Remember Crash?: Past Best Picture Winners That Time Forgot

Remember Crash?: Past Best Picture Winners That Time Forgot

By Craig Hlavaty Wed., Feb. 8 2012 at 12:00 PM

Categories: Film

1996's The English Patient

Each year, there are Best Picture winners at the Oscars. Some of them go down in history as some of the most beloved and re-watched films of all-time, like Forrest Gump, The Silence of the Lambs, Rain Man, Rocky, Annie Hall, the first two Godfather pictures and even Gone with the Wind.

But then there are the films that enjoy a white-hot intensity of critical love and box office success, only to fall by the wayside as the years go on. Two thousand nine's techno-marvel Avatar would go on to make nearly three billion dollars worldwide, but I do not personally know anyone who has seen it since its release, or even owns it.

It was nominated for Best Picture in 2010, but lost out to The Hurt Locker. There was a point that year when Avatar was almost a lock to win Best Picture honors too, but Locker's gritty war story won the day.

This phenomenon is probably a reflection on what some would call our short-attention-span society, which can only explain why films with obvious merit -- and a great studio campaign -- can win top honors and devolve into afternoon broadcast station fodder, the kind of movies that you know were good but don't remember why.

Crash

This feel-good weeper enchanted viewers at the time of its release, and did even better on DVD, but a second glance proves it to be simplistic, corny and formulaic, though it's not without its thrills. The racial tolerance message -- however needed -- came off as Hollywood trying to preach from a gilded pulpit to middle America.

Slumdog Millionaire

As life-affirming as this one may have been, with the underdog tale and the mainstreaming of Bollywood, it just doesn't hold up to repeated viewings. Director Danny Boyle took a great leap here, and that should be applauded.

Chicago

Even as Broadway adaptations go, which are notorious for getting a long shelf life after home release, this one sank. Among the other films nominated for Best Picture in 2003, only Gangs of New York and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers are still catalog favorites. Maybe it just needs another decade to marinate, once things like Glee run their course.

Million Dollar Baby

Once the ending of this Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank boxing flick was spoiled for everyone, it wasn't as fun, and sort of cheapened the rest of the movie for some. Damned Internets.

Tags:

Oscar, Oscar categories, Oscar nominations

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amy

Only remember English Patient because I still watch Seinfeld reruns. Some of these were clearly Oscar bait. Titanic doesn't feel as dated as some of these, except for the Celine Dion music.

GlenW

I thought Crash was really good, but the kind of film I only wanted to watch once, which is what I've done. Given all the hype with Titanic I thought the movie must be really great bcause everyone kept saying it was. Since everyone already knew the ending why bother? I find it utterly boring and completely unwatchable today. I would rather get a cavity filled without novacane than watch that piece.

FattyFatBastard

Actually, the movie was quite well done (except for the stupid jack & rose bullshit.) I've researched the Titanic since the 3rd grade and it was very historically detailed. I've even had friends of mine watch it with me so I can point out the stuff that was historically true. For example, the Chef on The Bow of the boat with Rose as it sinks. He was one of the seven that survived the frigid waters until lifeboats came. He stated that when the boat finally went completely under he just walked off of it. Didn't even get his hair wet. And why was he able to deal with the cold sea? When he heard the boat was sinking he got plastered on Brandy, which worked as an antifreeze. There are dozens of cool things in the movie if you know what to look for. I've always looked at it as seeing all the differences in people when given 2 hours to live. Some handled it like true gentlemen (the men dressing up in Tuxes to go down with the ship) and others like cowards (the stories of Ismay getting on a lifeboat and even some dressing up like women to get on.) Disregard the dumb side story and watch it as it is, which was a damn good historical adaptation based upon most of the stories that were documented.

Hanabi-chan

I know that I may be a bit of an exception , seeing as I am a girl, but....I have not seen "Titanic." Not once. Nor do I plan to. Won't waste a minute of my time on such dreck. There I said it. Fire away.

MadMac

Here's an example of karma. I dated two women when Turk-tanic came out. So, I had to sit through it twice. Steve Harvey has the best take on this god-awful movie: "Could we just bring on the water and drown these dry MF-ers?"

Honcho

The King's Speech was a good film, but obviously crafted specifically to appeal to Oscar's wheelhouse. And something about Geoffrey Rush's snarky – albeit solid – performance is already wearing thin.

Ted Stickles

Man, fuck Crash. I've despised that movie since it's been released. Piece of sparkly smug bullshit movie...

Smedley

Unless we're talking about David Cronenberg's Crash... Now that was a movie. People having to get in serious car crashes to get off. Why can't we having more awards given to movies like that? Movies that touch on real life.