Everybody knows Citizen Kane is one of the greatest movies made which puts everything about cinema into perspective. An important film for numerous reasons, it's one of the best-shot works of art in terms of storytelling through the power of cinematography. The controversy behind the scenes is the reason for its mammoth reputation which makes the story all the more fascinating. Instead, the Oscar went to How Green Was My Valley. Um, what?

Vivien Leigh, Karl Malden, and Kim Hunter won the Oscar for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. But all anyone can remember is the animal sexuality Marlon Brando brought on screen for A Streetcar Named Desire. It's a landmark picture in terms of acting, representing a change of the guard. What happened is Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen) campaigned for the Oscar while Brando put forth no effort. It may have been a make-up for Casablanca.

Was the Academy blind or what? Did they not see a prominent actor by the name of Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind? He wasn't called "The King of Hollywood" for nothing. It's absurd they gave the Best Actor award to Robert Donat for Goodbye, Mr. Chips. I bet you Gone with the Wind had been shown on TV a million times more than the other silly forgettable picture.

Talk about famous villains in movie history. There's no denying the impact that Anthony Perkins had on Psycho. Taking a shower would never be the same again. His character has the best lines such as "We all go a little mad sometimes, "A boy's best friend is his mother," and "I think I must have one of those faces you can't help believing." I don't know if Anthony Perkins' homosexuality was the reason why. Instead, the award went to Peter Ustinov for Spartacus. Zzz...

Casablanca is the greatest movie of all time with some of the best lines ever written. It wouldn't have been made possible without Humphrey Bogart. Therefore, it's shocking he didn't win the Oscar for Best Actor. Believe it or not, nobody involved in the production expected success, but his character is quite iconic. Hysterically, the award went to Paul Lukas for Watch on the Rhine, a film I bet nobody has ever heard of today.

If there was a perfect time to honor an American Indian, this is it. Unbelievably, the Academy skipped Wes Studi. If not for him, I don't think The Last of the Mohicans would have been half of the film as it is. Wes Studi received an Academy Honorary Award in 2019 probably as a make-up. Still, it's pathetic. Gene Hackman ended up getting it for Unforgiven.

"You're Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big." Taking a short pause, she defiantly corrects Joe Gillis, "I am big. It's the pictures that got small." Thanks to Gloria Swanson, it's an all-time great line to mark the beginning of a strange film that's still timeless after many decades: Sunset Boulevard. Hard to believe is that she lost to Judy Holliday of Born Yesterday. Even Bette Davis (All About Eve) had to admit Gloria Swason deserved it.

What makes Citizen Kane a spellbinding viewing is how busy or interesting many scenes are, by using different photography techniques, that I had to pause the movie many times just to look at everything. I think it's part of Orson Welles' charm to force me to visit the film many times over. Instead, the award went to Arthur Miller for How Green Was My Valley.

Quick! Name a black film that won Best Picture during the 20th century. Ding-dong! There isn't any! Now, the Academy is trying to look good by rewarding any that comes along, no matter how mediocre it is, when it blew plenty of chances for seventy-one years. It shows you their true colors. The all-white snoozefest that's called Out of Africa snatched the win which is ironical given the book author was racist and a white supremacist.

It's impossible for me to say who was better in From Here to Eternity: Burt Lancaster or Montgomery Clift. Hence, they should've won in a tie. Stalag 17's William Holden was the winner, which is perhaps a make-up for what happened in 1951 with Sunset Boulevard, and he had publicly said so.

Making her astonishing screen debut in The Color Purple is Whoopi Goldberg. Seriously, where's the Oscar for her? The Academy has to be joking; its voters must have been more than 99% white. A make-up Oscar was granted to Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost. Anyway, Geraldine Page ended up winning it for her stupid saccharine performance in The Trip to Bountiful.

Because of the final shootout, Sam Peckinpah is famous for directing a legendary picture: The Wild Bunch. It's the beautiful editing which made it possible. The best way to think of the theme is "honor among thieves." There are some stirring and passionate scenes with an unbelievable display of violence that's best described as poetic. Françoise Bonnot ended up being the winner for Z which is a boring political picture.

"According to Roger Ebert, after the film failed to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, he and Gene Siskel learned about the nominating process. He said that members of the Academy's documentary committee held flashlights when they watched documentaries, and anyone who had 'given up' could wave it against the screen. The movie was turned off if a majority waved their flashlights. Hoop Dreams was turned off after 15 minutes." Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision was chosen instead.

Orson Welles was a genius and one of the greatest filmmakers ever. He was innovative in all aspects of cinema and knew how to create a film that was so unconventional that there has been nothing like it ever since. Hence, Citizen Kane is an indisputable evidence of his unparalleled brilliance. But, because of William Randolph Hearst's power, John Ford won it for How Green Was My Valley.

Genius is written all over This Is Spinal Tap. It remains one of the funniest, most quotable pictures of all time. "I envy us." "These go to eleven." "Hello, Cleveland! Hello, Cleveland!" "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever." "Eleven. Exactly. One louder." "I believe virtually everything I read, and I think that is what makes me more of a selective human than someone who doesn't believe anything." For Places in the Heart, the award went to Robert Benton.

Peter O'Toole is famous for being constantly snubbed by the Academy Awards. Nominated eight times, he was a brilliant actor. His screen debut on Lawrence of Arabia is nothing less than stunning and impactful. As a consolation, Peter received an Academy Honorary Award in 2003, but I know he, a true hellraiser to the end, would've rather pissed on it. Gregory Peck of To Kill a Mockingbird was given the statuette.

I'm sure there is a huge debate about which Vietnam War picture is better: Apocalypse Now or Platoon. Honestly, they are both outstanding with each having a different feel. Platoon focuses on reality while Apocalypse Now is surrealistic. Having Marlon Brando on board goes a long, long way. Hence, it's pathetic that Kramer vs. Kramer won Best Picture.

The Academy hated Richard Burton. It never gave him an honorary award, either. A powerful Welsh actor with an incredible voice, he was nominated seven times. A case can be made for winning at least two of them, especially for A Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Richard Burton made the greatest comeback of his career when he did Equus, showing everybody that he still got it. Instead, Lee Marvin (Cat Ballou), Paul Scofield (A Man for All Seasons), and Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl) won.

If you have seen Apocalypse Now, then you must see Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, a documentary about Francis Ford Coppola's journey of making the Vietnam War masterpiece. "We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane." The stories of what happened on the set are legendary by now. Instead, it went to Robert Benson for Kramer vs. Kramer.

It's hard to believe Ordinary People won Best Picture when it's clear Raging Bull is superior in every aspect. The genesis of the film is Robert De Niro getting Martin Scorsese to direct it after he first read the eponymous book by Jake LaMotta, and the rest is history. Who can forget the powerful black-and-white cinematography with Robert De Niro at his best?

The Oscar for Best Actor should've gone to Morgan Freeman for Lean on Me. Nobody was better that year. What a magnificent performance he gave. It's the singular reason why the film continues to stand the test of time. What's strange is, although Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for My Left Foot, the boy Hugh O'Conor did a bulk of the work but wasn't recognized for it.

The Academy messed up big time when John Wayne won the Best Actor for True Grit, which is widely acknowledged as a reward for his many years of service, over Jon Voight for Midnight Cowboy. Then, it messed up by putting Dustin Hoffman in the wrong category, which was won by Gig Young for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, when he was really a sidekick. What can I say? It's the performance of their careers.

Like It's a Wonderful Life, The Shawshank Redemption is one of those films that take a while to achieve the "classic" status because it was initially a box-office failure despite being nominated for seven Academy Awards. The biggest reason for it is that Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump (Best Picture Winner) ruled cinema in 1994. As time passes, it's gradually clear that The Shawshank Redemption is the superior picture.

Rod Steiger for In the Heat of the Night? Ha! As great as he is, Sidney Poitier should've been the Oscar winner for his role of Virgil Tibbs. He's unforgettable when his character warns "They call me MISTER Tibbs!" and slaps Mr. Endicott back after being slapped in the face. You could hear a pin drop in the middle of the Deep South during that moment.

Steven Spielberg is the greatest director ever lived. He has made a masterpiece in just about every genre there is. But he never got the Best Director nomination for Jaws. How can that be? The man practically invented the trend of summer blockbuster pictures. If they knew of the story and all the problems behind the scenes, it's amazing how Steven Spielberg was able to pull it off while making Bruce look real. The winner was Miloš Forman for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Not to be missed in Equus is Peter Firth's intense, show-stealing Oscar-nominated performance as Alan Strang. I'm surprised he, having played the character over a thousand times on stage, didn't win the award because it's one of the best jobs I've seen out of anyone in the history of motion pictures. Oddly, it went to Jason Robards for Julia.

The über famous Gordon Gekko imparts his ever pearls of wisdom such as: "I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing." "Ever wonder why fund managers can't beat the S&P 500? 'Cause they're sheep, and sheep get slaughtered." "The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good." How boring is John Patrick Shanley receiving the Oscar for Moonstruck.

When Psycho came out, it set attendance records in many countries and saw long lines outside of theatres. Shot for less than one million dollars, the sexual-psychological thriller went go on to be Alfred Hitchcock's highest grossing film ever. What's interesting is it's his first horror movie which became the game changer of the slasher genre. Unfortunately, Billy Wilder won the Oscar for The Apartment.

Before there was Norman Bates, there was Cody Jarrett. James Cagney gives the greatest performance of his career in White Heat. His "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" scene is among the all-time best endings ever. What he did with the prison cafeteria scene when Cody found out what happened to his mother is legendary. That moment takes a real skill to pull off which makes James Cagney special. The Oscar was given to Broderick Crawford for All the King's Men.

Quoteable movies get attention. The more great lines there are, the better. Hence, Michael Schiffer wrote a terrific one for Lean on Me. "If we treat our students like animals, that's exactly how they'll behave!" "This is an institution of learning. If you can't control it, how can you teach?" "I saw the lightning flash. I heard the thunder roll! I felt breakers crashing, swamping my soul." "You smoke crack, don't you?" Tom Schulman got it for a cheesy movie that's called Dead Poets Society.

The Daniel Day-Lewis of his time, Paul Muni is one of the greatest actors ever lived. He didn't do many films, having starred in only 23 before retiring early due to health problems. When Paul Muni played a character, he became the character, having done exactly that for The Life of Emile Zola. Instead, they gave it to Spencer Tracy for Captains Courageous.

Because of his "personality of a pimp," Eric Roberts is captivating in Star 80 by giving the performance of his career. Unbelievably, how was he not nominated for an Oscar, let alone win it? I don't think there will be a better or more realistic characterization of somebody with bipolar behavior that's taken to the extreme. By all accounts, Eric's portrayal of Paul Snider was "right on the money." It went to Robert Duvall for his mediocre performance in Tender Mercies.

If anyone deserved an Oscar win, it's Jennifer Grey. She's perfect. What's amazing about her performance is how well she plays the awkwardness part without being corny. Prior to being cast, Jennifer Grey didn't want to work with Patrick Swayze again after Red Dawn. He had to persuade her before she finally relented, and the rest is history. Cher ended up getting it for Moonstruck.

If there's any performance the Academy Award voters completely missed during the 80's, it's John Candy's for Planes, Trains & Automobiles. What happened to recognition for comedy films? It seems they only hand out Oscars for dramas and musicals. That's boring. There's no question Del Griffith is an all-time classic. If I think about the film, he's the first thing that comes to my mind. Sean Connery got the overrated win for The Untouchables.

John Singleton left behind a legacy that began with Boyz n the Hood. Look no further than the edgy opening sequence that set the tone for the rest of the film. The scene with Ricky and Tre, after they saw the red Hyundai Excel, is unforgettable and powerful. Jonathan Demme received Best Director for The Silence of the Lambs while Thelma & Louise's Callie Khouri got it for Original Screenplay.

You must be joking me that Billy Bob Thornton didn't win the Oscar for Sling Blade (it went to Shine's Geoffrey Rush). Go ahead and watch it yourself. And then look at him when he's back to himself. Showing a mix of dumb and (more of) intelligence, Karl Childers will live forever as one of the great icons in cinema. It's hard to forget the six-minute scene when he told his life story. That has to be one of the finest ways to introduce a character.

Leonardo DiCaprio's performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape is astonishing. It's nearly the only reason to watch the film over and over. Tommy Lee Jones won it for The Fugitive which is a joke because that was actually a leading role. Hence, it sets Leo DiCaprio up for a difficult competition against Ralph Fiennes of Schindler's List.

The back of the DVD cover for Papillon reads: "Not just a great escape. It was the greatest." Well, it should be: "Not just a great Steve McQueen performance. It was the greatest." His collaboration with Dustin Hoffman is something special. Their characters feed off each other as they're stuck in the desolateness of the humid jungle environment in some faraway foreign country. Disappointingly, the Oscar went to Jack Lemmon for Save the Tiger.

Death of a Fuckin' Salesman is how the all-star cast described Glengarry Glen Ross which started out as a play that won David Mamet the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. His dialogue is crafty and delightful to listen to, and the carefully created parallel threads make the intertwining story compelling to follow. Every character has weaknesses, and that's why most of them weren't born to be a salesman. Anyway, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala got it for Howards End.

JFK is an incredible masterpiece, representing Oliver Stone's best. Outstanding are the acting, storytelling, and, most of all, editing. The best moment is when Jim Garrison, after learning the real plot from Donald Sutherland's character, summed up the startling discovery by saying, "The size of this is...beyond me." The Silence of the Lambs got Best Picture instead.

In The Doors, Val Kilmer didn't just play Jim Morrison; he became Jim Morrison. None of the actual band members had any issues with Val's performance as they frequently couldn't tell his voice apart from Jim Morrison's. The best scene is when Kyle MacLachlan had an unbelievable vision of Val Kilmer onstage dancing around with a couple of American Indians. Receiving the award for his completely overblown performance in The Silence of the Lambs is Anthony Hopkins.

There are many great performances in Apocalypse Now, but Marlon Brando takes the cake as Colonel Walter Kurtz. He showed up on the set overweight, and director Francis Ford Coppola couldn't believe it. They had to come up with ideas to hide his body, and the result is Brando appearing mythical which paid dividends for the film. He also learned a lot about shadows from Yul Brynner during the filming of Morituri. Anyway, Melvyn Douglas won it for Being There.

Ice Cube gives the most brilliant performance of Boyz n the Hood, especially how he delivered his lines. What a surprise he wasn't nominated for an Oscar, let alone winning it. When I think of the movie, Doughboy first comes to my mind. Jack Palance won it instead for City Slickers.

There's no finer example of being in a war than the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan when the men are ready to come out of the Higgins boats during D-Day on the beaches of Normandy, France. It goes without saying it's the most realistically-shot WWII picture, putting Battle of the Bulge and The Longest Day to shame. Miramax paid a lot of money to make sure the award went to Shakespeare in Love which is now regarded as the worst Best Picture Winner of the 90's.

Ask me what's the weirdest movie I've seen, and I'm probably going to say The Swimmer. Burt Lancaster is so good as Neddy and absolutely in shape at age 52. It's among the best performances of his career. In fact, Burt called the film Death of a Salesman in swimming trunks. Nobody could have done what he did. Jack Nicholson ended up with the win for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Michael Rooker gives an unforgettable Oscar-worthy performance as Rowdy Burns in Days of Thunder. Having the best lines, he takes the film to another level by playing his character to perfection: "Listen, man. I've raced with my legs broke, heart bruised, eyes popping out of my head like they're on springs. This is going to go away just like anything else." Instead, the win went to Joe Pesci for Goodfellas which is completely overrated.

Yeah, you can admit it: Shirley Stoler is ugly. Who cares? It's not about looks but merit. Leonard Kastle, a Juilliard-trained opera composer, once said, "I was revolted by that movie [Bonnie and Clyde]. I didn't want to show beautiful shots of beautiful people." This is how he was inspired to make The Honeymoon Killers which is the only film he had ever directed. Glenda Jackson got it instead for Women in Love.

This is maybe not a snub but rather a correction because it's about the same actor who won the Oscar for The King and I during the same year. If you have to ask me who gave a much stronger performance in The Ten Commandments: Charlton Heston or Yul Brynner, I'll have to say it's no contest: Yul Brynner. Failing to receive a nomination, he's truly impressive as Rameses II.

1939 was a very competitive year for Hollywood with many great movies including Gone with the Wind. Hattie McDaniel may have won the award for Best Supporting Actress although a case can be made for Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Hamilton. It really has to go to Margaret Hamilton for her brilliant, timeless performance as Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

Nashville has one of the greatest ensemble casts ever. Only Keith Carradine won the Oscar for his original song "I'm Easy." But Ronee Blakley deserved it, too; it's just a terrific performance as the emotionally fragile country singer, having been cast at the last minute. Unfortunately, Lee Grant won it for Shampoo.