Best Picture New York Film Critics Winners

The story grips you. The internal struggle of the main character is at once suffocated by guilt and uplifting.

A story of a great man. A story about justice, injustice, and the power of intellect to overcome corruption.

want to see this because it was nominated for best picture at the oscars, won best picture with the NBR, and won best picture with the NYFC

want to see this because it won best picture with the NYFC and was nominated for best picture by NBR

The "I'll be there" monologue near the end is awesome. Very inspiring after seeing the whole of the movie.

I don't remember it being that great. But, I think I need to see it again to give it another chance now that I am familiar with other older movies.

want to see this because it was nominated for best picture at the oscars, won best picture with the NBR, and won best picture with the NYFC

These social issue movies from the 40's really impressed me. Maybe it's cause I'm kinda naive and as I watched these award winners in roughly chronological order, it was as if I was viewing it with the eyes of the original 1945 audience. The topic and its portrayal was shocking and powerful, whereas by today's standards it would be tame. Someone had to deal with alcoholism back then though so we could get to the point we are today (and deal with today's issues). The filmmakers presented it very well in my opinion.

Another social issue movie of the 40's. A topic that continues to be an issue in society since, returning vets adjusting to home life. One performer stands out exceptionally- Harold Russel! He was not an actor, but a real vet, and you can tell his performance is pure truth. Even from WWII it was hard for the three main characters, as played by March, Andrews, and Russell, to overcome the inner conflict that has formed within each one. It's a battle with one's self having seen the things a soldier sees and remembering more innocent times, plus not knowing the reactions of those who stayed home. This movie ends romantically, the main characters find a way to adjust to civilian life without quite so much trouble as vets from later wars perhaps faced. But some strong forces that need overcome are portrayed. Awe inspiring.

I love the message of this movie. This I think is the best of several social issue movies from the 40's. Well written and really makes you think before you assume intelligent people would not be prejudice. Similar message to Crash, though not such complex intersecting storylines, it is just as powerful at times.

Bogie's character arc is unforgettable. He turns so ugly, from the inside out. The best study of greed.

Don't let the bad critical reviews of the remake scare you away from the story. The story is very good and this original is very compelling. Mercedes McCambridge who provided the voice of the devil in the Exorcist is a young woman (still with a unique voice) in this film; she gives a memorable performance.

The original 40 Year Old Virgin. Well I don't remember if the character was 40 years old, but you get the point. Much more subtly funny and dramatic. One of the first award winning movies I can remember that didn't deal with beautiful people. This was the first Oscar winning movie that was a remake of a TV movie.

The scenery and effects were probably amazing to the 50s audience who hadn't seen many exotic locals. I've also heard that a main reason for this film's popularity were the massive amounts of cameos by various celebrities. I like to think that through my goal to watch Oscar winning movies that I can recognize quite a few well known stars, but all these cameos are a gimmick and they don't carry the story. Where does that leave the story? It's choppy and barely sustained through the 80 days.

Sweeping Lean! The acting is awesome. I love the battle of wills between the two top officers. POWs captured by the Japanese somewhere in Asia during WWII are ordered to build a bridge that will help the Japanese war effort. But then Alec Guinness decides to build his men's moral by taking on the building project and plans to leave the bridge as a monument to British resourcefulness and engineering skill. This movie has another charismatic performance from Holden too. After escaping, Holden must journey back toward the POW camp on a mission to destroy the bridge that the Japanese will use to transport supplies. You see two Allie forces working at opposite goals. Meanwhile, Hayakawa plays a Japanese General riddled with shame. And the ending is edge of your seat suspenseful without all the excessive special effects and stunts used in today's action dramas.

The words raw and desperate come to mind. An early performance from another one of my favorite actors Sidney Poitier.

want to see this because it won best picture with the NBR, won best picture with the NYFC, was nominated for best picture at the golden globes, and at the oscars

I had a hard time wrapping my mind around this one and appreciating this type of bawdy British humor and melodrama. There are some weird Keystone Cops kind of sped up action sequences that just left me thinking, "Huh?". I really thought I was going to find this a total waste of time till the movie got to about half way through. When Tom Jones leaves home by foot to see London and make his own way in the world it suddenly became much more interesting to me.

I love Sidney Poitier. He plays a powerful character with pride and intelligence. And still he has prejudices that might be misleading to solving the case. The relationship between Poitier and Steiger is something to watch.

want to see this because it won best foreign-language film and was nominated for best picture at the oscars, won best picture with the NYFC, won best foreign-language film at the golden globes, and won best picture with the NSFC

want to see this because it won best picture with the NYFC and was nominated for best picture by NBR, golden globes, and oscars

want to see this because it won best foreign film with NBR, won best picture with the NYFC, was nominated for best foreign film at the golden globes, and was nominated for best picture at the oscars

want to see this because it won best foreign-language film at the oscars, won best picture with the NYFC, with the NSFC, and with the BAFTA, and was nominated for best foreign film by NBR and at the golden globes

want to see this because it won best foreign film with the NBR, best foreign-language film at the oscars, best picture with the NYFC, and was nominated for best foreign film at the golden globes

want to see this because it won best picture with the NBR, the NYFC, and the NSFC, and was nominated for best picture at the golden globes and oscars

There's a reason why Sean Penn's character quotes this movie in I Am Sam. It's like a court case precedent that was set for single fathers raising children.

Wow, Sutherland, Moore, Hirsch, McGovern, and Hutton all gave such touching and in touch performances. A boy struggles with feelings, which a lot of people probably feel, but which rarely are spoken aloud. Moore is as chilling as some horror movie monster, but I believe she is portraying someone very real. Thankfully the boy has a committed therapist, a girlfriend with potential, and a loving father.

I liked some of Warren Beatty's performances when he was younger. In his mind he wanted to be as well respected as Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles in the way they became actors and writers and producers and directors to bring their visions to the movie audiences. But in my opinion he's just not that good. I usually really get into epic historical pics, but I had a hard time getting through this one and understanding it all.

Directed by Lean and based on a novel from later in E.M. Forster's career, the common themes of Forster's writings are clear. A young woman accompanied by an older woman in British society before either of the world wars, encounters something exotic and wants to burst out of the stuffy tight collared restraint that polite society of the time required. In this case the exotic location is India among the British ruling class. It is arranged for the young woman to marry a man, but she learns he does not satisfy her. She is still afraid of total wildness and severing ties with her culture, but in meeting a young Indian doctor who is excited to impress, and an English professor who has been immersed in the foreign culture, she finds adventure. The story and film show the ugliness of racism, injustice, and militant oppression. The movie ends with a court case that could have gone terribly wrong. But instead we are presented with a court system in which we can have faith, if intelligent people who know what they are doing are running the show, and those involved in the case find the courage to be truthful!

For those of you who haven't seen it and may be mispronouncing the name like I was for a long time, think of how you pronounce pizza. The "i's" sound like "e's" and it sounds like there is a "t" in there. I chuckled occasionally because it imitated and twisted The Godfather in some important ways, but it certainly wasn't a laugh out loud movie. I was actually a little confused several times partially due to the Don's character who was very lizard-like and who spoke so gravily that I couldn't understand the orders and plans he dished out some times.

The dress and relationships seen a little dated in this one, but it's another Woody Allen film in which Dianne Wiest shines. I also particularly like the scene where Allen is sitting in a movie theater watching a Marx Brothers film.

Hard news vs. Soft news! This didn't impress me as much as Network.

William Hurt's character, Macon Leary, is the opposite of Anthony Bourdain. He's a world traveler, but unwilling to try new things or actually experience other cultures.

Foster and Hopkins give star performances. Levine is creepy as Buffalo Bill. But, this movie simply did not impress me as much as the other two movies to hold the honor of winning the Oscar big five awards. The movie didn't give me a sense of release, a sense of "Oh Wow" when Foster finds her way to Buffalo Bill's house independent of her boss at the FBI. I didn't understand the prevalence of close up shots of the actors' faces. There are a lot of foreheads half cut off in this movie. I guess it heighten the suspense a bit to see the sweat and muscle twitches in the characters' faces. But for a thriller it didn't have any amazing twists that really make you appreciate the writing. At least I didn't think so. The lambs, the moths, the sewing, the cannibalism were all supposed to be mysterious elements that suggest a creative and disturbing story, but it didn't all add together to something greater than the parts. Dr. Hannibal Lecter making his escape was probably the most fascinating, terrifying, and shocking part.

Gut-wrenching! Inspiring!!

want to see this because it won best picture with the NYFC

want to see this because it won best picture with the NYFC and best picture with the LAFC

want to see this because it won best picture with the NYFC

want to see this because it won best picture with the NBR, with the NYFC, with the NSFC, and with the LAFC

want to see this because it won best picture with the NYFC, best drama picture at the golden globes, and best picture with the LAFC

want to see this because it won best picture with the NYFC

My wife nudged me several times during the movie because she sees me in Paul Giamatti's character. Except I know nothing about wine and wine tasting, so I'm more like Thomas Haden Church's character in that respect. This movie is about all the trouble the two buddies get into and it includes a sweet little romance between Giamatti and Madsen. One scene that Giamatti as Miles and Madsen as Maya share stood out to me in particular. They both bare their souls and you see for the first time that they could really be a good match for each other. Miles shares his love and understanding of the Pinot grape. It is a grape that "needs constant care and attention." The way he describes this type of grape is a perfect metaphor for himself. Then Maya has her monologue about "how [wine is] a living thing." Her understanding of the complexity of life comes across in this beautiful bit of poetry, and we see that she could give Miles the care and attention he needs to become the best person he can be.

want to see this because it won best picture with the NYFC, best drama picture at the golden globes, best picture with the BAFTA, and best picture with the LAFC

want to see this because it won best picture with the NYFC

Slow-paced, grusome, and suspenceful! Chigurh=Fate!! It is by Fate that we all die eventually. For me the story was allegorical. Brolin and Macdonald represent youth and want to beat fate. The Mexican gang represents people who try to compete with fate, but are sad wannabes. Root, the bureaucrat, tries to manage things with the gang and by hiring Harrelson. Harrelson represents some Jesus figure (in the white cowboy hat). Jones is the old man of the title struggling with memories of his father and realizing that he has out-lived him. How Jones had such a close brush with fate and lived is the question! A more recent thought I had is that Jones and Harrelson never have a scene together. Jones even speaks cryptically once about not finding religion or God, yet he is a law enforcement officer. This movie provides so much to think about!

Wonderful performances by all! Seeing the pictures of the real people surrounding Milk during his political career right after the faces of the actors in character on the closing credits was very interesting. The casting director and makeup artists did an extremely good job. Inspirational and timely with the proposition about allowing or outlawing gay marriage being in the news recently. I also thought the real news footage and photographs of the time period were well incorporated into the story. Even more powerful the second time. I'm glad Penn won the Oscar for Best Actor over all of Rourke's success for his wrestler character because this performance was so much more meaningful.