Going My Way won Best Picture in 1944 and made Bing Crosby one of the biggest box-office draws of the decade. I mean no offence to Mr. Crosby, the Catholic church, or the writers of Going My Way, but this was one extremely boring movie. I was interested in the story at the beginning when … More Going My Way (1944)
For most of my life, I only knew James Stewart for one role: George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. I learnt that he had many other iconic parts in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Vertigo, yet it amazed me to see how many Best Pictures he was cast in over the years. James … More You Can’t Take It with You (1938)
After the opening sequence of Gigi, I was terrified. I’ve watched my fair share of musicals lately and prayed this would not make me want to pull my hair out (again). Thankfully Gigi was not at all what I expected and turned out to be one of the better Best Picture winners I’ve seen from … More Gigi (1958)
I am going to cut right to the chase with my thoughts on Tom Jones. This film, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1963 and rated the 51st Greatest British film of the 20th Century, was terrible. Tom Jones was considered one of the greatest comedies of its time, yet I did … More Tom Jones (1963)
The very first time I watched Shakespeare in Love was in my 11th grade European History class. It appears I had an amazing teacher because I had totally forgotten all the nudity and sex depicted in this 1998 Best Picture winner. I have seen the film a few times since that day and vaguely remembered … More Shakespeare in Love (1998)
It Happened One Night has to be one of my favourite early Best Picture winners. I had no clue what to expect from this movie, except that it starred Clark Gable and should be in for a treat. Gable did not disappoint, and his chemistry with Claudette Colbert made for some very entertaining moments. Colbert … More It Happened One Night (1934)
I am writing this review in 2021, which means that the original film version of Around the World in 80 Days came out 65 years ago. There have so many advancements in filming techniques and special effects that it is hard to sit here and knock a film for those. However, there is one aspect … More Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
If you have been reading our reviews on Academy Award Best Pictures for the last month, there is a theme that I keep harping on. How could some of these rather subpar, uninteresting, boring movies win so many awards? I’ve argued that a handful of films in the last decade barely deserved the honour they … More Terms of Endearment (1983)
The Apartment came out in 1960 and was the film industry’s biggest winner at the 33rd Academy Awards, winning two of the big four, Best Picture and Best Director. The film collected three extra awards to finish the night with five wins off of 10 nominations. I have never seen The Apartment until the other … More The Apartment (1960)
The Artist won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2012. In a generation with CGI monster battles, cell phone movies, and state of the art makeup effects, The Artist was a throwback to the Golden Age of film, the silent film era. Jean Dujardin is George Valentin, his generation’s greatest actor. Whatever project he … More The Artist (2011)
Ten Stars or Less 