

What Would Have Held Up: Kubrick, Cukor probably, and maybe Stevenson

The Choice: B

1963 – Tony Richardson, Tom Jones — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Federico Fellini, 8½ — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Elia Kazan, America, America — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Otto Preminger, The Cardinal — * * * * (4 stars)

Martin Ritt, Hud — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Federico Fellini, 8½

What Would Have Held Up: Fellini, Kazan

The Choice: C/C-

1962 – David Lean, Lawrence of Arabia — * * * * * (5 stars)

Pietro Germi, Divorce, Italian Style — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Robert Mulligan, To Kill a Mockingbird — * * * * * (5 stars)

Arthur Penn, The Miracle Worker — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Frank Perry, David and Lisa — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: David Lean, Lawrence of Arabia

What Would Have Held Up: Lean, and maybe Mulligan

The Choice: A+

1961 – Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, West Side Story — * * * * * (5 stars)

Federico Fellini, La Dolce Vita — * * * * (4 stars)

Stanley Kramer, Judgment at Nuremberg — * * * * * (5 stars)

Robert Rossen, The Hustler — * * * * * (5 stars)

J. Lee Thompson, The Guns of Navarone — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, West Side Story

What Would Have Held Up: Wise + Robbins, Fellini, Kramer

The Choice: A

1960 – Billy Wilder, The Apartment — * * * * * (5 stars)

Jack Cardiff, Sons and Lovers — * * * * (4 stars)

Jules Dassin, Never on Sunday — * * * (3 stars)

Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho — * * * * * (5 stars)

Fred Zinnemann, The Sundowners — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Billy Wilder, The Apartment

What Would Have Held Up: Wilder, Hitchcock

The Choice: A-

1959 – William Wyler, Ben-Hur — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jack Clayton, Room at the Top — * * * * (4 stars)

George Stevens, The Diary of Anne Frank — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Billy Wilder, Some Like it Hot — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Fred Zinnemann, The Nun’s Story — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: William Wyler, Ben-Hur

What Would Have Held Up: Wyler, and also Wilder and Stevens

The Choice: A/A+

1958 – Vincente Minnelli, Gigi — * * * * (4 stars)

Richard Brooks, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Stanley Kramer, The Defiant Ones — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Mark Robson, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Robert Wise, I Want to Live! — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Stanley Kramer, The Defiant Ones

What Would Have Held Up: Kramer, somewhat Minnelli. Possibly Brooks

The Choice: C

1957 – David Lean, The Bridge on the River Kwai — * * * * * (5 stars)

Joshua Logan, Sayonara — * * * * (4 stars)

Sidney Lumet, 12 Angry Men — * * * * * (5 stars)

Mark Robson, Peyton Place — * * * * (4 stars)

Billy Wilder, Witness for the Prosecution — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: David Lean, The Bridge on the River Kwai

What Would Have Held Up: Lean, Lumet

The Choice: A-/A

1956 – George Stevens, Giant — * * * * * (5 stars)

Michael Anderson, Around the World in 80 Days — * * * * (4 stars)

Walter Long, The King and I — * * * * (4 stars)

King Vidor, War and Peace — * * * * (4 stars)

William Wyler, Friendly Persuasion — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: George Stevens, Giant

What Would Have Held Up: Stevens. Possibly Anderson

The Choice: A-

1955 – Delbert Mann, Marty — * * * * * (5 stars)

Elia Kazan, East of Eden — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

David Lean, Summertime — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Joshua Logan, Picnic — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

John Sturges, Bad Day at Black Rock — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: John Sturges, Bad Day at Black Rock

What Would Have Held Up: Kazan. Somewhat Mann. Maybe Sturges

The Choice: C+

1954 – Elia Kazan, On the Waterfront — * * * * * (5 stars)

Alfred Hitchcock, Rear Window — * * * * * (5 stars)

George Seaton, The Country Girl — * * * * (4 stars)

William A. Wellman, The High and the Mighty — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Billy Wilder, Sabrina — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Elia Kazan, On the Waterfront

What Would Have Held Up: Kazan, Hitchcock

The Choice: A

1953 – Fred Zinnemann, From Here to Eternity — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

George Stevens, Shane — * * * * (4 stars)

Charles Walters, Lili — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Billy Wilder, Stalag 17 — * * * * * (5 stars)

William Wyler, Roman Holiday — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: William Wyler, Roman Holiday

What Would Have Held Up: Zinnemann, Wyler

The Choice: A-

1952 – John Ford, The Quiet Man — * * * * * (5 stars)

Cecil B. DeMille, The Greatest Show on Earth — * * * * (4 stars)

John Huston, Moulin Rouge — * * * * (4 stars)

Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 5 Fingers — * * * * (4 stars)

Fred Zinnemann, High Noon — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: John Ford, The Quiet Man

What Would Have Held Up: Ford, Zinnemann

The Choice: A/A-

1951 – George Stevens, A Place in the Sun — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

John Huston, The African Queen — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Elia Kazan, A Streetcar Named Desire — * * * * * (5 stars)

Vincente Minnelli, An American in Paris — * * * * (4 stars)

William Wyler, Detective Story — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: George Stevens, A Place in the Sun

What Would Have Held Up: Stevens, Kazan, maybe Huston

The Choice: A-

1950 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, All About Eve — * * * * * (5 stars)

George Cukor, Born Yesterday — * * * * (4 stars)

John Huston, The Asphalt Jungle — * * * * (4 stars)

Carol Reed, The Third Man — * * * * * (5 stars)

Billy Wilder, Sunset Boulevard — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Carol Reed, The Third Man

What Would Have Held Up: Reed, Wilder. To an extent Mankiewicz.

The Choice: B/B+

1949 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, A Letter to Three Wives — * * * * (4 stars)

Carol Reed, The Fallen Idol — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Robert Rossen, All the King’s Men — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

William A. Wellman, Battleground — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

William Wyler, The Heiress — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Carol Reed, The Fallen Idol

What Would Have Held Up: Reed, maybe Wellman, maybe Wyler, maybe Rossen.

The Choice: C-

1948 – John Huston, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre — * * * * * (5 stars)

Anatole Litvak, The Snake Pit — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Jean Negulesco, Johnny Belinda — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Laurence Olivier, Hamlet — * * * * (4 stars)

Fred Zinnemann, The Search — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: John Huston, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

What Would Have Held Up: Huston

The Choice: A+

1947 – Elia Kazan, Gentleman’s Agreement — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

George Cukor, A Double Life — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Edward Dmytryk, Crossfire — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Henry Koster, The Bishop’s Wife — * * * * (4 stars)

David Lean, Great Expectations — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Elia Kazan, Gentleman’s Agreement

What Would Have Held Up: Kazan

The Choice: B/B+

1946 – William Wyler, The Best Years of Our Lives — * * * * * (5 stars)

Clarence Brown, The Yearling — * * * * (4 stars)

Frank Capra, It’s a Wonderful Life — * * * * * (5 stars)

David Lean, Brief Encounter — * * * * * (5 stars)

Robert Siodmak, The Killers — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Frank Capra, It’s a Wonderful Life

What Would Have Held Up: Wyler, Capra

The Choice: A

1945 – Billy Wilder, The Lost Weekend — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Clarence Brown, National Velvet — * * * * * (5 stars)

Alfred Hitchcock, Spellbound — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Leo McCarey, The Bells of St. Mary’s — * * * * (4 stars)

Jean Renoir, The Southerner — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Billy Wilder, The Lost Weekend

What Would Have Held Up: Wilder

The Choice: B+

1944 – Leo McCarey, Going My Way — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Alfred Hitchcock, Lifeboat — * * * * (4 stars)

Henry King, Wilson — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Otto Preminger, Laura — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Billy Wilder, Double Indemnity — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Alfred Hitchcock, Lifeboat

What Would Have Held Up: Hitchcock. Wilder. To an extent McCarey

The Choice: C

1943 – Michael Curtiz, Casablanca — * * * * * (5 stars)

Clarence Brown, The Human Comedy — * * * * (4 stars)

Henry King, The Song of Bernadette — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Ernst Lubitsch, Heaven Can Wait — * * * * (4 stars)

George Stevens, The More the Merrier — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Michael Curtiz, Casablanca

What Would Have Held Up: Curtiz

The Choice: A

1942 – William Wyler, Mrs. Miniver — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Michael Curtiz, Yankee Doodle Dandy — * * * * * (5 stars)

John Farrow, Wake Island — * * * * (4 stars)

Mervyn LeRoy, Random Harvest — * * * * * (5 stars)

Sam Wood, Kings Row — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Mervyn LeRoy, Random Harvest

What Would Have Held Up: Wyler. Maybe Curtiz.

The Choice: B+

1941 – John Ford, How Green Was My Valley — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Alexander Hall, Here Comes Mr. Jordan — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Howard Hawks, Sergeant York — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Orson Welles, Citizen Kane — * * * * * (5 stars)

William Wyler, The Little Foxes — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Orson Welles, Citizen Kane

What Would Have Held Up: Welles. And on its own, Ford. But not over Welles.

The Choice: B/B+

1940 – John Ford, The Grapes of Wrath — * * * * * (5 stars)

George Cukor, The Philadelphia Story — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Alfred Hitchcock, Rebecca — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Sam Wood, Kitty Foyle — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

William Wyler, The Letter — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: John Ford, The Grapes of Wrath

What Would Have Held Up: Ford

The Choice: A

1939 – Victor Fleming, Gone With the Wind — * * * * * (5 stars)

Frank Capra, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — * * * * * (5 stars)

John Ford, Stagecoach — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Sam Wood, Goodbye, Mr. Chips — * * * * (4 stars)

William Wyler, Wuthering Heights — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Victor Fleming, Gone With the Wind

What Would Have Held Up: Fleming. And to an extent, Capra or Ford

The Choice: A+

1938 – Frank Capra, You Can’t Take it With You — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Michael Curtiz, Angels with Dirty Faces — * * * * (4 stars)

Michael Curtiz, Four Daughters — * * * (3 stars)

Norman Taurog, Boys Town — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

King Vidor, The Citadel — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Frank Capra, You Can’t Take It With You

What Would Have Held Up: Capra, maybe Curtiz

The Choice: B/B-

1937 – Leo McCarey, The Awful Truth — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

William Dieterle, The Life of Emile Zola — * * * * (4 stars)

Sidney Franklin, The Good Earth — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Gregory La Cava, Stage Door — * * * * (4 stars)

William A. Wellman, A Star is Born — * * * * * (5 starS)

My Vote: Leo McCarey, The Awful Truth

What Would Have Held Up: McCarey somewhat. Wellman probably.

The Choice: B-

1936 – Frank Capra, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Gregory La Cava, My Man Godfrey — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Robert Z. Leonard, The Great Ziegfeld — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

W. S. Van Dyke, San Francisco — * * * * (4 stars)

William Wyler, Dodsworth — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Robert Z. Leonard, The Great Ziegfeld

What Would Have Held Up: Honestly, any of them could. Capra somewhat has. Leonard and Van Dyke also seem good. But even Wyler and La Cava could have

The Choice: C+

1935 – John Ford, The Informer — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Henry Hathaway, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer — * * * (3 stars)

Frank Lloyd, Mutiny on the Bounty — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: John Ford, The Informer

What Would Have Held Up: Ford, Lloyd

The Choice: B+

1934 – Frank Capra, It Happened One Night — * * * * * (5 stars)

Victor Schertzinger, One Night of Love — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

W. S. Van Dyke, The Thin Man — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Frank Capra, It Happened One Night

What Would Have Held Up: Capra, and maybe Van Dyke

The Choice: A-

1932- 1933 – Frank Lloyd, Cavalcade — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Frank Capra, Lady for a Day — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

George Cukor, Little Women — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Frank Lloyd, Cavalcade

What Would Have Held Up: Not sure this one matters. I guess any of them.

The Choice: C-

1931-1932 – Frank Borzage, Bad Girl — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

King Vidor, The Champ — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Josef von Sternberg, Shanghai Express — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Frank Borzage, Bad Girl

What Would Have Held Up: Honestly, probably any of these

The Choice: B

1930-1931 – Norman Taurog, Skippy — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Clarence Brown, A Free Soul — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Lewis Milestone, The Front Page — * * * * (4 stars)

Wesley Ruggles Cimarron — * * * * (4 stars)

Josef von Sternberg, Morocco — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Norman Taurog, Skippy

What Would Have Held Up: Taurog, von Sternberg maybe, Ruggles probably, and Milestone probably

The Choice: B/B+

1929-1930 – Lewis Milestone, All Quiet on the Western Front — * * * * * (5 stars)

Clarence Brown, Anna Christie — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Clarence Brown, Romance — * * * (3 stars)

Robert Z. Leonard, The Divorcée — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Ernst Lubitsch, The Love Parade — * * * * (4 stars)

King Vidor, Hallelujah — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Lewis Milestone, All Quiet on the Western Front

What Would Have Held Up: Milestone

The Choice: A+

1928-1929 – Frank Lloyd, The Divine Lady — * * * (3 stars)

Lionel Barrymore, Madame X — * * * (3 stars)

Harry Beaumont, The Broadway Melody — * * * (3 stars)

Irving Cummings, In Old Arizona — * * * (3 stars)

Frank Lloyd, Drag — N/A (have not seen yet)

Frank Lloyd, Weary River — * * * (3 stars)

Ernst Lubitsch, The Patriot — LOST

My Vote: Frank Lloyd, Weary River

What Would Have Held Up: Any, all. Who knows. Anything sound seems like a good choice.

The Choice: C

1927-1928, Comedy – Lewis Milestone, Two Arabian Nights — * * * (3 stars)

Ted Wilde, Speedy — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Lewis Milestone, Two Arabian Knights

What Would Have Held Up: Milestone, Wilde. Go nuts.

The Choice: B

1927-1928, Dramatic – Frank Borzage, Seventh Heaven — * * * * * (5 stars)

Herbert Brenon, Sorrell and Son — N/A (have not seen yet)

King Vidor, The Crowd — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Frank Borzage, Seventh Heaven

What Would Have Held Up: Borzage, Vidor

The Choice: A-

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The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Director)

May 25, 2017, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Picture)

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Director)

The way I’m ranking this category, as least in this current iteration: the rankings are about quality of the effort. I’ll vote for what I vote for, but the rankings are meant to reflect what I believe to be the best directorial efforts of the category, in order. Now, there may be some slight skewing on a few categories where my personal preference outweighs what may be objective criticism, but I promise those are limited.

Anyway, this is a compilation of my rankings for the Best Director categories:

(NOTE: A * means that’s what I voted for. A nominee that is underlined means that was the winner. Anything in RED is a film I haven’t seen.)

2016

Damien Chazelle, La La Land *
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

2015

Alejandro G. Inarritu, The Revenant *
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Lenny Abrahamson, Room
Adam McKay, The Big Short
Todd McCarthy, Spotlight

2014

Alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) *
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

2013

Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity *
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Alexander Payne, Nebraska

2012

Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild *
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Michael Haneke, Amour
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

2011

Martin Scorsese, Hugo *
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

2010

Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit *
David Fincher, The Social Network
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter

2009

Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker *
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
James Cameron, Avatar
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Lee Daniels, Precious

2008

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire *
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Stephen Daldry, The Reader

2007

Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood *
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Julien Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman, Juno

2006

Martin Scorsese, The Departed *
Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima
Paul Greengrass, United 93
Alejandro G. Inarritu, Babel
Stephen Frears, The Queen

2005

George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck. *
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Bennett Miller, Capote
Steven Spielberg, Munich
Paul Haggis, Crash

2004

Martin Scorsese, The Aviator *
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
Taylor Hackford, Ray
Mike Leigh, Vera Drake
Alexander Payne, Sideways

2003

Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King *
Peter Weir, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Fernando Meirelles, City of God
Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation
Clint Eastwood, Mystic River

2002

Roman Polanski, The Pianist *
Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York
Rob Marshall, Chicago
Stephen Daldry, The Hours
Pedro Almodovar, Talk to Her

2001

Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *
David Lynch, Mulholland Drive
Ridley Scott, Black Hawk Down
Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind
Robert Altman, Gosford Park

2000

Ridley Scott, Gladiator *
Steven Soderbergh, Traffic
Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Steven Soderbergh, Erin Brockovich
Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot

1999

Sam Mendes, American Beauty *
Michael Mann, The Insider
Spike Jonze, Being John Malkovich
M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense
Lasse Hallstrom, The Cider House Rules

1998

Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan *
Terrence Malick, The Thin Red Line
Peter Weir, The Truman Show
John Madden, Shakespeare in Love
Roberto Benigni, Life Is Beautiful

1997

James Cameron, Titanic *
Curtis Hanson, L.A. Confidential
Atom Egoyan, The Sweet Hereafter
Gus Van Sant, Good Will Hunting
Peter Cattaneo, The Full Monty

1996

Joel and Ethan Coen, Fargo *
Anthony Minghella, The English Patient
Milos Forman, The People vs. Larry Flynt
Scott Hicks, Shine
Mike Leigh, Secrets and Lies

1995

Mel Gibson, Braveheart *
Chris Noonan, Babe
Mike Figgis, Leaving Las Vegas
Tim Robbins, Dead Man Walking
Michael Radford, Il Postino

1994

Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump *
Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction
Robert Redford, Quiz Show
Krzysztof Kieslowski, Three Colors: Red
Woody Allen, Bullets Over Broadway

1993

Steven Spielberg, Schindler’s List *
Robert Altman, Short Cuts
Jane Campion, The Piano
Jim Sheridan, In the Name of the Father
James Ivory, The Remains of the Day

1992

Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven *
Robert Altman, The Player
Neil Jordan, The Crying Game
Martin Brest, Scent of a Woman
James Ivory, Howards End

1991

Jonathan Demme, The Silence of the Lambs *
Oliver Stone, JFK
John Singleton, Boyz N the Hood
Barry Levinson, Bugsy
Ridley Scott, Thelma and Louise

1990

Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas *
Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves
Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part III
Stephen Frears, The Grifters
Barbet Schroeder, Reversal of Fortune

1989

Oliver Stone, Born on the Fourth of July *
Kenneth Branagh, Henry V
Jim Sheridan, My Left Foot
Peter Weir, Dead Poet’s Society
Woody Allen, Crimes and Misdemeanors

1988

Martin Scorsese, The Last Temptation of Christ
Barry Levinson, Rain Man *
Alan Parker, Mississippi Burning
Charles Crichton, A Fish Called Wanda
Mike Nichols, Working Girl

1987

Bernardo Bertolucci, The Last Emperor *
John Boorman, Hope and Glory
Adrian Lyne, Fatal Attraction
Lasse Hallstrom, My Life as a Dog
Norman Jewison, Moonstruck

1986

Oliver Stone, Platoon *
David Lynch, Blue Velvet
Roland Joffe, The Mission
James Ivory, A Room with a View
Woody Allen, Hannah and Her Sisters

1985

Akira Kurosawa, Ran
Sydney Pollack, Out of Africa *
Peter Weir, Witness
John Huston, Prizzi’s Honor
Hector Babenco, Kiss of the Spider Woman

1984

Milos Forman, Amadeus *
Roland Joffe, The Killing Fields
David Lean, A Passage to India
Robert Benton, Places in the Heart
Woody Allen, Broadway Danny Rose

1983

Ingmar Bergman, Fanny and Alexander
James L. Brooks, Terms of Endearment *
Mike Nichols, Silkwood
Bruce Beresford, Tender Mercies
Peter Yates, The Dresser

1982

Wolfgang Petersen, Das Boot *
Steven Spielberg, E.T the Extra-Terrestrial
Richard Attenborough, Gandhi
Sidney Lumet, The Verdict
Sydney Pollack, Tootsie

1981

Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark *
Warren Beatty, Reds
Hugh Hudson, Chariots of Fire
Louis Malle, Atlantic City
Mark Rydell, On Golden Pond

1980

Martin Scorsese, Raging Bull *
Richard Rush, The Stunt Man
David Lynch, The Elephant Man
Robert Redford, Ordinary People
Roman Polanski, Tess

1979

Francis Ford Coppola, Apocalypse Now *
Bob Fosse, All That Jazz
Peter Yates, Breaking Away
Robert Benton, Kramer vs. Kramer
Edouard Molinaro, La Cage aux Folles

1978

Michael Cimino, The Deer Hunter *
Alan Parker, Midnight Express
Hal Ashby, Coming Home
Warren Beatty & Buck Henry, Heaven Can Wait
Woody Allen, Interiors

1977

George Lucas, Star Wars
Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Woody Allen, Annie Hall *
Fred Zinnemann, Julia
Herbert Ross, The Turning Point

1976

John G. Avildsen, Rocky *
Alan Pakula, All the President’s Men
Sidney Lumet, Network
Lina Wertmuller, Seven Beauties
Ingmar Bergman, Face to Face

1975

Sidney Lumet, Dog Day Afternoon *
Robert Atlman, Nashville
Stanley Kubrick, Barry Lyndon
Milos Forman, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Federico Fellini, Amarcord

1974

Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part II *
Roman Polanski, Chinatown
Bob Fosse, Lenny
John Cassavetes, A Woman Under the Influence
François Truffaut, Day for Night

1973

William Friedkin, The Exorcist
George Roy Hill, The Sting *
George Lucas, American Graffiti
Bernardo Bertolucci, Last Tango in Paris
Ingmar Bergman, Cries and Whispers

1972

Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather *
Bob Fosse, Cabaret
John Boorman, Deliverance
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Sleuth
Jan Troell, The Emigrants

1971

William Friedkin, The French Connection *
Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange
Peter Bogdanovich, The Last Picture Show
Norman Jewison, Fiddler on the Roof
John Schlesinger, Sunday Bloody Sunday

1970

Franklin J. Schaffner, Patton *
Robert Altman, MASH
Arthur Hiller, Love Story
Ken Russell, Women in Love
Federico Fellini, Satyricon

1969

George Roy Hill, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid *
John Schlesinger, Midnight Cowboy
Sydney Pollack, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Costa-Gavras, Z
Arthur Penn, Alice’s Restaurant

1968

Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey *
Gillo Pontecorvo, The Battle of Algiers
Carol Reed, Oliver!
Anthony Harvey, The Lion in Winter
Franco Zeffirrelli, Romeo and Juliet

1967

Mike Nichols, The Graduate *
Arthur Penn, Bonnie and Clyde
Richard Brooks, In Cold Blood
Norman Jewison, In the Heat of the Night
Stanley Kramer, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

1966

Mike Nichols, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? *
Michelangelo Antonioni, Blowup
Claude Lelouch, A Man and a Woman
Richard Brooks, The Professionals
Fred Zinnemann, A Man for All Seasons

1965

Hiroshi Teshigahara, Woman in the Dunes *
Robert Wise, The Sound of Music
David Lean, Doctor Zhivago
John Schlesinger, Darling
William Wyler, The Collector

1964

Stanley Kubrick, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb *
Michael Cacoyannis, Zorba the Greek
Robert Stevenson, Mary Poppins
George Cukor, My Fair Lady
Peter Glenville, Becket

1963

Federico Fellini, 8½ *
Elia Kazan, America, America
Martin Ritt, Hud
Tony Richardson, Tom Jones
Otto Preminger, The Cardinal

1962

David Lean, Lawrence of Arabia *
Robert Mulligan, To Kill a Mockingbird
Arthur Penn, The Miracle Worker
Frank Perry, David and Lisa
Pietro Germi, Divorce, Italian Style

1961

Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, West Side Story *
Federico Fellini, La Dolce Vita
Stanley Kramer, Judgment at Nuremberg
Robert Rossen, The Hustler
J. Lee Thompson, The Guns of Navarone

1960

Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho
Billy Wilder, The Apartment *
Fred Zinnemann, The Sundowners
Jack Cardiff, Sons and Lovers
Jules Dassin, Never on Sunday

1959

William Wyler, Ben-Hur *
George Stevens, The Diary of Anne Frank
Jack Clayton, Room at the Top
Billy Wilder, Some Like It Hot
Fred Zinnemann, The Nun’s Story

1958

Stanley Kramer, The Defiant Ones *
Vincente Minnelli, Gigi
Robert Wise, I Want to Live!
Richard Brooks, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Mark Robson, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

1957

David Lean, The Bridge on the River Kwai *
Sidney Lumet, 12 Angry Men
Joshua Logan, Sayonara
Billy Wilder, Witness for the Prosecution
Mark Robson, Peyton Place

1956

George Stevens, Giant *
Michael Anderson, Around the World in 80 Days
Walter Lang, The King and I
King Vidor, War and Peace
William Wyler, Friendly Persuasion

1955

John Sturges, Bad Day at Black Rock *
Elia Kazan, East of Eden
David Lean, Summertime
Delbert Mann, Marty
Joshua Logan, Picnic

1954

Alfred Hitchcock, Rear Window
Elia Kazan, On the Waterfront *
Billy Wilder, Sabrina
William Wellman, The High and the Mighty
George Seaton, The Country Girl

1953

Fred Zinnemann, From Here to Eternity
William Wyler, Roman Holiday *
Billy Wilder, Stalag 17
George Stevens, Shane
Charles Walters, Lili

1952

John Ford, The Quiet Man *
Fred Zinnemann, High Noon
John Huston, Moulin Rouge
Cecil B. DeMille, The Greatest Show on Earth
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 5 Fingers

1951

George Stevens, A Place in the Sun *
Elia Kazan, A Streetcar Named Desire
John Huston, The African Queen
Vincente Minnelli, An American in Paris
William Wyler, Detective Story

1950

Carol Reed, The Third Man *
Billy Wilder, Sunset Boulevard
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, All About Eve
John Huston, The Asphalt Jungle
George Cukor, Born Yesterday

1949

Carol Reed, The Fallen Idol *
William Wellman, Battleground
Robert Rossen, All the King’s Men
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, A Letter to Three Wives
William Wyler, The Heiress

1948

John Huston, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre *
Laurence Olivier, Hamlet
Jean Negulesco, Johnny Belinda
Fred Zinnemann, The Search
Anatole Litvak, The Snake Pit

1947

Elia Kazan, Gentleman’s Agreement *
David Lean, Great Expectations
George Cukor, A Double Life
Edward Dmytryk, Crossfire
Henry Koster, The Bishop’s Wife

1946

William Wyler, The Best Years of Our Lives
Frank Capra, It’s a Wonderful Life *
David Lean, Brief Encounter
Clarence Brown, The Yearling
Robert Siodmak, The Killers

1945

Billy Wilder, The Lost Weekend *
Clarence Brown, National Velvet
Alfred Hitchcock, Spellbound
Jean Renoir, The Southerner
Leo McCarey, The Bells of St. Mary’s

1944

Alfred Hitchcock, Lifeboat *
Billy Wilder, Double Indemnity
Leo McCarey, Going My Way
Otto Preminger, Laura
Henry King, Wilson

1943

Michael Curtiz, Casablanca *
Ernst Lubitsch, Heaven Can Wait
Clarence Brown, The Human Comedy
George Stevens, The More the Merrier
Henry King, The Song of Bernadette

1942

William Wyler, Mrs. Miniver
Mervyn LeRoy, Random Harvest *
John Farrow, Wake Island
Michael Curtiz, Yankee Doodle Dandy
Sam Wood, Kings Row

1941

Orson Welles, Citizen Kane *
John Ford, How Green Was My Valley
Howard Hawks, Sergeant York
Alexander Hall, Here Comes Mr. Jordan
William Wyler, The Little Foxes

1940

John Ford, The Grapes of Wrath *
Alfred Hitchcock, Rebecca
George Cukor, The Philadelphia Story
William Wyler, The Letter
Sam Wood, Kitty Foyle

1939

Victor Fleming, Gone With the Wind *
John Ford, Stagecoach
Frank Capra, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
William Wyler, Wuthering Heights
Sam Wood, Goodbye, Mr. Chips

1938

Frank Capra, You Can’t Take It With You *
Michael Curtiz, Angels with Dirty Faces
Norman Taurog, Boys Town
King Vidor, The Citadel
Michael Curtiz, Four Daughters

1937

Leo McCarey, The Awful Truth *
William Wellman, A Star Is Born
Sidney Franklin, The Good Earth
William Dieterle, The Life of Emile Zola
Gregory La Cava, Stage Door

1936

Robert Z. Leonard, The Great Ziegfeld *
W.S. Van Dyke, San Francisco
William Wyler, Dodsworth
Frank Capra, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Gregory La Cava, My Man Godfrey

1935

John Ford, The Informer *
Frank Lloyd, Mutiny on the Bounty
Henry Hathaway, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer

1934

Frank Capra, It Happened One Night *
W.S. Van Dyke, The Thin Man
Victor Schertzinger, One Night of Love

1932-1933

Frank Lloyd, Cavalcade *
George Cukor, Little Women
Frank Capra, Lady for a Day

1931-1932

Frank Borzage, Bad Girl *
King Vidor, The Champ
Josef von Sternberg, Shanghai Express

1930-1931

Norman Taurog, Skippy *
Wesley Ruggles, Cimarron
Lewis Milestone, The Front Page
Josef von Sternberg, Morocco
Clarence Brown, A Free Soul

1929-1930

Lewis Milestone, All Quiet on the Western Front *
King Vidor, Hallelujah
Ernst Lubitsch, The Love Parade
Robert Z. Leonard, The Divorcée
Clarence Brown, Anna Christie
Clarence Brown, Romance

1928-1929

Frank Lloyd, Weary River *
Irving Cummings, In Old Arizona
Harry Beaumont, The Broadway Melody
Frank Lloyd, The Divine Lady
Lionel Barrymore, Madame X
Frank Lloyd, Drag
Ernst Lubitsch, The Patriot (LOST)

1927-1928

Dramatic:

King Vidor, The Crowd
Frank Borzage, Seventh Heaven *
Herbert Brenon, Sorrell and Son

Comedy:

Lewis Milestone, Two Arabian Knights *
Ted Wilde, Speedy

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The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Picture)

May 26, 2017, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Picture)

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Director)

Here’s Best Picture:

2016 – Moonlight –– * * * * * (5 stars)

Arrival — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Fences — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Hacksaw Ridge — * * * * (4 stars)

Hell or High Water — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Hidden Figures — * * * * (4 stars)

La La Land — * * * * * (5 stars)

Lion — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Manchester by the Sea — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: La La Land

What Would Have Held Up: N/A (yet)

The Choice: A-

2015 – Spotlight — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Big Short — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Bridge of Spies — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Brooklyn — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Mad Max: Fury Road — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Martian — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Revenant — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Room — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: The Revenant

What Would Have Held Up: N/A (yet)

The Choice: B+

2014 – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

American Sniper — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Boyhood — * * * * (4 stars)

The Grand Budapest Hotel — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Imitation Game — * * * * (4 stars)

Selma — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Theory of Everything — * * * * (4 stars)

Whiplash — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

What Would Have Held Up: N/A (yet)

The Choice: B+

2013 – 12 Years a Slave — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

American Hustle — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Captain Phillips — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Dallas Buyers Club — * * * * (4 stars)

Gravity — * * * * * (5 stars)

Her — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Nebraska — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Philomena — * * * * (4 stars)

The Wolf of Wall Street — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Gravity

What Would Have Held Up: N/A (yet)

The Choice: A

2012 – Argo — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Amour — * * * * (4 stars)

Beasts of the Southern Wild — * * * * (4 stars)

Django Unchained — * * * * * (5 stars)

Les Misérables — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Life of Pi — * * * * (4 stars)

Lincoln — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Silver Linings Playbook — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Zero Dark Thirty — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Django Unchained

What Would Have Held Up: Argo, Lincoln

The Choice: B/B+

2011 – The Artist — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Descendants — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Help — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Hugo — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Midnight in Paris — * * * * (4 stars)

Moneyball — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Tree of Life — * * * * (4 stars)

War Horse — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Artist

What Would Have Held Up: If any, maybe The Descendants, possibly Hugo, possibly Tree of Life. Jury’s still out on The Artist

The Choice: B

2010 – The King’s Speech — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

127 Hours — * * * * (4 stars)

Black Swan — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Fighter — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Inception — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Kids Are All Right — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Social Network — * * * * * (5 stars)

Toy Story 3 — * * * * * (5 stars)

True Grit — * * * * * (5 stars)

Winter’s Bone — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: True Grit

What Would Have Held Up: The King’s Speech, The Social Network, maybe Black Swan, maybe True Grit

The Choice: B+

2009 – The Hurt Locker — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Avatar — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Blind Side — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

District 9 — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

An Education — * * * * (4 stars)

Inglourious Basterds — * * * * * (5 stars)

Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

A Serious Man — * * * * (4 stars)

Up — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Up in the Air — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Inglourious Basterds

What Would Have Held Up: The Hurt Locker

The Choice: A-

2008 – Slumdog Millionaire — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Frost/Nixon — * * * * (4 stars)

Milk — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Reader — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Slumdog Millionaire

What Would Have Held Up: Slumdog Millionaire, probably Benjamin Button, maybe Milk

The Choice: B+

2007 – No Country for Old Men — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Atonement — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Juno — * * * * (4 stars)

Michael Clayton — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

There Will Be Blood — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: There Will Be Blood

What Would Have Held Up: No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood

The Choice: A-

2006 – The Departed — * * * * * (5 stars)

Babel — * * * * (4 stars)

Letters from Iwo Jima — * * * * (4 stars)

Little Miss Sunshine — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Queen — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Departed

What Would Have Held Up: The Departed, maybe Letters from Iwo Jima, possibly Babel

The Choice: B+

2005 – Crash — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Brokeback Mountain — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Capote — * * * * (4 stars)

Good Night, and Good Luck — * * * * * (5 stars)

Munich — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Good Night, and Good Luck

What Would Have Held Up: Brokeback Mountain, Good Night and Good Luck

The Choice: F

2004 – Million Dollar Baby — * * * * (4 stars)

The Aviator — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Finding Neverland — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Ray — * * * * (4 stars)

Sideways — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: The Aviator

What Would Have Held Up: If any, maybe The Aviator. Jury’s out on Million Dollar Baby

The Choice: B-

2003– The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King — * * * * * (5 stars)

Lost in Translation — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World — * * * * (4 stars)

Mystic River — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Seabiscuit — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

What Would Have Held Up: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Choice: A

2002 – Chicago — * * * * (4 stars)

Gangs of New York — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Hours — * * * * (4 stars)

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Pianist — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Gangs of New York

What Would Have Held Up: The Pianist (maybe Two Towers, maybe Gangs)

The Choice: C

2001 – A Beautiful Mind — * * * * (4 stars)

Gosford Park — * * * * (4 stars)

In the Bedroom — * * * * (4 stars)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — * * * * * (5 stars)

Moulin Rouge! — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

What Would Have Held Up: Fellowship

The Choice: D

2000 – Gladiator — * * * * * (5 stars)

Chocolat — * * * * (4 stars)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — * * * * (4 stars)

Erin Brockovich — * * * * (4 stars)

Traffic — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Gladiator

What Would Have Held Up: Gladiator, Traffic

The Choice: B/B+

1999 – American Beauty — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Cider House Rules — * * * * (4 stars)

The Green Mile — * * * * (4 stars)

The Insider — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Sixth Sense — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: American Beauty

What Would Have Held Up: American Beauty

The Choice: B+/B

1998 – Shakespeare in Love — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Elizabeth — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Life Is Beautiful — * * * * (4 stars)

Saving Private Ryan — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Thin Red Line — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Saving Private Ryan

What Would Have Held Up: Saving Private Ryan, Shakespeare in Love

The Choice: B

1997 – Titanic — * * * * * (5 stars)

As Good as It Gets — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Full Monty — * * * * (4 stars)

Good Will Hunting — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

L.A. Confidential — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: L.A. Confidential

What Would Have Held Up: Titanic

The Choice: A

1996 – The English Patient — * * * * (4 stars)

Fargo — * * * * * (5 stars)

Jerry Maguire — * * * * * (5 stars)

Shine — * * * * (4 stars)

Secrets & Lies — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Fargo

What Would Have Held Up: Fargo, and I guess The English Patient

The Choice: B/B+

1995 – Braveheart — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Apollo 13 — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Babe — * * * * (4 stars)

Il Postino — * * * (3 stars)

Sense and Sensibility — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Apollo 13

What Would Have Held Up: Braveheart, and probably Apollo 13

The Choice: B+

1994 – Forrest Gump — * * * * * (5 stars)

Four Weddings and a Funeral — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Pulp Fiction — * * * * * (5 stars)

Quiz Show — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Shawshank Redemption — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Forrest Gump

What Would Have Held Up: Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption

The Choice: A

1993 – Schindler’s List — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Fugitive — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

In the Name of the Father — * * * * (4 stars)

The Piano — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Remains of the Day — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Schindler’s List

What Would Have Held Up: Schindler’s List

The Choice: A+

1992 – Unforgiven — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Crying Game — * * * * (4 stars)

A Few Good Men — * * * * * (5 stars)

Howards End — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Scent of a Woman — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Unforgiven

What Would Have Held Up: Unforgiven

The Choice: A

1991 – The Silence of the Lambs — * * * * * (5 stars)

Beauty and the Beast — * * * * * (5 stars)

Bugsy — * * * * (4 stars)

JFK — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Prince of Tides — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: The Silence of the Lambs

What Would Have Held Up: The Silence of the Lambs

The Choice: A-

1990 – Dances with Wolves — * * * * (4 stars)

Awakenings — * * * * (4 stars)

Ghost — * * * * (4 stars)

The Godfather Part III — * * * * (4 stars)

Goodfellas — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Goodfellas

What Would Have Held Up: Goodfellas, and Dances with Wolves (for the most part)

The Choice: B-

1989 – Driving Miss Daisy — * * * * (4 stars)

Born on the Fourth of July — * * * * (4 stars)

Dead Poet’s Society — * * * * (4 stars)

Field of Dreams — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Left Foot — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Field of Dreams

What Would Have Held Up: That’s the question, isn’t it?

The Choice: C+

1988 – Rain Man — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Accidental Tourist — * * * (3 stars)

Dangerous Liaisons — * * * * (4 stars)

Mississippi Burning — * * * * (4 stars)

Working Girl — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Rain Man

What Would Have Held Up: Rain Man

The Choice: B

1987 – The Last Emperor — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Broadcast News — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Fatal Attraction — * * * * (4 stars)

Hope and Glory — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Moonstruck — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Last Emperor

What Would Have Held Up: The Last Emperor, possibly Broadcast News

The Choice: B/B+

1986 – Platoon — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Children of a Lesser God — * * * * (4 stars)

Hannah and Her Sisters — * * * (3 stars)

The Mission — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

A Room With a View — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Platoon

What Would Have Held Up: Platoon

The Choice: A-

1985 – Out of Africa — * * * * (4 stars)

The Color Purple — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Kiss of the Spider Woman — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Prizzi’s Honor — * * * * (4 stars)

Witness — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Color Purple

What Would Have Held Up: The Color Purple, Out of Africa

The Choice: B-/B

1984 – Amadeus — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Killing Fields — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

A Passage to India — * * * (3 stars)

Places in the Heart — * * * * (4 stars)

A Soldier’s Story — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Amadeus

What Would Have Held Up: Amadeus

The Choice: A

1983 – Terms of Endearment — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Big Chill — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Dresser — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Right Stuff — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Tender Mercies — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: The Right Stuff

What Would Have Held Up: If any, Terms of Endearment and The Right Stuff

The Choice: B-

1982 – Gandhi — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial — * * * * * (5 stars)

Missing — * * * * (4 stars)

Tootsie — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Verdict — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: The Verdict

What Would Have Held Up: Gandhi, E.T.

The Choice: B+/A-

1981 – Chariots of Fire — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Atlantic City — * * * * (4 stars)

On Golden Pond — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Raiders of the Lost Ark — * * * * * (5 stars)

Reds — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Raiders of the Lost Ark

What Would Have Held Up: That would spoil all the fun

The Choice: B-/C+

1980 – Ordinary People — * * * * (4 stars)

Coal Miner’s Daughter — * * * * (4 stars)

The Elephant Man — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Raging Bull — * * * * * (5 stars)

Tess — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

My Vote: Raging Bull

What Would Have Held Up: Raging Bull, possibly The Elephant Man, and to an extent Ordinary People

The Choice: B-

1979 – Kramer vs. Kramer — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

All That Jazz — * * * * * (5 stars)

Apocalypse Now — * * * * * (5 stars)

Breaking Away — * * * * (4 stars)

Norma Rae — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Apocalypse Now

What Would Have Held Up: Apocalypse Now, possibly All That Jazz, somewhat Kramer vs. Kramer

The Choice: B/B+

1978 – The Deer Hunter — * * * * * (5 stars)

Coming Home — * * * * (4 stars)

Heaven Can Wait — * * * * (4 stars)

Midnight Express — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

An Unmarried Woman — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Deer Hunter

What Would Have Held Up: The Deer Hunter. Possibly Midnight Express or Coming Home

The Choice: A-

1977 – Annie Hall — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Goodbye Girl — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Julia — * * * * (4 stars)

Star Wars — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Turning Point — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Star Wars

What Would Have Held Up: Annie Hall, Star Wars

The Choice: A-/B+

1976 – Rocky — * * * * * (5 stars)

All the President’s Men — * * * * * (5 stars)

Bound for Glory — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Network — * * * * * (5 stars)

Taxi Driver — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Rocky

What Would Have Held Up: All the President’s Men, Network, Rocky, and probably even Taxi Driver

The Choice: A-

1975 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — * * * * * (5 stars)

Barry Lyndon — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Dog Day Afternoon — * * * * * (5 stars)

Jaws — * * * * * (5 stars)

Nashville — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Dog Day Afternoon

What Would Have Held Up: Probably all of them.

The Choice: A-

1974 – The Godfather Part II — * * * * * (5 stars)

Chinatown — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Conversation — * * * * * (5 stars)

Lenny — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Towering Inferno — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Godfather Part II

What Would Have Held Up: The Godfather Part II, Chinatown

The Choice: A+

1973 – The Sting — * * * * * (5 stars)

American Graffiti — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Cries and Whispers — * * * (3 stars)

The Exorcist — * * * * * (5 stars)

A Touch of Class — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: The Sting

What Would Have Held Up: The Sting, and possibly The Exorcist or American Graffiti

The Choice: A-

1972 – The Godfather — * * * * * (5 stars)

Cabaret — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Deliverance — * * * * (4 stars)

The Emigrants — * * * (3 stars)

Sounder — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: The Godfather

What Would Have Held Up: The Godfather and maybe Cabaret

The Choice: A+

1971 – The French Connection — * * * * * (5 stars)

A Clockwork Orange — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Fiddler on the Roof — * * * * (4 stars)

The Last Picture Show — * * * * (4 stars)

Nicholas and Alexandra — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The French Connection

What Would Have Held Up: The French Connection, maybe The Last Picture Show

The Choice: A-

1970 – Patton — * * * * (4 stars)

Airport — * * * * (4 stars)

Five Easy Pieces — * * * * (4 stars)

Love Story — * * * * * (5 stars)

MASH — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: Love Story

What Would Have Held Up: Patton

The Choice: A-

1969 – Midnight Cowboy — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Anne of the Thousand Days — * * * * (4 stars)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid — * * * * * (5 stars)

Hello, Dolly! — * * * (3 stars)

Z — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

What Would Have Held Up: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Midnight Cowboy

The Choice: B+

1968 – Oliver! — * * * * (4 stars)

Funny Girl — * * * * (4 stars)

The Lion in Winter — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Rachel, Rachel — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Romeo and Juliet — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Lion in Winter

What Would Have Held Up: If any, The Lion in Winter. Oliver to an extent, I guess.

The Choice: C

1967 – In the Heat of the Night — * * * * (4 stars)

Bonnie and Clyde — * * * * * (5 stars)

Doctor Dolittle — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Graduate — * * * * * (5 stars)

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: The Graduate

What Would Have Held Up: Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, to an extent In the Heat of the Night, possibly Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

The Choice:

1966 – A Man for All Seasons — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Alfie — * * * * (4 stars)

The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming — * * * * (4 stars)

The Sand Pebbles — * * * * (4 stars)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

What Would Have Held Up: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and somewhat A Man for All Seasons

The Choice: B-

1965 – The Sound of Music — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Darling — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Doctor Zhivago — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Ship of Fools — * * * (3 stars)

A Thousand Clowns — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: The Sound of Music

What Would Have Held Up: The Sound of Music, Doctor Zhivago

The Choice: A-/A

1964 – My Fair Lady — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Becket — * * * * (4 stars)

Doctor Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb — * * * * * (5 stars)

Mary Poppins — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Zorba the Greek — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Doctor Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

What Would Have Held Up: My Fair Lady, maybe Mary Poppins and possibly even Dr. Strangelove

The Choice: B+

1963 – Tom Jones — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

America, America — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Cleopatra — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

How the West Was Won — * * * * * (5 stars)

Lilies of the Field — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: How the West Was Won

What Would Have Held Up: If any, Cleopatra or How the West Was Won

The Choice: D

1962 – Lawrence of Arabia — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Longest Day — * * * * (4 stars)

The Music Man — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Mutiny on the Bounty — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

To Kill a Mockingbird — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Lawrence of Arabia

What Would Have Held Up: Lawrence of Arabia, To Kill a Mockingbird

The Choice: A+

1961 – West Side Story — * * * * * (5 stars)

Fanny — * * * * (4 stars)

The Guns of Navarone — * * * * (4 stars)

The Hustler — * * * * * (5 stars)

Judgment at Nuremberg — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: West Side Story

What Would Have Held Up: West Side Story. Possibly Judgment at Nuremberg. Potentially The Hustler.

The Choice: A

1960 – The Apartment — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Alamo — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Elmer Gantry — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Sons and Lovers — * * * * (4 stars)

The Sundowners — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: The Apartment

What Would Have Held Up: The Apartment

The Choice: A

1959 – Ben-Hur — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Anatomy of a Murder — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Diary of Anne Frank — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Nun’s Story — * * * * (4 stars)

Room at the Top — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Anatomy of a Murder

What Would Have Held Up: Ben-Hur, maybe The Diary of Anne Frank, possibly Anatomy of a Murder

The Choice: A

1958 – Gigi — * * * * (4 stars)

Auntie Mame — * * * * (4 stars)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Defiant Ones — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Separate Tables — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: The Defiant Ones

What Would Have Held Up: If any, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or The Defiant Ones

The Choice: B-

1957 – The Bridge on the River Kwai — * * * * * (5 stars)

Peyton Place — * * * * (4 stars)

Sayonara — * * * * (4 stars)

12 Angry Men — * * * * * (5 stars)

Witness for the Prosecution — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: The Bridge on the River Kwai

What Would Have Held Up: The Bridge on the River Kwai, 12 Angry Men

The Choice: A-

1956 – Around the World in 80 Days — * * * * (4 stars)

Friendly Persuasion — * * * * (4 stars)

Giant — * * * * * (5 stars)

The King and I — * * * * (4 stars)

The Ten Commandments — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Giant

What Would Have Held Up: Around the World in 80 Days (somewhat), Giant, maybe The Ten Commandments

The Choice: C+

1955 – Marty — * * * * * (5 stars)

Love is a Many-Splendored Thing — * * * (3 stars)

Mister Roberts — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Picnic — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Rose Tattoo — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Marty

What Would Have Held Up: Marty, if any

The Choice: B+

1954 – On the Waterfront — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Caine Mutiny — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Country Girl — * * * * (4 stars)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Three Coins in the Fountain — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: On the Waterfront

What Would Have Held Up: On the Waterfront

The Choice: A

1953 – From Here to Eternity — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Julius Caesar — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Robe — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Roman Holiday — * * * * * (5 stars)

Shane — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Roman Holiday

What Would Have Held Up: From Here to Eternity, Roman Holiday

The Choice: B+/A-

1952 – The Greatest Show on Earth — * * * * (4 stars)

High Noon — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ivanhoe — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Moulin Rouge — * * * * (4 stars)

The Quiet Man — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: The Quiet Man

What Would Have Held Up: High Noon, The Quiet Man

The Choice: C

1951 – An American in Paris — * * * * (4 stars)

Decision Before Dawn — * * * * (4 stars)

A Place in the Sun — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Quo Vadis — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

A Streetcar Named Desire — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: A Streetcar Named Desire

What Would Have Held Up: A Place in the Sun, A Streetcar Named Desire

The Choice: D

1950 – All About Eve — * * * * * (5 stars)

Born Yesterday — * * * * (4 stars)

Father of the Bride — * * * * (4 stars)

King Solomon’s Mines — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Sunset Boulevard — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Sunset Boulevard

What Would Have Held Up: All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard

The Choice: A

1949 – All the King’s Men — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Battleground — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Heiress — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

A Letter to Three Wives — * * * * (4 stars)

Twelve O’Clock High — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Battleground

What Would Have Held Up: All the King’s Men, if any. Possibly The Heiress

The Choice: B

1948 – Hamlet — * * * * (4 stars)

Johnny Belinda — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Red Shoes — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Snake Pit — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

What Would Have Held Up: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, maybe The Red Shoes, Hamlet to an extent

The Choice: D

1947 – Gentleman’s Agreement — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Bishop’s Wife — * * * * (4 stars)

Crossfire — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Great Expectations — * * * * (4 stars)

Miracle on 34^th Street — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Gentleman’s Agreement

What Would Have Held Up: Gentleman’s Agreement, if any

The Choice: B+

1946 – The Best Years of Our Lives — * * * * * (5 stars)

Henry V — * * * * (4 stars)

It’s a Wonderful Life — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Razor’s Edge — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Yearling — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: It’s a Wonderful Life

What Would Have Held Up: The Best Years of Our Lives, It’s a Wonderful Life

The Choice: A

1945 – The Lost Weekend — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Anchors Aweigh — * * * * (4 stars)

The Bells of St. Mary’s — * * * * (4 stars)

Mildred Pierce — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Spellbound — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: The Lost Weekend

What Would Have Held Up: The Lost Weekend

The Choice: A-

1944 – Going My Way — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Double Indemnity — * * * * * (5 stars)

Gaslight — * * * * (4 stars)

Since You Went Away — * * * * (4 stars)

Wilson — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Double Indemnity

What Would Have Held Up: Double Indemnity, Going My Way

The Choice: B

1943 – Casablanca — * * * * * (5 stars)

For Whom the Bell Tolls — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Heaven Can Wait — * * * * (4 stars)

The Human Comedy — * * * * (4 stars)

In Which We Serve — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Madame Curie — * * * (3 stars)

The More the Merrier — * * * * (4 stars)

The Ox-Bow Incident — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Song of Bernadette — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Watch on the Rhine — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Casablanca

What Would Have Held Up: Casablanca. Potentially For Whom the Bell Tolls

The Choice: A+

1942 – Mrs. Miniver — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

49^th Parallel — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Kings Row — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Magnificent Ambersons — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Pied Piper — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Pride of the Yankees — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Random Harvest — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Talk of the Town — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Wake Island — * * * * (4 stars)

Yankee Doodle Dandy — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Random Harvest

What Would Have Held Up: Mrs. Miniver, maybe Yankee Doodle Dandy, Magnificent Ambersons, Random Harvest. Possibly Pride of the Yankees.

The Choice: B+/B

1941 – How Green Was My Valley — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Blossoms in the Dust — * * * * (4 stars)

Citizen Kane — * * * * * (5 stars)

Here Comes Mr. Jordan — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Hold Back the Dawn — * * * (3 stars)

The Little Foxes — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Maltese Falcon — * * * * * (5 stars)

One Foot in Heaven — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Sergeant York — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Suspicion — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Citizen Kane

What Would Have Held Up: Citizen Kane, somewhat How Green Was My Valley, maybe The Maltese Falcon, possibly Sergeant York

The Choice: B+ (Citizen Kane not winning is an F. How Green Was My Valley winning is a B+)

1940 – Rebecca — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

All This, and Heaven Too — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Foreign Correspondent — * * * * (4 stars)

The Grapes of Wrath — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Great Dictator — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Kitty Foyle — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Letter — * * * (3 stars)

The Long Voyage Home — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Our Town — * * * * (4 stars)

The Philadelphia Story — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: The Grapes of Wrath

What Would Have Held Up: The Grapes of Wrath, maybe The Great Dictator, somewhat Rebecca

The Choice: B

1939 – Gone With the Wind — * * * * * (5 stars)

Dark Victory — * * * * (4 stars)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips — * * * * (4 stars)

Love Affair — * * * * (4 stars)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — * * * * * (5 stars)

Ninotchka — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Of Mice and Men — * * * * (4 stars)

Stagecoach — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Wizard of Oz — * * * * * (5 stars)

Wuthering Heights — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Gone With the Wind

What Would Have Held Up: Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The Choice: A+

1938 – You Can’t Take It With You — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Adventures of Robin Hood — * * * * * (5 stars)

Alexander’s Ragtime Band — * * * (3 stars)

Boys Town — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Citadel — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Four Daughters — * * * (3 stars)

Grand Illusion — * * * * * (5 stars)

Jezebel — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Pygmalion — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Test Pilot — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

My Vote: Grand Illusion

What Would Have Held Up: The Adventures of Robin Hood, probably. Grand Illusion, I hope. And You Can’t Take It With You, somewhat.

The Choice: B/B+

1937 – The Life of Emile Zola — * * * * (4 stars)

The Awful Truth — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Captains Courageous — * * * * (4 stars)

Dead End — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Good Earth — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

In Old Chicago — * * * (3 stars)

Lost Horizon — * * * * (4 stars)

One Hundred Men and a Girl — * * * (3 stars)

Stage Door — * * * * (4 stars)

A Star is Born — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: A Star Is Born

What Would Have Held Up: A Star Is Born, and possibly Captains Courageous, The Awful Truth, The Good Earth and Lost Horizon. Don’t think Zola’s particularly held up at all.

The Choice: D

1936 – The Great Ziegfeld — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Anthony Adverse — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Dodsworth — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Libeled Lady — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Romeo and Juliet — * * * (3 stars)

San Francisco — * * * * (4 stars)

The Story of Louis Pasteur — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

A Tale of Two Cities — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

Three Smart Girls — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: Dodsworth

What Would Have Held Up: The Great Ziegfeld, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and I hope Dodsworth

The Choice: A-/B+

1935 – Mutiny on the Bounty — * * * * * (5 stars)

Alice Adams — * * * * (4 stars)

The Broadway Melody of 1936 — * * * (3 stars)

Captain Blood — * * * * (4 stars)

David Copperfield — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

The Informer — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer — * * * (3 stars)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream — * * * * (4 stars)

Les Misérables — * * * * (4 stars)

Naughty Marietta — * * * (3 stars)

Ruggles of Red Gap — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Top Hat — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Top Hat

What Would Have Held Up: Mutiny on the Bounty, maybe The Informer, possibly Top Hat

The Choice: A-

1934 – It Happened One Night — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Barretts of Wimpole Street — * * * * (4 stars)

Cleopatra — * * * * (4 stars)

Flirtation Walk — * * * (3 stars)

The Gay Divorcée — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Here Comes the Navy — * * * (3 stars)

The House of Rothschild — * * * (3 stars)

Imitation of Life — * * * * (4 stars)

One Night of Love — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

The Thin Man — * * * * * (5 stars)

Viva Villa! — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

The White Parade — * * * (3 stars)

My Vote: The Thin Man

What Would Have Held Up: It Happened One Night, and I’d like to think The Thin Man

The Choice: A

1932-1933 – Cavalcade — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

42^nd Street — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

A Farewell to Arms — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Lady for a Day — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Little Women — * * * * (4 stars)

The Private Life of Henry VIII — * * * (3 stars)

She Done Him Wrong — * * * (3 stars)

Smilin’ Through — * * * (3 stars)

State Fair — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

My Vote: I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

What Would Have Held Up: 42^nd Street, probably I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, maybe A Farewell to ARms

The Choice: C-

1931-1932 – Grand Hotel — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Arrowsmith — * * * (3 stars)

Bad Girl — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

The Champ — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Five Star Final — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

One Hour with You — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Shanghai Express — * * * (3 stars)

The Smiling Lieutenant — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Bad Girl

What Would Have Held Up: Grand Hotel, The Champ

The Choice: B+/A-

1930-1931 – Cimarron — * * * * (4 stars)

East Lynne — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

The Front Page — * * * * (4 stars)

Skippy — * * * * ½ (4.5 stars)

Trader Horn — * * ½ (2.5 stars)

My Vote: Skippy

What Would Have Held Up: If any, Cimarron, The Front Page

The Choice: Cimarron

1929-1930 – All Quiet on the Western Front — * * * * * (5 stars)

The Big House — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

Disraeli — * * * (3 stars)

The Divorcée — * * * ½ (3.5 stars)

The Love Parade — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: All Quiet on the Western Front

What Would Have Held Up: All Quiet on the Western Front

The Choice: A+

1928-1929 – The Broadway Melody — * * * (3 stars)

Alibi — * * * (3 stars)

The Hollywood Revue of 1929 — * * * (3 stars)

In Old Arizona — * * * (3 stars)

The Patriot — N/A (LOST)

My Vote: The Broadway Melody

What Would Have Held Up: Not sure it matters

The Choice: C

1927-1928 (Outstanding Picture, Production) – Wings — * * * * (4 stars)

The Racket — * * * (3 stars)

Seventh Heaven — * * * * * (5 stars)

My Vote: Seventh Heaven

What Would Have Held Up: Wings, Seventh Heaven

The Choice: A

1927-1928 (Unique or Artistic Production) – Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans — * * * * * (5 stars)

Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness — * * * (3 stars)

The Crowd — * * * * (4 stars)

My Vote: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

What Would Have Held Up: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, The Crowd

The Choice: A

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The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Picture)

May 26, 2017, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Supporting Actresses

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest: A Viewer’s Guide (Best Picture)

The way I’m ranking Best Picture this time is — for the most part, it’s about what films would have held up best as a Best Picture winner. That’s the idea. I’ll vote however I vote, but the rankings are gonna be based on how good of a choice each of the films is, regardless of how I feel about them. There may be some slight skewing on a few categories where my personal preference outweighs what may be objective criticism, but I promise those are limited.

Anyway, this is a compilation of my rankings for the Best Picture categories:

2016

Moonlight
La La Land *
Hell or High Water
Lion
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Manchester by the Sea
Hidden Figures
Fences

2015

The Revenant *
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
The Martian
Brooklyn
Room
Bridge of Spies

2014

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) *
Boyhood
Whiplash
The Grand Budapest Hotel
American Sniper
Selma
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything

2013

12 Years a Slave
Gravity *
Her
The Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle
Nebraska
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Philomena

2012

Lincoln
Argo
Django Unchained *
Zero Dark Thirty
Silver Linings Playbook
Les Misérables
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi

2011

The Artist *
Hugo
The Descendants
The Tree of Life
Moneyball
War Horse
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

2010

The Social Network *
The King’s Speech
True Grit
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
127 Hours
Toy Story 3
The Kids Are All Right
Winter’s Bone

2009

The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds *
Avatar
Up in the Air
Precious
Up
An Education
A Serious Man
District 9
The Blind Side

2008

Slumdog Millionaire *
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk
Frost/Nixon
The Reader

2007

There Will Be Blood *
No Country for Old Men
Michael Clayton
Atonement
Juno

2006

The Departed *
Letters from Iwo Jima
Babel
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

2005

Brokeback Mountain
Good Night, and Good Luck *
Munich
Capote
Crash

2004

The Aviator *
Million Dollar Baby
Ray
Sideways
Finding Neverland

2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King *
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit
Mystic River

2002

The Pianist
Gangs of New York *
Chicago
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Hours

2001

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *
A Beautiful Mind
Gosford Park
Moulin Rouge!
In the Bedroom

2000

Gladiator *
Traffic
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Erin Brockovich
Chocolat

1999

American Beauty *
The Insider
The Sixth Sense
The Cider House Rules
The Green Mile

1998

Saving Private Ryan *
Shakespeare in Love
Life Is Beautiful
The Thin Red Line
Elizabeth

1997

Titanic
L.A Confidential *
Good Will Hunting
As Good as It Gets
The Full Monty

1996

Fargo *
Jerry Maguire
The English Patient
Shine
Secrets & Lies

1995

Braveheart
Apollo 13 *
Sense and Sensibility
Babe
Il Postino

1994

Forrest Gump *
Pulp Fiction
The Shawshank Redemption
Quiz Show
Four Weddings and a Funeral

1993

Schindler’s List *
The Fugitive
The Piano
In the Name of the Father
The Remains of the Day

1992

Unforgiven *
A Few Good Men
Scent of a Woman
The Crying Game
Howards End

1991

The Silence of the Lambs *
JFK
Beauty and the Beast
Bugsy
The Prince of Tides

1990

Goodfellas *
Dances with Wolves
The Godfather Part III
Awakenings
Ghost

1989

Driving Miss Daisy
Born on the Fourth of July
Dead Poets Society
Field of Dreams *
My Left Foot

1988

Rain Man *
Mississippi Burning
Dangerous Liaisons
Working Girl
The Accidental Tourist

1987

The Last Emperor *
Broadcast News
Hope and Glory
Fatal Attraction
Moonstruck

1986

Platoon *
The Mission
Hannah and Her Sisters
Children of a Lesser God
A Room with a View

1985

The Color Purple *
Out of Africa
Prizzi’s Honor
Witness
Kiss of the Spider Woman

1984

Amadeus *
The Killing Fields
Places in the Heart
A Passage to India
A Soldier’s Story

1983

Terms of Endearment
The Right Stuff *
The Big Chill
Tender Mercies
The Dresser

1982

Gandhi
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Tootsie
The Verdict *
Missing

1981

Raiders of the Lost Ark *
Reds
Chariots of Fire
On Golden Pond
Atlantic City

1980

Raging Bull *
Ordinary People
The Elephant Man
Coal Miner’s Daughter
Tess

1979

Apocalypse Now *
All That Jazz
Kramer vs. Kramer
Breaking Away
Norma Rae

1978

The Deer Hunter *
Midnight Express
Coming Home
Heaven Can Wait
An Unmarried Woman

1977

Annie Hall
Star Wars *
Julia
The Goodbye Girl
The Turning Point

1976

Rocky *
All the President’s Men
Network
Taxi Driver
Bound for Glory

1975

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Nashville
Jaws
Dog Day Afternoon *
Barry Lyndon

1974

The Godfather Part II *
Chinatown
The Conversation
Lenny
The Towering Inferno

1973

The Sting *
The Exorcist
American Graffiti
A Touch of Class
Cries and Whispers

1972

The Godfather *
Cabaret
Deliverance
Sounder
The Emigrants

1971

The French Connection *
The Last Picture Show
A Clockwork Orange
Fiddler on the Roof
Nicholas and Alexandra

1970

Patton
Love Story *
Five Easy Pieces
MASH
Airport

1969

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid *
Midnight Cowboy
Z
Anne of the Thousand Days
Hello, Dolly!

1968

The Lion in Winter *
Romeo and Juliet
Oliver!
Funny Girl
Rachel, Rachel

1967

Bonnie and Clyde
The Graduate *
In the Heat of the Night
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Doctor Dolittle

1966

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? *
A Man for All Seasons
Alfie
The Sand Pebbles
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming

1965

The Sound of Music *
Doctor Zhivago
Darling
Ship of Fools
A Thousand Clowns

1964

My Fair Lady
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb *
Mary Poppins
Becket
Zorba the Greek

1963

America America
Cleopatra
How the West Was Won *
Tom Jones
Lilies of the Field

1962

Lawrence of Arabia *
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Longest Day
The Music Man
Mutiny on the Bounty

1961

West Side Story *
Judgment at Nuremberg
The Hustler
The Guns of Navarone
Fanny

1960

The Apartment *
The Sundowners
Elmer Gantry
The Alamo
Sons and Lovers

1959

Ben-Hur
The Diary of Anne Frank
Anatomy of a Murder *
Room at the Top
The Nun’s Story

1958

The Defiant Ones *
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Gigi
Separate Tables
Auntie Mame

1957

The Bridge on the River Kwai *
12 Angry Men
Witness for the Prosecution
Sayonara
Peyton Place

1956

Giant *
Around the World in 80 Days
The Ten Commandments
The King and I
Friendly Persuasion

1955

Marty *
Mister Roberts
Picnic
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
The Rose Tattoo

1954

On the Waterfront *
The Caine Mutiny
The Country Girl
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Three Coins in the Fountain

1953

From Here to Eternity
Roman Holiday *
Shane
Julius Caesar
The Robe

1952

The Quiet Man *
High Noon
Moulin Rouge
The Greatest Show on Earth
Ivanhoe

1951

A Streetcar Named Desire *
A Place in the Sun
An American in Paris
Decision Before Dawn
Quo Vadis

1950

All About Eve
Sunset Boulevard *
Born Yesterday
Father of the Bride
King Solomon’s Mines

1949

All the King’s Men
Battleground *
The Heiress
A Letter to Three Wives
Twelve O’Clock High

1948

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre *
The Red Shoes
Hamlet
Johnny Belinda
The Snake Pit

1947

Gentleman’s Agreement *
Miracle on 34th Street
Great Expectations
The Bishop’s Wife
Crossfire

1946

The Best Years of Our Lives
It’s a Wonderful Life *
Henry V
The Yearling
The Razor’s Edge

1945

The Lost Weekend *
Mildred Pierce
Spellbound
Anchors Aweigh
The Bells of St. Mary’s

1944

Double Indemnity *
Going My Way
Since You Went Away
Gaslight
Wilson

1943

Casablanca *
The Ox-Bow Incident
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Song of Bernadette
Heaven Can Wait
In Which We Serve
The Human Comedy
The More the Merrier
Watch on the Rhine
Madame Curie

1942

Mrs. Miniver
Random Harvest *
Yankee Doodle Dandy
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Pride of the Yankees
49th Parallel
Wake Island
The Pied Piper
Kings Row
The Talk of the Town

1941

Citizen Kane *
How Green Was My Valley
The Maltese Falcon
Sergeant York
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Blossoms in the Dust
The Little Foxes
Suspicion
Hold Back the Dawn
One Foot in Heaven

1940

The Grapes of Wrath *
The Great Dictator
Rebecca
The Philadelphia Story
Foreign Correspondent
The Letter
The Long Voyage Home
Our Town
Kitty Foyle
All This, and Heaven Too

1939

Gone With the Wind *
The Wizard of Oz
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Stagecoach
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Love Affair
Ninotchka
Wuthering Heights
Dark Victory
Of Mice and Men

1938

Grand Illusion *
The Adventures of Robin Hood
You Can’t Take It With You
Pygmalion
Boys Town
Jezebel
Test Pilot
The Citadel
Alexander’s Ragtime Band
Four Daughters

1937

A Star Is Born *
The Awful Truth
Captains Courageous
Lost Horizon
The Good Earth
The Life of Emile Zola
Dead End
Stage Door
In Old Chicago
One Hundred Men and a Girl

1936

The Great Ziegfeld
Dodsworth *
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
San Francisco
Libeled Lady
Anthony Adverse
The Story of Louis Pasteur
Romeo and Juliet
Three Smart Girls
A Tale of Two Cities

1935

Mutiny on the Bounty
The Informer
Top Hat *
Ruggles of Red Gap
Alice Adams
Captain Blood
Les Misérables
A Midnight Summer’s Dream
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
David Copperfield
Naughty Marietta
Broadway Melody of 1936

1934

It Happened One Night
The Thin Man *
The Gay Divorcee
Imitation of Life
Cleopatra
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
The House of Rothschild
Here Comes the Navy
Flirtation Walk
One Night of Love
Viva Villa!
The White Parade

1932-1933

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang *
42nd Street
A Farewell to Arms
Lady for a Day
State Fair
Cavalcade
Little Women
Smilin’ Through
The Private Life of Henry VIII
She Done Him Wrong

1931-1932

Grand Hotel *
The Champ
Bad Girl
One Hour With You
The Smiling Lieutenant
Five Star Final
Shanghai Express
Arrowsmith

1930-1931

Cimarron
The Front Page
Skippy *
Trader Horn
East Lynne

1929-1930

All Quiet on the Western Front *
The Love Parade
The Big House
The Divorcee
Disraeli

1928-1929

The Broadway Melody *
In Old Arizona
Alibi
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
The Patriot (LOST)

1927-1928

Outstanding Production:

Wings
Seventh Heaven *
The Racket

Unique or Artistic Production:

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans *
The Crowd
Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness

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The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Supporting Actresses

May 27, 2017, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Supporting Actors

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest: Rankings (Best Picture)

I originally posted a version of this list in early 2012. Mostly because I like making lists. There was no real methodology to it. I looked back at it at some point in the past four months and saw it skewed heavily toward personal preference. The performances I liked the best went to the top, and the performances I thought were terrible winners went straight to the bottom.

Since the Oscar Quest, Version 2 that I’ve been doing, I noticed the point of it was more to reflect what my thoughts were now five years later from the completion/posting of all the original articles. I tried to stay away from redoing everything I did the first time, because a lot of it felt like it begat negativity on my part. I really don’t want to shit on things now so much as I’d want to openly discuss what is or isn’t a good choice historically.

Because that’s now where I’m at, I think redoing these lists is something I can get away with. If only to give myself a marker for where my head is at now.

I’m not putting any stock into these whatsoever. I don’t even really want to make these easily findable for people, though I guess I should, if only to track changes over the years. I was going to write up actual opinions for each one, justifying its position, but that’s a fool’s errand. That’s for people looking for extra clicks and people writing in the comments. I don’t want that. This is purely for me.

The first time I wrote this up, I specified that the rankings were not me attempting to make a list for everyone to follow. It was just my favorites. This time, I think what I ended up doing was trying to factor in everything into the decision. How iconic the performance/film is, how good of a choice it was in its year (extremely strong choices get slight bumps, and extremely weak choices get slight deductions), and also how I feel about them.

So here’s where my head is at now on all the Best Supporting Actress winners:

1. Hattie McDaniel, Gone With the Wind

2. Patty Duke, The Miracle Worker

3. Meryl Streep, Kramer vs. Kramer

4. Rita Moreno, West Side Story

5. Linda Hunt, The Year of Living Dangerously

6. Estelle Parsons, Bonnie and Clyde

7. Brenda Fricker, My Left Foot

8. Mo’Nique, Precious

9. Jane Darwell, The Grapes of Wrath

10. Viola Davis, Fences

11. Kim Hunter, A Streetcar Named Desire

12. Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave

13. Tatum O’Neal, Paper Moon

14. Ruth Gordon, Rosemary’s Baby

15. Cloris Leachman, The Last Picture Show

16. Melissa Leo, The Fighter

17. Mercedes McCambridge, All the King’s Men

18. Claire Trevor, Key Largo

19. Jo Van Fleet, East of Eden

20. Marisa Tomei, My Cousin Vinny

21. Olympia Dukakis, Moonstruck

22. Cate Blanchett, The Aviator

23. Mira Sorvino, Mighty Aphrodite

24. Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener

25. Katina Paxinou, For Whom the Bell Tolls

26. Shelley Winters, The Diary of Anne Frank

27. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

28. Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

29. Anjelica Huston, Prizzi’s Honor

30. Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind

31. Shelley Winters, A Patch of Blue

32. Mary Steenburgen, Melvin and Howard

33. Sandy Dennis, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

34. Eva Marie Saint, On the Waterfront

35. Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

36. Dianne Wiest, Hannah and Her Sisters

37. Peggy Ashcroft, A Passage to India

38. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago

39. Juliette Binoche, The English Patient

40. Mercedes Ruehl, The Fisher King

41. Maureen Stapleton, Reds

42. Dianne Wiest, Bullets Over Broadway

43. Beatrice Straight, Network

44. Judi Dench, Shakespeare in Love

45. Maggie Smith, California Suite

46. Whoopi Goldberg, Ghost

47. Vanessa Redgrave, Julia

48. Jessica Lange, Tootsie

49. Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

50. Kim Basinger, L.A. Confidential

51. Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

52. Goldie Hawn, Cactus Flower

53. Anne Revere, National Velvet

54. Lila Kedrova, Zorba the Greek

55. Wendy Hiller, Separate Tables

56. Anna Paquin, The Piano

57. Lee Grant, Shampoo

58. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

59. Shirley Jones, Elmer Gantry

60. Dorothy Malone, Written on the Wind

61. Anne Baxter, The Razor’s Edge

62. Ethel Barrymore, None But the Lonely Heart

63. Angelina Jolie, Girl, Interrupted

64. Donna Reed, From Here to Eternity

65. Josephine Hull, Harvey

66. Teresa Wright, Mrs. Miniver

67. Geena Davis, The Accidental Tourist

68. Margaret Rutherford, The VIPs

69. Helen Hayes, Airport

70. Gloria Grahame, The Bad and the Beautiful

71. Celeste Holm, Gentleman’s Agreement

72. Eileen Heckart, Butterflies Are Free

73. Marcia Gay Harden, Pollock

74. Mary Astor, The Great Lie

75. Octavia Spencer, The Help

76. Alice Brady, In Old Chicago

77. Fay Bainter, Jezebel

78. Ingrid Bergman, Murder on the Orient Express

79. Gale Sondergaard, Anthony Adverse

80. Miyoshi Umeki, Sayonara

81. Renée Zellweger, Cold Mountain

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The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Supporting Actors

May 27, 2017, 2:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Actresses

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Supporting Actresses

Because that’s now where I’m at, I think redoing these lists is something I can get away with. If only to give myself a marker for where my head is at now.

So here’s where my head is at now on all the Best Supporting Actor winners:

1. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

2. Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

3. Walter Huston, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

4. Joe Pesci, Goodfellas

5. Martin Landau, Ed Wood

6. Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

7. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

8. Donald Crisp, How Green Was My Valley

9. George Chakiris, West Side Story

10. George Sanders, All About Eve

11. Joel Grey, Cabaret

12. Jason Robards, All the President’s Men

13. Robert De Niro, The Godfather Part II

14. Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

15. Cuba Gooding Jr., Jerry Maguire

16. Christian Bale, The Fighter

17. Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

18. Walter Matthau, The Fortune Cookie

19. Karl Malden, A Streetcar Named Desire

20. Christopher Walken, The Deer Hunter

21. Haing S. Ngor, The Killing Fields

22. Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

23. Gig Young, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

24. Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects

25. John Gielgud, Arthur

26. Melvyn Douglas, Hud

27. James Dunn, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

28. Kevin Kline, A Fish Called Wanda

29. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

30. George Burns, The Sunshine Boys

31. Ben Johnson, The Last Picture Show

32. Robin Williams, Good Will Hunting

33. Harold Russell, The Best Years of Our Lives

34. Edmund Gwenn, Miracle on 34^th Street

35. Sean Connery, The Untouchables

36. George Kennedy, Cool Hand Luke

37. Benicio Del Toro, Traffic

38. Chris Cooper, Adaptation

39. Timothy Hutton, Ordinary People

40. Gene Hackman, Unforgiven

41. Jim Broadbent, Iris

42. Louis Gossett Jr., An Officer and a Gentleman

43. Peter Ustinov, Topkapi

44. Barry Fitzgerald, Going My Way

45. Burl Ives, The Big Country

46. Melvyn Douglas, Being There

47. Peter Ustinov, Spartacus

48. George Clooney, Syriana

49. Anthony Quinn, Viva Zapata!

50. Jason Robards, Julia

51. Michael Caine, Hannah and Her Sisters

52. Denzel Washington, Glory

53. Frank Sinatra, From Here to Eternity

54. Jack Albertson, The Subject Was Roses

55. Tim Robbins, Mystic River

56. Michael Caine, The Cider House Rules

57. Dean Jagger, Twelve O’Clock High

58. Christopher Plummer, Beginners

59. Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive

60. Charles Coburn, The More the Merrier

61. Thomas Mitchell, Stagecoach

62. Red Buttons, Sayonara

63. Jack Lemmon, Mister Roberts

64. Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby

65. James Coburn, Affliction

66. Walter Brennan, The Westerner

67. Jack Palance, City Slickers

68. Hugh Griffith, Ben-Hur

69. Jack Nicholson, Terms of Endearment

70. Anthony Quinn, Lust for Life

71. John Houseman, The Paper Chase

72. John Mills, Ryan’s Daughter

73. Ed Begley, Sweet Bird of Youth

74. Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

75. Edmond O’Brien, The Barefoot Contessa

76. Walter Brennan, Come and Get It

77. Van Heflin, Johnny Eager

78. Joseph Schildkraut, The Life of Emile Zola

79. Don Ameche, Cocoon

80. Walter Brennan, Kentucky

80. Martin Balsam, A Thousand Clowns

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The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Actresses

May 27, 2017, 3:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Actors

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Because that’s now where I’m at, I think redoing these lists is something I can get away with. If only to give myself a marker for where my head is at now.

So here’s where my head is at now on all the Best Actress winners:

1. Vivien Leigh, Gone With the Wind

2. Meryl Streep, Sophie’s Choice

3. Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire

4. Elizabeth Taylor, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

5. Julie Christie, Darling

6. Liza Minnelli, Cabaret

7. Charlize Theron, Monster

8. Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

9. Sally Field, Norma Rae

10. Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday

11. Olivia de Havilland, The Heiress

12. Diane Keaton, Annie Hall

13. Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs

14. Frances McDormand, Fargo

15. Natalie Portman, Black Swan

16. Jane Wyman, Johnny Belinda

17. Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

18. Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday

19. Anne Bancroft, The Miracle Worker

20. Kathy Bates, Misery

21. Patricia Neal, Hud

22. Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl

23. Faye Dunaway, Network

24. Katharine Hepburn, The Lion in Winter

25. Brie Larson, Room

26. Simone Signoret, Room at the Top

27. Janet Gaynor, Seventh Heaven & Street Angel & Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

28. Jodie Foster, The Accused

29. Jane Fonda, Klute

30. Holly Hunter, The Piano

31. Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry

32. Helen Mirren, The Queen

33. Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins

34. Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner’s Daughter

35. Joanne Woodward, The Three Faces of Eve

36. Sophia Loren, Two Women

37. Ellen Burstyn, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

38. Cher, Moonstruck

39. Greer Garson, Mrs. Miniver

40. Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby

41. Helen Hunt, As Good as It Gets

42. Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment

43. Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich

44. Grace Kelly, The Country Girl

45. Ingrid Bergman, Gaslight

46. Jane Fonda, Coming Home

47. Marlee Matlin, Children of a Lesser God

48. Anna Magnani, The Rose Tattoo

49. Maggie Smith, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

50. Katharine Hepburn, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

51. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

52. Julianne Moore, Still Alice

53. Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking

54. Jessica Tandy, Driving Miss Daisy

55. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

56. Shirley Booth, Come Back, Little Sheba

57. Joan Crawford, Mildred Pierce

58 Emma Thompson, Howards End

59. Halle Berry, Monster’s Ball

60. Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line

61. Olivia de Havilland, To Each His Own

62. Susan Hayward, I Want to Live!

63. Jennifer Jones, The Song of Bernadette

64. Kate Winslet, The Reader

65. Emma Stone, La La Land

66. Luise Rainer, The Good Earth

67. Claudette Colbert, It Happened One Night

68. Glenda Jackson, A Touch of Class

69. Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love

70. Joan Fontaine, Suspicion

71. Bette Davis, Jezebel

72. Jessica Lange, Blue Sky

73. Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond

74. Luise Rainer, The Great Ziegfeld

75. Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

76. Sally Field, Places in the Heart

77. Ingrid Bergman, Anastasia

78. Ginger Rogers, Kitty Foyle

79. Norma Shearer, The Divorcee

80. Glenda Jackson, Women in Love

81. Helen Hayes, The Sin of Madelon Claudet

82. Nicole Kidman, The Hours

83. Loretta Young, The Farmer’s Daughter

84. Geraldine Page, The Trip to Bountiful

85. Elizabeth Taylor, BUtterfield 8

86. Bette Davis, Dangerous

87. Katharine Hepburn, Morning Glory

88. Marie Dressler, Min and Bill

89. Mary Pickford, Coquette

90. Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

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The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Actors

May 27, 2017, 4:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Directors

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Actresses

Because that’s now where I’m at, I think redoing these lists is something I can get away with. If only to give myself a marker for where my head is at now.

So here’s where my head is at now on all the Best Actor winners:

1. Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront

2. Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird

3. Marlon Brando, The Godfather

4. Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

5. Robert De Niro, Raging Bull

6. Fredric March, The Best Years of Our Lives

7. Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai

8. Paul Scofield, A Man for All Seasons

9. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

10. George C. Scott, Patton

11. Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot

12. Sean Penn, Milk

13. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote

14. Peter Finch, Network

15. Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

16. Adrien Brody, The Pianist

17. Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs

18. Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump

19. F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus

20. Ben Kingsley, Gandhi

21. Jamie Fox, Ray

22. Dustin Hoffman, Kramer vs. Kramer

23. Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry

24. Maximilian Schell, Judgment at Nuremberg

25. James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy

26. Jon Voight, Coming Home

27. Broderick Crawford, All the King’s Men

28. Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend

29. Gary Cooper, High Noon

30. Victor McLaglen, The Informer

31. Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

32. Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

33. William Hurt, The Kiss of the Spider Woman

34. Ernest Borgnine, Marty

35. Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man

36. William Holden, Stalag 17

37. Laurence Olivier, Hamlet

38. Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur

39. Nicholas Cage, Leaving Las Vegas

40. Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

41. Matthew McConughey, Dallas Buyers Club

42. Gene Hackman, The French Connection

43. Kevin Spacey, American Beauty

44. Yul Brynner, The King and I

45. Geoffrey Rush, Shine

46. Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

47. Rod Steiger, In the Heat of the Night

48. Tom Hanks, Philadelphia

49. Robert Donat, Goodbye, Mr. Chips

50. Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen

51. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

52. Michael Douglas, Wall Street

53. Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

54. Denzel Washington, Training Day

55. Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman

56. Jack Nicholson, As Good as It Gets

57. Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies

58. Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune

59. Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger

60. Roberto Benigni, Life Is Beautiful

61. Spencer Tracy, Captains Courageous

62. Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady

63. Russell Crowe, Gladiator

64. Wallace Beery, The Champ

65. Bing Crosby, Going My Way

66. Clark Gable, It Happened One Night

67. Jean Dujardin, The Artist

68. Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond

69. Jose Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac

70. Cliff Robertson, Charley

71. Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl

72. David Niven, Separate Tables

73. Paul Lukas, Watch on the Rhine

74. Gary Cooper, Sergeant York

75. Paul Newman, The Color of Money

76. Emil Jannings, The Last Command & The Way of All Flesh

77. James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story

78. Art Carney, Harry and Tonto

79. Sidney Poitier, Lilies of the Field

80. John Wayne, True Grit

81. Lee Marvin, Cat Ballou

82. Ronald Colman, A Double Life

83. Sean Penn, Mystic River

84. Paul Muni, The Story of Louis Pasteur

85. Charles Laughton, The Private Life of Henry VIII

86. Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

87. Warner Baxter, In Old Arizona

88. Lionel Barrymore, A Free Soul

89. George Arliss, Disraeli

90. Spencer Tracy, Boys Town

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The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Directors

May 27, 2017, 5:30 pm

≫ Next: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Pictures

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Actors

Because that’s now where I’m at, I think redoing these lists is something I can get away with. If only to give myself a marker for where my head is at now.

So here’s where my head is at now on all the Best Director winners:

1. David Lean, Lawrence of Arabia

2. Lewis Milestone, All Quiet on the Western Front

3. Steven Spielberg, Schindler’s List

4. John Ford, The Grapes of Wrath

5. Victor Fleming, Gone With the Wind

6. John Huston, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

7. William Wyler, The Best Years of Our Lives

8. Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan

9. James Cameron, Titanic

10. Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

11. Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part II

12. Elia Kazan, On the Waterfront

13. Michael Curtiz, Casablanca

14. Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins, West Side Story

15. Bob Fosse, Cabaret

16. William Friedkin, The French Connection

17. Mike Nichols, The Graduate

18. Alejandro G. Inarritu, The Revenant

19. Roman Polanski, The Pianist

20. William Wyler, Ben-Hur

21. Frank Capra, It Happened One Night

22. George Stevens, A Place in the Sun

23. Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven

24. Jonathan Demme, The Silence of the Lambs

25. John Ford, How Green Was My Valley

26. David Lean, The Bridge on the River Kwai

27. George Stevens, Giant

28. John Ford, The Quiet Man

29. Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

30. Oliver Stone, Platoon

31. Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump

32. Robert Wise, The Sound of Music

33. Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain

34. Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

35. Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

36. Billy Wilder, The Apartment

37. Fred Zinnemann, From Here to Eternity

38. Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves

39. Steven Soderbergh, Traffic

40. Michael Cimino, The Deer Hunter

41. Alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

42. Milos Forman, Amadeus

43. Franklin Schaffner, Patton

44. Warren Beatty, Reds

45. John G. Avildsen, Rocky

46. George Roy Hill, The Sting

47. John Schlesinger, Midnight Cowboy

48. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, All About Eve

49. William Wyler, Mrs. Miniver

50. Frank Borzage, Seventh Heaven

51. Martin Scorsese, The Departed

52. Billy Wilder, The Lost Weekend

53. Oliver Stone, Born on the Fourth of July

54. Mel Gibson, Braveheart

55. Damien Chazelle, La La Land

56. Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

57. John Ford, The Informer

58. Woody Allen, Annie Hall

59. Bernardo Bertolucci, The Last Emperor

60. Vincente Minnelli, Gigi

61. Norman Taurog, Skippy

62. Richard Attenborough, Gandhi

63. George Cukor, My Fair Lady

64. Anthony Minghella, The English Patient

65. Milos Forman, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

66. Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

67. Ang Lee, Life of Pi

68. Delbert Mann, Marty

69. Leo McCarey, Going My Way

70. Tony Richardson, Tom Jones

71. Sydney Pollack, Out of Africa

72. Sam Mendes, American Beauty

73. Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

74. Robert Benton, Kramer vs. Kramer

75. Fred Zinnemann, A Man for All Seasons

76. James L. Brooks, Terms of Endearment

77. Elia Kazan, Gentleman’s Agreement

78. Frank Capra, You Can’t Take It With You

79. Frank Borzage, Bad Girl

80. Robert Redford, Ordinary People

81. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, A Letter to Three Wives

82. Leo McCarey, The Awful Truth

83. Carol Reed, Oliver!

84. Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby

85. Frank Capra, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

86. Lewis Milestone, Two Arabian Knights

87. Frank Lloyd, The Divine Lady

88. Barry Levinson, Rain Man

89. Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind

90. Frank Lloyd, Cavalcade

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The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Pictures

May 27, 2017, 6:30 pm

≫ Next: The Complete Oscar Quest

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Directors

Because that’s now where I’m at, I think redoing these lists is something I can get away with. If only to give myself a marker for where my head is at now.

So here’s where my head is at now on all the Best Picture winners:

1. Gone With the Wind

2. All Quiet on the Western Front

3. Lawrence of Arabia

4. The Godfather

5. Casablanca

6. The Best Years of Our Lives

7. West Side Story

8. Schindler’s List

9. On the Waterfront

10. Ben-Hur

11. The Godfather Part II

12. Titanic

13. The Apartment

14. It Happened One Night

15. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

16. Wings

17. All About Eve

18. From Here to Eternity

19. The Sound of Music

20. The Bridge on the River Kwai

21. Unforgiven

22. The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King

23. Rocky

24. In the Heat of the Night

25. The Silence of the Lambs

26. The French Connection

27. Amadeus

28. 12 Years a Slave

29. How Green Was My Valley

30. Annie Hall

31. No Country for Old Men

32. Forrest Gump

33. The Hurt Locker

34. Gandhi

35. The Sting

36. Platoon

37. Mutiny on the Bounty

38. The Deer Hunter

39. Patton

40. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

41. Mrs. Miniver

42. Moonlight

43. Midnight Cowboy

44. Gladiator

45. The Last Emperor

46. The Lost Weekend

47. Kramer vs. Kramer

48. Spotlight

49. Terms of Endearment

50. Marty

51. The King’s Speech

52. The Departed

53. Shakespeare in Love

54. My Fair Lady

55. Dances with Wolves

56. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

57. American Beauty

58. Gentleman’s Agreement

59. Slumdog Millionaire

60. Braveheart

61. Around the World in 80 Days

62. A Man for All Seasons

63. The Artist

64. Out of Africa

65. Going My Way

66. Argo

67. The Great Ziegfeld

68. Grand Hotel

69. Hamlet

70. The English Patient

71. Rain Man

72. Ordinary People

73. Rebecca

74. Chariots of Fire

75. An American in Paris

76. You Can’t Take It With You

77. All the King’s Men

78. Chicago

79. Gigi

80. Driving Miss Daisy

81. Million Dollar Baby

82. Oliver!

83. Cimarron

84. The Greatest Show on Earth

85. Tom Jones

86. A Beautiful Mind

87. The Broadway Melody

88. Cavalcade

89. The Life of Emile Zola

90. Crash

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The Complete Oscar Quest

May 28, 2017, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Get Out

≪ Previous: The Oscar Quest Reconsidered: Ranking the Best Pictures

Come on. You knew this was only a matter of time.

I started this whole thing by saying, “I should watch all the Best Picture winners.” That became every film nominated for Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress. That got done in fifteen months. Of course this is the next step.

It’s a step I unofficially started taking as soon as I finished the original Quest. I wrote down all the nominees for other “main” categories (namely Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing and Production Design) and used those as a rough guideline. I steered myself toward trying to watch those (especially the winners) before other films, if I could.

Now, having my Directors List, it’s only a matter of time before I’ve basically seen everything nominated. Or have taken so much off that finishing it isn’t that big of a task. So what better time than now to put it up where everyone can see it and make it something I can strive to actually finish, as opposed to making it something that I could do or not do if I wanted?

I’ll be posting a page tomorrow (Memorial Day feels like the right day to do it, since Memorial Day was technically the day I officially started the original Quest) that’ll be a part of menu bar up top. It’s a master list of every nominee ever at the Oscars, broken down by year. And very conveniently at the bottom of each of the years is a complete list of every film nominated that year (not counting Best Documentary, Foreign Language Film and the Shorts categories. That’s a whole other undertaking. One step at a time).

This article is a compilation of all the films nominated that I’ve yet to see. The goal being to eventually get it down to zero and have seen just about everything ever nominated. Once I’ve done that, I’ll be able to go and write up articles for every Oscar ceremony and break down the pretty much the entire list of categories and not just the big six like I originally did. Which is what I do now every Oscar night. So that’s exciting.

For now, here are the movies nominated for Oscars that I’ve yet to see:

(Note: I will not be updating this list now that it is posted. Only the page up top will be constantly updated as I see more of the films. This is just to give you an idea of how many I have left now that I’ve “officially” started.)

(I’ve also specified which films cross list with my Directors List and which were nominated for multiple Oscars.)

1927-1928

Glorious Betsy
The Noose
The Red Mill
Sorrell and Son
Tempest

1928-1929

The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Cop
Drag (Lloyd)
Dynamite (DeMille)
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
The Leatherneck
Sal of Singapore
Skyscraper
White Shadows in the South Seas (Van Dyke)
A Woman of Affairs (Brown)
Wonder of Women (Brown)

1929-1930

The Case of Sergeant Grischa
Raffles
Sally
The Vagabond King
With Byrd at the South Pole

1930-1931

The Doorway to Hell (Mayo)
Just Imagine (Butler)
Laughter
The Right to Love
Whoopee!

1931-1932

Á nous la liberté (Clair)
Lady and Gent
The Star Witness (Wellman)
Transatlantic

1932-1933

Rasputin and the Empress
Reunion in Vienna
When Ladies Meet

1934

Eskimo (Van Dyke)
Operator 13
The Richest Girl in the World
She Loves Me Not (Nugent)

1935

$1,000 a Minute
All the King’s Horses
The Big Broadcast of 1936 (Taurog)
Broadway Hostess
The Crusades (DeMille)
Folies Bergère de Paris (Del Ruth)
The Gay Deception (Wyler)
Gold Diggers of 1935 (Berkeley) (2)
King of Burlesque
Love Me Forever
The Scoundrel (Hecht, MacArthur)
She (Pichel)
Thanks a Million (Del Ruth)

1936

Banjo on My Knee (Cromwell)
Born to Dance (Del Ruth) (2)
Cain and Mabel (Bacon)
Dancing Pirate
Fury (Lang)
General Spanky (Douglas)
The Last of the Mohicans
Lloyds of London (King) (2)
The Magnificent Brute
One in a Million
Pennies from Heaven (McLeod)
Sing, Baby Sing
That Girl from Paris

1937

Ali Baba Goes to Town (Butler)
Artists and Models (Walsh)
A Day at the Races (Wood)
Every Day’s a Holiday (Wood)
The Girl Said No (Stone)
Hitting a New High (Walsh)
Make a Wish
Manhattan Merry-Go-Round
Maytime (Leonard) (2)
Mr. Dodd Takes the Air
Portia on Trial
Quality Street (Stevens)
Ready, Willing and Able
Something to Sing About
Souls at Sea (Hathaway) (3)
Thin Ice
Varsity Show (Keighley)
Vogues of 1938 (2)
Waikiki Wedding (2)
Way Out West
Wells Fargo (Lloyd)
Wings Over Honolulu (Potter)
You’re a Sweetheart (Butler)

1938

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Taurog)
Army Girl (3)
The Big Broadcast of 1938 (Leisen)
Blockade (Dieterle) (2)
Block-Heads
Breaking the Ice
The Buccaneer (DeMille)
Girls’ School (Brahm)
Going Places
The Goldwyn Follies (Marshall) (2)
The Lady Objects
Mad About Music (Taurog) (4)
Mannequin (Borzage)
Pacific Liner
Storm Over Bengal
Suez (Dwan)
Sweethearts (Van Dyke) (2)
That Certain Age (2)
There Goes My Heart (McLeod)
Tropic Holiday
Under Western Stars

1939

Balalaika
Captain Fury
Eternally Yours (Garnett)
First Love (Koster) (3)
Golden Boy (Mamoulian)
The Great Victor Herbert (Stone) (3)
Lady of the Tropics (Conway)
The Man in the Iron Mask (Whale)
Man of Conquest (Nichols Jr.) (3)
The Mikado
Nurse Edith Cavell
Second Fiddle
She Married a Cop
Swanee River
They Shall Have Music (Mayo)
Topper Takes a Trip (McLeod)
Way Down South
When Tomorrow Comes (Stahl)

1940

Behind the News
Bitter Sweet (Van Dyke) (2)
The Boys from Syracuse (2)
Captain Caution
The Dark Command (Walsh) (2)
Dr. Cyclops
The Fight for Life
Hit Parade of 1941 (2)
The House of the Seven Gables
The Howards of Virginia (Lloyd) (2)
The Invisible Man Returns
Irene
Lillian Russell
The Mark of Zorro (Mamoulian)
Music in My Heart
My Son, My Son! (Vidor)
Northwest Passage (Vidor)
Rhythm on the River
Strike Up the Band (Berkeley) (3)
Swiss Family Robinson
Tin Pan Alley (Lang)
Typhoon
Women in War
You’ll Find Out (Butler)

1941

Aloma of the South Seas (2)
Appointment for Love
Back Street (Stevenson)
Billy the Kid (Miller)
Birth of the Blues
Cheers for Miss Bishop (Garnett)
The Chocolate Soldier (Del Ruth) (3)
The Devil Pays Off
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Fleming)
The Flame of New Orleans
Flight Command (Borzage)
Ice-Capades
The Invisible Woman
I Wanted Wings (Leisen)
King of the Zombies
Ladies in Retirement (Vidor) (2)
Lady Be Good (McLeod)
Las Vegas Nights
Louisiana Purchase (2)
Lydia
The Men in Her Life
Mercy Island
Ridin’ on a Rainbow
The Sea Wolf (Curtiz)
Skylark (Sandrich)
So Ends Our Night (Cromwell)
The Son of Monte Cristo
Sundown (Hathaway) (3)
Sunny
Tall, Dark and Handsome (Humberstone)
Tanks a Million
That Uncertain Feeling (Lubitsch)
Tom, Dick and Harry (Kanin)
Topper Returns (Del Ruth)
When Ladies Meet (Leonard)
This Woman Is Mine (Lloyd)
A Yank in the R.A.F. (King)

1942

Babes on Broadway (Berkeley)
Captains of the Clouds (Curtiz) (2)
The Corsican Brothers
Desperate Journey (Walsh)
Flying Tigers (Miller) (3)
Flying with Music (2)
Friendly Enemies (Dwan)
George Washington Slept Here (Keighley)
Hellzapoppin’ (Potter)
Invisible Agent
It Started with Eve (Koster)
Joan of Paris (Stevenson)
Johnny Doughboy
Klondike Fury
The Mayor of 44th Street
Moontide (Mayo)
The Navy Comes Through
Orchestra Wives (Mayo)
Road to Morocco (Butler) (2)
The Shanghai Gesture (von Sternberg) (2)
Silver Queen (Bacon) (2)
The Spoilers
Ten Gentlemen from West Point (Hathaway)
To the Shores of Tripoli (Humberstone)
The War Against Mrs. Hadley (Bucquet)
Youth on Parade

1943

The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
Bombardier
Commandos Strike at Dawn (Farrow)
Coney Island (Lang)
Corvette K-225
Crash Dive (Mayo)
The Fallen Sparrow
Flight for Freedom
Hangmen Also Die (Lang) (2)
Hello, Frisco, Hello (Humberstone) (2)
Hers to Hold
Hi Diddle Diddle (Stone)
Hit Parade of 1943 (2)
Holy Matrimony (Stahl)
In Old Oklahoma (2)
Johnny Come Lately
The Kansan
Mission to Moscow (Curtiz)
The Moon and the Sixpence (Lewin)
Riding High (Marshall)
The Sky’s the Limit (2)
So This Is Washington
Something to Shout About (2)
Stand By for Action (Leonard)
Star Spangled Rhythm (Marshall) (2)
Victory Through Air Power

1944

Brazil (3)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Climax
Days of Glory (Tourneur)
The Desert Song
The Fighting Seabees
Follow the Boys
The Hairy Ape
Higher and Higher (2)
His Butler’s Sister (Borzage)
Irish Eyes Are Smiling
It Happened Tomorrow (2)
Jack London
Knickerbocker Holiday
Lady in the Dark (Leisen) (3)
Lady, Let’s Dance (2)
The Merry Monahans
Minstrel Man (Lewis) (2)
Music in Manhattan
None Shall Escape (De Toth)
The Princess and the Pirate (Butler) (2)
Secret Command
Sensations of 1945 (Stone)
Song of the Open Road (2)
Step Lively
Summer Storm (Sirk)
Sweet and Lowdown (Mayo)
Three Russian Girls
Two Girls and a Sailor (Thorpe)
The Uninvited (Allen)
Up in Arms (Nugent) (2)
Up in Mabel’s Room (Dwan)
Voice in the Wind (Ripley) (2)
Wing and a Prayer (Hathaway)
Woman of the Town

1945

The Affairs of Susan
Belle of the Yukon (2)
Can’t Help Singing (2)
Captain Eddie (Bacon)
Captain Kidd
Dillinger
Earl Carroll Vanities
The Enchanted Cottage (Cromwell)
Frenchman’s Creek (Leisen)
G.I. Honeymoon (Karlson)
Guest in the House (Brahm)
Guest Wife (Wood)
Here Come the Waves (Sandrich)
Hitchhike to Happiness
Incendiary Blonde (Marshall)
The Man Who Walked Alone
Marie-Louise
Music for Millions (Koster)
Paris Underground
Pride of the Marines (Daves)
Salty O’Rourke (Walsh)
San Antonio (Butler)
Sing Your Way Home (Mann)
The Spanish Main (Borzage)
Sunbonnet Sue
This Love of Ours (Dieterle)
A Thousand and One Nights (2)
Three Is a Family
Tonight and Every Night (2)
The Unseen (Allen)
What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (Thorpe)
Why Girls Leave Home (2)
The Woman in the Window (Lang)

1946

Blithe Spirit (Lean)
The Blue Dahlia (Marshall)
Blue Skies (Heisler) (2)
Centennial Summer (Preminger) (2)
The Dark Mirror (Siodmak)
The Dolly Sisters
Humoresque (Negulesco)
Kitty (Leisen)
Road to Utopia (Walker)
The Seventh Veil (Bennett)
A Stolen Life (Bernhardt)
The Stranger (Welles)
Vacation from Marriage

1947

A Cage of Nightingales
The Foxes of Harrow (Stahl)
Mother Wore Tights (Lang) (3)
My Wild Irish Rose (Butler)
The Perils of Pauline (Marshall)
Road to Rio (McLeod)
Shoeshine (De Sica)
The Time, the Place and the Girl (Butler)
T-Men (Mann)

1948

B.F.’s Daughter (Leonard)
Casbah (Berry)
Deep Waters (King)
Green Grass of Wyoming
That Lady in Ermine (Lubitsch)
The Louisiana Story
The Loves of Carmen (Vidor)
Moonrise (Borzage)
The Paleface (McLeod)
Romance on the High Seas (Curtiz, Berkeley) (2)
The Three Musketeers (Sidney)

1949

Adventures of Don Juan (Sherman) (2)
It Happens Every Spring (Bacon)
Look for the Silver Lining (Butler)
Madame Bovary (Minnelli)
Mighty Joe Young
Mother Is a Freshman (Bacon)
Neptune’s Daughter
Once More, My Darling (Montgomery)
Paisan (Rossellini)
Passport to Pimlico (Cornelius)
Prince of Foxes (King) (2)
The Quiet One
Sand
Sarabond for Dead Lovers (Dearden)
So Dear to My Heart
Tulsa (Heisler)
The Window (Tetzlaff)

1950

Bitter Rice
The Black Rose (Hathaway)
Captain Carey, U.S.A. (Leisen)
I’ll Get By
Louisa (Hall)
Mystery Street (Sturges)
No Sad Songs for Me (Maté)
Our Very Own (Miler)
The Red Danube (Sidney)
Singing Guns
That Forsythe Woman (Bennett)
Three Little Words (Thorpe)
The Toast of New Orleans (Taurog)
Trio
Wabash Avenue (Koster)
The West Point Story (Del Ruth)

1951

The Bullfighter and the Lady (Boetticher)
Go for Broke!
Golden Girl (Bacon)
The Great Caruso (Thorpe) (3)
I Want You (Robson)
Kind Lady (Sturges)
The Model and the Marriage Broker (Cukor)
The Mudlark (Negulesco)
On the Riviera (Lang) (2)
Rich, Young and Pretty (Taurog)
La Ronde (Ophuls) (2)
Royal Wedding (Donen)
The Strip
Teresa (Zinnemann)
Too Young to Kiss (Leonard)
Two Tickets to Broadway
When Worlds Collide (Maté) (2)

1952

Affair in Trinidad (Sherman)
The Atomic City (Hopper)
Because You’re Mine (Hall)
The Card (Neame)
Flat Top
The Jazz Singer (Curtz)
Just for You (Nugent)
The Medium
The Merry Widow (Bernhardt) (2)
The Miracle of Our Lady Fatima (Brahm)
My Son John (McCarey)
Navajo (2)
Plymouth Adventure (Brown)
The Pride of St. Louis
Son of Paleface
The Thief (Rouse)

1953

Above and Beyond (Frank, Panama) (2)
The Actress (Cukor)
All the Brothers Were Valiant (Thorpe)
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef
The Caddy (Taurog)
Calamity Jane (Butler) (3)
Call Me Madam (Lang) (2)
The Captain’s Paradise
Crazylegs
The Cruel Sea
The Four Poster
Kiss Me Kate (Sidney)
Knights of the Round Table (Thorpe) (2)
Martin Luther (Pichel) (2)
The Mississippi Gambler (Maté)
Miss Sadie Thompson (Bernhardt)
The President’s Lady (Levin) (2)
Small Town Girl
The Story of Three Loves (Minnelli)
Take The High Ground (Brooks)
This Is Cinerama
Young Bess (Sidney) (2)

1954

Bread, Love and Dreams
Desiree (Koster) (2)
The Gate of Hell
Genevieve (Cornelius) (2)
Knock on Wood (Frank, Panama)
Le Plaisir (Ophuls)
Red Garters (Marshall)
Rogue Cop (Rowland)
The Silver Chalice (2)

1955

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (Preminger)
The Dam Busters (Anderson)
M. Hulot’s Holiday (Tati)
A Man Called Peter (Koster)
The Pickwick Papers
The Private War of Major Benson (Hopper)
The Rains of Ranchipur (Negulesco)
The Seven Little Foys (Shavelson)
The Sheep Has Five Legs
The Tender Trap (Walters)
Unchained
The Virgin Queen (Koster)

1956

The Best Things in Life Are Free (Curtiz)
The Brave One (Rapper) (3)
Julie (Stone) (2)
The Power and the Prize (Koster)
The Proud and the Beautiful
The Proud and Profane (Seaton) (2)
The Solid Gold Cadillac (Quine) (2)
Stagecoach to Fury
Teenage Rebel (Goulding) (2)

1957

April Love (Levin)
Boy on a Dolphin (Negulesco)
I vitelloni (Fellini)
Perri
Tammy and the Bachelor (Pevney)

1958

The Buccaneer
A Certain Smile (Negulesco) (3)
Cowboy (Daves)
Desire Under the Elms (Mann)
The Goddess (Cromwell)
The Horse’s Mouth (Neame)
Mardi Gras (Goulding)
The Sheepman (Marshall)
A Time to Love and a Time to Die (Sirk)
Tom Thumb (Pal)
Torpedo Run (Pevney)
White Wilderness

1959

The Best of Everything (Negulesco) (2)
The Big Fisherman (Borzage) (3)
The Gazebo (Marshall)
Libel (Asquith)
L’il Abner (Frank)
Say One for Me (Tashlin)
Wild Strawberries (Bergman)
The Young Land (Tetzlaff)

1960

The Angry Silence (Guy Green)
High Time (Edwards)
It Started in Naples (Shavelson)
The Last Voyage (Stone)
Let’s Make Love (Cukor)
Midnight Lace (David Miller)
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (Boetticher)
Song Without End (Charles Vidor)
The Time Machine (Pal)
Tunes of Glory (Neame)
The Virgin Spring (Bergman)
Visit to a Small Planet (Taurog)

1961

The Absent-Minded Professor (Stevenson) (3)
Babes in Toyland (2)
Bachelor in Paradise (Arnold)
Back Street (David Miller)
Claudelle Inglish (Douglas)
Il General della Rovere (Rossellini)
Lover Come Back (Delbert Mann)
A Majority of One (LeRoy)
One-Eyed Jacks

1962

Billy Rose’s Jumbo (Walters)
Bon Voyage! (2)
Gigot (Gene Kelly)
My Geisha (Cardiff)
Period of Adjustment (Hill)
Phaedra (Dassin)
The Pigeon That Took Rome (Shavelson)
Through a Glass Darkly (Bergman)
Walk on the Wild Side (Dmytryk)
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (Levin, Pal)

1963

The Caretakers
Come Blow Your Horn (Yorkin)
The Four Days of Naples
A Gathering of Eagles (Delbert Mann)
Mondo Cane
A New Kind of Love (Shavelson) (2)
The Stripper (Schaffner)
Sundays and Cybele (2)
Toys in the Attic (Hill)
Wives and Lovers

1964

7 Faces of Dr. Lao (Pal)
Dear Heart (Delbert Mann)
Fate Is the Hunter (Nelson)
A House Is Not a Home (Rouse)
Kisses for My President (Bernhardt)
The Lively Set (Arnold)
One Potato, Two Potato (Peerce)
The Organizer
Robin and the 7 Hoods (Douglas) (2)
That Man from Rio
The Visit
Where Love Has Gone (Dmytryk)

1965

Casanova 70
Morituri
A Rage to Live
What’s New Pussycat?

1966

An American Dream / See You in Hell, Darling
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (3)
Juliet of the Spirits (Fellini)
Khartoum (Dearden)
Mandragola
The Naked Prey (Wilde)
Return of the Seven (Kennedy)
Seconds (Frankenheimer)
The Singing Nun (Koster)
Stop the World – I Want to Get Off

1967

Banning
Beach Red (Wilde)
The Happiest Millionaire
Tobruk (Hiller)
Ulysses
The War Is Over

1968

For Love of Ivy (Daniel Mann)
The Fox (Rydell)
Hot Millions
War and Peace
Wild in the Streets
The Young Girls of Rochefort (Demy)

1969

The Damned (Visconti)
Gaily Gaily (Jewison) (3)
Krakatoa, East of Java

1970

The Baby Maker (Bridges)
Darling Lili (Edwards) (3)
I Girasoli (De Sica)
The Hawaiians
Madron (Hopper)
My Night at Maud’s
Pieces of Dreams

1971

The Andromeda Strain (Crichton) (2)
Bless the Beasts and the Children (Kramer)
The Conformist (Bertolucci)
Death in Venice (Visconti)
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (De Sica)
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Shaft
Tchaikovsky
What’s the Matter with Helen?
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth

1972

Ben (Karlson)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Bunuel)
Images (Altman)
The Little Ark
Man of La Mancha (Hiller)
Murmur of the Heart (Malle)
Napoleon and Samantha
The Stepmother

1973

Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Zeffirelli)
The Day of the Dolphin (Nichols) (2)
Jesus Christ Superstar (Jewison)
Ludwig (Visconti)

1974

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Kotcheff)
Benji
Daisy Miller (Bogdanovich)
Gold
Shanks (Castle)

1975

And Now My Love
Birds Do It, Bees Do It
Bite the Bullet (Brooks) (2)
The Four Musketeers (Lester)
The Hindenburg (Wise)
Lies My Father Told Me
The Magic Flute
Mahogany
The Other Side of the Mountain (Peerce)
Profumo di donna
Whiffs
The Wind and the Lion (Milius) (2)

1976

Casanova (Fellini) (2)
Half a House
The Incredible Sarah (Fleischer) (2)
Obsession (De Palma)
The Omen (Donner) (2)
The Passover Plot
The Pink Panther Strikes Again (Edwards)
Two-Minute Warning (Peerce)

1977

Airport ’77
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Islands in the Stream (Schaffner)
A Little Night Music (2)
Mohammad, Messenger of God
Oh, God! (Carl Reiner)
That Obscure Object of Desire (Bunuel)
You Light Up My Life

1978

Caravans
Hooper (Needham)
The Magic of Lassie
Pretty Baby (Malle)
The Swarm
Thank God It’s Friday

1979

Agatha (Apted)
The Amityville Horror (Rosenberg)
The Black Hole (2)
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (Lester)
The Electric Horseman (Pollack)
The Europeans (Ivory)
Ice Castles
A Little Romance (George Roy Hill) (2)
Meteor (Neame)
The Promise

1980

9 to 5
The Blue Lagoon
Breaker Morant (Beresford)
Brubaker (Rosenberg)
The Formula (Avildsen)
Honeysuckle Rose (Schatzberg)
Kagemusha (Kurosawa)
Mon Oncle D’Amerique
My Brilliant Career
Somewhere in Time
When Time Ran Out (Goldstone)

1981

Endless Love (Zeffirelli)
The Great Muppet Caper
Heartbeeps
Outland (Hyams)

1982

Best Friends (Jewison)
One from the Heart (Coppola)
Quest for Fire (Annaud)
La Traviata (Zeffirelli) (2)
Yes, Giorgio (Schaffner)

1983

Betrayal (David Hugh Jones)
Blue Thunder (Badham)
Heart Like a Wheel (Kaplan)
Never Cry Wolf (Ballard)
The Return of Martin Guerre
The Sting II
Under Fire

1984

Against All Odds (Hackford)
Dune (Lynch)
The North
Songwriter
Splash (Howard)
The Woman in Red (Wilder)

1985

The Journey of Natty Gann
Ladyhawke (Donner) (2)
Mask (Bogdanovich)
The Official Story
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (Hamilton)
Return to Oz
Young Sherlock Holmes (Levinson)

1986

The Clan of the Cave Bear
Heartbreak Ridge (Eastwood)
The Karate Kid Part II (Avildsen)
Legend (Ridley Scott)
My Beautiful Laundrette (Frears)
Otello (Zeffirelli)
Pirates (Polanski)
Poltergeist II: The Other Side (Gibson)
That’s Life (Edwards)

1987

The Dead (Huston) (2)
Happy New Year (Avildsen)
Harry and the Hendersons
Innerspace (Dante)
Mannequin
Matewan
The Witches of Eastwick (Miller) (2)

1988

Bagdad Cafe
Buster
A Handful of Dust
The Milagro Beanfield War (Redford)
Sunset (Edwards)
Tequila Sunrise (Towne)
Willow (Howard) (2)

1989

The Bear (Annaud)
Black Rain (Ridley Scott) (2)
Chances Are
Dad
Harlem Nights
Sex, Lies and Videotape (Soderbergh)

1990

Days of Thunder (Tony Scott)
Flatliners (Schumacher)
Green Card (Weir)
Henry & June (Kaufman)
Metropolitan
Young Guns II

1991

The Addams Family (Sonnenfeld)
The Commitments (Parker)
Europa Europa
Madame Bovary

1992

The Lover (Annaud)
The Mambo Kings
A River Runs Through It (Redford) (3)
Toys (Levinson) (2)
Under Siege (2)

1993

Addams Family Values (Sonnenfeld)
Beethoven’s 2nd
Farewell My Concubine
Geronimo: An American Legend (Hill)
Orlando (2)
Poetic Justice (Singleton)
Sleepless in Seattle (Ephron) (2)

1994

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Frankenstein (Branagh)
Heavenly Creatures (Jackson)
Hoop Dreams
Junior (Reitman)
The Paper (Howard)
Queen Margot

1995

A Little Princess (Cuaron) (2)
My Family, Mi Familia
Restoration (Hoffman) (2)
Roommates (Yates)
Shanghai Triad (Yimou)
Unstrung Heroes

1996

Angels and Insects
Daylight (C0hen)
Dragonheart (Cohen)
Eraser
The First Wives Club
Fly Away Home (Ballard)
The Ghost and the Darkness
Lone Star
Michael Collins (Jordan) (2)
The Preacher’s Wife (Marshall)
That Thing You Do!
Up Close & Personal

1997

My Best Friend’s Wedding
Oscar and Lucinda

1998

Patch Adams (Shadyac)
Velvet Goldmine (Haynes)

1999

The Red Violin
Snow Falling on Cedars

2000

The Cell (Tarsem)
Malena (2)
Vatel (Joffe)

2001

The Affair of the Necklace
Ghost World

2002

About a Boy (Weitz)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
The Time Machine (Wells)

2003

The Barbarian Invasions
Dirty Pretty Things (Frears)

2004

The Chorus
The Sea Inside (Amenabar)

2007

Persepolis

2009

Bright Star (Campion)
Il Divo (Sorrentino)
Paris 36

2010

Another Year (Leigh)
The Tempest (Taymor)

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My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Get Out

March 3, 2018, 4:00 pm

≫ Next: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Lady Bird

≪ Previous: The Complete Oscar Quest

This has become an annual tradition the day before the Oscars. In order move away all the subjectivity and negativity that happens when figuring out what should win and what’s going to win, I use the day before the ceremony to get away from all of that stuff and celebrate the films that are nominated for Best Picture.

We take this day to look at them as masterworks of cinema and not as films competing for a trophy. All of that other stuff — the analysis, the opinions — that’s all done with. Today, we take a minute, we stop, and we appreciate the films themselves. I count down my five favorite moments (or elements) of each of them.

When you take away all the awards, all the competition, and all the arbitrary decisions about what film is better than the others, what we’re left with is great cinema. That’s what we’re celebrating.

Our next nominee is Get Out.

5. The opening

It’s so simple and brilliant. Because it sets up what the turn/twist of the movie is gonna be, sets a tone, and also immediately reminds you of the Trayvon Martin murder. Black man walking in an affluent white suburb, followed by a white car. The audience is immediately made to feel unsafe. And it’s immediately playing on the difference in racial experience — black people immediately understand and relate to this situation, and women, but in a different way. White people, not as much — but also putting the white people in the audience in these shoes. It’s an absolutely perfect setup for this movie, and only becomes more interesting from there.

4. Rod

Rod is a tricky character. Because he’s the comic relief of a piece that has a lot o darkly funny moments. He runs the risk of seeming wildly over the top and out of place. But LilRel Howery makes it work. It’s hard not to laugh at everything Rod does and says. This moment in particular, talking about how his TSA senses are tingling and how “that bitch is lying!” — hilarious. He also gets the biggest laugh in the movie at the end, which also shows how well the character works. It’s hard to pull off a character like this in a film like this. Props to them.

3. The writing

The script is really layered in metaphors and imagery. I really appreciated all the little things the film does. It slow plays everything, making you aware that things aren’t right, but not letting you in on the full picture until just the right moment. And the moments of unsettling things are just great. Like this one above, or when he talks to the gardener, or the moment he walks upstairs during the party and everyone immediately stops talking once he’s gone and looks up at the ceiling, tracking his every move — it’s great. I also love the little things like Bradley Whitford talking about his father losing to Jesse Owens and “almost” getting over it, and then there’s the moment at night where the gardener is running. This is a movie that rewards second and third viewings, which comes down to tight writing and great storytelling. Plus, in the abstract — the fact that this movie exists alone is a testament to its writing. It’s a really smart concept and a really well-executed film.

2. The Sunken Place

Some of the best imagery I saw this year. It’s hard to depict someone’s subconscious, and the way they do it is visceral and memorable. And it works. I love the little mini TV monitor, of him watching what’s going on outside, which ties into his memory of his mother’s death, and also illustrates everything that’s happening to him in that moment as well. Truly one of the best and most memorable images of 2017.

1. That ending

A testament to how well put together this movie is. The ending happens, blood is spilled, chaos reigns, and then finally, he’s there on the ground, and he’s about to get away… and the sirens come up. Every single person in that audience, in that moment, goes, “Oh fuck.” Because you know this guy is fucked. The police coming up, a bunch of people dead, and a black man choking out a white woman. And then Allison Williams, knowing the (presumed) situation, starts playing the victim, which only makes you feel like he’s even more fucked (while also making you go, “That bitch”). And it only makes the ultimate reveal even more sweet and make you cheer even more when the reality sets in. But man… that moment shows you the power of this film, that every person in that audience went, “Oh no” and immediately presumed what the deal was the second those sirens hit.

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My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Lady Bird

March 3, 2018, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Phantom Thread

≪ Previous: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Get Out

Our next nominee is Lady Bird.

5. The car shot

I figured I’d get it out of the way first. It’s astounding, but it’s not the absolute best thing about this movie. Really, what this is, is a moment where not only can you see Greta Gerwig’s directing talent shine, and Laurie Metcalf’s incredible acting ability shine, but it’s a moment where you see a true character’s self come through. She puts up this facade (which is partially the reality, of course), but then, after a moment, you see — she does love her daughter, and she is having that moment parents have when sending their children off to school. It’s beautiful.

4. This moment

This moment took me completely by surprise. So many of the scenes in this film are set up to resemble other scenes (of either movies or childhood) that we recognize so well, but they all go a different way (or the film cuts away from them before they descend into the moments we can recite by rote). I did not expect him to break down the way he does, when he apologizes and asks her not to tell anyone that he’s gay. It suddenly takes a very real turn, and really knocks you cold. One minute she’s mad at him and then realizes, “Oh, this is so much bigger than what’s going on with me,” and then becomes a good friend in that moment. Probably the only person in his life he can turn to for something like this, even. I really, really loved how this happened.

3. Simple character complexity

I love how all the supporting characters have these tiny moments of real complexity that just go by and help them become three-dimensional without wasting a moment of screen time. Julie has an entire subplot with her teacher and having a crush that Lady Bird isn’t even aware of. And it’s so subtle and works so well that it’s perfect, and really helps give her more dimensions than three full scenes could have. Or the moment when Lady Bird comes over during prom and she’s crying and says, “Some people aren’t built happy.” It’s brilliant. And on the other hand — which is why I chose this shot — how about the priest? He has that moment in class when they do the crying exercise and out of nowhere he’s just crying. And you’re laughing because it’s funny and you think he got too into it. And then there’s this laugh line of, “They didn’t understand it.” But then there’s that scene later where you realize he’s struggling with severe depression. And it’s so subtle and works so well. You feel like you know this guy based on like four short scenes. (Plus, that depression scene only serves to help the mother character on top of that. It’s just well done all around.) Oh, and speaking of character complexity…

2. Tracy Letts

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the character of the dad. It’s so understated and so brilliant on so many levels. This is that thankless performance that you overlook because the movie is about the mother and the daughter. But here’s a guy, struggling with depression, who just lost his job and is unable to provide for his family, isn’t the primary breadwinner in his house, and is now losing out to a job by his son. I just love everything he did with this character and how they portrayed him. The moment where he sees his son going in for the same job, fixes up his tie and says, “Go get ’em.” It’s honestly the most touching moment in the film for me. It’s so wonderful. Tracy Letts has been, in my mind, cinema’s secret weapon for the past three or four years, and I’m really happy that he’s getting noticed for stuff like this, because he’s truly an incredible actor.

1. How universal the story is

This feels like all of our childhoods. In some way, some shape, some form, it feels like it. Even if you’re a Miguel or Shelly. All of us went through some form of something in this movie at some point. That’s the beauty of very specific stories. Those are the ones that end up feeling the most universal. Everything about this movie made me feel happy. It felt real. And it had all the hallmarks of real life. There’s something truly special about this movie and what it accomplishes, and it’s truly one of the finest achievements of 2017.

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My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Phantom Thread

March 3, 2018, 6:00 pm

≫ Next: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: The Post

≪ Previous: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Lady Bird

Our next nominee is Phantom Thread.

5. The Cinematography

I could just say “Paul Thomas Anderson” for this entire entry. The directing, the writing, the look of the entire film — all him. HE SHOT IT HIMSELF!! Robert Elswit was busy (on either Roman J. Israel or Suburbicon) and PTA decided to just shoot the damn thing himself. And it looks incredible. Honestly the best looking film I saw this year (apologies to Hoyte and Deakins). It’ll be a constant refrain with this movie… I’m in awe of how it exists and how it’s as good as it is. The whole thing is just stunning.

4. The humor

I saw this movie three times in theaters. By the third time, I was doubled over in my chair, laughing at half the movie. It’s such a funny movie, and you might not necessarily pick up on that the first time you see it. But man, is this funny. And I love that the undercurrent of humor is there. There are moments in this movie that just rip through you (the way Cyril would rip through Reynolds if he came at her) because they’re just so funny. (“Take the fucking dress off, Barbara!”) This movie is many things, and a comedy is most certainly one of the main ones.

I felt like getting more specific would be too similar to my next entry, so I decided to put an image of the dressmaking scene at the beginning here, since, while it’s not particularly funny (though it has its funny moments), I do like how the seduction scene in this movie is him making a dress for her, which is not only riveting and utterly erotic, but also a brilliant piece of writing

3. Fussy Daniel Day-Lewis

Oh my god, how amazing is he in this movie? Every little thing upsets him, and I live for it. “I simply have no time for confrontation.” “The tea is going, but the interruption is staying right here.” “Were you sent here to kill me? Are you a spy? Do you have a gun? Show me your gun. I wanna see your gun.” Or the moment they’re on the honeymoon and she deliberately is loud buttering her toast and he has that look of, “Oh fuck, what did I get myself into?” It’s so perfect. I love every single moment of it. The more of an asshole his character is, the better the movie is.

2. “Kiss me, my girl, before I’m sick.”

To quote Tyler Perry in Gone Girl, “You two are the most fucked up people I’ve ever met.” I love this moment. Because it starts completely like Hitchcock. You have the moment of, “Oh shit, she’s gonna fucking kill him,” and then the movie drags it out. You wait like ten minutes, it feels like, just seeing this whole scene unfold, before he takes a bite of the omelet. And then the reveal that he not only knows that she’s doing this, but is all for it — it’s both horrifying, amazing, and just so funny at the same time. Here’s a guy who is willingly letting his wife poison him so she can nurse him back to health, and both of them see this as something that’s helping their marriage! That final line of the film — “I’m getting hungry” — is so perfect. I cannot say enough great things about this scene. This scene and this film should go down as one of the greatest achievements of all time.

1. HOW?

I don’t know how he pulled this off. It’s a movie about dressmaking. And it’s so engaging! Of course, it’s about so much more than dressmaking. Which is also why I love it. Here’s a movie about artists and creative types and the creative process, and how people in these types of situations (it’s hard not to draw comparisons to actors and directors) become so insulated in their own little worlds and become so out of touch with the real world (having his day ruined by loud chewing, for example), and how, once he’s delivered his work, he feels empty and depressed, until the work comes back. I can go on forever about all the complexities about this story, and yet — it’s about a dressmaker and a woman he falls in love with. I love that I was so riveted by every aspect of this movie, and how so many people I showed it to were as well. This movie is a masterpiece.

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My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: The Post

March 3, 2018, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: The Shape of Water

≪ Previous: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Phantom Thread

Our next nominee is The Post.

5. The feminist undercurrent

I know this rubbed some people the wrong way, but I think this was an important element to the story that needed to be there for this film to be properly told. Sure, it’s about the Washington Post and how they not only went from a family paper to a major paper, kept freedom of the press in tact and set the stage for Watergate, but also it’s about a woman who works in a male dominated industry and doing something incredibly heroic that women (and everyone, really) could look up to. The monologue from Sarah Paulson really puts that into perspective. Sure, the imagery of Meryl in the male dominated board rooms and coming down the steps of the Supreme Court surrounded by all women can seem a bit heavy handed, but the reality is — it was a big deal and means a lot for women. And I appreciate that the film did try to showcase that alongside the journalistic importance of the story.

4. Long takes

For all the faults I have with Spielberg lately, he still does certain things incredibly well, which is — if you have Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, let them act. This lunch scene starts with a single take that lasts over three minutes. Spielberg leaves the camera alone for the most part and lets the two of them do their thing uninterrupted. And I love that he did. I want more movies to do this. So many movies now are getting faster and faster paced, with no room to breathe or sit with things, and no room for shots and performances to develop. And he just lets this scene go on and lets these two pros just act. This is straight out of the 40s, and I love it.

3. Lemonade

This little subplot, if you wanna call it that, is amazing. All the reporters converge on Bradlee’s house to go over the Papers, and outside his daughter is selling lemonade. Pretty soon, she comes inside and is offering to the reporters. And after a while, in the background of Jesse Plemons’ character’s introduction, we see the girl bring her sign inside. And then they up the price to 50 cents. There’s the great line of, “Who wants lemonade?” and Carrie Coon says, “Does it have vodka in it?” The whole thing is a nice comedic undercurrent to the journalism, and the ultimate payoff comes when the little girl walks into the kitchen later on with a stack of money that she’s made off of just these people. Amazing.

2. This sequence

And then to continue with this thread — I love this entire sequence. Journalists being journalists. They’re doing this all on the fly, and they’re getting all the information, coming up with stories, having one of the reporters type it up for tomorrow’s front page, all the while trying to figure out the legality of it all… it’s brilliant. I love everything about it. (Unrelated, but imagine Aaron Sorkin getting a crack at this exact sequence.) This is the centerpiece of the movie, both literally and figuratively. And it culminates in that phone call with Meryl where she says, “Let’s go… let’s publish.” It’s great.

1. Journalism

I love movies about journalism. Especially old school journalism. On typewriters, with everyone in the same newsroom, moving all around, having four conversations at once, moving into one office from the other, ink stains everywhere, reading the actual papers and not having the internet… the presses. There’s a great moment where the presses run and you see the entire newsroom shake. I love that. It reminds you of the elbow grease that goes into real reporting, and reminds you of just how important this dying industry is. It also makes me want to go back and watch All the President’s Men, which is always a good thing.

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My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: The Shape of Water

March 3, 2018, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

≪ Previous: My Favorite Moments in the Best Picture Nominees: The Post

Our next nominee is The Shape of Water.

5. The love story

Love is love. And this one was sweet. Her going to the lab every day to eat her lunch, bringing him eggs and music and teaching him sign language — this is a better romantic set up than most romance films have today. With humans! There’s something so pure about this that transcends logic.

4. The heist

I love a good heist. Especially here, where the object is to get a fish man out of a government lab. But on top of that, what makes heists work are not only the scenes of planning, and complications that are overcome, either in the planning stages or during the actual heist, but also the different personalities involved. Here, it’s basically a cast of misfits planning a daring heist. The mute, the gay painter, the sympathetic doctor/Russian spy, the friend. It’s great. Everything feels perfect, and you understand why everyone’s doing what they’re doing. It has moments of comedy (like Jenkins trying to lower his age on the fake ID) and real thrills. The scene of them escaping is great. Seeing Stuhlbarg help them out by killing that guy is nice, and you actually get a real sense of uplift once it’s successful in the end. Everyone loves a good heist.

3. The musical number

I loved it. I thought it was bold, and original, and perfect for the moment. Who else would have the balls to put a song and dance number with a fish man in their movie?

2. The direction

Continuing on that note… Guillermo del Toro directs one hell of a movie. He really knocked this one out of the park. Just knowing how little he made it more makes the effort all the more impressive. This looks like a movie of triple its budget. And on top of that — every frame looks perfectly crafted, down to the colors and items within the frame. It’s a beautiful piece of cinema.

1. Cinema

This is really my takeaway. I love any movie that’s a love letter to cinema, which this is. Forget the image itself, and the fact that a movie theater factors into the film, but this movie is a love letter to old cinema, from them watching it on the screen, to the musical number in the center, to the romance at the center of the film. Not only is it a love letter to cinema, meaning the movies, it’s a love letter to cinema, the art form, because this is pure cinema. This is why we go to the movies, and this is why we make movies. There’s something pure and universal about this story. Despite its adult themes, you could edit this down for children and they would understand it perfectly. It’s a fairy tale. It’s a morality tale. It’s pure. And it’s beautiful.

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