Who hasn’t heard of “The Academy Awards”, better known as “The Oscars”? It is, after all, the highest honor that can be achieved in the film industry. Every year, in the first quarter, this prestigious award is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

The first Academy Awards was held on May 16th,1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles, California, United States. It had a mere audience of approximately 270 people and lasted only for 15 minutes. Since then, there have been a total of 3,140 awarded Oscar statuettes at more than 100 ceremonies. Although this title in itself filters out the best from the rest, we have handpicked these 33 Oscar winners of all time to make sure you don’t miss out on the crème de la crème. Here is our list of the Oscar-winning movies you must check out.

1. Parasite (2019)

• Director: Bong Joon Ho
• Writer: Bong Joon Ho
• Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-Jeong, Choi Woo-Shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-Eun, Jang Hye-jin
• IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 99%
• Release Date: May 21, 2019
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, AppleTV, VUDU, and Redbox.

Parasite directed by Bong Joon Ho is the first film from South Korea to have won the Oscars as well as the Palme d’Or. Being critically acclaimed by critics worldwide, Parasite won a total of four Oscars, namely Best Picture, Best Director (For Bong Joon Ho), Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.

This story is about the members of a family with low-income jobs, The Kims, who pose as qualified individuals in an attempt to get employed by a wealthy family, The Parks. Through this outstandingly creative Dark-comedy film, Bong Joon-ho has effectively addressed the issues of capitalism and the discrimination that threatens the living of the lower classes.

2. Green Book (2018)

• Director: Peter Farrelly
• Writer: Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly
• Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini
• IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 77%
• Release Date: November 16, 2018
• Streaming Platforms: YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Showtime, and Direct TV.

This biographical drama film is based on the book “The Negro Motorist Green Book” by Victor Hugo Green. Tony Lip, a bouncer working in New York, takes up a job as a driver of the famous African-American pianist, Don Shirley. They start their journey to the deep south, during which they face numerous hurdles and clashes, but ultimately end up becoming good friends. This film won three Oscars including Best Picture.

3. Moonlight (2016)

• Director: Barry Jenkins
• Writer: Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney
• Cast: Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 98%
• Release Date: October 21, 2016
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, and Direct TV.

Moonlight, starring Trevante Rhodes, is an American film that received tremendous appreciation worldwide and has won a total of four Academy Awards. It has been critically acclaimed as one of the best films of this century. The film presents our main character, Chiron, and his three stages of life.

His childhood, his teenage years, and finally his young adulthood. The plot shows us the troubles he faces with his sexuality and his identity, and how he copes with the physical and emotional abuse he experienced as a child. If you want to have some bold colors on your cinematic canvas, this film should definitely be on your list.

4. 12 Years A Slave (2013)

• Director: Steve McQueen
• Writer: John Ridley, Solomon Northup
• Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 95%
• Release Date: August 30, 2013
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, and Direct TV.

This biographical film is an adaptation of Solomon Northup’s memoir named “Twelve years a slave.” Set in the year 1853, this story highlights the life of an African-American man, who was kidnapped and forced to work as a slave on a plantation in the state of Louisiana for 12 years. This emotional and heart-touching story has been edited by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsdon, in the year 1968 and has been validated to be true. If you have a knack for films with historical significance, this one’s for you.

5. Argo (2012)

• Director: Ben Affleck
• Writer: Chris Terrio, Tony Mendez
• Cast: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman
• IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 96%
• Release Date: October 12, 2012
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, and Direct TV.

Argo starred and directed by Ben Affleck, is a historical-thriller movie based on a 1999 book written by Tony Mendez, a United States C.I.A. officer. The plot shows us how he posed as a Hollywood producer and rescued 6 United States diplomats during the Iran Hostage Crisis. This film won three Oscars and was nominated for seven others. If you’re an action fan, be sure to try this one.

6. The Hurt Locker (2009)

• Director: Kathryn Bigelow
• Writer: Mark Boal
• Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Evangeline Lilly, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pearce
• IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 97%
• Release Date: June 26, 2009
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and VUDU.

The Hurt Locker, which has garnered critical acclaims throughout the world, is an intense war-thriller movie. It has won a grand total of 6 Academy Awards and has been nominated for 9. The plot revolves around an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, comprising of elite soldiers, stuck in the middle of a violent conflict.

7. No Country for Old Men (2007)

• Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
• Writer: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Cormac McCarthy
• Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin
• IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 93%
• Release Date: November 9, 2007
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

Set in the western rural parts of Texas, No Country for Old Men is a murder-mystery and a thriller film portraying the life of Llewelyn Moss, a Texas welder who happens to discover the remains of a drug deal gone wrong and finds a bag full of two million dollars. On learning that his money has been stolen, Anton Chigurh, a psychopathic hitman, sets off in pursuit of Llewelyn, who is desperately trying not to get caught. In addition to four Academy Awards, this film has received 3 BAFTAs and 2 Golden Globes as well.

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

• Director: Peter Jackson
• Writer: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
• Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.9/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 93%
• Release Date: December 17, 2003
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, is the final sequel of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This fantasy-adventure film generated a worldwide total of 1.142 billion dollars thereby becoming the highest-grossing film of 2003. It won all the eleven Academy Awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design.

The plot follows the lead characters, Frodo and Sam who were set on a course to Mount Doom in order to destroy the Evil Ring. Meanwhile, the rest of them are preparing for a war against Sauron and his legion of the undead.

9. American Beauty (1999)

• Director: Sam Mendes
• Writer: Alan Ball
• Cast: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Allison Janney, Chris Cooper
• IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 87%
• Release Date: September 8, 1999
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

This best picture winner movie directed by Sam Mendes is about a 43-year-old suburbanite, Lester Burnham, who is stuck in a loveless marriage. As the plot continues, Lester becomes lustfully infatuated with his daughter’s classmate, Angela Hays. Grossing over $350 million, American Beauty won five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director (Sam Mendes), Best Actor (Kevin Spacey), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

10. Titanic (1997)

• Director: James Cameron
• Writer: James Cameron
• Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Bernard Hill
• IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 89%
• Release Date: December 19, 1997
• Streaming Platforms: Disney Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Direct TV, and Redbox.

This movie is so internationally popular that it doesn’t even require an introduction. The movie starts with Rose DeWitt Bukater, a 100-year woman, narrating her love story with an artist, Jack Dawson, and their near-death experience while they were on board a ship called “The Titanic.”

Titanic is the first film to gross $1.84 Billion worldwide and is also the most expensive film ever made, exceeding a budget of $200 Million. It won a total of 11 Oscars while being nominated for 14, including Best Picture and Best Production Design. While watching this film, make sure you have a tissue handy, as this film will not fail to bring tears to your eyes.

11. Forrest Gump (1994)

• Director: Robert Zemeckis
• Writer: Winston Groom, Eric Roth
• Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field
• IMDb Ratings: 8.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 71%
• Release Date: June 23, 1994
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

This American rom-com follows the life of a simple, dim-witted man, with an innocent heart and pure intentions. After being raised by his mama, Gump sets off to find his own destiny. While doing that, he accidentally and unwittingly modifies and shapes the fate of several events of historical significance. Forrest Gump received six Academy Awards and was nominated for Golden Globes, British Academy Film Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. This film will surely entertain you with good laughs.

12. Schindler’s List (1993)

• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Writer: Thomas Keneally, Steven Zaillian
• Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagall
• IMDb Ratings: 8.9/100
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 97%
• Release Date: November 30, 1993
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

Schindler’s List is a historical drama adapted from the novel, “Schindler’s Ark” written by Thomas Keneally. The story begins during World War II when a gluttonous industrialist named Oskar Schindler gradually turns humanitarian after witnessing the mass killing of the Jews by the Nazis.

Using his power, he singlehandedly manages to save the lives of around 1100 Polish-Jews from getting killed at a concentration camp. Schindler’s List won seven Oscars and was nominated for twelve others including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It currently ranks 8th on the list of “100 best American films of all time.”

13. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

• Director: Jonathan Demme
• Writer: Thomas Harris, Ted Tally
• Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
• IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 96%
• Release Date: February 14, 1991
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

This horror story is about a depraved serial killer who targets women and mercilessly removes their skin. Clarice Starling, a young cadet studying at Quantico is tasked with finding this killer, popularly known as “Buffalo Bill’ by consulting an incarcerated cannibalistic mass murderer named Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Acclaimed by numerous critics, The Silence of the Lambs has won all of the top five Academy Awards, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

14. Chariots of Fire (1981)

• Director: Hugh Hudson
• Writer: Colin Welland
• Cast: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, Lindsay Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Nigel Davenport, Brad Davis, Peter Egan, Sir John Gielgud, Ian Holm, Patrick Magee.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 82%
• Release Date: May 15, 1981
• Streaming Platforms: YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

This sports-drama film is actually a true story based on two highly talented British athletes, Britons Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddel, who set out to compete in the Olympics. It won four Academy Awards and now ranks 19th in the ” Top 100 British films” list.

15. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

• Director: Robert Benton
• Writer: Robert Benton
• Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 88%
• Release Date: December 19, 1979
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

Ted Kramer is a career-oriented workaholic. After his wife, Joanna leaves him, Ted focuses on bonding with his son Billy. When Joanna comes back for Billy, Ted decides to go to court and fight for Billy’s custody. This 1979 legal-drama won five Oscars, including the Best Picture.

16. Annie Hall (1977)

• Director: Woody Allen
• Writer: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
• Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 98%
• Release Date: April 20, 1977
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Google Play.

This classic rom-com movie is about Alvy Singer, a stand-up comic from New York who falls in love with a whimsical budding singer, Annie Hall. The plot outlines their relationship as Alvy tries to figure out what went wrong with it and whether or not they can work it out.

Annie Hall has been appreciated by critics all over the world. After its initial screening at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Annie Hall has won four Oscars, Four BAFTAs, and one Golden Globe Award. Hang onto your chairs while watching this film because you’re surely in for a good time.

17. Rocky (1976)

• Director: John G. Avildsen
• Writer: Sylvester Stallone
• Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 94%
• Release Date: November 21, 1976
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, and Direct TV.

The plot revolves around Rocky Balboa, a minor-league boxer, who struggles his way into the heavyweight championship. When Apollo Creed, a boxing champion visits Philadelphia, an exhibition is set up with Rocky, who was supposed to lose. Rocky saw this match as an opportunity to climb up the ladder and train very hard to beat Creed.

18. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

• Director: Milos Forman
• Writer: Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman, Ken Kesey, Dale Wasserman
• Cast: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Will Sampson, William Redfield.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 94%
• Release Date: November 19, 1975
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, and Direct TV.

McMurphy, a criminal convicted for statutory rape of a fifteen-year girl, pleads insanity and gets himself transferred to a mental institution. On arrival, he has to endure abasement and degradation from a nurse named Mildred Ratched. After “It Happened One Night,” this film is the second to receive all five major Oscar Awards: Best Picture, Actor in Lead Role, Actress in Lead Role, Director, and Screenplay.

19. The Godfather: Part 2 (1974)

• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Writer: Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo
• Cast: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, Morgana King, John Cazale, Mariana Hill, Lee Strasberg
• IMDb Ratings: 9/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 98%
• Release Date: December 20, 1974
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, and Direct TV.

The Godfather: Part 2, is an American crime film and the second movie in The Godfather Trilogy. The plot follows the life of Vito Corleone, who grows up to be one of the most feared mafia kings in Sicily. It acts as both a sequel and a prequel to the first film in the series. One story focuses on the life of Michael Corleone, and the next focus on the earlier life of Vito Corleone. Both the first and the second Godfather films were nominees for the Oscars. The Godfather: Part 2 was the first sequel to win 6 Oscars while being nominated for 11.

20. The Godfather (1972)

• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Writer: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo
• Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton
• IMDb Ratings: 9.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 98%
• Release Date: March 24, 1972
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, and Direct TV.

Vito Corleone, a mafia king, popularly known as “The Godfather,” is the head of the Corleone family in New York. The plot follows their conflict with a treacherous rival which forces them to wage a mob war and fight for supremacy. The Godfather is today hailed as one of the most influential films in the gangster genre and is preserved U.S. National Film Registry. It has won three Oscars, The Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

21. The Sound of Music (1965)

• Director: Robert Wise
• Writer: George Hurdalek, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse, Ernest Lehman, Maria von Trapp
• Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 83%
• Release Date: March 2, 1965
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

One of the best in the “Musical” category, The Sound of Music, is a classic musical-drama film. It follows the life story of Maria, a young woman who leaves an Austrian convent after multiple failed attempts in becoming a nun. She is hired by Captain Georg Von Trapp, to handle his seven children from his previous wife.

While he is away, she teaches the children how to sing and brings happiness and music back into the Von-Trap family. In 1966, The Sound of Music became the highest-grossing film of all-time and held that title for over five years. It was awarded five Oscars including Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.

22. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

• Director: David Lean
• Writer: T.E. Lawrence, Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson
• Cast: Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, José Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy, Omar Sharif, Peter O’Toole
• IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 97%
• Release Date: December 10, 1962
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

This historical-drama film is about a British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence, who is sent to Arabia to act as a mediator between the Arabs and the British and assist them in their war against the Turks. Lawrence of Arabia, which was one of the many nominees for Oscars, won seven. Among other accolades, it also won The Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and the BAFTA for Best Flim.

23. West Side Story (1961)

• Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins
• Writer: Ernest Lehman, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins, William Shakespeare
• Cast: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Russ Tamblyn.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 92%
• Release Date: October 18, 1961
• Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

West Side Story, is a musical inspired by the infamous romantic-tragedy “Romeo and Juliet.” The plot follows two young lovers belonging to rival clans. After a confrontation goes wrong, the film concludes with a tragic heartbreaking ending. The film won 10 of the 11 Academy Awards it was nominated for.

24. On the Waterfront (1954)

• Director: Elia Kazan
• Writer: Budd Schulberg, Malcolm Johnson, Robert Siodmak
• Cast: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, Eva Marie Saint.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 99%
• Release Date: July 28, 1954
• Streaming Platforms: VUDU, Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, Redbox, and AppleTV.

This movie is about Terry Malloy, a prize-fighter, who decides to go against his corrupt boss, Johnny Friendly after witnessing a murder. Consumed with guilt for not stopping the murder, he sets off a mission to expose these criminals for good. On the Waterfront received twelve Oscar nominations and won eight of them.

25. An American in Paris (1951)

• Director: Vincente Minnelli
• Writer: Alan Jay Lerner
• Cast: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, Nina Foch
• IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 96%
• Release Date: October 4, 1951
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

As the name suggests, this musical comedy is about an American ex-veteran Jerry Mulligan, who has come to Paris, to earn a reputation as a painter. He is met by Milo Roberts, an elite heiress, who fancies him more than his art. She helps Jerry build his career, but the plot thickens as he falls for another woman he meets at a nightclub. Being a huge success, this film garnered eight Oscar nominations and won six.

26. Casablanca (1943)

• Director: Michael Curtiz
• Writer: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch, Murray Burnett, Joan Alison, Casey Robinson
• Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre
• IMDb Ratings: 8.5/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 99%
• Release Date: January 23, 1943
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

This story is about Rick Blaine, a pessimistic ex-patriate, who successfully runs a nightclub in Casablanca, Morocco. The rising chaos of World War II has turned his club into a refugee safe haven. After his ex-lover Ilsa shows up at his club along with her husband, Rick is forced to make a painful decision. After winning three Academy Awards, Casablanca now stands as one of the greatest films in history.

27. Gone With the Wind (1939)

• Director: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood
• Writer: Margaret Mitchell, Sidney Howard
• Cast: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell
• IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 91%
• Release Date: December 15, 1939
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, and Redbox.

Set in the middle of the United States Civil War, this historical-romance movie features Scarlett O’Hara, a pampered daughter of a wealthy plantation owner in Georgia, and Ashley Wilkes, a roguish gentleman who is about to marry her cousin. It has received ten Academy Awards, out of which eight were competitive and two were honorary including Best Production Design and Best Film Editing.

28. It Happened One Night (1934)

• Director: Frank Capra
• Writer: Robert Riskin, Samuel Hopkins Adams
• Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly,
• IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 98%
• Release Date: February 22, 1934
• Streaming Platforms: Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, Direct TV, Redbox, and Apple TV.

Ellie Andrews is a young socialite who has recently married an aviator, King Westley. But her father forced her to come back. She plans an escape back to New York. While on her way on a bus, she meets Peter Warne, a recently unemployed reporter, who helps her get back to her husband and writes a juicy newspaper story about the same. It Happened One Night is the first film to win all five major Academy Awards.

29. The Deer Hunter

• Director: Michael Climino
• Writer: Quinn K. Redeker
• Cast: Christopher Walken, John Cazale, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, John Savage, George Dzundza, Chuck Aspregren, Kurtwood Smith.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
• Release Date: 23 February 1979
• Platforms: Netflix and Hotstar.

Discuss bleak triumphs… Michael Cimino’s Vietnam controversy may not be upbeat, but that’s part of why it resonated with the Academy. It’s a striking piece of cinema that cuts here between the delight of American soldiers who decided to enlist and the atrocities they faced once at war. It’s one of just a few films to address the war’s effects specifically.

The Deer Hunter is a nightmarish epic with a stellar cast led by Robert De Niro at the pinnacle of his acting abilities and the Russian roulette incident (opens in new tab) to finish all Russian roulette scenes.

30. Unforgiven (1992)

• Director: Clint Eastwood
• Writer: Clint Eastwood
• Cast: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Frances Fisher, Anna Thomson, Jaimz Woolvett.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
• Release Date: 7 August 1992
• Platforms: Amazon Prime Video

On his last day as a cop, he is pulled into an existing case. Clint Eastwood’s 1992 western Unforgiven takes that concept and drags it through the dirt and grime of Big Whisky, a tiny town that has witnessed some heinous crimes.

Eastwood provides one of his greatest shows as the grizzled – is he any others? – William Munny is an outlaw who returns to complete one last job. Unsurprisingly, such a gloomy, violent fable won the Academy Award.

31. Amadeus (1984)

• Director: Milos forman
• Writer: Peter Shaffer
• Cast: F. Murray Abrahams, Richard Frank, Patrick Hines, Nicholas Kepros, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.4/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
• Release Date: 6 September 1984
• Platforms: Amazon Prime Video

The minor issue of accuracy lingers over Milos Forman’s film. What happened between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his well-known rivals? Was it so soap opera-like? It’s not the first biopic to dabble with the truth, but it shouldn’t matter when the film is this magnificent.

Tom Hulce plays the role of the classical composer with restraint, given Mozart’s reputation as a larger-than-life figure. Milo Forman’s path is also excellent, making this nearly three-hour film fly by.

32. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

• Director: David Lean
• Writer: David Lean
• Cast: Alec Guinness, William Holden, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins, Geoffrey Horne, Percy Herbert, James Donald, Andre Morell.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
• Release Date: 2 October 1957
• Platforms: Netflix

This excellent World War II film, directed by David Lean, reimagines the brutal subjugation of Allied inmates compelled to construct the Burma railway. Alec Guinness’ a British Colonel inspires his soldiers to assist the Japanese with the bridge to boost morale. In contrast, another British officer encourages William Holden’s American officer to decimate the bridge once it is completed.

It reveals the truth about Japanese POW camps and how narrow the line between heroism and loyalty truly is. Guinness gives an all-time fantastic performance as the British with the stiff upper lip.

33. The French Connection (1971)

• Director: William Friedkin
• Writer: Ernest Tidyman
• Cast: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Sonny Grosso, Eddie Egan, Fernando Rey, Bill Hickman, Irving Abrahams, Marcel Bozzuffi.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
• Release Date: 9 October 1971
• Platforms: Amazon Prime Video

Dom Toretto’s crew has not gotten anything on Gene Hackman’s petrolhead prowess in The French Connection. As Investigator Jimmy Doyle, he may seek justice behind the protection of a badge, but his blustering determination is anything but conventional.

He began work on one of the finest car chases ever. A film was shot to take down a ring of heroin traffickers in New York City. Due to director William Friedkin’s unyielding demands, a substantial percentage of the city’s subway was shut down for the incident, in which Hackman’s cop lumbers around the roads in his Pontiac to undertake his train-bound target.

Hollywood has forever been serenaded by phenomenal movies and will continue to be till the end of time. All of the films mentioned above have received the Best Picture Award and we feel bad to leave out some very deserving Oscar wins/nominees from the list. All we can do is look forward to the next Academy Awards, respect the competition, and hope our favorite movie wins.

15 Nominated Movies for Oscar!

1. Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

• Director: Edward Berger
• Writer: Erich Maria Remarque
• Cast: Daniel Bruhl, Felix Kammerer, Albrechet Schuch, Edin Hasanovic, Aaron Hilmer, David Striesow, Lesley Paterson.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
• Platforms: Netflix

Edward Berger’s German transformation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, an anti-war classic about something like a German soldier in WWI, “full nominations and won four, which include the best international feature, scoring system, production design, and camerawork. Whereas the success of the 2022 film heralds a future in which the Academy values global cinema, it also recounts a moment in Oscar history: Lewis Milestone’s 1930 adjustment of the novel, an American production in English, walked away with best picture and best cinematography (out of four nominations) at the held Academy Awards annually.

2. Mank (2020)

• Director: David Fincher
• Writer: Jack Fincher
• Cast: Amanda Sayfried, Lilly Collins, Gary Oldman, Tom Burke, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Pelphrey, Upton Sinclair, Charles Dance.
• IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
• Platforms: Netflix

When you’re feeling particularly irritated about Oscar winners and non-winners, remember that 1941’s Citizen Kane, widely regarded as among the greatest movies of all time, only won one Oscar out of nine nominations — for adapted screenplay. That storyline was co-written by the film’s bold young director-star Orson Welles and veteran screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, who motivated David Fincher’s 2020 biopic Mank, starring Gary Oldman and chronicling the development of that story’s screenplay. Mank ended up with ten nominations and two wins (for cinematography and production design).

3. Blonde (2022)

• Director: Andrew Dominik
• Writer: Andrew Dominik
• Cast: Ana De Armas, Adrien Brody, Xavier Samuel, Bobby Cannavel.
• IMDb Ratings: 5.5/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%
• Platforms: Netflix

It’s an old cliché, but they have said it for a reason: Hollywood appreciates stories about its own. Following up on Mank, Andrew Dominik’s biopic Blonde, predicated on Joyce Carol Oates’ book that fictionalizes Marilyn Monroe’s life, is yet another foray into reinvented film history. The Academy never recognized the icon formerly known as Norma Jeane Mortenson all through her lifetime. Still, Ana de Armas received a lead actress nomination for her dedicated depiction of Marilyn Monroe.

4. The Sting (1977)

• Director: George Roy Hill
• Writer: David S. Ward
• Cast: Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Dimitra Arliss.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
• Platforms: Amazon Prime Video

Throw it back to 1973 with George Roy Hill’s heist film playing the lead in one of American cinema’s most famous duos. The Sting starred Robert Redford and Paul Newman as con men who squeeze a clever ruse on a brutal crime boss (following their first cooperation in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, also directed by Hill). The classic caper received ten nominations (including one for Redford) and seven Oscar nominees, including best film and best director for Hill.

5. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

• Director: Ryan Johnson
• Writer: Ryan Johnson
• Cast: Madelyn Cline, Hugh Grant, Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monae.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
• Platforms: Amazon Prime Video and Netflix

Nearly every single year, the declaration of the Oscar nominations sparks an acquainted complaint: the school does have a blind spot in terms of comedies, blockbusters, and genre films. The scriptwriting categories it’s where the artists behind all of these films frequently receive recognition, such as writer-director Rian Johnson’s nomination for better-adapted screenplay for 2022’s Glass Onion. It’s the second installment in his immensely popular Knives Out murder-mystery series, the first of which was nominated for best original screenplay. The star-studded mystery sees Daniel Craig’s investigator Benoit Blanc return to investigate a murder on a quirky billionaire’s secluded island.

6. Roma (2018)

• Director: Alfonso Cuaron
• Writer: Alfonso Cuaron
• Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina De Tavira, Diego De Cort, Carlos Peralta, Fernando Grediaga.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
• Platforms: Netflix

Roma needs to share history even for the most film not in English, with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, outpacing All Quiet on the Western Front by one nomination. Alfonso Cuarón’s masterly 2018 drama, influenced by the filmmaker’s adolescence in Mexico City and shot in attempting to hit black-and-white, became the first Mexican film to claim victory’s best international feature. It also won awards for the best filmmaker as well as cinematography.

7. The Irishman

• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Writer: Steven Zillian
• Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitei, Stephen Graham, Anna Paquin.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
• Platforms: Netflix

With an all-star cast, some all story, and a great director, The Irishman received 10 noms in 2019, tying it with 1917 but Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for the 2nd that year (behind The Joker’s 11). Martin Scorsese’s film, adjusted from Charles Brandt’s book I Remember hearing You Paint Houses, starring Robert De Niro and attributing mafia hitman Frank Sheeran’s profile of his riveting history, competed for best picture, filmmaker, and character actor.

8. The Power Of The Dog (2021)

• Director: Jane Campion
• Writer: Jane Campion
• Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kody Smit McPhee, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Mckenzie.
• IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
• Platforms: Netflix

The Power of the Dog earned renowned filmmaker Jane Campion an Oscar for best director, attempting to make her the third woman to take home the prize (out of seven nominations) as well as the first person to need extra nominations (Campion was heretofore nominated for the title of best director with 1993’s The Piano). The 2021 film, based on Thomas Savage’s novel, stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a vengeful cowboy who harasses his brother’s (Jesse Plemons) new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and their son (Kodi Smit-McPhee). The film received 12 nominations, including best picture and acting nominations for all four stars.

9. Mudbound (2017)

• Director: Dee Rees
• Writer: Dee Rees
• Cast: Carrey Mulligan, Jason Mitchell, Jason Clarke, Mary J Blige, Garnett Hedlund.
• IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
• Platforms: Netflix

Mudbound has a modest Academy record, having been nominated for four Academy Awards. Dee Rees’ stirring acclimatization of Hillary Jordan’s novel, approximately two World War II vets (Garrett Hedlund and Jason Mitchell) who come back home to rural Mississippi traumatized, broke new ground when it was nominated for an Oscar. Mary J. Blige was the first to be selected for both a performance and also an original version in the same year; Rees was the first Black woman to be selected to win for adapted screenplay (she founded the script with Virgil Williams); and Rachel Morrison was the first woman to be nominated for cinematography.

10. La La Land (2016)

• Director: Damien Chazelle
• Writer: Damien Chazelle
• Cast: Emma stone, Ryan Gosling, J K Simmons, John legends, Sonoya Mizuno.
• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
• Platforms: Amazon Prime Video and Netflix

With 14 nominations, La La Land is tied for the most nominations in Academy history with All About Eve and Titanic. The Tinseltown musical — about an actress (Emma Stone) and jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling) becoming lovers while chasing their dreams — does have an outstanding track record, winning six awards, including the best film for then 32-year-old Damien Chazelle (the youngest film director to win the prize yet). However, the film’s Oscars narrative also contains the chaotic point when it was erroneously declared the best picture winner in the dying minutes of the ceremony (the broadcasters had been given the wrong packet backstage). Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins, won the award.

11. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)

• Director: George C. Wolfe
• Writer: Viola Davis
• Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Taylor Paige, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman.
• IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
• Platforms: Netflix

Though the Academy recognized it, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’s Oscar story was suffused with sadness: between its five nominations was indeed a posthumous best supporting actor nod for Chadwick Boseman, who passed away from cancer just months prior. The visceral adjustment of August Wilson’s play by George C. Wolfe portrays a strenuous musical performance for blues legend Ma Rainey (Viola Davis, who was additionally nominated) and her band, which includes Boseman’s impetuous trumpeter. Even though Boseman was the favorite in his category, the film’s two wins were for production design, makeup, and hairstyling.

12. Psycho (1960)

• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• Writer: Joseph Stefano
• Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, Pat Hitchcock, John Gavin, Martin Balsam
• IMDb Ratings: 8.5/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
• Platforms: Netflix

Psycho was a forerunner in bringing the theme into mainline cinema. Nevertheless, it was too advanced for the Academy. Though Alfred Hitchcock was selected for nomination for Best Director instead, Janet Leigh was nominated for Best Supporting Actress; it did not make it into the Best Picture category and, despite receiving two additional nominations for Best Art Direction: Set Decoration, Black-and-White and Best Cinematography: Set Decoration, Black-and-White, it did not make it into the Best Picture category. Psycho touched out in all four innings. “I believe you guys aren’t prepared for that yet,” Marty McFly would say (but your kids will love it).

13. The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Writer: Jordan Belfort
• Cast: Jordan Belfort, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Cristin Millioti.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
• Platforms: Amazon prime Video

Scorsese was nominated for an 8th Best Director award for The Wolf of Wall Street but did not win. While the director’s dry spell ended with 2007’s The Departed, Leonardo DiCaprio’s proceeded, with Matthew McConaughey winning Best Actor the following year for Dallas Buyers Club. It was DiCaprio’s fifth lead actor nomination, with no prior win. 

The depraved nature of The Wolf of Wall Street’s subject material may have had an impact in it also lacking out on Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenwriter Oscars. However, the biggest snub was restricted to Jonah Hill, who lost out to McConaughey’s Dallas Purchasers Club co-star Jared Leto despite a career-best achievement as Donnie Azoff.

14. Double Indemnity

• Director: Billy Wilder
• Writer: Billy Wilder
• Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred McMurray, Edward G Robinson, Jean Heather
• IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
• Platforms: Amazon Prime Video

Double Indemnity, like Psycho, was in the incorrect location. This filthy tale of infidelity but also murder, aimed directly at Billy Wilder and based on a screenplay co-written by Raymond Chandler, ran counter to the Academy’s tastes at the time. They favored the feel-good Bing Crosby musical Going My Way. They demonstrated their preference by nominating star Barry Fitzgerald for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor Oscars – stuff that is no longer permitted today. 

Double Indemnity made a lot less money at the box office. Despite being nominated in every category at the Academy Awards that year, Double Indemnity has risen in stature in the years since.

15. The Elephant Man (1980)

• Director: David Lynch
• Writer: David Lynch
• Cast: John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, Sir Fredrick Treves, Freddie Jones, John Gielgud, Anne V. Coates.
• IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
• Platforms: Disney +

David Lynch’s moving drama about Joseph Merrick’s real-life types of attacks got countless nominations, which include Best Picture and Best Director. John Hurt was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of the disfigured Merrick. 

Though it didn’t win anything, the film did cause quite a stir because the makeup work used to create Merrick went unnoticed. A letter was even sent to the Academy’s Board of Governors requesting that those who worked on the prosthetics be honored. Although the Academy refused, the protest resulted in the introduction of a new makeup category the following year, recognizing the intricate and complex effects of work being done.