By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

James Bond is quite possibly the most recognizable cinematic character of the 20th century. He began as the ultimate boys’ fantasy: a character charming enough to land any woman and deadly enough to kill any foe. The fact that he got to travel the world while driving the slickest cars ever made was just the cherry on top of this adolescent dream turned cinematic reality.

While they proved to be major box office hits, Agent 007 wasn’t yet fully formed in his earlier films, and both Dr. No and From Russia With Love (a personal favorite) were used to flesh out his character. But the third time was most definitely the charm, and Goldfinger (1964) transformed this action movie star into the superspy who would dominate pop culture for over half a century. Whether you want to see Bond come into his own or just watch the most iconic spy movie of all time, all you have to do is stream Goldfinger on Netflix! 

The Ties That Bond

The general premise of Goldfinger is that the titular character is a gold smuggler, and British superspy James Bond is assigned to figure out how this man is moving metal around the world. But what starts as a simple investigation soon lands our erstwhile spy in the middle of the most dangerous criminal conspiracy the world has ever known. If he succeeds, he will preserve the way of life for England and America alike; if he fails, however, the planet will be plunged into financial chaos and ruthless anarchy.

Goldfinger is filled with some of the most iconic performers of the 1960s, including Gert Fröbe (best known outside of this film for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) as the titular villain. Additionally, Honor Blackman (best known outside of this film for The Avengers television show) plays the hilariously named Pussy Galore, a powerful enemy who could become the perfect ally if properly persuaded. The real star is Hollywood legend Sean Connery (arguably best known for Dr. No), whose confident performance and sheer rockstar charisma helped singlehandedly transform James Bond into a pop culture icon for the generations.

Audiences Couldn’t Get Enough

Fitting enough, Goldfinger seemed to have the Midas touch, and it earned $125 million against a budget of only $3 million. Incidentally, killer word of mouth just kept goosing ticket sales, and some theaters had to stay open 24 hours a day just to keep up with demand. Thanks to the film’s sheer popularity, it became the then fastest-grossing movie in film history; this paved the way for the inevitable sequels, though the “fastest-grossing movie” honor would be stolen by later films (it is currently held by Avengers: Endgame). 

When Goldfinger came out, the critics quickly decided that it was the new gold standard (so to speak) for the spy genre: it has a staggering 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers praising how it works as both a showcase for 007 and a stylish action movie unto itself. Speaking of 007, most Bond superfans consider this to be the film where the superspy came into his own, establishing himself as one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood. In short, Goldfinger is as good as classic Bond gets, and it’s the perfect film to rewatch for franchise fans waiting to learn which actor will replace Daniel Craig as 007.

Sleek, Sexy, And Stylish

On top of being a hit with critics and fans alike, Goldfinger holds another special honor: it is the first James Bond film to win an Academy Award! In 1965, the film’s sound editor, Norman Wandstall, won the Oscar for Best Sound Editing. Winning this award helped establish 007 as one of Hollywood’s most prestigious action heroes, and Goldfinger composer John Barry was nominated for a Grammy (yes, kids, the music is that good).

In retrospect, it’s not hard to see why most fans consider Goldfinger to be the ultimate James Bond film. The titular villain was unlike any we had seen before, and he combined the charisma and cool death traps that we came to expect from the Big Bads of this franchise. It’s no stretch to say that we just wouldn’t have the modern action movie supervillain without the delightfully over-the-top evil of Auric Goldfinger.

Cheers To The Ultimate James Bond Film

Sean Connery is also at the top of his game as 007 here, finally finding the sweet spot between unflinching action hero and debonair ladies’ man. His every appearance is absolutely dripping with sex appeal, and Golfinger helped establish this spy as the epitome of swaggering masculinity. James Bond became someone every man wanted to be, and every woman wanted to be with, and that would never have happened without the insane popularity of Goldfinger.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Goldfinger wrote the winning formula for all future Bond films: all you need is an over-the-top villain, a globe-spanning plot, an array of futuristic gadgets, sexy action, and dry comedy. James Bond became a pop culture juggernaut, and this franchise has touched millions of lives while completely changing how action movies are made. None of that would have ever happened, though, without the trailblazing success of Goldfinger.

Will you agree that Goldfinger is the most iconic spy movie of all time, or is this one movie you’d rather see destroyed by a laser? You won’t know until you grab the remote (just don’t hit the ejector seat button!) and stream it on Netflix. Come for the killer Shirley Bassey theme song and stay for the borderline pornographic footage of the Aston Martin DB5, the sexiest car in cinematic history!

Later this year, everyone’s favorite big-screen web-slinger will return for his latest blockbuster in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. With production having come to an end back in December 2025, Tom Holland‘s time to suit up again and save the world gets closer and closer. Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Brand New Day is the next stop before the Avengers come face-to-face with their Doomsday later in the year, as possibly the most ambitious movie in the record-breaking franchise yet debuts in theaters on December 18.

Whilst you wait for Spider-Man’s new movie, a trilogy many would call the best in superhero movie history is about to swing onto a new streamer. Helmed by horror icon Sam Raimi, who recently returned to the horror directing chair after 17 years with the box office smash Send Help, the early Noughties Spider-Man trilogy saw Tobey Maguire don the iconic mask and suit as he looked to save his city from a selection of comic book villains.

Followed by an excellent second installment and a less-impressive third, there were initial plans for a fourth movie starring Maguire, which had been dated for a 2011 release and would’ve reportedly boasted the talents of John Malkovich and Anne Hathaway. Alas, after Raimi walked away following disputes over the scripts, the film never materialized. This month, you’ll get the chance to relive Raimi and Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy as it officially becomes available to stream on HBO Max.

A Fourth in the Trilogy Just Got a Terrible Update

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

Thanks to the success of Maguire’s Spidey returning in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the thought of a fourth movie in the series finally materializing started to feel like it could become a reality. Alas, in a recent interview, Raimi squashed those dreams, saying it wouldn’t “be right for me to go back and try and resurrect my version of this story,” and adding:

“Stan Lee’s great character — that a bullpen of writers in New York at Marvel had come up with stories for — he created the character, but so many people contributed, so many artists, that for a brief time I was handed the torch to carry on after 40 years of Spider-Man comics. And then after my three movies, I handed the torch off to someone else. And I think they’ve got to keep running with the storyline and the audience that is now following the torchbearer.”

The Spider-Man trilogy is available to stream this month on HBO Max.

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Release Date

May 1, 2002

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Runtime

121 minutes

Director

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Sam Raimi

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Do you like movies where people break into song? Do you like dancing? Do you like Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Poppins, and The Sound of Music? You could’ve answered yes to all those questions, and still, you might watch some of the following and not really love them. They are musical movies, but they’re not really fun musicals, to put it mildly.

Some of the following titles might have entertaining scenes, or some comparatively fun/light moments, but you wouldn’t really feel comfortable calling any of them feel-good. It’ll start off with some that might be a little more bittersweet, rather than outright miserable, but things will end with the inevitable heaviest musical movies of all time. Spoilers won’t be gone into too much, but a movie being here does suggest, at the very least, that the ending likely won’t be entirely happy, you know?

10

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (1973)

Image via Universal Studios

Starting off with something a bit obscure, or maybe just not quite as well-known as some of the soon-to-be-mentioned movies, here’s Jesus Christ Superstar. It sounds pretty wild, and maybe even campy, because it’s about Jesus during his final days, with Judas also being a prominent character, and what happens in the Bible during that relevant part plays out here, just as a musical.

The betrayal and death inherent to this part of the Bible obviously take place here, and Jesus Christ Superstar also has some difficult questions it raises about things related to the Bible, and then some things more recent, or beyond the Bible. It’s not exactly comparable, and wasn’t as controversial, but it almost (emphasis on the almost) does for this part of Jesus’s life what The Last Temptation of Christ did, in terms of being a somewhat striking and daring re-imagining, though that film did admittedly lack singing and dancing (had some great music, though).

9

‘Better Man’ (2024)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Thankfully, a good deal of Better Man is about overcoming personal struggles that one grapples with when they start to become famous. It’s about Robbie Williams who, at the time of writing, is still alive, and so you know Better Man isn’t going to have as heavy an ending as biopics that were made after a famous person’s death, since they’ll often end with that, or imply it’s about to happen.

It’s just that with Better Man, punches aren’t pulled when it comes to depicting the hardships. It’s a movie that tackles addiction, self-hatred, and insecurity in genuinely upsetting ways, in its most intense moments. That does make the personal victories achieved near the end feel all the more meaningful, but the film as a whole is more of an emotional roller-coaster than many give it credit for. Oh, and also, Robbie Williams is a chimpanzee the whole movie. And it works, somehow.

8

‘Les Misérables’ (2012)

Image via Universal Pictures

With that title, if Les Misérables ended up not having some amount of misery in it, might you not feel a little disappointed? It’s based on a novel about hardships, crime, justice, and redemption or, more accurately, it’s based on a stage musical that was based on a novel about those things. So, Les Misérables is maybe technically an adaptation of the novel, but not to the same extent as those adaptations without the songs.

They go heavy on the singing here, with every line being sung, and then they naturally go pretty heavy on the emotional stuff here, too. Some people go through it, in Les Misérables, a little more than others, but some people do lose a ton and have to keep on struggling. If it were a better movie quality-wise (it’s inconsistent), it might rank higher, because that could mean the emotional scenes hit harder, but some of the tragic/dramatic moments in this particular adaptation do come across as a little silly at times, sadly.

7

‘All That Jazz’ (1979)

Image via 20th Century Studios

It’s not the only movie here about death in some way, but All That Jazz is really, really focused on dying and death to an extent few musicals are. The main character here is living a life that is, to put it mildly, too busy. He keeps working, pushing himself, and alienating people, and then some health problems worsen, and he eventually finds himself having to face the fact that if his life continues in such a way, said life probably won’t go on for much longer.

All That Jazz also isn’t as much of a musical as some other movies here, with the big musical numbers not really coming in until the end, and also being implemented in a way that feels too surprising to outright ruin. Yes, it’s an old movie, and avoiding discussion of the plot for something that’s nearing half a century in age might sound silly, but if you’ve not seen All That Jazz and still want to, then you’ll be thankful. And if you’ve seen All That Jazz, you know what all those somewhat vague words mean. Everybody wins, while talking about movies where not many people win. Yay?

6

‘Phantom of the Paradise’ (1974)

Image via 20th Century Studios

At least there’s quite a lot of camp to be found in Phantom of the Paradise, which evens things out a little, taking that alongside the darker and more grisly parts. It’s a horror/comedy film that also functions as a musical, and then it’s a few other genres at the same time. It’s a bit of everything. It’s chaotic. So much is not only thrown in, but jam-packed into it all, since it’s not a long movie, in the end, at just over 90 minutes.

In case you couldn’t guess, that also makes it imperfect, but there’s a charm here, at least at times, and you have to admire how far Phantom of the Paradise pushes things. With the stuff it takes influence from (including the legend of Faust and, unsurprisingly, The Phantom of the Opera), tragic elements are inevitable, but to have tragedy and horror-tinged bloodshed hitting you in the face at the same time as all the absurd and weird stuff makes the whole film a rather interesting experience.

5

‘A Star Is Born’ (1954)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

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You don’t get much happiness with any version of A Star Is Born, because the story always has to be a tragic one. If you found the 2018 version surprising, then good for you! But if you were familiar with the iconic (though not quite as good) 1976 version, or the (perhaps underrated and probably the strongest overall) 1954 version, then you surely saw the sadness coming. The 1937 version (the original) is interesting, too; just not as much of a musical or anything.

All these movies are about the entertainment industry, and the sadness comes about because the love story each one tells is about someone who’s on the up, in their industry, and then the other person in love is going down, and losing popularity. They meet maybe in the middle, Benjamin Button-style, for all too short a time, and then things progress to where you fear they might. Every time. And it just never stops being sad, but it might be narratively at its saddest in the 1954 version, thanks to Judy Garland and James Mason giving probably the two best performances of their respective careers.

4

‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ (2007)

Image via DreamWorks Pictures

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You get a lot of gothic horror in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and it’s paired surprisingly well with some suitably dark songs. It’s easy to explain why this movie is showing up here, just by summarizing the premise, since Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is about a man who murders people through his work as a barber, and then his neighbor/accomplice bakes their bodies into pies.

There’s more to it than that, with some complex moral questions and villains who are interesting and ultimately humanized, and then everyone feels like they’re pretty much probably doomed. But it’s all equal parts gloomy, beautiful, and violent before that point, benefiting from some of the best directing Tim Burton’s ever done (hell, he probably makes what is, so far, his best 21st century release here, truth be told).

3

‘Cabaret’ (1972)

Image via Allied Artists

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Before All That Jazz, Bob Fosse also directed Cabaret, which is another grim musical, but grim in a different way. All That Jazz was introspective and psychologically intense, while Cabaret is more about a society’s downfall, and people not really noticing until it’s too late. It takes place in Berlin during the 1930s, and so the rise of fascism in Germany before World War II is dealt with, albeit in an interesting and unexpected way.

It’s in the background until it’s in the foreground. Watching it and comparing it to other organizations that have risen seemingly out of nowhere, but only seemingly, because you were distracted by something else… it’s uncomfortable to think about. Best to keep it vague, but there’s a lot to apply Cabaret to, both concerning the past and present, and maybe (but also hopefully not) the future, too.

2

‘West Side Story’ (1961)

It’s Romeo and Juliet, but with a more modern setting and also a good deal more singing, so yes, West Side Story gets inevitably tragic. If Romeo and Juliet weren’t super famous and also super old, that might feel like a spoiler, but, you know… you kind of see where this one is going. It might not go to the exact same places as Romeo and Juliet, yet the places are inevitably similar.

And tragically similar. Watching West Side Story is a bit like rewatching Titanic. You hope, every time, that things will be a little different, and that either the iceberg will be missed or that fateful street fight will get called off, but you’re never so lucky, and neither are the characters in either movie. Oh, well. At least the sadness here, in West Side Story, is also kind of broad and big, and so the tears shed are cathartic ones.

1

‘Dancer in the Dark’ (2000)

Image via Fine Line Features

Dancer in the Dark has a reputation for being sad, so you enter into it feeling fairly prepared for a tearjerker, and yet it still ends up being surprising just how heavy it gets. Maybe saying that it almost feels like a horror movie at times is a slight exaggeration, but it’s not hard to call it one of the bleakest dramas of all time, even of all those that don’t include singing.

When you take into account specifically those with some singing and/or dancing (musicals, in other words, or technically another word), then yes, Dancer in the Dark is likely the heaviest and bleakest and whatever other adjective you want to use in place of “saddest.” The pun’s inappropriate, but what the movie is about was danced around just now, sure, but if you’ve seen it, then you definitely know why Dancer in the Dark has to secure the #1 position here.

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Dancer in the Dark

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Release Date

October 6, 2000

Runtime

140 Minutes

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Director

Lars von Trier

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Writers

Lars von Trier, Sjon

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By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 5 seconds ago

Like a lot of Survivor fans, I tuned into its 50^th season premiere on February 25, 2026, expecting more of the production elements that have diminished the show for many fans. Season 50 is subtitled “In the Hands of the Fans” because fans got to vote on game elements, and the results of their votes are to be revealed during the season.

It is also a returnee season, which is the main thing that motivated me to watch it: I’ve been watching since season 1 released in 2000, and I’ve seen every season multiple times as I introduced my friends to the show. I may have criticized the direction Survivor has taken in the past, but I still watch it every season, and the returnee seasons tend to be a lot of fun, even in the “new era.” I’m very glad I’ve stuck with the show because Season 50 is already promising to be more than just a shameless attempt to draw viewers.

24 Iconic Players In Three Tribes

24 former players started the game across three tribes. If you know your Survivor, you know that even the “new school” players in this cast are among the best.

Cila, in orange, has nerdy Christian, firefighter Joe, golden boy Ozzy (excuse me, he’s playing as “Oscar” now), the wacky Rick Devens, social queen Cirie, the strategic Emily, original cast member Jenna, and recent winner Savannah.

The purple team of Vato has cowboy Colby, lawyer Kyle, the offbeat Q, fanboy Rizo, the negotiator Angelina, the analytical Aubry, the intelligent Genevieve, and true survivor Stephenie.

Kalo is the blue team and consists of “dragonslayer” Coach, strongman Jonathan, youthful Charlie, prestige producer Mike, hero mom Chrissy, puzzle champ Kamilla, content creator Tiffany, and famously big-toed Dee.

While the season is devoid of names like Boston Rob, Sandra, Rupert, and Tony, that’s fine: we’ve seen a lot of them and not enough of some of the players competing now. Plus, personalities like Jenna, Colby, Ozzy, Aubry, and Cirie are just as embedded in Survivor’s lore and history as any of them. The newer cast was also well-chosen, relying on players who really competed in their seasons rather than choosing feel-good stories.

These Contestants Are Here To Play, Not Talk About Their Feelings

Opening with a beautiful tribute to past seasons that included beloved players we’ve lost over the years, the premiere episode dove right in with a fire challenge that was reminiscent of those from its early days. It was awesome to feel like I was watching Survivor again. This was heightened when Jeff told the tribes they’d have to compete for supplies, a match that pitted past rivals Ozzy and Coach against one another again and continued a story that has echoed over seasons.

Meanwhile, back at camp, the contestants all socialized and started to cluster into alliances. Jonathan, now destined to appear in the next season of The White Lotus, bonded with Mike, Coach, and Chrissy. Colby started out disliking Rizo but couldn’t help growing endeared to the young superfan. Cirie drew attention for her early elimination, sparking the gameplay that earned her a spot not only in Survivor history but also in Big Brother and Traitors.

Everybody got along, but the episode didn’t wallow in the “Kumbaya” vibe I’ve criticized about the past few seasons. People talked, evaluated one another, and got ready to play. No sad back stories, no compelling motivations: these two dozen people are here to play.

The Worst Twist In Survivor History

When Tribal Council took place with an hour left in the show, I braced myself for a stupid twist.  During this final hour, they did introduce the infamous Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol, but that wasn’t the worst twist of the game. What was arguably the worst twist in Survivor history (you’ll get this “joke” when you watch) left me a little sad, but definitely eager for more.

The combination of castaways this season is already providing interesting and compelling television without any of the garnishes that production seems to think enhance the show. Sure, there are some advantages here and there, and numerous ads featuring needless celebrity callouts and appearances have already warned us all that there will be more.

The ones introduced so far have fallen into the hands of such an intriguing cast that they show promise rather than diminishing the game’s integrity. One hopes the rest of the season will continue that way, because I am not the only fan disenchanted with the overabundance of advantages and twists that have taken over the game in recent years. Like a lot of Survivor fans, I’m wondering what the hell Mr. Beast is doing there.

A Combination Of Survivor’s Best

Comparisons have been made between older seasons, middle seasons from approximately 20 to 39, and the more recent seasons of 41 to 49. The gameplay has evolved into “old school,” “new school,” and “new era.” Normally, these play styles clash, with one style prevailing over the other. The best part about this season, if the premiere is any indication, is that the players are so far combining the best of all three eras of the game.

“Season 50: In the Hands of the Fans” is off to a good start that seems to recall all the best elements of the game. Hopefully, it continues to exclude the worst, because the premiere gave fans everything they’ve been asking for and little of what they hate. If it continues the way it started, this might be a season for the books.

Survivor is on CBS on Wednesday nights at 8 pm, and then available for streaming the next day on Paramount+.

Bridgerton has made some surprising book changes over the years — including cutting Francesca’s pregnancy and miscarriage from the story.

During season 4, which concluded on Thursday, February 26, Francesca (Hannah Dodd) mourned husband John’s (Victor Alli) death while briefly assuming she was pregnant. Francesca was forced to undergo an exam, which is when she found out she wasn’t expecting a baby.

The revelation was a departure from Julia Quinn‘s When He Was Wicked where Francesca miscarried weeks after John’s death.

“Ultimately, I think John’s death and the funeral are already in so many ways such a departure from the tone of the show,” showrunner Jess Brownell told Swooon. “I think episode 7 has hints of lightness, but it is a much darker version of Bridgerton in a way that I think is really interesting, and especially in the way we get to watch the family come together.”

Related: How Did ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 Kill Off [Spoiler]? Surprise Death Explained

Bridgerton concluded season 4 by killing off a major character. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Bridgerton season 4 part 2 During part 2, which aired on Thursday, February 26, Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) husband, John (Victor Alli), died in his sleep. The pivotal moment changed the trajectory for the rest of the season as Francesca mourned her […]

Brownell referred to the miscarriage as “too morbid” to add, saying, “We’re still very interested in honoring the fertility story line. It’s something we tried to honor this season, and we will continue honoring in her future season.”

She continued: “But yeah, the miscarriage just felt like, for the screen, a bit too far. I think it would be difficult for Fran to come back from all that.”

Quinn, meanwhile, also weighed in on the evolution from her original idea.

“I think [Francesca’s] emotions are the same. I have experienced pregnancy loss. I had three failed pregnancies between my two children,” she told the outlet. “And so I wrote her character very deeply from my own experiences. And I think changing up sort of how her loss happened really doesn’t affect her grief with that.”

Quinn praised how Bridgerton navigated John’s death. “Almost five years ago, I lost my dad and my sister to a drunk driver, so that is obviously a very sudden thing, just like Francesca,” she noted. “I thought they handled it really well, especially the sense of bewilderment. Because I think when you do lose somebody suddenly, there’s a surreal aspect to it.”

Elsewhere in her interview, Brownell explained why the show moved up John’s death after introducing him earlier on screen, to which she replied, “I think that the main motivation behind that was to allow us ample time to grieve John. Wherever Francesca’s season falls, we always felt like, to have John’s death happen within her season, it was going to feel too rushed for her to deal with the grief.”

She concluded: “I think for Benedict and especially for Violet, the loss of John reminds them that we all are only here for a short period of time and love is the most important thing we can pursue.”

Bridgerton is currently streaming on Netflix.

If we’re just talking about people who deserve Oscars, the list is endless. There have been a myriad of creatives—from actors to directors to composers—throughout the Oscars’ existence who have contributed so much to cinema that recognizing their work with a little golden statuette feels only natural. Sometimes, though, people who deserved to win an Oscar end up doing so for the wrong movie.

Whether it’s Kevin Costner sweeping at the 1991 Academy Awards or Al Pacino earning what can only be seen as a career Oscar, these instances prove that the Academy doesn’t always get it right, even when the people whose achievements they’re recognizing are deserving in a vacuum. I can’t bring myself to be upset about the fact that these people won Oscars, but I do wish it had been for a different film.

8

Kevin Costner — ‘Dances With Wolves’ (1990)

Oscars: Best Directing and Best Picture

Image via Orion Pictures

Though best known for his legendary work as an actor, Kevin Costner has also stepped behind the camera on a few noteworthy occasions, though none more noteworthy than his directing debut, the Western epic Dances With Wolves. The film is fantastic—one of the most perfect Westerns on HBO Max, in fact—and that’s how it made its way to seven Academy Award victories.

In almost any other year, Costner’s Best Directing and Best Picture wins would have been nothing to complain about. The only problem is that Dances With Wolves came out in 1990, the same year that Martin Scorsese made one of the greatest films of all time, Goodfellas. Great though it may be, Dances with Wolves pales in comparison to Goodfellas in virtually every department, and as such, the fact that Costner won his two Oscars for it stings a little.

7

Ennio Morricone — ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)

Oscar: Best Original Score

Image via The Weinstein Company

Calling Ennio Morricone one of the greatest musicians that have ever graced the silver screen with their compositions would be an understatement. The legendary Italian composer, orchestrator, and conductor composed some of the greatest scores in film history, some of them Oscar-nominated (like The Mission), some not (like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). Morricone won an Honorary Oscar in 2006, but the only competitive Oscar victory of his career came in 2016 for Quentin Tarantino‘s The Hateful Eight.

The Academy is well known for giving out legacy wins (Oscars for people who have been long overdue for one) in the acting categories, but a Best Original Score legacy win? Uncommon, but not unheard of. Case in point: Morricone. Hateful Eight is an extraordinary movie, one of Kurt Russell‘s best thrillers, and probably Tarantino’s most underrated, but its score isn’t its biggest strength. The main theme song is excellent, but outside of that, The Hateful Eight isn’t even among the top 10 Morricone scores. The composer put out dozens of works before this that were far more deserving of an Oscar win.

6

Mahershala Ali — ‘Green Book’ (2018)

Oscar: Best Supporting Actor

Image via Universal Pictures

2018 was probably the weakest year of the 2010s for cinema, but there were still several films more deserving than Green Book of the year’s Best Picture Oscar. There’s really no element of satisfaction in that victory that, not even a decade later, has already aged like warm milk. Mahershala Ali‘s second Oscar win, on the other hand? He’s one of the greatest actors working in Hollywood today, but Green Book was not the movie that he should have become a sophomore Oscar recipient for.

Ali is fantastic in Green Book, certainly one of the only good parts of the movie, but the script doesn’t really give him much nuance to work with. Furthermore, it is a clear instance of category fraud, as Ali’s presence in the movie is clearly a leading one, so clearly, in fact, that he’s the Supporting Actor winner with the ninth most screentime in history. There’s no denying this actor’s talent, but there were far more deserving alternatives in contention at the 2019 Oscars, from Sam Elliott in A Star Is Born to Richard E. Grant in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

5

Guillermo del Toro — ‘The Shape of Water’ (2017)

Oscars: Best Directing and Best Picture

Image via Searchlight Pictures

A master of dark fantasy and one of the greatest Mexican filmmakers in history, Guillermo del Toro is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining directors working today. His filmography is filled with exceptional gems, both fantasy and otherwise. Though The Shape of Water is by no means his magnum opus, it sure is one of his best films, yet the fact that it was the one that landed him two Oscar victories is peculiar, to say the least.

It’s not that The Shape of Water is bad. On the contrary, it’s a beautiful and sweepingly romantic tale that screams “del Toro,” and adding one more to the small list of fantasy movies that have won Best Picture is a welcome change of pace. But on the one hand, it was by no means the best film of 2017, with competitors Get Out arguably being superior in virtually every department. On top of that, if there was any film that del Toro should have won an Oscar for, it was Pan’s Labyrinth, one of the greatest fantasy films ever made. Instead, the movie didn’t even get nominated for Best Picture, and it lost Best Foreign Language Film.

4

Rami Malek — ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (2018)

Oscar: Best Actor

Image via 20th Century Studios

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Rami Malek is an exceptional actor, as he’s proven across things like Mr. Robot and the recent Nuremberg. He’s such an exceptional actor, in fact, that his caricaturistic performance in Bohemian Rhapsody feels like a strange hiccup in quality in his career. In quality, sure, but definitely not in acclaim. Malek steamrolled the 2018-19 awards season, eventually making his way to the Dolby Theater stage.

It has aged as one of the most disliked Oscar wins ever, since Malek’s performance here feels more like a half-baked impression than a true transformation into Freddie Mercury, fake teeth and all. It’s hard to complain about the fact that the lovely and immensely talented Rami Malek has an Oscar stashed away somewhere in his home, but did it have to be for such a so-so performance in such a mediocre film?

3

Danny Boyle — ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008)

Oscars: Best Directing

Calling Danny Boyle “versatile” would be like calling The Dark Knight the best film of 2008. It’s a take so glacially cold that it’s more of a statement of fact, really. From cult classics like Trainspotting and 28 Days Later to underrated masterpieces like 127 Hours, the director has made some excellent and sharply distinct work. Often, however, Boyle can be pretty hit-or-miss, and Slumdog Millionaire, sadly, is more of a miss than a hit.

Still, the film made its way to a baffling eight Academy Award victories, the second most of any movie of the 2000s (after the record-breaking 11 that The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King snatched). 2008 had one of the worst Best Picture lineups ever, anyway, but Boyle’s Best Directing win was particularly bizarre. He examines this story that’s been criticized as poverty porn with a keenly Western gaze, and his homage to Bollywood cinema feels more incidental than well-calculated.

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Al Pacino — ‘Scent of a Woman’ (1992)

Oscar: Best Actor

Image via Universal Pictures

There’s no denying that Al Pacino is one of the most colossal acting talents of his generation, the kind of thespian who defined Hollywood acting for generations to come. By the time the ’90s rolled in, he was long overdue for an Oscar, having lost in the past for very much Oscar-worthy performances like the ones in The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon. As such, when the actor starred in Scent of a Woman and delivered a bombastic, larger-than-life performance as a blind veteran, the Academy simply couldn’t look away.

They probably should have. Pacino’s 1993 triumph was one of the most infamous legacy wins in the history of the Oscars, and it hasn’t aged particularly well. It’s generally agreed that that year’s Malcolm X had one of the greatest performances of all time in Denzel Washington‘s portrayal of the eponymous historical figure, and that Pacino winning over Washington simply because of the Academy’s past failures to recognize his work was a travesty.

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Jamie Lee Curtis — ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ (2022)

Oscar: Best Supporting Actress

Image via A24

Never, throughout the 44 years that she’d been acting in feature films by the time 2022 came around, had Jamie Lee Curtis ever screamed “Oscar material.” But then, the Daniels‘ Everything Everywhere All At Once came out and took the world by storm, partly thanks to Curtis’ vibrant, amusing, and surprisingly heartwarming supporting performance as a grumpy IRS agent. Even then, though, it seemed like Stephanie Hsu had a far bigger shot at getting up on the Dolby Theater stage come 2023 Oscars night.

Somehow, that didn’t happen. With a performance that’s hardly more than comedic relief, well-executed though it may be, Curtis made her way to an Oscar in another one of the most infamous career wins in the awards’ history. She’s a fantastic actress who’s been delivering strong, timeless work for decades, and as such, it’s not easy to be upset at the fact that she has an Academy Award—at least in a vacuum. But looking at the stacked Supporting Actress race for the 2022-23 season, it would be wild for anyone to point at Curtis as the strongest in the competition. Anyone except the Academy, apparently.