When we consider the greatest films ever made, we frequently consider how many Oscars they have garnered. You can be sure that the movies with statuettes to their names are deserving of your attention and time because those famous gold awards aren’t awarded to just any movie. Even so, it can be challenging to focus a watchlist after more than one hundred Academy Awards ceremonies. Nevertheless, we have narrowed down the top 15 Oscar winning movies you should watch.
Oscar Winning Movies You Should Watch
1. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
The second installment of the Corleone family saga by Francis Ford Coppola emphasises concepts of loyalty, family, and sacrifice. The film is confident and one of the first sequels to ever surpass its predecessor. Coppola increases the stakes while keeping everything that made the original film startle viewers out of their chairs. The second installment traces Vito Corleone’s successes in Sicily during his formative years before he rose to prominence as a mafioso in New York City. In this most iconic gangster film ever produced, Robert De Niro joins Al Pacino’s cast as the youthful Don. It’s definitely one of the Oscar winning movies you should watch.
2. Silence of the Lambs (1990)
A genre film rarely wins anything, much less Best Picture, yet Silence of the Lambs triumphed over its rivals in every single category in which it was nominated. All of these elements—amazing writing, a mesmerising score, and captivating performances from Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins—as well as the carefully constructed climax are what make this movie stand out above the rest. That is what makes Jonathan Demme’s film so amazing.
3. The French Connection (1971)
The film centres on Detective Jimmy Doyle, who may seek justice from behind the protection of a badge, but his swaggering tenacity is everything but conventional. Assigned the task of taking down a network of heroin traffickers in New York City, he starts one of the finest car chases ever captured on camera. For the sequence, in which Hackman’s cop races through the streets in his Pontiac to follow his train-bound target, a significant chunk of the city’s underground system had to be shut down due to director William Friedkin’s incessant demands.
4. Schindler’s List (1993)
Steven Spielberg has crafted numerous fitting blockbusters from numerous unrelated subjects. With Schindler’s List, the director takes on a more sombre subject than usual, creating a moving film that is based on a real-life incident that saw 6 million Jews murdered mercilessly. Spielberg chose to centre his film on the 600 people who survived the Holocaust because of Oskar Schindler despite facing criticism while creating it. The film emphasises how decent people can be even in the worst of times.
5. Gone With the Wind (1939)
Gone With the Wind, an opulent, beautiful film that won eight Oscars, is still regarded as a classic. It’s still a little miracle that this lavish operatic story of injustice and love during the American Civil War even made it to the big screen. Numerous issues beset the film throughout its protracted production, from the large number of directors who came and departed to the numerous actresses who auditioned for the role of Scarlett O’Hara. When adjusted for inflation, it remains the most profitable film in box office history.
6. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
The Tolkien trilogy by Peter Jackson could not be disregarded by the Academy. A graphic adventure story about Hobbits, Elves, Orcs, and—most importantly—the true power of friendship, it was a disgrace that the first two films didn’t win any prizes. Voters who grasped, a third time around, exactly how pioneering this trilogy was benefited from The Return of the Kings’ A-list cast, attention to detail, and reverence for the original novels.
7. Rocky (1976)
Rocky was written by Sylvester Stallone, who played the lead. He also rose like the Philadelphia underdog who aspires to fight for the heavyweight title, just like his on-screen counterpart. Rocky earned $225 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing movie of the year and making Sylvester Stallone a household name. You can’t help but hope Rocky wins that title because of his unwavering drive for success and his daring post-montage air punch at the very top of the museum steps.
8. No Country For Old Men (2007)
No Country for Old Men, one of the Coen brothers’ most ambitious projects, functions as a modernised western and is filled with sordid, ominous overtones that set the stage for an incredible mystery. Since this is a Coen movie, the narrative is based on the events of a typical guy who decides to wreck his life. Llewelyn Moss, the man in question, is portrayed by Josh Brolin. He finds a bag of cash and decides to retain it. Anton Chigurh, a maniac who uses a bolt pistol in one of cinema’s most ominous and terrifying villains, is played by Javier Bardem.
9. The Hurt Locker (2009)
In the Iraqi drama The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Jeremy Renner played William James. Renner’s Sergeant First Class is a combat-experienced veteran who leads an explosive ordnance disposal team in Baghdad before departing from his original course of action to get revenge for the killing of a young boy. His unconventional and frequently risky approaches allow the film to explore its greater theme—how war really impacts soldiers. Additionally, it is the first Best Picture winner that a woman directed. Truly one of the Oscar winning movies you should watch.
10. Moonlight (2016)
There aren’t many films as heartbreaking as Moonlight, which is divided into three separate acts, each of which focuses on an alternate point in the life of the main character. This might have been a tonal muddle because Chiron/Black/Little is portrayed by three distinct performers. But thanks to Barry Jenkins’ deft touch, they all harmoniously complement one another. As a result, the movie may have won the 21st century’s most tearjerking Oscar.
11. Unforgiven (1992)
In Clint Eastwood’s 1992 western Unforgiven, a police officer who is about to retire is forced to take up a case that will change his life on his last day on the job. He pulls that concept through the dirt and grit of Big Whisky, a little town that has seen some horrifying things. Undoubtedly, this was one of his life’s worthwhile performances. That such a grim, bloody fable won the Oscar still surprises us.
12. Parasite
A dark dramedy thriller that may have been unequalled in the 2018 Oscar competition because of its creative narrative, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is the 2020 Oscar sweep that will be heard around the globe. The movie follows a lower-income family in South Korea as they gradually infiltrate a wealthy family’s home through household jobs, illuminating an ideological reflection on capitalism.
13. 12 Years a Slave
Solomon Northup’s 1853 autobiography, from which 12 Years a Slave was adapted, chronicles his life from the time of his birth as a free Black man in New York until his captivity and enslavement in 1841. With this historical drama, director Steve McQueen made history by becoming the first Black director to ever win Best Picture.
14. King Richard (2021)
King Richard is an American biographical sports drama film released in 2021. Will Smith plays Richard Williams in the film, who is the father and tennis instructor of Venus and Serena Williams. The movie’s producer is also one of the two tennis players. Smith and Ellis received the National Board of Review’s Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards for their outstanding performances.
15. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
The 2008 British drama movie Slumdog Millionaire is partially based on the 2005 Indian author Vikas Swarup book Q & A. The film opens with Mumbai’s Juhu slum’s 18-year-old Jamal Malik competing in Kaun Banega Crorepati. Slumdog Millionaire was hailed as a sleeper hit and received high praise for its story, soundtrack, cinematography, editing, director, and acting. Out of ten nominations, it garnered eight Academy Awards in 2009, making it the Oscars ceremony’s most Oscar-winning film.
Conclusion
That concludes the top 15 Oscar winning movies you should watch. Some of these films are slow to watch and demand that you comprehend the depths, while others are fast-paced, action-packed stories like The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. You can view them on a variety of O.T.T. services, including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and others, if you choose.
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