So rather than looking at the potential winners or nominees, which this year includes everything from The Green Knight to Spider-Man, instead we’re looking at previous winners and seeing where the Best Picture winners of the last 10 years rank against each other based on their IMDb and Metacritic ratings

10. The Shape of Water (2017)

Guillermo Del Toro’s homage to Creature From The Black Lagoon is a love story between the creature (Doug Jones) and Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaning lady. One of the stranger films to have won, critics seemed to love it more than audiences, as it sits at a 7.3 on IMDb, but has 87 on Metacritic. The film was also nominated in several other categories for a total of thirteen nominations, winning four, including Best Picture, Best Director for Del Toro, Best Production Design and Best Orginal Score.

9. Moonlight (2016)

Widely considered one of the more progressive choices to win Best Picture. Based on an unpublished semi-autobiographical play, it shows the life of Chiron, at three separate stages of his life. Beginning as a child, through into adolescence and ending in early adulthood. While it may not have made a huge impression on audiences, judging by its 7.4 on IMDb, critics loved it, as it sits at a 99 on Metacritic. It was the first LGBTQ film to win Best Picture, as well as first to win featuring an all-black cast.

8. Nomadland (2020)

Another historic win at the Oscars. Based on a non-fiction book about the rise of older people living nomadic lifestyles in the US. The film follows Fern (Frances McDormand) as she loses both her job and her house after the death of her husband, and her life on the road living in a van and travelling the country. Most of the cast is made up of real-life nomads, who play themselves. While it only has a 7.4 from audiences on IMDb, it was the third highest-rated film of 2020 on Metacritic. Director Chloe Zhao became the second woman and first woman of colour to win Best Director.

07. Argo (2012)

Based on true events, although sometimes criticised for its historical accuracy. This dramatisation of the “Canadian Caper” was written by Chris Terrio, who also wrote the screenplays for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. Terrio won the Best Adapted Screenplay, while Ben Affleck won Best Director, as well as starring. Critics loved Argo more than audiences, with a 7.7 on IMDb compared to a 86 on Metacritic.

06. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) (2014)

The Oscars love a film with a huge technical challenge and a film about the arts. Birdman has both. Micheal Keaton lampshades his own career as an actor famous for playing a superhero tries to be taken seriously. Set in and around a theatre, the film is shot so that (with one exception) it appears to be done in one take. Interestingly this fared about as well as Argo with audiences and critics, also having a 7.7 rating and 87 respectively. As well as Oscars for Directing, Orginal Screenplay and Cinematography, director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s next film The Revenant finally won Leonardo DiCaprio his Oscar.

05. The Artist (2011)

Despite being released in 2011, The Artist invokes the silent film era of the 1920s. Shot in 4:3, black and white, as well as being mainly silent, it was certainly the most unique amongst the nominees of its year. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards it won five, including Best Director and Best Actor. It was the first mostly silent winner since the first-ever Academy Awards, back in 1929. Loved by both audiences and critics, with a 7.9 on IMDb and 89 on Metacritic.

04. Spotlight (2015)

Another film based on true events, this time focused on the power and importance of journalism. The script was based on various accounts and articles from the Spotlight team. The Boston Globe published several news pieces that revealed the widespread child sex abuse in the Catholic church in the Boston area in 2003. Praised for its screenplay and performances as well as its historical accuracy, it has an impressive 93 on Metacritic, as well as an 8.1 from audiences.

03. 12 Years A Slave (2013)

Based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The book details his experiences at market, cotton and sugar farming, as well as the life and experiences of being a slave. He was eventually freed, after getting information from friends and family. Widely praised by critics and audiences, it also won for its screenplay and a supporting actress win for Lupita Nyong’o. It also sits at 8.1 on IMDb, while it has a 96 on Metacritic.

02. Green Book (2018)

Another film about race relations in the US, and also based on a true story. The eponymous “Green Book” was a guide written for African-Americans and other non-whites, to help aid safe travel. Focusing on the friendship between pianist Don Shirley and his chauffuer/bodyguard Frank Vallelonga. Although there was some controversy, it was very positively received with an 8.2 from audiences. Interestingly most critics were not as impressed, with it only scoring a 69 on Metacritic.

01. Parasite (2019)

Sitting at number 31 on IMDb’s top 250 Movies of all time, Korean director Bong Joon-ho made history by directing the first non-English language film to win Best Picture. Telling the story of a poor family who slowly infiltrate a wealthy one, the film was universally acclaimed. Focusing on class relations and the wealth gap in Korea, it struck a chord with audiences and critics around the world, with a 8.6 and 96 respectively.

Also Read: Parasite Director Bong Joon-Ho Once Described The Oscars As “Very Local” Does He Have A Point?

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The post Oscars: Ranking The Best Picture Winners of The Last Decade appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

McDormand’s second Oscar came for playing bereaved mother Mildred in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Mildred’s daughter was raped and murdered and no arrests have yet been made – in an effort to keep the crime in the spotlight Mildred pays for three billboards with a message to the police chief. Mildred already seems to have been a formidable and perhaps unpopular figure before this tragedy but her abrasive plan seems to alienate most of the town. As well as the police her wrath falls on the local priest, a dentist, high school students and more. Mildred is consumed with guilt about what happened to her daughter and when not focusing the resulting anger on herself it is cast outward.

Burn After Reading

This is a more traditional comedic outing for McDormand than some of her roles. Burn After Reading is an odd but enjoyable film and like many Coen Brothers films it revolves around simple mistakes that lead to bigger consequences. McDormand plays Linda Litzke a woman working at a gym and is obsessed with getting cosmetic surgery so she can look younger. When what seems to be classified CIA material comes into her possession Linda and the absolutely hapless Chad try their hands at blackmail. Linda is also in a new romantic relationship with George Clooney’s serial cheater Harry Pfaffer and these two elements of her life intertwine nicely. Her best moments come from acting opposite Richard Jenkins, her boss at the gym who is clearly besotted with her but she is not interested – her declaration that Jenkins’ character’s former job as an Orthodox priest “well, jeez that’s a good job!” always amuses me.

Good Omens

For this TV show, McDormand was cast as God – who is the narrator of the show, which is quite a role.

Almost Famous

Despite not being the central character by any means McDormand’s performance as Elaine Miller is perhaps the most memorable in Almost Famous, in which her high school-age son goes off with a rock band as a music journalist and she has trouble dealing with this. What is really interesting is that Elaine’s objections to this are not what you expect – she is a very unusual woman, especially by the standards of 1969. Her objections to rock n roll seem to stem from a questioning of the artistic and intellectual value of this music, when Russell the charismatic frontman of the band tries to charm Elaine he is undone within seconds by her forceful and articulate attitude urging him to be better and do better.

Raising Arizona

A small role but McDormand is brilliant. After H.I. and Ed kidnap a baby when they learn they can’t have children they are paid a visit by H.I.’s boss Glen and his wife Dot – played by McDormand. Dot is an over-the-top incredibly excitable parent who jackknifes from proclamations of the baby’s angelic qualities to dire warnings of future problems, with every sentence interrupted by her shouting at her children to behave.

Fargo

Quite probably this is the role McDormand will be most remembered for and rightly so. She won an Oscar for playing Marge Gunderson, the heavily pregnant police chief who exudes competence, decency and kindness. Gunderson is not portrayed as “kick-ass” and is actually very gentle throughout but you never doubt she is more than capable at her job. You do worry about the inevitable confrontation between Gunderson and the kidnappers but when that happens she easily apprehends the remaining kidnapper. Two scenes stand out in particular, first the absolutely bizarre scene where Gunderson meets up with an old school friend for dinner who breaks down talking about his dead wife (who we later learn isn’t dead). The second at the end of the film when she finds one kidnapper feeding another into a wood chipper and the ride back to the station with a short monologue about what he did for “a little bit of money”. The last thing to mention is the asbolutely adorable relationship between Marge and her husband Norm, they are a lovely, supportive couple, seemingly always in each other’s thoughts by the small acts of kindness they do for one another. Whilst Marge is dealing with kidnapping and murder Norm is working on his duck painting for a postage stamp competition and because it’s important to Norm it’s important to Marge (incidentally, the postage stamp duck painting competition is real and a Big Deal to some people).

What Next?

So McDormand just won her third Oscar and if we were to examine the trajectory of her career it would seem she still has many great performances to give. Currently in postproduction is Macbeth, in which she plays Lady Macbeth and is another Coen Brothers film which has Oscar contender written all over it.

Also Read: Making A Coen Brothers Film

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