10 Favorite Oscar Winners

by Julian Spivey & Tyler Glover 

"Casablanca" - Best Picture (1943)

Photo: Warner Bros.

Simply put "Casablanca," directed by Michael Curtiz, might be the greatest Hollywood movie ever made. The history of the Academy Awards is littered with all-time great films that missed out on Best Picture, but the Academy certainly didn't miss on this one in 1943. Everything about "Casablanca" is perfect. The direction, screenplay (which is likely the most quotable in film history) and performances (especially the leads by both Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman - how did neither of them win Oscars for this film?). "Casblanca" is the only film I've seen multiple times in which I come to love it more and more with each viewing. JS

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Titanic - Best Picture (1997)

Photo: Paramount Pictures

When someone says the term a typical Oscar movie or asks what an "Oscar" movie is, my mind always goes to "Titanic." However, during production, many forecasted the movie would be the biggest flop of all-time. There were so many delays and problems on-set that it would appear to be a disaster ... but when the film came out, it proved to be a different story. "Titanic" tells the story of the maiden voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic from Southampton, England to New York in April 1912. The ship was deemed to be "unsinkable" but after hitting an iceberg on April 14 at 11:40 p.m., the ship would sink killing thousands. In the film, Jack is a poor artist seeking a new future in America while Rose is a wealthy socialite trapped into marrying a man she doesn't love to keep her family's status. Jack and Rose meet and fall in love just before the iceberg is hit and must battle to stay alive and hopefully be together. The film is tied for the most Oscar nominations all-time with 14 and most Oscar wins with 11. “Titanic” is absolutely breathtaking to watch. It has beautiful production, sets, costumes, stunning visual effects, excellent cinematography, and fantastic performances from Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio (Rose and Jack). The film also has beautiful music and is everything an Oscar movie should be. TG

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 The Silence of the Lambs - Best Picture (1991)

Photo: Orion Pictures

Some people consider Jonathan Demme's 1991 "The Silence of the Lambs" to be the first horror picture to ever win Best Picture at the Oscars, but it's truly more of a psychological thriller. "The Silence of the Lambs" joined Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night" and Milos Forman's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in Academy Awards history as the only films to ever sweep the major categories winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and its screenplay award. The story is incredibly thrilling with FBI newbie Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) teaming up with the brilliant, but cannibalistic serial killer psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to help find a terrifying serial killer who skins women and makes clothing out of them. The winning performances by Hopkins and Foster are among the greatest in cinema history. Everything about "The Silence of the Lambs" is amazing. JS

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Chicago - Best Picture (2002)

Photo: Buena Vista Pictures

The film that got me really interested into following awards season as a whole was 2001's "Moulin Rouge!" That film kicked off a movie musical Renaissance of sorts for the start of the 21st century. These films include "Hairspray," "Sweeney Todd," "Dreamgirls," "Les Miserables," "La La Land," and 2002's "Chicago." When "Moulin Rouge!" lost Best Picture and had to settle for an Art Direction and Costume Design Oscar, I was heartbroken. After going to see "Chicago" in theaters on the same day as the Oscar announcement, I knew this film had to win! I felt this way not only because of how brilliant the film was but in a way, it was righting a wrong since "Moulin Rouge!" deserved to win. The story set in 1920s Chicago follows Roxie Hart, played to perfection by Renee Zellweger, as she struggles to become a singer. After she kills her lover in a rage, Roxie has to defend herself with the help of her lawyer, Billy Flynn (an Oscar snubbed Richard Gere). She tries to befriend her idol, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who is also awaiting trial for murder. They battle for attention and fame from the press and hope to get off for the crimes so they can pursue their careers. "Chicago" is one of my five all time favorite Oscar wins because it is all spectacle and everything a good Best Picture winner is. It has spectacular direction, production design, cinematography, costumes, and all of its' major characters received Oscar nominations except for Richard Gere. In my opinion, he should have been there. This film deservedly won Best Picture and remains one of my favorite wins of all time. TG

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Robert Duvall - Best Actor (1983)

I've always loved naturalistic acting - the kind where if you didn't know the person performing was famous you might think you were watching a documentary. That's the kind of real-lived in performance Robert Duvall gives as alcoholic former country music star Mac Sledge in director Bruce Beresford's 1983 drama "Tender Mercies." Duvall gives a masterclass in acting. JS

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Julia Roberts - Best Actress (2000)

By the time Julia Roberts starred in "Erin Brockovich," she had already been a "Pretty Woman," served "Mystic Pizza," went to "(Her) Best Friend's Wedding, and broken our hearts as the tragic Shelby in "Steel Magnolias." Roberts had proven herself to be a huge movie star. By the time "Erin Brockovich" came out, it could have felt like an opportunity to give Roberts a career award. However, this would not be the case. Even if this was her first film, Roberts would have deserved the Oscar. In "Erin Brockovich," Roberts plays the titular character who fought against the energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) over their involvement in groundwater contamination in Hinkley, Calif. Roberts plays Erin with a firecracker and a take-no-nonsense approach and shows what kind of lawyer we will all need when they are needed. The best scene in the film is when they are meeting with opposing counsel for a possible settlement and after they give a lame offer, Erin lets one of the other lawyers know that the water she is about to drink was brought from the contaminated water in Hinkley. TG

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James Cagney - Best Actor (1942)

James Cagney had made a name for himself portraying gritty gangsters in early talkie films like "The Public Enemy." It had gotten to the point where Cagney felt he was typecasted and wanted to show the world what else he could do. His role in director Michael Curtiz's 1942 "Yankee Doodle Dandy" biopic of playwright and composer George M. Cohan showed the world a whole other side of Cagney. In a role that included singing and incredible dance sequences Cagney absolutely slayed and would take home Best Actor at the next Oscars. One of my all-time favorite movie scenes is Cagney tapdancing down a flight of stairs at the White House. JS

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Olivia Colman - Best Actress (2018)

During the 2019 Best Actress race, it appeared that Glenn Close was finally going to get her Oscar after six nominations with "The Wife." She won the Golden Globe, Critic's Choice (in a tie with Lady Gaga) and SAG. However, on Oscar night, the envelope was read and Olivia Colman was the winner for "The Favourite." Colman was as shocked as everyone else and gave one of the best acceptance speeches in Oscar history. She was absolutely hilarious and made people laugh just as hard as they did at her performance as Queen Ann. In "The Favourite," it is 1711 and Great Britain is at war with France. Queen Anne, played exquisitely by Colman, is not in great health and shows little interest in actually governing. That is left to her advisor and lover, Sarah, played by Rachel Weisz. Chaos ensues when Sarah's cousin, Abigail, comes to the castle vying for Queen Ann's attention and affection. Olivia Colman's performance here interested me in following her career. I have loved her in "Fleabag," "The Crown" and her Oscar-nominated performance in this year's "The Father." If you ever ask me which one, I like the best though, this one is definitely my "favourite." - TG

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In the Heat of the Night - Best Picture (1967)

Photo: United Artists

I feel like Norman Jewison's 1967 film "In the Heat of the Night," about race and crime in small-town Mississippi and the working relationship between black big city detective Virgil Tibbs (played by Sidney Poitier) and a prejudiced, hicktown police chief Bill Gillespie (played by Rod Steiger - the role which would win him the Best Actor Oscar) is not a very cool favorite Oscar winner choice because many believe it shouldn't have beaten Mike Nichols' "The Graduate" or Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde" for Best Picture. I freakin' love this movie though, and believe it was an important Oscar win for its time with Civil Rights strife still rampant in the American South. I also like the relationship that forms between the two leads and shows if people just take the time to get to know one another we might all just get along. JS

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Parasite - Best Picture (2019)

Photo: CJ Entertainment

One of my favorite Oscar wins is definitely last year's winner for Best Picture, "Parasite." During the last Oscar season, the momentum seemed to suggest that the war epic, "1917," was the one to beat. It definitely was an incredible film that used a one shot aspect to make us really believe and be put right in the middle of World War I. However, in preparing for Oscar season, I sat down and watched "Parasite" with no real expectations of what the film would be and it blew my mind. The film grabs you from the first frame and ends up throwing plot twists that truly make you feel like you don't know what is going to happen next. Movies like this are so exciting for me! This film follows the Kim family. They live in a small apartment but when Ki-woo gets a job as a tutor to a wealthy family, the other family members manipulate their way into working for the same family with them unaware of the connection. Mayhem ensues and we are on a roller-coaster that is in no way going to end well. "Parasite" became the first foreign language film to win the Best Picture Oscar and it proved that fantastic films are made in all languages and all should be given equal consideration. TG