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.

1996 - The English Patient: "In Italy, you get chickens by no eggs. In Africa there were eggs but...never chickens."

1996 Best Picture

Premiered November 6, 1996 in Los Angeles

Budget $31 Million

Gross $78.6 Million

This movie will be making our "All Time Worst" list. The art of film was not advanced by The English Patient. The cinematography was unoriginal and the story was slow and left the viewer without a hero to root for. This movie is definitely one to pass on if you've never seen it.

Callie
Favorite: I liked the mystery of the movie.
Least Favorite: The pace was way too slow.

Joel
Favorite: I like the mystery that surrounded Almsay at first. However, as the story unfolded I began to get bored with the character.
Least Favorite: There was a disconnect between the flashback scenes and the scenes in the present day. The sequences often went too long that I forgot was what going on in the "other" story.

1995 - Braveheart: "Ever man dies. Not every man lives."

1995 Best Picture

Premiered May 19, 1995 in Los Angeles

Budget $72 Million

Gross $76 Million

Mel Gibson called Clint Eastwood to ask what it was like to act as the Director and the lead on the same film. However, Braveheart and Unforgiven are totally different. Braveheart is about one hundred times better than Unforgiven. 

The story is compelling and has redeeming value. William Wallace begins to fight because of pure hate but it turns into a desire for freedom that fuels his quest. Gibson does a great job as Wallace and the score is excellent as well. The film editing was very well done too. I (Joel) had seen the movie before so I paid special attention to the editing and detail in the battle scenes and it was impeccable. Overall, the movie is one of the best that we've seen so far.

Callie
Favorite: I loved the fact that the movie is honorable and inspiring.
Least Favorite: I didn't like the fact that Wallace gets together with the Princess in the end. He never loved her and it doesn't add to the story.

Joel

Favorite: I love the fact that Wallace desires freedom for his fellow Scots that he is willing to be tortured for it. 

Least Favorite: I wish that Wallace would have made a quicker turn from being driven by hate to being driven by the desire to be free.

1994 - Forrest Gump: "Me and Jenny were likes peas and carrots"

1994 Best Picture

Premiered June 23, 1994

Budget $55 Million

Gross $330 Million

This was a very complete movie. There was a lot of humor and drama which made for a balanced movie. The historical aspect, while slightly over the top, was interesting. The script was witty and smart and Tom Hanks turned in a performance that was marvelous. 

At its core, this movie is all about relationships: Forrest and his mother, Forrest and Bubba, Forrest and Lt. Dan and, of course, Forrest and Jenny. Forrest shows great loyalty and character in each of those relationships. He has a low IQ but he truly understands what love is all about. He is mistreated over and over by the people he loves but he continues to do the right thing. We felt that this gave the movie a redemptive quality.

Callie

Favorite: Forrest was such an endearing character and was full of integrity. It was redeeming how he handled life. 

Least Favorite: I did not have closure because all of the characters were searching for God. It showed the God shaped hole that we all have. I wished that the characters would turn to God. I was also disappointed that Jenny did not reach out to Forrest until she was sick. 

Joel

Favorite: I liked the humor, not so much that it was a comedy but enough that it took some of the heaviness out of the film. 

Least Favorite: The movie was a little over the top in some of the historical events that Forrest was at (i.e. that he caused Watergate)

1993 - Schindler's List: "The list...is life"

1993 Best Picture

Premiered November 30, 1993 in Washington DC

Budget $25 Million

Gross $321 Million

The 70s and 80s both had films that were in your face and shocking. The Deer Hunter and Platoon were movies that still haunt us with the terrors that come with war. However, those movies still had a goal of being entertaining. I don't think that Steven Spielberg wanted to make a movie that had entertainment value. He wanted to make a movie to communicate the horrific tragedy that the Holocaust was. Spielberg showed his genius in this movie. The movie is hard to watch and yet spellbinding. It is a very complete film that tells a single story and yet communicates the breadth of the Holocaust. 

It is a movie that cannot be compared to the other Oscar winners. On one hand, it is greatest film that we have seen so far and on the other hand, it does not even make the list. It is a movie that leaves you numb for days.

Callie

Favorite: I liked seeing the Holocaust in a different light and I liked seeing the real people at the end. 

Least Favorite: I had no least favorite. 

Joel

Favorite: I loved that it was in Black and White. I also liked the use of color with the girl in the red coat showing Schindler's change in the way he viewed the Jews.

Least Favorite: Nothing. It was amazing. 

1992 - Unforgiven: "Any man don't wanna get killed better clear out back"

1992 Best Picture

Premiered August 3, 1992 in Los Angeles

Budget $14 Million

Gross $101 Million

This movie has so much potential going for it. It had a good director (Eastwood), Star Power (Hackman, Freeman and Eastwood) a wild west theme and cowboys hunting each other. Unfortunately, the movie fails to deliver on all accounts. The story was just not that compelling and the western backdrop failed to deliver. The movie was needlessly profane and the ending was unsatisfying.

Callie
Favorite: The movie was artistic. The use of colors was nice.
Least Favorite: I did not know who Eastwood was fighting for. He was not a character that I could root for. Also, the ending was terrible.

Joel
Favorite: My favorite character was W.W. Beauchamp. He brought a good dynamic to an otherwise dull film.
Least Favorite: The ending was terrible.

1991 - The Silence Of The Lambs: "Well Clarice, have the lambs stopped screaming?"

1991 Best Picture

Premiered January 30, 1990 in New York

Budget $19 Million

Gross N/A

This movie continues to be (along with Psycho), the gold standard for the horror genre. After we talked about whether or not a horror movie will ever win best picture again. The answer: if the genre ever produces a movie on the level of The Silence Of The Lambs it will. The movie is so complete and so cerebal. The audience is guessing until the final few minutes and we wanted to hide behind the couch during the climax of the movie. Foster does a great job as an FBI trainee who is very nervous at first but who becomes a confident agent and of course Anthony Hopkins is magnificent. He turned in one of the top performances we have seen so far.

Callie

Favorite: I love the eeriness and the way it keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time

Least Favorite: Some of the dialog between the cops is kind of cheesy. 

Joel

Favorite: Hopkins is about as creepy as a character can get. He hit a home run. Also, I loved the way the audience thinks that the police are at the killers door when they are actually chasing a faulty lead.

Least Favorite: The only thing that would have made it more scary would have been to not have shown the killer's face so early in the film. He could have been more mysterious. 

1990 - Dancing With Wolves: "In trying to produce my own death, I was elevated to the status of a living hero"

1990 Best Picture

Premiered October 19, 1990 in Washington DC

Budget $19 Million

Gross $184 Million

This was a solid movie. The story was unique and compelling and the stunts were well executed. The locations used in the film were beautiful. The movie had the potential to be a great film but fell short of the 3 popcorn bag mark. The acting was pedestrian at best and the movie was too slow at times.

Joel
Favorite: The scenery was gorgeous. I am a fan of movies that feature many shots filmed outside of a studio.
Least Favorite: Kevin Costner was not the best casting choice for the role. I think that Harrison Ford would have possibly been a better choice or a 40 year old Tome Cruise would have been better (think The Last Samurai).

Callie
Favorite: The story in general is unique. It showed that period of time in a different light.
Least Favorite: When Timmons eats the egg. It makes me gag.

The top acting performances in Best Picture winning movies

We have witnessed many great performances in the 60 years of movies we've seen so far. Here are our favorite acting performances so far:

#1 Al Pacino in the Godfather movies

#2 Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man

#3 Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady 

#4 Clark Gable in It Happened One Night

#5 Marlon Brandon in the Godfather

Honorable Mention:

Robert De Niro Godfather part II

Meryl Streep in Out Of Africa

Sidney Poitier in In The Heat Of The Night

Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca

Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

1980s wrap up

The 1980s started out poorly but ended well. The movies in this decade focused on relationships and the dynamics that love brings. With the exception of Platoon the movies in the 80s were not as raw as the movies in the 70s. The acting and directing was also inferior to the 70s. Overall, the 80s were one of the oddest decades for Oscar winning movies.

1989 - Driving Miss Daisy: "Mama cars don't behave. They are behaved upon"

1989 Best Picture

Premiered December 15, 1989

Budget $7 Million

Gross $107 Million

This movie is so sweet and charming. We thought it was going to go down the racism route but it really did not. The movie was all about friendship. It was one of the few movies we've experienced that left us feeling warm and happy. 

The acting was superb. Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman had amazing chemistry. Their on screen relationship won us over and earned it three popcorn bags. 

Callie

Favorite: I loved Morgan Freeman's character.

Least Favorite: As Miss Daisy made changes in her life, I wished that she would have reached out to her family more. 

Joel

Favorite: The relationship between Daisy and Hoke was entertaining and wonderful to watch.

Least Favorite: The movie was based on a stage play and could have done more to remind you that you were watching a movie and not a stage play.