Best Oscar Winners — No. 5


Earlier in March I discussed a series of 10 posts on the best winners for Best Picture since 1970. Each Saturday for the next six weeks I'll be counting down my favorites and discussing the rationale. As always, if you have thoughts, or other favorites, please feel free to comment and share.

5. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Hilary Swank
About: Clint Eastwood, as a director, went through a strong stretch in the early 2000s. He delivered "Mystic River" in 2003, and the pair of films "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima" in 2006. Right in between, he delivered an epic Best Picture winner in "Million Dollar Baby." The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Swank, Best Supporting Actor for Freeman, Best Director for Eastwood and Best Picture. In addition, Eastwood was nominated as an actor and screenwriter Paul Haggis was nominated for the script. It could have won those, but just fell short. Still, it was a film that dominated the competition the year it was out. And rightly so. It is one of the most powerful movies I've seen, and one that I think has been sadly overlooked in recent years. It starts out as an underdog sports movie — or at least that's what it appears to be. And it was a movie I was all in on. But then, in the middle, it switches and becomes about something else. We all might have mixed feelings on this story and the issue it depicts, but there is undeniable power in the way it depicts the story. This film has three really rich performances, and it's no surprise Swank and Freeman won Academy Awards. This isn't the easiest film to watch because of where the story goes, but it's a beautifully told story, worthy to be on this list.
Rating: PG-13 for violence, some disturbing images, thematic material and language

The Top 10:
10. The French Connection (1971)
9. Gladiator (2000)
8. One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (1975)
7. Spotlight (2015)
6. Forrest Gump (1994)

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