Some of the Best Oscar Nominated Movies Never Won

I try to watch the Oscars as often as possible, and I routinely find that the movie that I liked best in a particular year is the winner for best picture. On a couple of occasions, however, I felt that there were some very good Oscar nominated movies that should have won, but did not.

Let's start with 2010, in which the best picture award went to “The Hurt Locker.” I thought that there were two movies that were better in “The Blind Side” and “Inglourious Basterds.” To me, they had better stories and were more interesting than the winner.

I was happy to see that Sandra Bullock received the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for “The Blind Side” and that Christoph Waltz won the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for “Inglourious Basterds.”

Going back a few decades, in 1990, two Oscar nominated movies that did not get the nod for Best Picture were “Field of Dreams” and “Born on the Fourth of July.” Instead, it was “Driving Miss Daisy,” that won, and I never could understand why. I liked the movie all right, but to me, “Field of Dreams” in particular was such an iconic movie.

Then in 1993, one of my favorite Oscar nominated movies of all time, “A Few Good Men,” got beaten out by “Unforgiven.” I have to admit, I really did not like the movie “Unforgiven” that much, and I still scratch my head over that one.

In 1999, “Shakespeare in Love” beat out two Oscar nominated movies that I thought were much better, “Saving Private Ryan” and “Life is Beautiful.” That is one that actually made me a little angry, because I did not feel that “Shakespeare in Love” should have even been nominated, and I definitely don't think that it is on par with the other two.

“Million Dollar Baby” won in 2005, and don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved that movie. But I still think that “Ray,” another Oscar nominated movie, was a little better. That year was a bit too close to call, but I still thought that “Ray” should have won, and it always takes me aback a little when one wins that I didn't think would.

I know that it is all a matter of opinion and I am sure that there are some people out there who are looking at the movies that I like and thinking that I am out of my mind for suggesting that they should have won. I just feel that a lot of the Oscar nominated movies that did not win were better than the ones that did. Of course, that is probably why they were nominated in the first place.