Best Picture?

Unless your roof is a lovely shade of granite, you probably know that the Oscars happened last Sunday. You also probably know that, despite making more money than God, Avatar lost Best Picture to The Hurt Locker, a comparatively tiny film that made a whole lot less money. No doubt there are tons of people up in arms about this, as there are every year. Why doesn't a "popular" movie win the biggest awards? Who even saw The Hurt Locker? Well, members of the Academy. Not me. I saw neither, having no interest. So I have nothing to say about that.

But, when RTM over at FlixChatter asked about Best Picture winners that I wanted to watch more than once, I got to thinking. You may recall (but probably not) that I brought up a somewhat similar topic a couple of years ago. I definitely find those movies that I enjoy watching more "important" than those that somebody else says are worth watching.

But what interested me was the result of those two ideas merging. The movies that the Academy and I agreed upon. And so, I made some lists and checked them twice, and I will share them with you. As such, here are those Best Picture winners that I have seen. I've also made a note of how many times I've seen them, whether or not I'd see them again, and whether or not I own them.

Best Picture winners, seen by me
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - 1
Gone with the wind (1939) - multiple, own
Casablanca (1943) - 1, would see again
Hamlet (1948) - 1, undecided
An American in Paris (1951) - 1, loved, want to own
Gigi (1958) - multiple, own
Ben-Hur (1959) - multiple
The Apartment (1960) - 1, would see again
West Side Story (1961) - multiple, not a fan
My Fair Lady (1964) - multiple, own
The Sound of Music (1965) - multiple, own
Patton (1970) - 1
The French Connection (1971) - 1
The Godfather (1972) - 1, would see again
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - 1
Rcky (1976) - 1
The Deer Hunter (178) - 1
Amadeus (1984) - multiple
Platoon (1986) - 1
Dances with Wolves (1990) - 2
Silence of the Lambs (1991) - 1
Unforgiven (1992) - 1
Schindler's List (1993) - 1
Forrest Gump (1994) - multiple
Braveheart (1995) - 1
Shakespeare in Love (1998) - multiple, own
American Beauty (1999) - 1
Gladiator (2000) - multiple, own
A Beautiful Mind (2001) - 2, want to own
Chicago (2002) - multiple, own
LOTR: Return of the King (2003) - 1
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)- 1, would see again


What I discovered was that, in a reasonably small collection of DVDs, a surprising number are Oscar winners. I actually went through the longer list of all BP nominees, and the numbers go up accordingly. Those that I didn't personally enjoy I still thought were (generally speaking) remarkable films: well-made, well-acted, solid. Even if I wouldn't watch them again, I appreciate them as very good, except American Beauty. I've just got no use for that one.

So, I mean, of these 31 movies, I would definitely watch over half of them again. Of those, nearly half again I actually own or plan on owning. There are at least 10 winners that I have immediate plans to see, so maybe I'll have to update this list, but still. Not bad numbers for the old Academy, eh?

Vague thoughts

Here's what I'm thinking about. I'm grasping, so bear with me. I've recently been "reconnecting" (rewatching his stuff) with an actor/characters I really liked as a kid. Preteen, I guess. What I'm finding fascinating is that I really think my eleven-year-old self was on to something. I don't think that I was at a point yet where I can really say I had a crush, but there was a definite connection. And now, I think "Wow. That guy really had something." So it's sort of a chicken-and-egg discussion: Do I really like him now simply because I did then, or is there some fundamental part of my tastes that has not changed? Kind of lame, I guess, but if you know me, you'll know that my love of actors is just a thing, and really, I'd have to say that this guy is the first. Now he's pushing sixty and a grandpa and I miss the slim, blond young man of my youth. I bet he does too. How bizarre that I could come back to it. Obviously, on the screen, he hasn't changed - the characters haven't changed - but I have. But seriously, schoolgirl swooning aside, what interests me is the reconnect. Admittedly, the shows I'm watching were not really children's shows, and so it's reasonable that I would enjoy them as an adult. But it's his performance and characterization that resonates with me, and I'm not sure that it's all nostalgia. Surely some of it is.

Meh. I don't think I'm getting across what I'm trying to. Anyway.

Yeah, vague, random, and probably really lame. My husband is laughing right now, trust. Oh well.

No, I'm not telling who it is. It's too dorky for words.