58/82 (can't the icm guys add
Sunrise to their list?)
Ugh... 3.5 months of films to catch up on... Oscar Winners first:
In the Heat of the Night DVD 
Who knew this was a murder mystery? I always thought this was just the "They call me Mr. Tibbs!" film about racism in the deep south. The story was really well written, but Poitier and Steiger are the reasons to watch this film. Both are fantastic as they play against each other. While the title song was good, I wasn't a fan of some of the other music throughout--was distracting.
Patton DVD 
One of the only things I recall from this film is the tour-de-force performance from Scott. The story is just a jumble of battles and war rooms and talking, but Scott's portrayal of the general was ingrained into my brain--simply fantastic!
My Fair Lady DVD Was a bit taken aback as the film started and Eliza wasn't played by Julie Andrews... I always thought this was Andrews and Harrison, as was the Broadway recording. I was pleased to see Hepburn in the role (pleased to see her in any role) but was distracted by some of the dubbing for her singing. Plus, the film definitely could have used some editing--never saw the musical on stage, but as a film it feels a tad bloated.
Dances With Wolves DVD Speaking of bloated, this definitely could have used a little more editing-236 minutes? Really?! Because of 2 scratched discs, and the four-hour running time, it took me over a week to watch. It was pretty good, however, I don't know if I'd ever be able to do it in one sitting.
The Last Emperor DVD I loved the way the story is told, folding back on itself. The Chinese history lesson was interesting, but nine Oscars? Really?! Not quite sure it's that good... Although I just looked at competition and see there wasn't much--I think I enjoyed
Broadcast News a bit more overall.
Driving Miss Daisy DVD Tandy & Freeman are perfect here, playing against one another. It definitely didn't end as I expected it to--in fact much of the movie went against what I expected (I realize I never knew much more than black man drives white woman around--didn't even realize the time period it was set in).
The English Patient TV 
There are some good stories here, but ultimately it's too long with too many subplots (for me). I absolutely loved Sayid's last defusing scene--so much tension--however, much of the rest of the film was just ephemera. I will admit, the acting was all pretty good.
Terms of Endearment TV 
This didn't really pack the emotional punch I expected. Loved Winger, Lithgow & Nicholson; MacLaine was good most of the time, but irritating at others. While, I'll admit that the score was a well-written piece of music, it was completely over the top and overused--it actually pissed me off each time it swelled.
Chariots of Fire DVD Did not get this. It's a decent film, but Best Picture really? I mean it was just a film about a bunch of guys running (or in one case not). I'd prefer it if
Raiders or even the unseen (by me)
On Golden Pond had won it.
All Quiet on the Western Front DVD 
Now here's a Best Picture! It was absolutely heartbreaking and still holds up almost 80 years later (with a still timely message even). I was surprised by how little I remember from the book (little more than the very ending) and now question if I actually ever read this.
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Just not engaging. There was an interesting potential strory there, but it resolved in the most uninteresting way possible - and in a way that just didn't seem true emotionally. The musical numbers were also boring, sadly.
Took me a long time to actually get through this. Felt like it was just running through a checklist of the major events of the start of the century. But because not enough time was spent on the characters, I didn't really care how these things were affecting them. I liked the idea of having the "upper class" family as well as the former servants, but would have liked it better if they'd done something more with it.