Merry Christmas

Double Feature: Johnny Belinda (1948) and Lilies of the Field (1963)

Johnny Belinda:

In this Oscar-winning drama, a young doctor (Lew Ayres) teaches Jane Wyman's deaf/mute character Belinda to use sign language. However, things fall apart when Belinda winds up pregnant and becomes the town scandal.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor (Charles Bickford), Best Supporting Actress (Agnes Moorehead), Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Score (Drama or Comedy), and Best Sound. Though Wyman deserved her Best Actress Oscar, Olivia de Havilland did give a better performance in The Snake Pit that year.

Lilies of the Field:

Sidney Poitier gives an Oscar-winning performance in this comedy-drama about a simple African-American man who helps build a chapel for a group of German nuns. Through his efforts, the locals pull together to complete the chapel, ensuring a sanctuary for future generations.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress (Lilia Skala), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. While the film is slightly dated, Poitier is very charismatic in this performance and deserved his Academy Award.

The Decades: 2000s

2000: Code Unknown

Oscar winner: Gladiator
Was this film nominated?: No

2001: A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Oscar winner: A Beautiful Mind

Was this film nominated?: No

2002: Spirited Away

Oscar winner: Chicago
Was this film nominated?: No

2003: Lost in Translation

Oscar winner: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Was this film nominated?: Yes

2004: Before Sunset

Oscar winner: Million Dollar Baby
Was this film nominated?: No

2005: Cache

Oscar winner: Crash
Was this film nominated?: No

2006: Children of Men

Oscar winner: The Departed

Was this film nominated?: No

2007: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Oscar winner: No Country for Old Men
Was this film nominated?: No

2008: In Bruges

Oscar winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Was this film nominated?: No

2009: Summer Hours

Oscar winner: The Hurt Locker
Was this film nominated?: No

Updated: 8/28/14

The Decades: 1990s

1990: Close-Up

Oscar winner: Dances with Wolves

Was this film nominated?: No

1991: The Lovers on the Bridge

Oscar winner: The Silence of the Lambs

Was this film nominated?: No

1992: The Crying Game

Oscar winner: Unforgiven

Was this film nominated?: Yes

1993:  Three Colors: Blue

Oscar winner: Schindler's List
Was this film nominated?: No

1994: Three Colors: Red

Oscar winner: Forrest Gump
Was this film nominated?: No

1995: Casino

Oscar winner: Braveheart
Was this film nominated?: No

1996: Trainspotting

Oscar winner: The English Patient
Was this film nominated?: No

1997: L.A. Confidential

Oscar winner: Titanic
Was this film nominated?: Yes

1998: The Thin Red Line

Oscar winner: Shakespeare in Love
Was this film nominated?: Yes

1999: Eyes Wide Shut

Oscar winner: American Beauty
Was this film nominated?: No

Updated: 7/27/14

November Update

I've been rather busy lately, which explains the lack of Double Feature posts for my Best Picture Log, as well as the brief stoppage of my Oscar Campaign Bust and Oscar Oddity posts. However, I am still pursuing my Best Picture goal and will be posting more often as I see more Best Picture nominees in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I have put together a completely flexible list of my top 100 films of all time. Check it out on the pages bar above or click here.

The Decades: 1980s

1980: Raging Bull

Oscar winner: Ordinary People
Was this film nominated?: Yes

1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Oscar winner: Chariots of Fire
Was this film nominated?: Yes

1982: Blade Runner (Director's Cut)

Oscar winner: Gandhi
Was this film nominated?: No

1983: Fanny and Alexander

Oscar winner: Terms of Endearment
Was this film nominated?: No

1984: Once Upon a Time in America

Oscar winner: Amadeus
Was this film nominated?: No

1985: After Hours

Oscar winner: Out of Africa

Was this film nominated?: No

1986: Hannah and Her Sisters

Oscar winner: Platoon
Was this film nominated?: Yes

1987: Full Metal Jacket

Oscar winner: The Last Emperor
Was this film nominated?: No

1988: A Fish Called Wanda

Oscar winner: Rain Man
Was this film nominated?: No

1989: The Decalogue

Oscar winner: Driving Miss Daisy

Was this film nominated?: No (wasn't eligible)

Happy Thanksgiving

The Decades: 1970s

1970: A Swedish Love Story

Oscar winner: Patton

Was this film nominated?: No

 

1971: The French Connection

Oscar winner: The French Connection

1972: The Godfather

Oscar winner: The Godfather

1973: Cries and Whispers

Oscar winner: The Sting

Was this film nominated?: Yes

1974: Chinatown

Oscar winner: The Godfather Part II

Was this film nominated?: Yes

1975: Barry Lyndon

Oscar winner: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Was this film nominated?: Yes

1976: All the President's Men

Oscar winner: Rocky
Was this film nominated?: Yes

1977: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Oscar winner: Annie Hall
Was this film nominated?: No

1978: The Deer Hunter

Oscar winner: The Deer Hunter

1979: Manhattan

Oscar winner: Kramer vs. Kramer

Was this film nominated?: No

Updated: 10/14/14

Double Feature: Quiz Show (1994) and Shine (1996)

Quiz Show:

This 1994 film is based on the Twenty One quiz show scandals of the 1950s involving contestants Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) and Herb Stempel (John Turturro). On a hunch, lawyer Richard Goodwin (Rob Morrow) investigates and unearths details of behind-the-scenes tampering by NBC producers, who were subsequently made to testify at congressional hearings.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Paul Scofield), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Though mostly forgotten, the film is a charming Best Picture nominee.

Shine:

In this modest biopic, Geoffrey Rush stars as David Helfgott, a talented but troubled pianist. Taught to play by his father, David rises and falls in popularity in his native Australia, suffering a mental breakdown and living in institutions before a small resurgence at a local diner.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor (Armin Mueller-Stahl), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Dramatic Score. While the film did not deserve that much recognition, it is hard to argue against Rush's Best Actor Oscar win.

The Decades: 1960s

1960: The Apartment

Oscar winner: The Apartment

  

1961: La Notte

Oscar winner: West Side Story

Was this film nominated?: No

  

1962: Winter Light

Oscar winner: Lawrence of Arabia
Was this film nominated?: No

  

1963: The Great Escape

Oscar winner: Tom Jones

Was this film nominated?: No

  

1964: Dr. Strangelove

Oscar winner: My Fair Lady
Was this film nominated?: Yes

  

1965: Doctor Zhivago

Oscar winner: The Sound of Music
Was this film nominated?: Yes

1966: Persona

Oscar winner: A Man for All Seasons
Was this film nominated?: No

  

1967: The Graduate

Oscar winner: In the Heat of the Night

Was this film nominated?: Yes

  

1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Oscar winner: Oliver!
Was this film nominated?: No

  

1969: Once Upon a Time in the West

Oscar winner: Midnight Cowboy
Was this film nominated?: No