The Ten Worst Academy Award Choices for Best Picture

I recently published an article that looked at the Worst Academy Award choices for Best Actor. That list was relatively easy to keep down to ten because despite some howlers such as Lee Marvin for Cat Ballou and Roberto Benigni for Life is Beautiful, for the most part the Academy Awards for Best Actor haven't gone to utterly undeserving winners. Picking the ten worst choices for Best Picture is a whole other story. In fact, it would probably be a lot easier to pick the ten times the Oscars got it right. Hmm, now that I think about it, that wouldn't be easier; it would be impossible.

10. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. 2003.

I'm sorry, but I just don't get the fascination with this film series. Nine hours to tell a story that barely warrants a 30 minute cartoon. And the last one was the longest, most boring one of all. Alright already, we get it, throw the damn ring in, Frodo; oh wait, turns out you aren't even the hero of your own story, you have to get your boyfriend Sam to do it for you. Puh-leeze! What a piece of sleep-inducing crap. This was the year Hollywood should have gone out on a limb and given Best Picture to an animated film. If Finding Nemo wasn't the Best Picture of 2003, I don't know what was.

9. Titanic. 1997.

The only reason this monstrous affront to cinema doesn't rank higher is because it faced tepid competition. I mean, jeez, Wag the Dog and Waiting for Guffman weren't even nominated. As Good as it Gets was clearly the superior films of those nominated, though mainly because I prefer the novel L.A. Confidential to the watered-down movie version. But let's face it, even Spice World was more deserving of an Oscar than this soulless piece of celluloid garbage.

8. Dances with Wolves. 1990.

Kevin Costner and a mullet beats out Ray Liotta and his goodfellas. Yeah, need I say more?

7. Gandhi. 1982.