The Definitive Roger Ebert (Not So) Great Movies: 50-41

courtesy of eonline.com

The world lost an icon last week, when film critic Roger Ebert passed away at 70, after a long, public battle with cancer. Like many others, it prompted me to look back at his reviews - some good, some not - of some of my favorite films. After research, I found that - as expected - every film included in Ebert's "Great Movies" list was certified "fresh" from Rotten Tomatoes. Even more interesting was the range of scored they received. So, in the coming posts, we'll look at the 50 films in the "Great Movies" series from Roger Ebert that have the lowest tomatometer ratings. They are listed in order - lowest rated (63) to highest (88) of the bottom 50. For each, I included the score, a snippet from a negative review of the film, and a quick write-up of each. Hope you enjoy - let's start at #50.

Thanks for the Memories, Roger Ebert (1942-2013)

courtesy of upi.com

As I'm sure we're all aware by now, the film world lost one of its most important members yesterday, as respected film critic Roger Ebert passed away after a long, public battle with cancer. While it's an incredibly sad moment for most, it has given birth to numerous tributes, anecdotes, and uplifting stories of how Ebert affected the lives of so many. Some of my favorite critics like Kris Tapley, Scott Tobias, and Matt Singer have shared personal stories that have built the mystique of what Ebert did for the industry. For that, I thank them and all of the others. While I may not have a personal connection to Roger, I do find this loss haunting me more than expected.

2013 Oscar Winners

courtesy of cnn.com

Well, it was relatively predictable and ran way too long, but wasn't boring, I guess. Here are this year's winners. More and my thoughts after the cut.

Best Picture: Argo

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Best Director: Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour
Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, Argo
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

My 2013 Oscar Predictions

Scene from Argo courtesy of
screenrant.com

Well, they are this weekend, so here are my final predictions for this weekend's Oscars.

Documentary Short: Inocente
Animated Short: Paperman
Live Action Short: Death of a Shadow
Best Original Song: Skyfall
Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi
Best Sound Editing: Skyfall
Best Sound Mixing: Skyfall
Best Documentary Feature: The Gatekeepers
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour
Best Animated Film: Wreck-It-Ralph
Best Production Design: Life of Pi
Best Original Score: Lincoln
Best Makeup/Hair: Les Miserables
Best Costume Design: Les Miserables
Best Cinematography: Life of Pi
Best Editing: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, Argo
Best Original Screenplay: Michael Haneke, Amour
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Best Director: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Best Picture: Argo

So, I expect to get most of these wrong.

The Definitive Best Picture Losers: 10-1

Scene from Ordinary People courtesy
of imageshack.us

Well, we've reached the pinnacle. Scratch that. We've reached the spot just behind the pinnacle. I suppose this is the list of penultimate Oscar Best Picture nominees - the ones that came up just short for one reason or another. These are the films that have either gone down in history as iconic in their own right, will always be viewed as the true "best picture" or their years without the trophy, or simply marked a moment in Oscar history that will always be documented as an important one. Well, here they are. The top ten.

Exploring the 2013 Best Picture Nominees

Scene from last year's winner
The Artist courtesy of nytimes.com

Last year, the Academy went with a silent film that mimicked Singin' in the Rain. Overall, it was a relatively weak field, so The Artist came out on top. You couldn't hate The Artist. You didn't have to love it, but that's not what wins Best Picture. This year's crop are generally more interesting, for sure, than last year. But, we still sit here, just weeks before the ceremony, and there is a clear favorite. I haven't seen them all yet and probably won't get to, but I am firmly in the Zero Dark Thirty camp as to what I feel is the best of what I've seen, followed closely by Lincoln. And yes - I am in the large group of people who liked Silver Linings Playbook quite a bit. And here we go...

The Definitive Best Picture Losers: 20-11

Scene from Rocky courtesy of
thatfilmguy.com

Finally, we made it to the top twenty. From here, we have a mix of the biggest surprise losers of all time with films that have gone down in history as some of the greatest, yet still didn't win the big one. Again, this isn't a best of list - it's a look at the Oscars as an institution, which films deserved the award, which ones got unlucky to be up against greater films, and which ones were adored by the Academy, taking home plenty of gold, sans the biggest of them all. Here are numbers 20 through 11.