Best "Best Picture Winners" - Part 4 of 4

- of the past 40 years. 40-31 30-21 20-11

10. Ordinary People – (1980) – An affluent family unravels after the accidental death of the older brother. As the younger brother, Timothy Hutton gives an honest and moving performance, especially in his scenes with Judd Hirsch. As the parents, Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland play against type brilliantly, both grieving in their own way. Every psychiatrist or psychologist will tell you the film gets everything right from a therapy point of view. I'm a total wreck every time I watch it, which is once every year.

9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – (1975)
Jack Nicholson’s performance as R.P. McMurphy is his absolute best: unpredictable, exciting, and hilarious. The trip on the boat reduces the claustrophobic impact and it’s a little unbelievable that everyone would fall asleep at the end with the window unlocked. But the interactions between the patients are strong and consistently funny. Nicholson describing the World Series after the television is turned off is a classic scene. And every moment with Will Sampson’s Chief Bromden is touching and inspiring.

8. The Departed – (2006) – The key character for me is Madolyn who’s just as dishonest as everyone else and compromises both her professional and personal lives as she struggles for happiness and meaning. William Monahan’s dialogue is the best of the decade and each performance (especially Leonardo DiCaprio) is fully realized. Given everything that preceded this film, it’s impressive Martin Scorsese had this many tricks left up his sleeve. The film may be lacking in emotion, but sentimentality is not Scorsese’s strong suit – probably why it took him so long to win his Oscar.

7. The Silence of the Lambs – (1991) An FBI agent in training overcomes a troubled past and a sexist society to save a size 14 lady from being murdered and skinned. The film is dense with its themes (sexual attraction, mother-daughter connection, human transformation – physical or otherwise, redemption, etc.) and you have to credit screenwriter Ted Tally for intelligently cramming so much of Thomas Harris’s novel into such a tight film. Director Jonathan Demme has many characters looking directly into the camera which connects the audience to the charged material. Demme’s use of the American flag is also interesting. The acting is first-rate all around, particularly and obviously from Anthony Hopkins, who uses a scant 22 minutes of screen time to create a cultural icon.

6. No Country for Old Men – (2007)
Adapting their first book (by Cormac McCarthy), Joel and Ethan Coen finally found themes worthy of their unbeatable camera know-how and unmatched ear(s) for eccentric dialogue. Until the third act, the plot is a straightforward cat and mouse, but the execution is always exciting. The third act takes the film into the instant classic realm. Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh is every bit the classic villain as Hannibal Lecter. Josh Brolin, Kelly MacDonald, and Tommy Lee Jones are relaxed, realistic, and perfect. I expect this to flip with #4 in a couple of years.

5. Unforgiven – (1992)
Director Clint Eastwood takes nearly every Western myth and invalidates each one. Then he applies his own take on morality, loyalty, and legends and finds something extraordinarily substantial. Simultaneously, he gets great, subtle performances from Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, Richard Harris, as well as himself. The Schofield Kid annoys and asks too many questions but this solidifies the theme of old age wisdom trumping the energy and exuberance of youth. The Old West hasn’t looked the same since.

4. Annie Hall – (1977)
The turning point in Woody Allen’s career that changed him from hilarious mastermind to mastermind genius. He uses cartoons, changes film stocks, breaks the 4th wall, uses subtitles, has flashbacks within flashbacks, and more. There are a hundred throwaway jokes, but my favorite involves Jeff Goldblum trying to remember his mantra. But none of it would matter without Diane Keaton’s titular performance which gives the film a much needed heart (like when she sings, “Seems Like Old Times”). It’s been copied to death, but the original is still fresh, 30 years gone.

3. Schindler’s List – (1993)
After making some of the most entertaining and successful films of all time, Steven Spielberg dropped his reliable techniques (crane shots, color, PG (13) rating, dolly shots) to tell his personal and deeply felt story more directly and honestly. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes have never been better and Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography is first-rate. The movie breezes by, even at 3+ hours. Profound, sincere, and knowing, the movie earns its status as the definitive Holocaust film, Spielberg’s best film, and one of the very best dramas of all time.

2. The Godfather – (1972)
Francis Ford Coppola’s masterfully adapts Mario Puzo’s popular novel and gets unforgettable portrayals from Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, and Al Pacino. All the supporting performances are equally memorable. If I had to watch one sequence in a film from now to eternity, it would begin with the “It’s not personal, it’s strictly business” scene and end with the McCloskey and Sollozzo murders. It doesn’t get any better from a storytelling standpoint.

1. The Godfather Part II – (1974)
For those who enjoyed and celebrated the first film too much, here is Coppola’s tough countermeasure. I think it surpasses its predecessor because of its unique story structure, the darker cinematography, the grim honesty that criminals should not be celebrated, and Robert De Niro’s performance as the young Vito Corleone - which is richer and fuller than the older Vito (played by Brando in the first). Nothing Brando does in the first tops De Niro’s reaction to Fredo’s pneumonia. Speaking of Fredo, John Cazale gives the very best performance in the film. When asked what my favorite film is, I go with this one.