Our favorite and least favorite films

Callie's top

Best movies:
1. My Fair Lady
2. Godfather
3. Rebecca
4. The King's Speech
5. Rain Man

Worst movies:
1. How Green Was My Valley
2. Cavalcade
3. Tom Jones
4. Unforgiven
5. Deer Hunter

Joel's Top

Best movies:
1. Slumdog Millionare
2. Godfather
3. My Fair Lady
4. Gladiator
5. Rain Man

Worst movies:
1. Tom Jones
2. Cavalcade
3. Unforgiven
4. How Green Was My Valley
5. American Beauty

Biggest surprising movies that we liked: Life Of Emile Zola and It Happened One Night.

Movies that were all hype but failed to deliver: Gone With The Wind and The English Patient

Best decade: The 2000s and then the 1970s

The worst decade: The 1940s and then the 1980s

The best performance by an actor: Al Pacino in Godfather and then Sidney Poitier in In The Heat Of The Night

The best performance by an actress: Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady and then Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby

Best Director: Steven Spielberg in Schindler's List and Alfred Hitchcock in Rebecca

Best Quote: "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!" from In The Heat Of The Night and "Me and Jenny were like peas and carrots" from Forrest Gump

2000s Wrap Up

Y2K brought about another huge shift in movies. The 70s were the era of great acting. The 80s centered on family relationships. The 90s centered around romance and the 2000s were filled with creative story lines. The 2000s were the most creative movies we've seen. The movies were also very consistent. They were all good movies or great movies (with the exception of Chicago).

2012 - Argo: "If we wanted applause, we would have joined the circus"

2012 Best Picture

Premiered October 4, 2012 in Beverly Hills

Budget $44.5 Million

Gross $136 Million

Watching The Artist took us full circle and made us feel that our journey should end there. However, there was one movie left. We felt like Argo was a compelling movie with a edge of your seat type of plot but we struggled because 2012 had so many great movies and we thought that it should not have won. For the record, Lincoln is a better movie than Argo. This is not a knock against Argo, it is just a statement that Lincoln is an outstanding movie. Nevertheless, Argo shines a light (even though a historically inacurate one) on a messy time in U.S. History. Overall, this is a suspenseful movie that leave you wanting to cheer.

Callie

Favorite: It was an intriguing story. It was a cool bit of history to see.

Least Favorite: At the end of the movie it was still hard to tell who was who. 

Joel

Favorite: Ben Affleck did a nice job as the lead and as the director. At times, he carried the movie.

Least Favorite: The cinematography did not break anything new to the industry even thought that there were some opportunities to do so. 

2011 - The Artist: "With Pleasure"

2011 Best Picture

Premiered No American Premier

Budget $15 Million

Gross $44 Million

We've now come full circle in our journey to watch all of the Best Picture winners. This movie took us back to 1927 and the era of silent movies. The movie is very artistic and very smart in the limited way that they incorporated sound effects and dialog. The movie is lacking in story and plot but that aspect is not the focus of this movie. The challenge was to take 21st century movie technology but re-create and experience that movie goers had in the late 20s. The filmmakers succeeded.

Callie

Favorite: I loved the artistic flare of the movie. It was very creative.

Least Favorite: The story line was so shallow. 

Joel

Favorite: I loved the way that the movie ends with dialog. It drove the point of the movie home. (I also liked the dog and the role he played)

Least Favorite: The story was ok but not great.

2010 - The King's Speech: "Vulgar, but fluent. You don't stammer when you swear."

2010 Best Picture

Premiered No American premier

Budget $15 Million

Gross $138.7 Million

The King's Speech is a very inspirational story. The film is also a story of unlikely friendship. The acting is excellent and the story was well scripted and executed. We really felt for George and what he went through. This movie is time well spent!

Callie

Favorite: I loved the relationship between George and Lionel.

Least Favorite: The formality was a blockade to George and Lionel's relationship and I wanted that to go away.

Joel

Favorite: I thought that Colin Firth did an excellent job.

Least Favorite: The movie is a little slow at times. 

2009 - The Hurt Locker: "If I'm gonna die, I want to be comfortable"

2009 Best Picture

Premiered June 5, 2009 in Hollywood

Budget $15 million

Gross $17 Million

It was the Best Picture that no one saw. However, that is no indictment on this movie. The combat scenes were well show and the special effects were great. The story is good and the acting is pretty good. Overall, it is a good movie.

Callie

Favorite: It was interesting to see a side of the military that you don't normally see.

Least Favorite: I did not like that he chose the adrenaline rush of his job over his family.

Joel

Favorite: I liked the special effects.

Least Favorite: I thought the combat scenes when they were in the fire fight went a little too long.

2008 - Slumdog Millionaire: "I knew you'd be watching"

2008 Best Picture

Premiered No American premier

Budget $15 Million

Gross $141 Million

This is like the little movie that could. This is the best movie of the decade. It was one of those rare movies that we could not have turned off if we had to. It was creative in story and cinematography. The acting was very good and the message of the movie was expertly portrayed. Overall, this is a movie that any movie fan needs to see.

Callie

Favorite: I loved the way that they used the game show to move the story forward.

Least Favorite: Salim. The character made me so mad.

Joel

Favorite: Everything, the actors were great, the sound track was fun and the story drew me in. I felt for the characters.

Least Favorite: Nothing. This movie is excellent. 

2006 - The Departed: "I'm the guy who does his job. You must be the other guy."

2006 Best Picture

Premiered September 26, 2006 in New York

Budget $90 Million

Gross $132.3 Million

This movie is a cross between The Godfather and On The Waterfront.  The movie, while quirky at times, is engaging and well acted. The plot had many twists and turns and kept us guessing until the credits. The casting was also well done with Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Sheen and Mark Walhberg.

On the downside, the movie is gruff in terms of violence and profanity (PluggedIn.com counted over 200 F-Words). The writers went out of their way to convey the rough Boston police and criminal scene.

Callie

Favorite: I liked that DiCaprio and Damon were made to look so similar even though there were on the opposite side of the law.

Least Favorite: I did not like the ending.

Joel

Favorite: Unlike Callie, I did like the ending.

Least Favorite: The writers went out of the way to portray Boston bad guys and cops as extremely vulgar guys. 

2007 - No Country For Old Men: "It's your lucky quarter."

2007 Best Picture

Premiered November 4, 2007 in Hollywood

Budget $25 Million

Gross $74 Million

The Coen brothers wrote and directed this odd little movie. It is like they took the book on how to make a great movie and threw it away. It is unconventional but it is a good movie because it is unconventional. For example, there is no soundtrack whatsoever. However, the lack of music adds to the creepy nature of the movie. In summary, it is a unique movie and a compelling movie at the same time. 

Callie

Favorite: I liked the fact that it was so eerie with no music in the background.

Least Favorite: It was just so random. I kept thinking "this movie won"? But I liked it at the same time.

Joel

Favorite: Anton was such a mysterious and creepy villain. He was up there with Hannibal as an all time creepy bad guy.

Least Favorite: The "hero" was eliminated and we find out in a very un-dramatic fashion.  

2005 - Crash: "I want the locks changed again in the morning"

2005 Best Picture

Premiered April 26, 2005 in Beverly Hills

Budget $6.5 Million

Gross $53.4 Million

This movie has one message: that we are all racist, even the most upstanding of people. The multiple storylines all have that common thread. Normally, multiple plots and characters can leave the audience confused but the makers of this film did a masterful job at it. This is a very compelling movie and it is a great piece of art. The creators of the movie wanted to cause you to think and that is exactly what they cause the viewer to do.

We had a long discussion about the premise in the movie. Here is the conclusion that we came to: Sin causes us to hate those that are not like us. People at their core are unloving but that is where the love of Christ comes in. Jesus spoke out against racism and shows his followers early that He came for people of all skin color. 

Callie

Favorite: I loved how all the handful of characters had their lives so intertwined.

Least Favorite: It is so intensely raw that the viewer can't see where the movie is going.

Joel

Favorite: I am a Don Cheadle fan and I thought he did a very good job. I also liked the fact that this movie made me think.

Least Favorite: I did not like the amount of profanity used in the script.

2004 - Million Dollar Baby: "Mo cushle means my darling, my blood"

2004 Best Picture

Premiered December 15, 2004

Budget $30 Million

Gross $100 Million

Clint Eastwood did everything in this movie but cook the catering and he did a great job. It is slow but very thought provoking. He tackles issues like God, life and death. It is a movie that sticks with the viewer. Eastwood and Morgan Freeman were gold as usual. Also, Hillary Swank had one of the best performances of any actress so far. 

Callie

Favorite: The relationship between Swank's character and Eastwood's character.

Least Favorite: The sympanthy for assisted suicide.

Joel 

Favorite: I thought that the boxing scenes were well scripted and executed. 

Least Favorite: I did not like the choice that Frankie made in the end. He felt the need to play God and chose poorly. 

2003 - The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King: "The ring is mine!"

2003 Best Picture

Premiered December 17, 2003

Budget $94 Million

Gross $378 Million

This was the toughest movie to evaluate so far because we were trying to judge just a piece of a much larger pie. The trilogy is really a 9 and a half hour movie that happened to be released in different years. It was also hard to judge because we were both very familiar with this movie.

We tried to watch it with an open mind and with fresh eyes. We were blown away by this movie. The scenes were gorgeous and the effects and battle scenes were the best of any movie so far. The musical score is one of the best. 

Callie

Favorite: There are so many spiritual lessons to pull from it.

Least Favorite: It is not a stand alone movie so I felt lost.

Joel

Favorite: So many of the shots are big and beautiful. I never realized how stunning so many of the scenes were.

Least Favorite: This is where it is tough to evaluate this movie away from the other two in the trilogy. When you watch it on its own, the ending seems to drag on way too long. The epilogue continues for about 30 minutes. However, in the context of the other two films the ending makes sense.

2002 - Chicago: "The trial...the whole world...it's all...show business"

2002 Best Picture

Premiered December 10, 2002

Budget $45 Million

Gross $171 Million

We could not help but compare this movie to Moulin Rouge that came out the year before. Chicago has more star power but Moulin Rouge is a better movie. The music in Chicago is good but not great. The acting is good but not great and the story is average at best. 

Callie

Favorite: I liked some of the songs.

Least Favorite: The movie was very shallow.

Dr rJoel

Favorite: I liked the song "Mister Cellophane". It was one of the few highlights for me.

Least Favorite: It was such a sexual movie. It was sexual just to be sexual and for no other reason.  

2001 - A Beautiful Mind: "Nash, who's winning - you or you?"

2001 Best Picture

Premiered December 13, 2001 in Beverly Hills

Budget $60 Million

Gross $171 Million

We had both seen this movie but neither of us remembered this movie so we went in with low expectations. We were blown away! The story was so compelling and Russell Crowe was even better in this movie than he was in Gladiator. This is a movie that you need to have on your must see list.

Callie

Favorite: I liked getting into the mind of a schizophrenic person.

Least Favorite: The movie was a little boring some of the time.

Joel

Favorite: I liked Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly in this movie. They were great working together.

Least Favorite: Some scenes were a little slow and could have been tightened up. 

2000 - Gladiator: "Strength and Honor"

2000 Best Picture

Premiered May 1, 2000 in Los Angeles

Budget $103 Million

Gross $188 Million

Gladiator is as close to the perfect movie as any Oscar winning Best Pictures have gotten so far. This is a beautiful film with great sets and a superb use of color. The acting was tremendous and the stunts and special effects were the best of any movie we've seen so far on our journey. 

The heart of the movie is the great story. Maximus is the most courageous and honorable character of any we've watching so far. Unlike William Wallace who gets sidetracked, Maximus never loses focus. He is the ultimate protagonist. 

Callie

Favorite: I liked the honor portrayed by Maximus.

Least Favorite: I thought the after life scenes were weird.

Joel

Favorite: The honor and courage showed by Maximus. He is a character that ever man can look up to.

Least Favorite: The actress who played "Lucilla" was a little wooden. They could have cast a little better for that character.

1990s wrap up

Since the 70s we are seeing decade long themes in the Best Picture winners. The 90s seem to be the decade of romance (and sex and nudity). Most of the movies had a very strong love story. Even the ultimate guy movie - Braveheart has a huge love story component to it.

The movies were not as raw as the movies in the 70s but they touched on basic human needs and some of the movies went to disturbing and/or heart wrenching lengths to prove their point. The 90s also stand out because almost all of the movie stayed with us for at least a few days. Gone are the days when a Best Picture would just be an entertaining movie (like Marty, Out of Africa or Mutiny on the Bounty).

Also, all of movies in this decade caused us to reflect on the movies and the themes they represented. Some movies were haunting (Schindler's List, Silence of the Lambs), some were inspirational (Forest Gump and Braveheart), some were sad (Dances with Wolves and the English Patient) and some were disturbing (America Beauty).

In conclusion, it was an interesting decade for movies. Some were terrible and some were great. There weren't too many movies that were in between.

1999 - American Beauty: "Welcome to American's weirdest home videos"

1999 Best Picture

Premiered September 8, 1999 in Los Angeles

Budget $15 Million

Gross $130 Million

American Beauty is great at accomplishing its goal: to be a film that obscene, creepy, disturbing and gross. It scores an A+ in each of those categories. I remember that many spoke out against the movie went it came out calling it child pornography. 

All of that aside, it is actually a very hopeless movie. All of the characters are searching for fulfillment, purpose and happiness. They look for it in sex, drugs, a successful career and even in taking a life. It ends poorly because the characters realize that those things don't bring happiness. Only God fills that void and no one in the movie even explores in that direction.

We are also not fans of movies that remind us of other movies. This one reminded us of the sad family dynamics of Ordinary People, the fascination on sex contained in Terms of Endearment and the creepiness of Gigi. The story could have been more original.

Callie

Favorite: I really didn't have a favorite part of the movie.

Least Favorite: I hated that the movie was so sexual.

Joel 

Favorite: The story did engage me enough to want to see what happens to Lester.

Least Favorite: The movie was super creepy.

1998 - Shakespeare in Love: "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter."

1998 Best Picture

Premiered December 3, 1998 in New York

Budget $25 Million

Gross $100 Million

This turned out to be a decent movie. By decent we mean, the story is interesting and the dialog is well written. The morality of the film was lacking and this seems to be a theme in the 90s. More on that in our summary of the 90s but now back to our thoughts on the movie itself: So many Oscar winners are so heavy and Shakespeare in Love is a nice change of pace and was the closest movie to a comedy that we have many in decades. Overall, it was good movie and a worthy winner.

Joel 

Favorite: I liked the climax and the ending of the movie. It was fun and wrapped up the story nicely. I also liked Judi Dench in the movie as the Queen.

Least Favorite: The filmmakers seemed to work hard to add nudity into the film. It could have been an even better movie without it.

1997 - Titanic: "You ever been to Wisconsin?"

Premiered December 14, 1997 in Los Angeles

Budget $200 Million

Gross $657.7 Million

History has not been kind to this movie. Marketing and hype was reaching new levels in America in the late 90s and the media was beginning to understand the 24 hour news cycle. Just because radio over plays a great song does not meant that the hit song is terrible all of the sudden. It is the same with Titanic. When we watched the movie we attempted to watch it with fresh eyes.

The haters have some points with this movie: it does go over the top at times and it can be far fetched at times. However, it is a solid film overall. This movie change film-making forever because the shots, the special effects and the audio were so great. It changed movies the way no movie had since Gone With The Wind. 

The acting was marginal at times but DiCaprio was quite good and he used his success to build a great career. The story moves along nicely and it was engaging. At the end we felt for those who did not make it into the life boats. In summary, culture was too obsessed with Titanic when it came out and soured it for many but it was, and remains a great movie.

Callie

Favorite: I liked the sets. It was fun to imagine what it would have been like.

Least Favorite: It was hokey at times.

Joel

Favorite: I loved the special effects and the sound effects that James Cameron included in the movie. It raised the bar in those two areas in a big way.

Least Favorite: At times the story is too over the top.