Amadeus (1984) - 4 stars

One sentence plot summary: A largely fictionalized account of the relationship between composers Mozart and Salieri.

Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow, Richard Frank, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones, Charles Kay, Cynthia Nixon, Roderick Cook, Vincent Schiavelli

Best of: Engrossing storyline and tremendous performances from both leads.

Worst of: I wish I had known more about Mozart going in...I think it would have made me appreciate the film even more ad there seem to have been lots of inside jokes.

Notable: Maurice Jarre, in his speech accepting the 1984 Best Original Score Oscar for A Passage to India, expressed his gratitude that Amadeus - with music entirely by Mozart - had not been Oscar-nominated for Best Original Score.

Terms of Endearment (1983) - 2 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Daughter of a dysfunctional mom gets in a dysfunctional marriage and has dysfunctionsal relationships with her kids.

Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels, Betty King, John Lithgow, Megan Morris, Mikhail Baryshnikov, David Wohl, Albert Brooks, Mary Kay Place

Best of: Jack Nicholson's character and plot line are pretty fun.

Worst of: It's relatively plotless, which can work for a novel...but not so much for a movie. A little less sap wouldn't hurt either.

Notable: Upon completing the film, James L. Brooks was given a gift of a book of cartoons by Matt Groening. This was his first exposure to Groening. The two would go on to create the Simpsons together.

Also nominated: The Right Stuff, Tender Mercies.

Gandhi (1982) - 4 stars

One sentence plot summary: Gandhi was pretty great.

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, Martin Sheen, Ian Charleson, Athol Fugard, Geraldine James, Amrish Puri, Ian Bannen, Richard Griffiths, Nigel Hawthorne, Om Puri, Bernard Hill, John Ratzenberger, Daniel Day-Lewis

Best of: The life of Gandhi is so fascinating and naturally dramatic, that to make a film out of it seems effortless. Ben Kingsley is stunning.

Worst of: I like a good epic and he led an epic life, but it's a rare movie that can't be cut to under three hours.

Notable: Over 300,000 extras appeared in the funeral scene. It was filmed on the 33rd anninversary of Gandhi's funeral.

Also nominated: E.T.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Two runners from the United Kingdom train for and compete in the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Starring: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers, Ian Holm, John Gielgud

Best of: One of the greatest movie themes ever written, but it is way too underused. I kind of wanted it to play the whole movie.

Worst of: Like last year's Ordinary People, it feels dated in a none-too-flattering early 80s sort of way.

Notable: This is pretty fantastic.

Also nominated: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Ordinary People (1980) - 1 star

One sentence plot summary: A family sees one son die and then another attempt suicide and then we get to watch them be sad.

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsch, Elizabeth McGovern, M. Emmet Walsh, Dinah Manoff, Fredric Lehne, James B. Sikking, Basil Hoffman, Adam Baldwin.

Best of: It wasn't a musical.

Worst of: It goes to such a melodramatic place on several occasions that you end up laughing.

I would have liked it better if: all the sadness didn't seem to amount to much beyond just a bunch of sadness.

Also nominated: Raging Bull.

Kramer vs Kramer (1979) - 3 stars

One sentence plot summary: A woman abandons her husband and son and then returns one year later seeking custody of her child.

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry, Jane Alexander, Howard Duff, George Coe, JoBeth Williams

Best of: Dustin Hoffman is sincere, lovable and easy to root for. Streep plays her role just complex enough not to fully hate.

Worst of: Vivaldi's Mandolin Concerto was a bit too chipper to really work as the theme. The arc of the story is very predictable.

Notable: Meryl Streep was originally offered only a bit part in the film. She went on to win her first Oscar for this role.

The Deer Hunter (1978) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A tragedy that follows three vietnam soldiers from small town western Pennsylvania before, during and after their tour of duty.

Starring: Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, George Dzundza, Chuck Aspegren, Shirley Stoler, Rutanya Alda, Amy Wright

Best of: A stellar ensemble cast. One of the most intense war sequences I've ever seen.

Worst of: When it's not deeply disturbing, it is unwatchably slow-paced.

Notable: John Cazale died of lung cancer shortly after filming was completed. He only appeared in five films in his career, each considered an unqualified classic today.

Annie Hall (1977) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Tiny jewish dudes with glasses have no luck with the ladies.

Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Janet Margolin, Colleen Dewhurst, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Sigourney Weaver, Beverly D'Angelo, Shelley Hack, John Glover

Best of: A rare comedy that makes you laugh out loud even when you are alone.

Worst of: Ultimately, I've just always wanted to punch Woody Allen right in the glasses.

Notable: Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Goldblum, neither famous yet, both appear in bit roles.

Also nominated: Star Wars

Rocky (1976) - 4 stars

One sentence plot summary: A nearly burnt out small time boxer gets a fluke chance to compete for the heavyweight title.

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers, Thayer David, Joe Spinnell

Best of: A surprisingly nuanced performance by Sylvester Stallone. I always just thought of him as a dumb action star, but he really is tremendous in this.

Worst of: Watching Rocky go on training runs in Chuck Taylors hurts my feet.

Notable: Stallone wrote the original script in just 3 days.

Also nominated: All the President's Men, Taxi Driver, Network.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Mental institutions are really fun!

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Redfield, Brad Dourif, Sydney Lassick, Will Sampson, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, William Duell, Vincent Schiavelli, Michael Berryman, Scatman Crothers

Best of: Jack Nicholson is a joy to watch. I love that the story leaves you with unanswered questions.

Worst of: All right, maybe I'd like some of those questions answered.

Notable: The first movie since It Happened One Night to win for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and screenplay. Silence of the Lambs is the only other movie to achieve this.

Also nominated: Jaws, Dog Day Afternoon.

The Godfather: Part II (1974) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Both a sequel and a prequel to the original, it follows Michael Corleone as he takes over the family business and Vito Corleone years ealier as he starts that same business.

Starring: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, John Cazale, Michael V. Gazzo, Lee Strasberg, Morgana King, G. D. Spradlin, Richard Bright, Dominic Chianese, Bruno Kirby, Danny Aiello

Best of: A brutally intense fight between Michael and Kay. The introduction of Dinero as a young Vito. Some truly gorgeous cinemantography.

Worst of: Ultimately, it's just not quite as good as the first.

Notable: Robert Dinero and Marlon Brando are the only actors ever to win an Academy Award for playing the same character in two different films.

Also nominated: Chinatown

The Sting (1973) - 5 Stars

One sentence plot summary: A small time grifter recruits the help of an experienced con man to help him seek revenge on a mob leader.

Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould, Dana Elcar, James Sloyan, Larry D. Mann, Sally Kirkland

Best of: Extraordinary script, pitch perfect acting from Redford and Newman, classic score.

Worst of: It's nearly perfect, but I suppose the blood looks fake.

Notable: The diner set used for this film was later reused as the 50s diner in Back to the Future.

Also Nominated: American Graffiti, The Exorcist

The Godfather (1972) - 5 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Being in the mob is totally awesome.

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, John Cazale, Richard S. Castellano, Abe Vigoda, Al Lettieri, Gianni Russo, Sterling Hayden, Morgana King, Simonetta Stefanelli, Richard Bright

Best of: Tremendous story, tremendous acting.

Worst of: Sonny and Carlo have a pretty fake looking fist fight at one point. Okay...really fake looking.

Notable: During rehearsals, a false horse's head was used for the bedroom scene. For the actual shot, a real horse's head was used, acquired from a dog-food factory.

The French Connection (1971) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Two detectives investigate a major drug operation in New York.

Starring: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi, Bill Hickman, Eddie Egan, Sonny Grosso

Best of: The single best car chase I've ever seen.

Worst of: The plot eventually begins to feel like just a repetitive series of stakeouts.

Notable: Popeye's Chicken is named after Gene Hackman's character in this film.

Also Nominated: Fiddler on the Roof, A Clockwork Orange.

Patton (1970) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A biopic following General George Patton through his WWII campaigns.

Starring: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong, Michael Bates, Frank Latimore, Morgan Paull, Karl Michael Vogler, John Barrie, Siegfried Rauch, Richard Münch, John Doucette, Paul Stevens, Jack Gwillim

Best of: Wonderful performance by George C. Scott. The opening speech in front of the American Flag lives up to the legend.

Worst of: The language was apparently toned down to avoid an R rating, which takes away some of the sting at times.

Notable: George C. Scott turned down his Best Actor Oscar, citing a dislike for artistic competition.

Also Nominated: Five East Pieces

Midnight Cowboy (1969) - 3 stars

One sentence plot summary: A simple minded Texas boy moves to New York City to make it rich as a male prostitute and befriends a local con artist.

Starring: John Voight, Dustin Hoffman

Best of: Superb acting by both leads.

Worst of: Dated artistic choices that keep the film locked in 1969:

Notable: The film signifies the major cultural shifts that were taking place in the country. It is the first Oscar winner to show nudity or to deal with drugs or homosexuality. Originally rated X, it couldn't have been much further from the previous years G rated family-friendly musical.

Oliver! (1968) - 2 stars

One sentence plot summary: Runaway orphan finds a home amongst singing pickpockets.

Starring: Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Jack Wild, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed

Best of: Ron Moody is a lot of fun as Fagin, king of the pickpockets.

Worst of: An oddly undeveloped title character.

Notable: The fourth musical to win Best Picture in the 60s, and the last (hallelujah!) until 2002's Chicago.

In the Heat of the Night (1967) - 4 stars

One sentence plot summary: A black police officer from Philadelphia is called upon to help solve a murder in a racist, Southern town.

Starring: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger

Best of: Great dialogue. Tension between Poitier and Steiger. Quincy Jones' music.

Worst of: The summer heat is supposed to be an oppresive element in the story, yet you can see both autumn leaves and fog on the breath of the actors.

Notable: Not only is this the first Best Picture winner to feature an African American lead, it is the first to feature a black role of any substance whatsoever.

Also nominated: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate.

A Man for All Seasons (1966) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A biopic about the life of Saint Thomas More.

Starring: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, John Hurt, Robert Shaw, Susannah York, Orson Welles

Best of: Paul Scofield is quite fantastic as a stubborn man of priciple and faith.

Worst of: That it's based on true history. Henry VIII was a crazy man.

Notable: One of only four productions to win Best Play Tony and Best Picture Oscar (My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and Amadeus are the others).

The Sound of Music (1965) - 3 stars

One sentence plot summary: "The hills are alive with the sound of music" and nazis.

Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Peggy Wood

Best of: "Edelweiss, edelweiss Bless my homeland forever..."

Worst of: "I am sixteen, going on seventeen..."

Notable: Audrey Hepburn was originally thought of for the lead in The Sound of Music. Julie Andrews was originally thought of for the lead in My Fair Lady.

Also nominated: Dr. Zhivago

My Fair Lady (1964) - 4 stars

One sentence plot summary: What truly seperates the rich from the poor is cockney accents.

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Stanley Holloway, Gladys Cooper

Best of: Rex Harrison gives a magnetic performance. Audrey Hepburn is the most beautiful woman ever to live. Great songs. Fun plot.

Worst of: I didn't really need the love story for the movie to work for me...and it still doesn't seem like the healthiest of relationships at the end.

Notable: About 90% of Hepburn's singing is dubbed. This is thought to be the main reason she was not nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award.

Also nominated: Mary Poppins, Dr. Strangelove.

Tom Jones (1963) - 1 star

One Sentence Plot Summary: Lots of Britishly clever (but never funny), unlikely events in the life of a womanizing orphan.

Starring: Albert Finney, Susannah York, Hugh Griffith, Edith Evans, Diane Cilento, Joyce Redman

Best of: There is one funny scene where two lovers seductively eat chicken. Okay, maybe it's not that funny.

Worst of: The British comedy-of-errors genre really should have died with Shakespeare.

I would have liked it better if: it had a different script, cast, score and director.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - 5 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: The story follows British eccentric T.E. Lawrence as he leads an Arabian army against the Turks in WWI.

Starring: Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle, José Ferrer, Arthur Kennedy, Claude Rains.

Best of: Well-acted, genius screenplay, beautiful cinemantography, and creative and meticulous directing.

Worst of: Peter O'Toole's eyeliner...more drag queen than soldier/adventurer.

Notable: The film doesn't have a single female speaking role.

Also Nominated: To Kill A Mockingbird.

West Side Story (1961) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Romeo and Juliet, but with ballet-dancing gangs (no, really).

Starring: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris

Best of: A tremendous score by Leonard Bernstein.

Worst of: Surprisingly weak vocals from the male cast. Apparently, it takes about one second to fall completely in love.

Notable: Many of the vocals are not sung by the actors, but dubbed by professional singers.

The Apartment (1960) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A mild mannered, ambitious business man's apartmemt becomes THE place for office bigshots to bring their mistresses.

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Jack Kruschen.

Best of: Great story, great script...engaging throughout. Shirley MacLaine was hot? Why did no one ever inform me of this odd fact before?

Worst of: The best scenes are all at the start of the film.

Notable: This was the last black and white movie to win Best Picture until Schindler's List.

Ben Hur (1959) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: John 3:16.

Starring: Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet, Jack Hawkins, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe, Hugh Griffith

Best of: The absolute definition of "epic." The chariot scene is, of course, fantastic. Epic plot, epic themes, epic personalities...a whole lot of fun.

Worst of: I actually liked all the Jesus stuff, but I'd listen to an argument about it being corny.

Notable: No one died during the chariot scene...that's just a hard to kill urban legend.

Gigi (1958) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A rich, parisian jerk pursues an underage girl while onlookers sing.

Starring: Leslie Caron, Louis Jordan, Maurice Chevalier

Best of: Despite being a musical, it's mostly entertainaing in a cute sort of way.

Worst of: It's still a musical. Plus, I'm pretty sure the main romantic relationship is built around pedophilia.

I'd have liked it better if: the opening number weren't called "Thank Heaven for little girls." No, really...it is.

Also nominated: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: a platoon of british soldiers refuse to give up their dignity while on work detail in a Japanese POW camp in WWII.

Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa

Best of: Alec Guinness is phenomenal and his character's plot line is gripping.

Worst of: A bit overlong and not entirely realistic.

Notable: Screenwriters Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman were on the blacklist of people with accused Communist ties at the time the film was made, and went uncredited. The sole writing credit, and therefore the Oscar for best adapted screenplay, went to Pierre Boulle, who wrote the original French novel but did not speak English.

Also nominated: 12 Angry Men.

Around the World in 80 Days (1956) - 3 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A very precise, upperclass Englishman makes a wager with several friends that he can travel around the circumference of the earth in 80 days.

Starring: David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley MacLaine, Robert Newton

Best of: More a typical summer blockbuster than a typical oscar winner, it offers quite a lot of lavish, light-hearted fun. The opening sequence offers a 1956 commentary on the "shrinking world" theme of the 1872 novel (including a discussion of how man may even travel to the moon some day). This is rather fun to watch given how incredibly much the world has shrunk again since 1956.

Worst of: An Indian princess is played by the very obviously non-Indian Shirley MacLaine.

Notable: The filmed used more animals and more costumes than any previous film.

Also Nominated: The Ten Commandments, The King and I.

Marty (1955) - 2 stars

One sentence plot summary: Lonely man goes on a date with lonely woman.

Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair

Best of: Ernest Borgnine plays shy and self conscious well.

Worst of: So small scale and low key that it almost disappears. Ultimately, very forgettable.

I'd have liked it better if: it had a plot.

On the Waterfront (1954) - 5 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A powerful union boss uses strong armed, violent tactics to retain control of a New York shipyard.

Starring: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger

Best of: Marlon Brando is just brilliant.

Worst of: Leonard Bernstein's hectic score distracts from the on screen action at times.

Notable: Frank Sinatra was originally offered the leading role.

From Here to Eternity (1953) - 4 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: An unpopular soldier falls in love while serving on an Hawaii army base in the days leading up to Pearl Harbor.

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra

Best of: Strong leading performances all around and a surprising supporting role from Frank Sinatra. Also, Donna Reed was pretty darn hot.

Worst of: The Pearl Harbor attack, though not key to the plot, is still underplayed.

Notable: It has long been rumored that the "horse head" scene in The Godfather was taken from similar mob tactics to help Sinatra land his role.

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: We follow a traveling circus from town to town as various performers fall in and out of love with each other.

Starring: Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, Gloria Grahame, Dorothy Lamour, James Stewart

Best of: It has its truly entertaining moments...mostly asurrounding its too often ignored central storyline. Also, the awesomely cheesy special effects during the train wreck scene.

Worst of: I'm not convinced Charlton Heston could act. It fills maybe an hour of its considerable length with slow, needless shots of circus performances. The movie pulls off what I previously thought impossible and offers a bland Jimmy Stewart performance. It took covering his face in full clown make-up the entire time, but they pulled it off. Also, the awesomely cheesy special effects during the train wreck scene.

I would have liked it better if: it hadn't pushed the "show must go on" theme quite so hard in the end. Really...no one is putting on a circus show hours after a disaster cripples or kills half the performers.

An American in Paris (1951) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: An artist, a singer and a pianist break into spontaneous song and dance numbers around Paris; the Parisians seem to find this surprisingly normal.

Starring: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron

Best of: Gene Kelly...man, is he fun to watch dance.

Worst of: I'll never be able to fully embrace the musical genre...get on with the plot already, people. It gets saved, however, by the fact that it is more of a dancical than a musical.

Notable: The 17 minute dance sequence that ends the film cost $500,000 and took an entire month to film.

Also Nominated: A Streetcar Named Desire

All About Eve (1950) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: An aging actress finds a new rival in a scheming superfan.

Starring: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe

Best of: Great script. Strong performances all around...especially from Betty Davis.

Worst of: I know of very, very few 140 minute films that wouldn't be better if they were 120 minutes.

Notable: In her first film appearance, Marilyn Monroe steals her short scene.

Also nominated: Sunset Boulevard

All The King's Men (1949) - 3 stars

One sentence plot summary: Candidate runs for Governor as a man of the people and falls in love with power once he is elected.

Starring: Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, Mercedes McCambridge

Best of: Strong lead performance by Broderick Crawford. Engaging story.

Worst of: The script leaves me wanting more by the way of political subtleties and supporting character development.

Notable: John Wayne turned down the lead role, insisting that the script "smears the machinery of government for no purpose of humor or enlightenment" and insults "the American way of life."

Hamlet (1948) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Everyone in Denmark dies.

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Basil Sydney, Eileen Herlie, Jean Simmons

Best of: The extensive cuts to the play were necessary to make the film a watchable length. Some interesting, if occassionally distracting, camerawork.

Worst of: I've have seen/read this story too many times for it to possibly be fresh. Olivier didn't bring much to it that I hadn't seen before. Also, codpieces.

Notable: This was the third attempt to bring Shakespeare to the silver screen (1937's As You Like It was the first)

Also nominated: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Gentleman's Agreement (1947) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A magazine reporter pretends to be Jewish for 8 weeks in order to realize and report on the full impact of anti-sematism.

Starring: Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Celeste Holm, Anne Revere, June Havoc, Dean Stockwell

Best of: Gregory Peck is superb.

Worst of: While it has an important message for 1947, it seems preachy today. Also, I couldn't help but think of 1986's Soul Man.

I would have liked it better if: I weren't so sick of watching really forced 1930s and 40s romances. I'd like some recognition that it takes more than just "hello" to fall in love.

Also nominated: Miracle on 34th Street

The Best Years of our Lives (1946) - 3 stars

One sentence plot summary: 3 men returning from WWII struggle to assimilate back into American life.

Starring: Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Harold Russell

Best of: Quite moving at times and surprisingly modern.

Worst of: Occasionally corny.

Notable: Best Supporting Actor winner Harold Russell was a real vet who had lost both of his hands in the war. Knowing this, it is hard not to find his performance powerful and memorable.

Also nominated: It's a Wonderful Life

The Lost Weekend (1945) - 2 stars

Plot summary: Alcoholic ruins his life and the life of those around him.

Starring: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman

Best of: I suppose its message was particularly needed post WW2. Some interesting camera work.

Worst of: Extraordinarily overdramatic. Resembled an after school special more often than not.

I would have like it better if: I wasn't kind of rooting for the lead character's suicide.

Going My Way (1944) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A singing priest comes to save a struggling parish.

Starring: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald

Best of: Bing Crosby, Bing Crosby, Bing Crosby.

Worst of: The plot is wandering and nearly absent at times. Largely forgettable.

I would have liked it better if: it were just a Bing Crosby CD.

Casablanca (1943) - 5 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A stoic man with a troubled past operates a popular nightclub in the Morroccan City of Casablanca, a stopping point for many Europeans trying to escape the horrors of WWII...enter the troubled past.

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre

Best of: Setting, mood, and atmosphere are brilliantly staged. The script effortlessly weaves romance, action and comedy. Humphry Bogart either created a fantastic character or is just a weird guy.

Worst of: So many of the famous lines are now cliches that it is impossible to hear them objectively for the first time.

Notable: The line "Play it again, Sam" never appears in the film. The closest we get is "Play it, Sam" which just doesn't have the same ring.

Mrs. Miniver (1942) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: World War II, as viewed from the British homefront.

Starring: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, May Whitty

Best of: Several memorable tension-wraught scenes. Strong acting performance by Greer Garson. I enjoyed watching a movie about WWII that was filmed during WWII. Plane crash that holds up better than most special effects from the 90s.

Worst of: The ole two-twin-beds-for-the-married-couple always throws me off.

Notable: The film, released in 1941, was credited with increasing American sympathy to the war effort prior to Pearl Harbor.

How Green Was My Valley (1941) - 1 star

One Sentence Plot Summary: A large family from a Welsch mining town lead a depressing existence and make us watch.

Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Donald Crisp, Sara Allgood, Roddy McDowall, Anna Lee, Patric Knowles

Best of: Interesting enough for the first 4 minutes.

Worst of: 5th minute on.

I would have liked it better if: it hadn't bounced from subplot to subplot to subplot without much cohesion.

Also nominated: Citzen Kane.

Rebecca (1940) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot summary: A rich widower remarries despite ample baggage left over from his first marriage (including a head servant who psychotically misses her old boss).

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson


Best of: Great tension set by director Alfred Hitchcock - in his only Academy Award Winning Picture - and composer Franz Waxman.

Worst of: Overly dramatic at times.

I would have liked it better if: the climax had lived up to the build up.

Also nominated: The Philadelphia Story, The Grapes of Wrath

Gone With the Wind (1939) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Unlikeable woman has dysfunctional relationship with unlikeable man in the Old South.

Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland

Best of: By far the most epic and elaborate of the best picture winners to date. And, the first to be in color. Beautifully made. Well acted. There is something very alluring about the whole production.

Worst of: Am I supposed to like Scarlet O'Hara? Cause I hated her. Passionately. Also didn't care for Rhett Butler. Not sure who the heck I was supposed to be rooting for. At least it doesn't end well for either.

I would have liked it better if: it didn't take multiple sittings to watch. It did not take four hours to tell this story. Also, I really could have used a bit more sympathy for the leading lady...that is to say, any sympathy at all.

Also nominated: The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939 is often cited as one of Hollywood's greatest years)

You Can't Take it With You (1938) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Romeo and Juliet, but with out all of the drinking of the poison and the stabbing.

Starring: Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward Arnold, Mischa Auer, Ann Miller, Spring Byington

Best of: This is Jimmy Stewart's breakout role. Damn, he is engaging. Especially compared to the other actors I've been watching, he is just head and shoulders above the rest. He is one of several solid acting performances in the film. This is also the first best picture winner to have black characters that aren't entirely stereotypical which was refreshing (don't worry though...they're still pretty stereotypical).

Worst of: Given how common a story it is (rich boy meets poor girl, etc), the movie took longer than it needed to with the set up and felt a bit too strong a need to hit you over the head with its message.

I would have liked it better if: it were about 20 minutes shorter.

The Life of Emile Zola (1937) - 3 stars

One sentence plot summary: A biopic focusing on french author Emile Zola's literary support of Alfred Dreyfus, who had been falsely imprisoned for treason.

Starring: Paul Muni, Gale Sondergaard, Joseph Schildkraut

Best of: Strong lead acting performance by Paul Muni. Tightly focused screenplay.

Worst of: Entertaining and well executed, but ultimately a bit forgettable.

I would have liked it better if: it left more of an emotional impact on me.

The Great Ziegfield (1936) - 1 Star

One sentence plot summary: A biopic about the life of musical producer Florenz Ziegfield.

Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer


Best of: The end credits.

Worst of: Dear sweet Lord this is a long movie. I suppose all of the musical sequences were seen as elaborate and impressive in 1936, but now they just come off as overlong distractions from an already meager plot. I never really cared, but I stopped caring even a little bit halfway through the three hour film.

I would have liked it better if: they cut out every single musical feature.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - 3 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A mutiny, oddly enough, on a ship called the Bounty.

Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone

Best of: Charles Laughton makes a fantasic villain. Slowly building tension. In the most graphic on-screen violence I've seen yet from the early best picture winners, a hand gets stabbed with a knife and it's 100% believable.

Worst of: It's all a bit over the top at times.

I'd have liked it better if: it were longer, oddly. I felt like the final half hour was somewhat rushed and it was the most engaging part of the storyline.

It Happened One Night (1934) - 5 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A down-on-his-luck newspaper man helps a pampered society girl travel from Miami to New York and, go figure, they fall in love along the way.

Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert

Best of: Fantastic chemistry between Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Slow burning sexual tension (1934 style). Great dialogue. Great final scene.

Worst of: I could have used an earlier introduction for a reason to dislike the "other man."

Notable: One of only three movies (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Silence of the Lambs were the others) to win all "Big 5" Academy Awards.

Cavalcade (1933) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: We follow one family as their lives touch major historic events, like the sinking of the Titanic and WWI, from New Years Eve 1899 to New Years Eve 1933.

Starring: Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Una O'Connor, Herbert Mundin

Best of: Opening a closing scenes make nice book marks...an optomistic young family at the turn of the century and the same family three decades later after a lot of hardship.

Worst of: It is always hard for art to comment on recent history. It loses it's focus as it gets closer and closer to the present day of 1933. It would've been better off to have ended it in 1920 or so.

Notable: The only Oscar winner not readily available on DVD. (I had a bootleg copy sent from China that was dubbed off of VHS.)

Grand Hotel (1932) - 3 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Four eccentric hotel guests, played by four of Hollywood's biggest stars, check into a luxurious Berlin hotel...drama ensues.

Starring: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore

Best of: Joan Crawford and all of her scenes.

Worst of: Greta Garbo and all of her scenes.

I would have liked it better if: Quite so many of the characters didn't fall in love after one conversation.

Cimarron (1931) - 3 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Man and Wife move to boom town of Osage Oklahoma in the 1880s and try to help turn it into a civilized city.


Starring: Richard Dix, Irene Dunne

Best of: Epic and elaborate "land rush" scene starts the movie with a few thousand horses...computer generated horses not yet invented.

Worst of: Ridiculously stereotyped black servant boy added for comic relief.

I would have liked it better if: It didn't take a rather odd twist in the end. Oh yeah, and less unbelievable racism.

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - 4 stars

One sentence plot summary: War is Hell.


Starring: Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim

Best of: Epic battle sequence that holds up surprisingly well. Engaging artistic choices made by director Lewis Milestone.

Worst of: Streaky performance by lead actor Lew Ayres.

I would've liked it better if: I had cared more about the main character.

The Broadway Melody (1929) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Love triangle between two singing sisters and a singing guy that no woman would actually like.

Starring: Charles King, Anita Page, Bessie Love

Best of: One of the earliest "talkies," there is a certain novelty to watching such an early example of film.

Worst of: Distractedly bad acting by Anita Page. Ending that tries to turn stealing your sister's fiance into an easily forgotten mistake.

I would have liked it better if: It weren't a musical.

Wings (1928) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Two men, who love the same woman, serve side by side as airforce pilots in World War I.

Starring: Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Richard Arlen

Best of: The film's visuals are stunning given that special effects didn't really exist yet. I often found myself wondering how the film manages its many battle sequences. It is also refeshingly gruesome at times as any good war flick should be.

Worst of: As much as I appreciated the novelty of my first silent film experience, the medium does have substantial limitations. This is the only silent film to win a Best Picture Oscar.

Notable: For many years, Wings was considered to be "lost" until a surviving print was found in the Cinémathèque Française film archive in Paris and quickly copied from nitrate film to safety film stock. It has still not been released on DVD.