Top Ten Best Picture Winners

1. Rebecca
2. On the Waterfront
3. Bridge on the River Kwai
4. Lawrence of Arabia
5. No Country For Old Men
6. Annie Hall
7. It Happened One Night
8. Casablanca
9. The Godfather
10. The Apartment

* I watched ALL ABOUT EVE many years ago; I could've listed it but I don't really remember it too well. I should really re-watch it soon.

Agreed, John, it's tough to get excited about the list of Best Picture Winners. And as Brandon wrote about, the Academy's concern for ratings absolutely cheapens the whole thing. When a movie like AVATAR racks up nine Oscar nominations, you know it's shit. Granted, AVATAR did not take home the most coveted award of the night. The Best Visual Effects win was probably deserved, though.

But despite The Oscars being a bit of sham, I can't remember the last time I didn't tune in. I'll be watching tonight and will watch next year (live tweeting tonight, John?). I can't say that I care too much about who wins and who doesn't (though I do have some favorites here and there). Admittedly, I used to care. When CRASH won I was very annoyed; when THE DEPARTED won, I was very happy for Marty.

The host of the Oscars obviously plays a pretty big part in this as well. I'm not looking forward to seeing Seth McFarlane at all. As you all know, I hate his work. I hope Jon Stewart gets another shot at hosting soon. Jeff and I were talking earlier and agreed that it would be brilliant if Stephen Colbert were to host the show--be it the real Colbert or his character from The Report. I loved what Tina Fey and Amy Poehler did at the Golden Globes this year; it'd be great to see them get a shot at the Oscars in the near future.

Concerning the lists of John and Brandon, I haven't seen THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES yet, but I'd like to. Ditto for A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS and UNFORGIVEN. At some point here, I will check all three of them out. Good lists, and no arguments otherwise. And great write-up, Brandon; I enjoyed reading it.