Related
This year , theOscarsmade more headline for controversy than the awards themselves . However , despite the roller coaster ride , the Academy Awards remain the gamey pinnacle of success for a film . The Best Picture winner is remembered not just for its excellency , but for how it speaks to both the human circumstance and the culture at large .
The retiring decade has featured a motley crew of winning film . We ’ve seen it all , from a Birdman to an interspecial love affair . Some of these films are gimmicky and gratify , while others are innovative and enthralling . Which movie is truly the skillful of the serious ? Here are the Best Picture winners over the past 10 tears , rank .
The Artist (2011)
Of the past 10 Best Picture winner , three of them have centered around Hollywood — almost four , but we ’ll get to that later . Hollywood ’s self - love cup runneth over andThe Artistis no exception . It ’s a black - and - white silent picture that find a celebrated silent motion picture actor ( Jean Dujardin , who won for his performance ) scrambling to save his calling at the dawn of the " talking picture " .
WhileThe Artisthas its spell , it relies too heavily on its silent motion-picture show gimmick . alternatively of capturing the Golden Age of Hollywood , it feels like a cheap knockoff and we get hold ourselves pining for therealfilms of that geological era . Now thatThe Artistis almost 10 years one-time , all we remember is that it was a ho - hum movie that tried its good .
The King’s Speech (2010)
Who does n’t have it away an underdog story?The King ’s Speechdepicts King George VI ( Colin Firth ) judge to work past his stammer in rules of order to drive home a hopeful delivery to the mass of England at the onrush of World War II . John Rupert Firth is deeply moving and wholeheartedly deserves the Oscar he win for the carrying into action .
The King ’s Speechis a perfectly lovely movie . But absolutely lovely does n’t curve it for Best Picture , especially when up againstThe Social internet . The Social Networkchronicles Mark Zuckerberg ’s creative activity of Facebook and was widely proclaim as one of the most relevant , transfix motion-picture show of 2010 . These two films were neck opening - and - neck in the Oscar race and it was believed that ifThe King ’s Speechwon , it would test theAcademy is still an " old boy ' club " .
Green Book (2018)
The most recent Best Picture succeeder has had a jumpy road to Oscar glory . Still , Green Book ’s bad reputation is a little undeserved . The quality of a film should n’t be adjudicate on the controversies ring it . At its gist , Green Bookis a firm , heartwarming buddy film about two disparate individual who learn and turn from each other .
That being said , it was scarcely the best among the contenders . Alfonso Cuarón’sRomaand Spike Lee’sBlacKkKlansmanwere far and away superior movie , both in terms of sheer film - making and expert storytelling . Green Bookcovers conversant terrain that may have been pioneering 20 eld ago , but its winnings feel dusty today . The dedication to Carrie Fisher was sweet , though .
Argo (2012)
Though Ben Affleck was snubbed for a channelise nomination , his historical drama - thriller went on to gain the halo . Argois the ( mostly ) true story of a CIA officer ( Affleck ) who enlists Hollywood ’s help in extracting a group of Americans from Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis . Hooray for Hollywood !
Argois a barrel of fun , though it lacks the emotional gravitas a Best Picture winner should expect . The film has also been wide criticize for downplayingCanada’sinvolvement in the commission , as well as its unfavorable depiction ofIranianpeople .
12 Years A Slave (2013)
12 Years a Slaveis a stalk film about costless man Solomon Northup ( Chiwetel Ejiofor ) who was kidnap and sold into slavery in the Deep South . The film is unrelenting in its brutal portrayal of this ugly chapter in American story .
The chilling images of12 Years a Slavestay with you long after the course credit have rolled . This is an important celluloid , though at times the vehemence border on gratuitous . The severeness of Northup ’s circumstance beats the consultation with a hammer until the hopeful conclusion , which comes out of nowhere and does n’t match the tone of the film .
The Hurt Locker (2009)
History was made when Kathryn Bigelow became the first female person to win Best Director for this film . The Hurt Lockertells the chronicle of turkey expert Sergeant First Class William James ( Jeremy Renner ) in the Iraq War , and the psychological toll a lifespan of fighting can take on a somebody .
In the incorrect hands , films about war can be preachy and exploitive . ButThe Hurt Lockerdoesn’t stand on a dais , loudly proclaiming its dissertation on the Iraq War . rather , it tells the tale of a soldier , sheer and simple-minded . The upshot of the war come across the tatty when ( SPOILER ! ) James is back home on American soil . The Hurt Lockerspeaks volumes with its silence .
Spotlight (2015)
Spotlighttells the true story of Boston Globe journalists writing an unmasking on the stupefying number of Catholic priests shout nipper and the church building ’s monolithic role in cover them up . The picture show details this disturb open thing with a refined , deft hand . The grandness of the causa , fit with the passionateness of the journalists , makesSpotlighta all absorb film .
However , for some ground , multitude forget about this movie . Even during its Oscars season , many predicted the top honour would go toThe Revenant , also known as the ' Leonardo DiCaprio vs. The Bear ' picture ( which would have been a in force claim ) . Thankfully , all was right with the world when the bear movie lost to the much more deservingSpotlight .
Birdman (2014)
One of the more polarizing Best Picture winners , Birdmantells the level of Riggan Thomson , a washed - up movie principal ( Michael Keaton ) attempting a comeback as a serious stage histrion . Some find the motion picture pretentious , for its magical realism and ambiguous conclusion .
Then why does it rank so high on the list ? It does what great art issupposedto do : generate thought , conversation , and debate . If one is able to placeBirdman ’s surreal elements off to the side , one might see a complex , poignant movie about trying to witness relevancy in a culture whose inhabitants are cursed with the aid span of gnats . Just like Thomson has both his actor and Birdman part , do n’t we have our substantial - life selves and the version we show on societal media?Birdmancaptures this perfectly .
The Shape of Water (2017)
It is a rarified occurrence for the Academy to give its top pillage to a fantasy celluloid . Guillermo del Toro’sThe Shape of Watertakes place in Cold War - era Maryland and secernate the story of a unspoken custodian ( Sally Hawkins ) who enlists the assistant of her friends in rescuing a scaled creature ( call the " Amphibian Man " ) from a government facility . A Latinian language bloom climax in one of the most head - scratching , but sweet , love scenes in recent chronicle .
The film is n’t just a delight to ascertain . It fall in power and a spokesperson to those who have been still — char , racial minorities , people with disabilities , and the LGBT+ community . Though make no misunderstanding , this is not a " message movie . “The Shape of Water ’s stunning aesthetic is no simple distraction . Rather , it ’s a teleportation twist into a world where the impossible can be achieved , and love always wins .
Moonlight (2016)
When someone saysMoonlight , everyone thinks of the"envelope snafu " . This is a shame becauseMoonlightshould be remembered for its excellence . This dramatic event , directed by Barry Jenkins , shows us Chiron at three polar stages of his life , as he discovers his sexuality . During these segment , we see Chiron struggle with fraught relationships between his dear Quaker and crack - addicted mother . He learns how to feel Leslie Townes Hope from nurturing father - flesh Juan ( Mahershala Ali , who pull ahead the Oscar for his unflawed performance ) .
NEXT:Moonlight Director Reveals Original Best Picture Acceptance Speech
Moonlightis the first Best Picture winnerfeaturing a gay protagonist and an whole dim cast . Its win was a resounding cry thatallstories need to be told . In increase to its achievements in variety , Moonlightis a nuanced , exquisite moving-picture show that shines above all the residual .
