Okay, now for the fun part. Keep in mind, this is not a list of movies I hate, it is just a list of movies that won too many awards, acclaimed by too many critics, or seen by too many people given their quality (or lack thereof). Here goes.
To head off any complaints, Titanic is not on this list. I don't think it should have won a dozen Oscars, but I enjoyed the pacing, story and effects of this movie.
10. The Godfather, Part III: Viewed on its own, this is a decent movie. However, it pales in comparison to its two prequels, arguably two of the greatest movies of all time. This third installment, which was nominated for seven Oscars, including picture and director, has a muddled story, and some truly laughable moments, like Andy Garcia's ear-biting scene, Sofia Coppola's entire performance, and the end of the movie, which looks an awful lot like Arte Johnson's Tyrone F. Horneigh on Laugh-In. I will admit that Gordon Willis' cinematography deserved the nomination.
9. Avatar: This is the top-grossing movie of all time. The plot was a clone of Dances With Wolves (see below), and the high-tech effects made this movie look like a long cartoon. I heard it's better in 3-D.
8. Inception: This was a visually stunning movie. That having been said, I didn't understand a damn minute of it.
7. Dances With Wolves: I actually enjoyed this movie. However, it somehow beat Goodfellas, another one of the greatest movies ever made. Joe Pesci deservedly won his supporting actor award, but it's unbelievable that Scorsese lost out to Costner for what I think is the best directed movie ever.
6. Napoleon Dynamite: So many people thought this was hilarious. I didn't laugh out loud a single time at this dull movie. The only information I took from this is how much the title character looks like former Eagles QB Nick Foles.
5. Gladiator: This umpteenth take on the sword and sandal epic was just mediocre and had lousy digital effects, especially considering it beat out Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, and Traffic for Best Picture.
4. Shakespeare in Love: Meh. Although Steven Spielberg finally won, deservedly, for directing Saving Private Ryan, this blatant piece of Harvey Weinstein Oscar bait won the big prize.
3. Gandhi: This is a typical epic biopic, and it could just have easily been made in the 1950s. Not to diminish the importance of this important Indian revolutionary, but its epic style has been done dozens of times before, and it beat out E.T.!
2. The English Patient: Another undeserving Best Picture winner. A surefire cure for insomnia, this flick is overlong, glacially paced Oscar bait. This beat out Jerry Maguire and Fargo, both much better movies.
1. Forrest Gump: I do not hate this movie. This is on the top of the list because it beat not one or two, but three far better movies for Best Picture. This was in 1994, and this decent movie about a mentally challenged individual who experienced a whole bunch of historic events. Yes, it was cool how they digitally inserted Tom Hanks into shots with several presidents, but beat far superior movies like Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption, and Pulp Fiction, which is one of the best movies ever made, revolutionized the movie industry as we know it, and instantly turned my brother into a movie buff.
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