My Alternate Oscars

A quick disclaimer – I’m borrowing this idea from Danny Peary’s book, Alternate Oscars. Like Peary, I think the Academy gets it wrong more often than not. Unlike him, I’m allowing foreign films to be among my choices. In any case, Alternate Oscars is a great book and also includes best actor and actress picks.



THE ACADEMY’S CHOICE…………………….MY CHOICE

2009 - "The Hurt Locker" .......................... Inglorious Basterds
2008 – “Slumdog Millionaire”…………………… Synecdoche, New York
2007 – “No Country for Old Men” ………………Black Snake Moan
2006 – “The Departed”………………………….. United 93
2005 – “Crash”…………………………………… Sin City
2004 – “Million Dollar Baby”…............... Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2003 – “Return of the King”…………………….. Kill Bill: Volume 1
2002 – “Chicago”………………………………… Adaptation
2001 – “A Beautiful Mind”………………………. Memento
2000 – “Gladiator”…………............. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
1999 – “American Beauty”……………………… Fight Club
1998 – “Shakespeare in Love”………………….The Truman Show
1997 – “Titanic”………………………………….. Wag the Dog
1996 – “The English Patient”…………………… Breaking the Waves
1995 – “Braveheart”…………………………….. Se7en
1994 – “Forrest Gump”…………………………. Pulp Fiction
1993 – “Shindler’s List” ………………………….Shindler’s List
1992 – “Unforgiven” …………………………….. The Player
1991 – “The Silence of the Lambs”……………. The Silence of the Lambs
1990 – “Dances with Wolves”………………….. Goodfellas
1989 – “Driving Miss Daisy”……………………. Do the Right Thing
1988 – “Rain Man”………………………………. A Fish Called Wanda
1987 – “The Last Emperor”…………………….. Wings of Desire
1986 – “Platoon”…………………………………. Hannah and Her Sisters
1985 – “Out of Africa”…………………………….Ran
1984 – “Amadeus”………………………………..This is Spinal Tap
1983 – “Terms of Endearment”………………….The Right Stuff
1982 – “Gandhi”………………………………….. E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial
1981 – “Chariots of Fire”…………………………Raiders of the Lost Ark
1980 – “Ordinary People”……………………….. The Empire Strikes Back
1979 – “Kramer vs. Kramer”……………………. Apocalypse Now!
1978 – “The Deer Hunter”…………… National Lampoon's Animal House
1977 – “Annie Hall”……………………………….Star Wars
1976 – “Rocky”…………………………………… Taxi Driver
1975 – “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”……Nashville
1974 – “The Godfather Part II”…………………..Young Frankenstein
1973 – “The Sting”………………………………..The Exorcist
1972 – “The Godfather” ………………………… The Godfather
1971 – “The French Connection”………………. Fiddler on the Roof
1970 – “Patton”……………………………………M*A*S*H
1969 – “Midnight Cowboy”……………………… The Wild Bunch
1968 – “Oliver!”……………………………………2001: A Space Odyssey
1967 – “In the Heat of the Night”………………..Samurai Rebellion
1966 – “A Man for All Seasons”…………The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
1965 – “The Sound of Music”…………………… Red Beard
1964 – “My Fair Lady”…………………………… Dr. Strangelove…
1963 – “Tom Jones”………………………………The Birds
1962 – “Lawrence of Arabia”…………………… Lawrence of Arabia
1961 – “West Side Story”……………………….. West Side Story
1960 – “The Apartment”………………………… Psycho
1959 – “Ben-Hur”………………………………… Rio Bravo
1958 – “Gigi”……………………………………… Vertigo
1957 – “The Bridge on the River Kwai”………..Throne of Blood
1956 – “Around the World in 80 Days”………… The Searchers
1955 – “Marty”……………………………………. Rififi
1954 – “On the Waterfront”………………………Seven Samurai
1953 – “From Here to Eternity”………………….Tokyo Story
1952 – “The Greatest Show on Earth”………… Ikiru
1951 – “An American in Paris”…………………. A Streetcar Named Desire
1950 – “All about Eve”……………………………Sunset Boulevard
1949 – “All the Kings Men”………………………The Third Man
1948 – “Hamlet”………………………………….. Red River
1947 – “Gentleman’s Agreement”……………… Black Narcissus
1946 – “The Best Years of Our Lives”………….Notorious
1945 – “The Lost Weekend”……………………..Children of Paradise
1944 – “Going My Way”…………………The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
1943 – “Casablanca”……………………………. Shadow of a Doubt
1942 – “Mrs. Miniver”……………………………. Casablanca
1941 – “How Green Was My Valley”……………Citizen Kane
1940 – “Rebecca”…………………………………The Grapes of Wrath
1939 – “Gone with the Wind”…………………… The Wizard of Oz
1938 – “You Can’t Take It with You”……………The Lady Vanishes
1937 – “The Life of Emile Zola”………………… The Grand Illusion
1936 – “The Great Ziegfeld”……………………. Modern Times
1935 – “Mutiny on the Bounty”…………………. Bride of Frankenstein
1934 – “It Happened One Night”……………….. The Scarlet Empress
1932/1933 – “Cavalcade”……………………….. King Kong
1931/1932 – “Grand Hotel”…………………….. Freaks
1930/1931 – “Cimarron”………………………… City Lights
1929/1930 – “All Quiet on the Western Front”…Pandora’s Box
1928/1929 – “The Broadway Melody”…………. Steamboat Bill, Jr.
1927/1928 – “Wings”……………………………. Metropolis