Best Pictures That Never Were: Day 18

Year: 1998

Movie: Saving Private Ryan

Best Picture Winner: Shakespeare in Love

Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Director, the film also captured Oscars for Cinematography, Film Editing, Sound and Sound Effects Editing. More than 70 critics and critics' groups named the film Best Picture of the Year, while the Los Angeles, Toronto and Broadcast Film Critics honored it with both Best Picture and Best Director awards. Spielberg also received his third Directors Guild of America Award, the American Legion "The Spirit of Normandy" Award, a USO Merit Award from the USO of Metropolitan Washington, as well as the highest civilian public service award from the Department of the Army. Selected for more than 160 Top Ten lists, Saving Private Ryan's other honors include Golden Globes for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director, the Producers Guild of America Award and ten nominations from the British Academy Film Awards. Saving Private Ryan was the top-grossing motion picture of 1998.

After all that the Oscar did not go to Saving Private Ryan but to Shakespeare in Love? Well that's just wrong on so many levels. Shakespeare in Love was a good movie but nothing compared to Saving Private Ryan, I mean nothing! This is the movie that set the way war movies would be shot and told.

The movie begins with the D-Day invasion, then moves beyond the beach as the a group of men embark on a dangerous special mission. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) must take his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Faced with impossible odds, the men question their orders. Why are eight men risking their lives to save just one?

A very well put together film and a movie that should be viewed by everybody.

Best Pictures That Never Were: Day 17

Year: 1997

Movie: Good Will Hunting

Best Picture Winner: Titanic

Yeah Titanic was all right ... its not one of my favorite films and I really think that Good Will Hunting should of won Best Picture.

The movie was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning Oscars for Robin Williams and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

The movie is about a brilliant mind at America's top university and he's the kid who cleans the floors. Will Hunting (Damon) is a headstrong, working-class genius who's failing the lessons of life. After one too many run-ins with the law, Will's last chance is a psychology professor (Williams), who might be the only man who can reach him. With acclaimed performances from Academy Award nominee Minnie Driver and Ben Affleck the movie is comes together in a very powerful way.

Best Pictures That Never Were: Day 16

Year: 1996

Movie: Fargo

Best Picture Winner: The English Patient

Nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, and winner of two, Actress and Original Screenplay.

In this very dark, but amusing film, Jerry (William H. Macy), a small Minnesota town car salesman, is in terrible debt, but he's got a plan to escape it. He hires two thugs (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law.

The plan goes off the deep end when people start dying. Police Chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing and extremely pregnant investigator who stops at nothing to get her man.

It is one of my favorite Coen brothers movies, the Big Lebowski is the best still though. The film is dark but funny and it is able to weave those two elements together flawlessly.

Best Pictures That Never Were: Day 15

Year: 1981

Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Best Picture Winner: Chariots of Fire

Ok ... before I start just let me say that I do not think that Chariots of Fire should be stripped of Best Picture because it was great, I'm saying that I would of liked to see Raiders of Lost Ark win it too.

This was the first Indiana Jones movie and in my opinion the most exciting. Indy (Harrison Ford) and his feisty ex-flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) dodge booby-traps, fight Nazis and stare down snakes in their incredible worldwide quest for the mystical Ark of the Covenant. Experience one exciting cliffhanger after another.

The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan based off a story by George Lucas. It was a great adventure movie that will go down in film history.

Best Pictures That Never Were: Day 14

Year: 1980
Movie: Raging Bull
Best Picture Winner: Ordinary People

Robert De Niro once again teams up with director Martin Scorses for the performance of his career. The unflinching realism that film has is something that stays with you and will shock you. Yes the film is violent but there a sense of poetry within the film that holds it all together.
The movie is loosely based on the career of Jake La Motta (De Niro), a boxer whose psychological and sexual complexities erupt into violence in and out of the ring.
Joe Pesci is brilliant as the brother who become prey for Jake’s paranoia and jealousy and Cathy Moriarty is also excellent ad the fifteen-year-old who becomes Jake’s prized trophy.
There is no reason that Raging Bull should have lost Best Picture. Ordinary People has a great story and the movie has its moments, but Raging Bull is just by far the superior film.
Raging Bull is filmmaking at its best and if you haven’t seen it then you truly are missing out.

Best Pictures That Never Were: Day 13

Year: 1979
Movie: Apocalypse Now
Best Picture Winner: Kramer vs. Kramer

Francis Ford Coppola’s dark and intriguing vision of a man’s heart of darkness revealed through the Vietnam War.
In the movie Lieutenant Willard receives orders to seek out a renegade military outpost, which is being led by Colonel Kurtz. Willard’s mission is to “Terminate with extreme prejudice.”
The film is very powerful and in my opinion one of the most powerful films of all-time. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two for Best Sound and Best Cinematography and it should of taken home Best Picture.

Best Pictures That Never Were: Day 12

Year: 1977

Movie: Star Wars

Best Picture Winner: Annie Hall

Annie Hall over Star Wars? How about no, Annie Hall is a good movie but does NOT have the same excitement, joy and adventure that Star Wars has and Star Wars was seriously robbed!

Star Wars was a leap forward in movie making and If they can hand Avatar a Golden Globe and most likely the Oscar for Best Picture there is no reason they should of deprived Star Wars of that honor.

Yes, I'm a huge fan of Star Wars - the prequels weren't great but the original trilogy had it all. When I first watched Star Wars as a kid it was thrilling and if you watch it today you get the same feeling.

The movie takes place after the Jedi Knights (except for a select few) have been exterminated and the Empire rules the galaxy with an iron fist. A small group of Rebels have dared to fight back by stealing the secret plans to the Empire's mightiest weapon, the Death Star, a battle station that can destroy planets.

The Emperor sends his Apprentice, Darth Vader, to find the plans.

Princess Leia, a captive Rebel leader, sends out a distress message hidden away in R2-D2 (along witht he plans) that is soon discovered by a farm boy, Luke Skywalker. The message is asking for the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

One thing leads to another and he soon takes up the challenge to rescue the princess and help the Rebellion overthrow the Empire, along with such unforgettable allies as the wise Obi-Wan Kenobi, the cocky Han Solo, the loyal Chewbacca and the droids R2-D2 and C-3P0.

Star Wars is awesome and if you haven't seen it you are really missing out. Annie Hall was good, but there is something about the original Star Wars that was new and exciting that just had you glued to the screen.