What should have won Best Picture (1980-2008)

I put together the list of films that I feel the Academy should have awarded the Best Picture of the year every year from 1980 to the present. They got it right a whopping three times. These are not necessarily my favorite film of that year. I tried my hardest to keep it to things that realistically could be seen as the best picture (Like I wouldn't put Anchorman on there) and unlike the Academy, I took into account Box Office gross as a measure of popularity too. Here's my opinions:

2008-The Dark Knight
2007- No Country for Old Men
2006- V for Vendetta
2005- Sin City
2004- Hotel Rwanda
2003- Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
2002- The Lord of the Rings- The Two Towers
2001- Training Day
2000- Remember the Titans
1999- Fight Club (the best year EVER)
1998- Saving Private Ryan
1997- Good Will Hunting
1996- Independence Day
1995- Apollo 13
1994- Pulp Fiction (the second best year ever)
1993- Schindler’s List
1992- The Last of the Mohicans
1991- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1990- Home Alone (because I really couldn’t come up with a better option)
1989- Field of Dreams
1988- Die Hard
1987- Full Metal Jacket
1986- Hoosiers
1985- Back to the Future
1984- The Terminator
1983- Return of the Jedi
1982- Fast Times at Ridgemont High (so much more than just a teen comedy)
1981- Raiders of the Lost Ark
1980- The Empire Strikes Back

My list.

1980: Raging Bull
1981: The Last Metro
1982: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1983: Scarface
1984: Once Upon A Time In America
1985: Back To The Future
1986: Blue Velvet
1987: Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn
1988: The Unbearable Lightness Of Being
1989: Do The Right Thing
1990: Goodfellas
1991: The Silence Of The Lambs
1992: Reservoir Dogs
1993: Schindler's List
1994: Pulp Fiction
1995: The Usual Suspects
1996: Fargo
1997: Jackie Brown
1998: American History X
1999: American Beauty
2000: Requiem For A Dream
2001: Memento
2002: Bowling For Columbine
2003: Mystic River
2004: Million Dollar Baby
2005: Sin City
2006: An Inconvinent Truth
2007: Gone Baby Gone
2008: Wall-E

geezer9687 wrote:1990- Home Alone (because I really couldn’t come up with a better option)

five movies from 1990 easily much better than Home Alone:
Miller's Crossing
Goodfellas
Total Recall
Tremors
Misery

five movies from 1990 arguably much better than Home Alone:
Young Guns II
Kurosawa's Dreams
Predator 2
Darkman
Rocky V

one movie that is also from 1990:
Troll 2

How dare you say Rocky V was arguably better than anything. Even Troll 2. And I specifically watched Goodfellas before posting the list, and I just wasn't impressed. I thought Home Alone was just way more entertaining. But hey, maybe I'm the only one who thinks that, probably am. That said, it was easily the worst year of the ones that I posted. Its the only year that my only real justification of why I put it there is Box Office intake and myself liking the film best.

Since i really havent seen enough 80's films i will do from 1990 on just geez said i wont always do the film that was my fave just the one that i think the academy should pick if that makes any sense.

1990.Goodfellas
1991.Terminator 2 Judgement Day
1992.Reservoir Dogs
1993.Cool Runnings[for lack of a better choice]
1994.Pulp Fiction
1995.The Usual Suspects
1996.Sling Blade
1997.Good Will Hunting
1998 American History X
1999 Fight Club
2000.Snatch
2001.Training Day
2002.Lord Of The Rings Two Towers
2003.Kill Bill Vol 1
2004.Spider-Man 2
2005.Sin City
2006.The Departed
2007.Gone Baby Gone
2008.Iron Man

I think what we're really doing is just posting our fav films by year, as opposed to second guessing Academy tastes. I mean, Snatch, Iron Man, Evil Dead 2, Home Alone, V for Vendetta? These are entertaining films at a very basic level, but not much beyond that. Not that the Acadamy knows a good movie from a spoonfed piece of crap, I just don't get the idea of this thread here.

Otherwise in 1987, I would have given it to Empire Of The Sun. But The Last Emperor was a worthy winner (one of the few Best Picture winners to be perfect, as in win in everything that it was nominated for).

And I wouldn't have given 2004 to Hotel Rwanda. Number 6 I know very well your hatred for all things V, but I feel the film is immensely deep, thought provoking and moving. If it wasn't it would not be so high on my list. I already said I don't have an excuse for Home Alone other than personal taste and box office take. I just couldn't come up with anything better. 1990 sucked. Quite a few of these are my favorites from that year, in fact most of them are. That said, why should it be?