The Top Ten films to lose Best Picture

With the Oscar nominations revealed today many film fans and movie-goers alike are eagerly anticipating seeing if their favourite films and actors of the year are in contention for taking home the awards at the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday 2nd march. With this in mind, I’ve done a countdown of the top ten ‘nominated for best picture’ films that didn’t clinch the Oscar for one reason or another. I always find it astonishing how some fan-favourite films, such as ‘Fight Club’ (1999), ‘The Shining’ (1980) and ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004) didn’t even get a nomination. And I could list a further couple of dozen, that also didn’t get a nomination, that easily could have won the award – so believe me, picking a top ten wasn’t easy.

10. Inception (2010)

Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’ is personally one of my favourite films released in the last decade. Its innovative narrative captures audiences as the central character, a skilled extractor, played by Leonardo DiCaprio (the best actor to have never won an Oscar perhaps), is forced into an impossibly complicated mission in exchange for his freedom. ‘Inception’ lost out to ‘The King’s Speech’ starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. As far as IMDB’s user rating is concerned ‘The King’s Speech’ scored an ‘8.1’, compared to ‘Inception’ which scored an ‘8.8’. I think that this is one of those great examples where the academy chose a pretentious drama film rather than a truly great adventure film.

9. Apocalypse Now (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Apocalypse Now’ is viewed now as one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time. For those who don’t know ‘Apocalypse Now’ is an epic war film set during the Vietnam War and stars Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, and Marlon Brando. The film is described by many critics as visually and aurally ‘breathtaking’ which explains why it won Oscars for ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best Sound’. However, the film failed to win Best Picture losing out to ‘Kramer vs Kramer’ starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, who also clinched ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Supporting Actress’ respectively. Whilst ‘Kramer vs Kramer’ is also a very good film I think the majority of fans and critics would tell you that ‘Apocalypse Now’ is better.

8. Django Unchained (2012)

‘Django Unchained’ is the latest work of Hollywood favourite Quentin Tarantino. Despite Tarantino winning ‘Best Screenplay’ twice, a Quentin Tarantino film has suprisingly never picked up a Best Picture Oscar, despite their huge appeal to fans and critic alike. The film stars Jamie Foxx as a slave who teams up with a bounty hunter to embark on a mission to rescue his wife from the plantation, Candie Land, run by the tyrannical Calvin Candie. The supporting cast truly make this film. Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L Jackson all give Oscar-worthy performances but ultimately it was Waltz who took home the Oscar for ‘Best supporting Actor’. The film unfortunately lost out to ‘Argo’ which arguably deserved to take home the Oscar.

7. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Some say that it’s Steven Spielberg’s best film. Some say that it’s Tom Hank’s best film. Personally, I wouldn’t go that far but ‘Saving Private Ryan’ undoubtedly is one of the greatest war films ever made. The film revolves around a group of US soldiers searching for the last-surviving brother of four, Private First Class Ryan. The film is set during the Normandy Invasion of the WWII. The film picked up five Oscars from the 11 it was nominated for, including a ‘Best Director’ award for Spielberg. The film itself, however, lost out to ‘Shakespeare in Love’ which astonishingly won seven Oscars including that of ‘Best Picture’. However, the fact that ‘Shakespeare in Love’ won left many film fans in shock that a British Romantic Comedy beat a Spielberg epic.

6. 12 Angry Men (1957)

’12 Angry Men’ is the oldest film in this list, with ‘Wizard of Oz’ just missing out on a top ten spot. Henry Fonda leads the cast, as a juror who is positive that the defendant, a teenager, is innocent of murdering his father, despite the other eleven jurors being convinced of his guilt. He must attempt to convince the others of his conclusion, in this tense and powerful drama. The film missed out on winning the Oscar with the award going to the war film ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’. Both films were critically acclaimed at the time, and still are in many respects but it was ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ which picked up seven academy awards while ’12 Angry Men’ picked up nothing. However, perhaps it is ’12 Angry Men’ which has the last laugh as it rates at number 8 on IMDB’s top 250 films of all-time list, while ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ rates at 122.

5. Taxi Driver (1976)

‘Taxi Driver’ was the second collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. De Niro plays a night-time taxi driver, mentally unstable after returning from the Vietnam war, who attempts to save a pre-adolescent prostitute. Robert De Niro’s performance is remarkable in this role proving why he’s been a Hollywood heavyweight for decades. However, De Niro didn’t take home the ‘Best Actor’ Oscar, and ‘Taxi Driver’ didn’t take home the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar. In fact, the film didn’t take home a single Oscar at all. The ‘Best Picture’ was won by ‘Rocky’, a film written and starring Sylvester Stallone which launched the actor’s career. However, despite not taking any Oscars home ‘Taxi Driver’ remains a cult classic.

4. The Green Mile (1999)

How ‘The Green Mile’ didn’t win ‘Best Picture’ in 1999 is beyond me. Directed by Frank Darabont, and starring Tom Hanks, the film is based on a novel by Stephen King and follows the story of a man sentenced to death row who has a mysterious and wonderful gift. This really is a film that somehow chills your spine and warms your heart at the same time. Remarkably, like the last two films in the list, ‘The Green Mile’ didn’t take home a single academy award. Instead it was ‘American Beauty’ that took home five Oscars including the prestigious ‘Best Picture’ award. However, despite Kevin Spacey’s powerful performance as middle-aged Lester Burnham, I think the film was overrated. However, it’s definitely a close call with both the critics and the fans. Both, ‘The Green Mile’ and ‘American Beauty’ score an average of 8.5 on IMDB and rank at 46 and 60 respectively.

3. Jaws (1975)

Understandably ‘Jaws’, and John Williams, took the ‘Best Music’ Oscar for a score that is perhaps more recognisable than the film. However, ‘Jaws’ didn’t win the ‘Best Picture’ award. Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’  follows the story of a Police Chief, an oceanographer and a shark hunter, who together, embark on a mission to find and kill the great white shark that has been attacking beachgoers on Amity Island. The film then, and still now, captures audiences with its tense scenes, made even more dramatic by the Oscar winning score. In terms of the highest grossing films of all-time, adjusting for inflation, ‘Jaws’ would rank at 9th which is an amazing feat in itself. However, ‘Jaws’ didn’t manage the feat of claiming ‘Best Picture’. That was taken by ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, a film that had huge critical acclaim and in many people’s eyes deserved to win the Oscar. However, if I had to choose between these two films I would choose ‘Jaws’ any day of the week.

2. Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Ranked highest in IMDB’s Top 250 greatest films of all-time, ‘Shawshank Redemption’ is a truly great film beloved by many. Would I go so far as to say the greatest film of all time? Probably not. But many people would and they may arguably have a point. Another film in the list directed by Frank Darabont, based on a Stephen King work, the film stars Tim Robbins as a banker, wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover. Whilst in jail he befriends a fellow inmate, portrayed by Morgan Freeman. However, despite being a fan favourite it failed to pick up any Oscars and lost out on ‘Best Picture’ to Forrest Gump, an extraordinary tale of a good hearted man who is somehow involved in almost every major event during the last half of the 20th century. Whilst some people will argue a case for both films, it is undeniable that both of these films could have won the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar. But both could have both lost to…

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)

‘Pulp Fiction’ is one of, if not, the greatest cult films of all-time. Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece won the 1994 ‘Palme d’Or’ at the Cannes Film Festival, yet missed out on winning ‘Best Picture’. Perhaps a film like ‘Pulp Fiction’ could never, for one reason another, win the ‘Best Picture’ academy award. However, its popularity with the fans and critics is unquestionable. The film is best known for its clever dialogue, juxtaposition of humour and violence, pop culture references, non-linear narrative along with some of the greatest movie quotes of modern cinema. The film stars John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson in lead roles, as well Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis and other stars which make up a truly great cast. The film intertwines four stories of crime that occur in a short space of time and affects all of the characters. Despite not winning the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar the film is known as one of the best films of all time, which is why I’ve put it at number one.