Batman on Film Part 6: Batman & Robin

BATMAN & ROBIN
Joel Schumacher
1997 • 125 Minutes • 1.85:1 • United States
Color • English • Warner Bros.

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Uma THurman, Alicia Silverstone
Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman
Producer: Peter Macgregor-Scott
Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt

Awards & Honors

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
Nominee: Best Costumes
Nominee: Best Fantasy Film
Nominee: Best Make-Up

The Essential Films
100 Worst Films of All Time – #24

Razzie Awards
Winner: Worst Supporting Actress – Alicia Silverstone
Nominee: Worst Director- Joel Schumacher
Nominee: Worst Original Song – Billy Corgan For the song “The End is The Beginning is The End”
Nominee: Worst Picture
Nominee: Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property
Nominee: Worst Remake or Sequel
Nominee: Worst Screen Couple – George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell
Nominee: Worst Screenplay
Nominee: Worst Supporting Actor – Chris O’Donnell
Nominee: Worst Supporting Actor – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Nominee: Worst Supporting Actress – Uma Thurman

There is no defeat in death, Master Bruce. Victory comes in defending what we know is right while we still live.

Oh man. Here we go. I’ve been avoiding this, but it looks like the time has come. I must review it. Batman & Robin is by far the worst Batman film ever made and hopefully that ever will be made. If not for the existence of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, this would undoubtedly be the worst comic book film of all time. Ever. Period.

Since Batman Forever did so remarkably well at the box office, it seems Warner Bros. just looked at Joel Schumacher and said “You know what, just do whatever you want. You got this.” And boy, did he ever. He took everything that made Batman Forever bad and amped it up to 11. Back where the Bat Nipples, the ass shots, and smiling Batman. It’s just a train wreck of a film.

This time around Batman has to deal with a rampaging Mr. Freeze, who is doing cold-related crimes to steal diamonds and power his suit. Freeze teams up with Poison Ivy to terrorize Gotham City, all the while Alfred is dying and his niece Barbara Wilson (not Gordon) has come to visit. Barbara by the way ends up being Batgirl. Oh! And Bane is in this movie too! Remember how awesome he was in The Dark Knight Rises? Yeah, well… let’s just say he had some humble on-screen beginnings.

Batman & Robin released (escaped) on June 20, 1997 to a juggernaut of terrible reviews. (It’s currently rocking a 12% on Rotten Tomatoes.) Despite that, the film did well on its opening weekend, raking in $42 million. But the following week saw it plunge drastically as word-of-mouth got around of just how absolutely awful this film is. Critics blasted it for it’s campy approach. Schumacher made a very good big-screen version of the 1960s camp TV show, but in 1997 no one wanted to see that.

So how bad is this film? Well…

You’ve got Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. Not quite what you expected when you pictured the comic book character? Yeah, 1997 comic books fans didn’t either. Interestingly enough, Mr. Freeze in this film borrows the origin story from his “Batman: The Animated Series” counterpart, in where Dr. Victor Fries suffers a terrible accident that leaves in his “frozen” state while trying to find a cure for his beloved Nora. That’s as faithful to source material as you’re going to get, because from this point on Freeze is a PUN MACHINE. Check it out:



It’s so campy it hurts.

George Clooney becomes the fourth actor to portray Batman on-screen in a major motion picture. Clooney, for his part, is fine. His acting choices aren’t really his fault. He essentially plays an updated version of Adam West, and in that sense, he succeeds. Clooney was cast after Val Kilmer and Joel Schumacher discovered that they just could not work together during the filming of Batman Forever. His Bruce Wayne is actually pretty good, his Batman is goofy, but again, that’s what this movie was supposed to be. Of all the complaints you can have of this film, Clooney is probably the least troublesome.

Chris O’Donnell returns as Dick Grayson, a.k.a Robin. And guess what? He still kinda sucks. They never quite explained why a 25 year-old MAN needs to be adopted by a billionaire, but it certainly added (intentionally or unintentionally) to the homosexual vibe the film had going for it. The film essentially killed his career for almost 15 years. It’s only recently that he’s started appearing in higher-profile roles such as on television’s “NCIS.” Of the film O’Donnell said “I felt like I was making a kid’s toy commercial.” That’s how we felt watching it, Chris.

Uma Thurman portrays Poison Ivy. Sigh. Really? Poison Ivy is supposed to be a seductive knock-out. And while I love her as “The Bride” in Kill Bill, Uma Thurman always kind of strikes me as a dirty hippie and not a devilish temptress that Ivy is supposed to be. She was horribly miscast, but in the end result of this film… does it really matter? Thurman was obviously cast because after the success of Pulp Fiction, she was kind of an “It” girl.

Alicia Silverstone. Talk about stunt casting. After Clueless was such a huge box office and cultural success, Silverstone went on to skyrocket to stardom and was cast in a wide array of box office… failures. While she was great as a ditzy blonde in a high school movie, she came up short playing anything else. Including Batgirl. And why wasn’t she Commissioner Gordon’s daughter? Well that probably had a lot to do with the fact that Gordon was really downplayed in this series of movies, and when he did show up he was kind of a buffoon. Thankfully his next appearance on the big screen did him justice. So Silverstone was made to be Alfred’s niece from England (where was her accent?), which pretty much was just a set up for her to discover the Batcave and become Batgirl. So nice that there was convenient crime-fighting costume in just her size in the Batcave. And why the hell didn’t HERS have nipples? Bull shit.

And then there’s Bane. Jesus. Remember how awesome Tom Hardy was in The Dark Knight Rises? Remember how he OWNED that role? Yeah, well, take that performance and that character portrayal and think of the exact opposite. THIS Bane, played by roided up ex-pro wrestler Jeep Swenson, never speaks, never breaks Batman’s back, and is essentially just a hired thug that goes around saying “Bomb. Bomb. Bomb.” Fuck. It’s terrible.

As stated before, the severe box office drop off and thrashing it received from critics, caused Warner Bros. to cancel the planned 5th movie in the series, titled Batman Triumphant. It was actually already in pre-production with O’Donnell and Clooney verbally committed to return. Again, after the failure of the last film, they both swore off making another one. Batman Triumphant started pre-production work when Warner Bros. executives were happy with the dailies they saw coming in from the set of B&R. In this incarnation, The Scarecrow (played by Howard Stern) was set to be the main villain terrorizing Batman with his sidekicks Harley Quinn (who was getting revenge for The Joker’s death) and Mad Hatter. Considering how Batman & Robin turned out, we should probably be thankful Warner executives cancelled this thing.

And that’s that. For 8 years Batman would not appear on the big screen. He would have straight-to-video releases like Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (which are all better than Batman & Robin) but it wouldn’t be until an up-and-coming director would take the reins in 2005 that we would get perhaps not the Batman we deserve, but the one we needed.

All that said, Batman and Robin is almost worth watching. If for any other reason than from a “it’s so bad it’s good” kind of angle.  See you next time.

BATMAN & ROBIN is available on DVD and Blu-Ray, as well as for digital rental or purchase via iTunes, Google, YouTube or Amazon.

The 85 Best Pictures to Never Win Best Picture

Awards season is over. Argo took home many of the top prizes, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. Argo was an excellent film and certainly a deserving winner. But over the years since the Academy Awards' inception there have been many deserving films that did not win the top prize.  In some cases it was a surprise snub, in other cases, the winner did not stand the test of time while its contemporaries did.  In this feature, we will highlight 85 films (one for every year the Oscars have been around) that did not win Best Picture.  This list is not meant to point out that these films should have beaten the actual winner (at least not in every case, anyway) however, it is meant to show that there are many cinematic classics that have never won, or even been nominated, for the Best Picture award.  We present that list to you in chronological order:

SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS
1927 • F.W. Murnau

1927/1928 Winner:
Wings

Oscar Wins:
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Janet Gaynor
Best Cinematography
Best Picture, Unique & Artistic Production (the Best Production Oscar became "Best Picture" the following year)

Nominations:
Best Art Direction

STEAMBOAT BILL JR.
1928 • Charles Reisner

1927/28 Winner:
Wings

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
None.

PANDORA'S BOX
1929 • Georg Wilhelm Pabst

1928/1929 Winner:
The Broadway Melody

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
None.

CITY LIGHTS
1931 • Charles Chaplin

1931 Winner:
Cimarron

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
None

SCARFACE
1932 • Howard Hawks

1932 Winner:
Grand Hotel

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
None

KING KONG
1933 • Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack

1933 Winner:
Cavalcade

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
None

THE THIN MAN
1934 • W.S. Van Dyke

1934 Winner:
It Happened One Night

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - William Powell
Best Director - W.S. Van Dyke
Best Writing, Adaptation

TOP HAT
1935 • Mark Sandrich

1935 Winner:
Mutiny on the Bounty

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Art Direction
Best Dance Direction
Best Music, Original Song - "Cheek to Cheek"

MODERN TIMES
1936 • Charles Chaplin

1936 Winner:
The Great Ziegfeld

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
None

GRAND ILLUSION
"La Grande Illusion" (original title)
1937 • Jean Renoir

1937 Winner:
The Life of Emile Zola

Oscar Wins:
None

Oscar Nominations:
Best Picture

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD
1938 • Michael Curtiz

1938 Winner:
You Can't Take it With You

Oscar Wins:
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction
Best Music, Original Score

Nominations:
Best Picture

THE WIZARD OF OZ
1939 • Victor Fleming

1939 Winner:
Gone with the Wind

Oscar Wins:
Best Original Score
Best Original Song - "Over the Rainbow"

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Cinematography
Best Effects, Special Effects
Best Art Direction

THE GREAT DICTATOR
1940 • Charles Chaplin

1940 Winner:
Rebecca

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Charles Chaplin
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Jack Oakie
Best Writing, Original Story
Best Music, Original Score

CITIZEN KANE
1941 • Orson Welles

1941 Winner:
How Green Was My Valley

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Orson Welles
Best Director - Orson Welles
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction, Black & White
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture
Best Sound, Recording

YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
1942 • Michael Curtiz

1942 Winner:
Mrs. Miniver

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Leading Role - James Cagney
Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture
Best Sound, Recording

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Walter Houston
Best Director - Michael Curtiz
Best Writing, Original Story
Best Film Editing

SHADOW OF A DOUBT
1943 • Alfred Hitchcock

1943 Winner:
Casablanca

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
Best Writing, Original Story

DOUBLE INDEMNITY
1944 • Billy Wilder

1944 Winner:
Going My Way

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Barbara Stanwyck
Best Director - Billy Wilder
Best Writing, Screenplay
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
Best Sound, Recording

ROME, OPEN CITY
Roma, città aperta (original title)
1945 • Roberto Rossellini

1945 Winner:
The Lost Weekend

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Writing, Screenplay

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
1946 • Frank Capra

1946 Winner:
The Best Years of Our Lives

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - James Stewart
Best Director - Frank Capra
Best Film Editing
Best Sound, Recording

MIRACLE ON 34th STREET
1947 • George Seaton

1947 Winner:
Gentleman's Agreement

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Edmund Gwenn
Best Writing, Original Story
Best Writing, Screenplay

Nominations:
Best Picture

THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE
1948 • John Huston

1948 Winner:
Hamlet

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Walter Huston
Best Director - John Huston
Best Writing, Screenplay

Nominations:
Best Picture

THE THIRD MAN
1949 • Carol Reed

1949 Winner:
All the King's Men

Oscar Wins:
Best Cinematography, Black & White

Nominations:
Best Director - Carol Reed
Best Film Editing

SUNSET BLVD.
1950 • Billy Wilder

1950 Winner:
All About Eve

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay
Best Art Direction, Black & White
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - William Holden
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Gloria Swanson
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Erich von Stroheim
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Nancy Olson
Best Director - Billy Wilder
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Best Film Editing

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1951 • Elia Kazan

1951 Winner:
An American in Paris

Oscar Wins:
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Vivien Leigh
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Karl Malden
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Kim Hunter
Best Art Direction, Black & White

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Marlon Brando
Best Director - Elia Kazan
Best Writing, Screenplay
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Best Costume Design, Black & White
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
Best Sound, Recording

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
1952 • Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly

1952 Winner:
The Greatest Show on Earth

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Jean Hagen
Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture

ROMAN HOLIDAY
1953 • William Wyler

1953 Winner:
From Here to Eternity

Oscar Wins:
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Audrey Hepburn
Best Costume Design, Black & White
Best Writing, Original Story

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Eddie Albert
Best Director - William Wyler
Best Writing, Screenplay
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction, Black & White

REAR WINDOW
1954 • Alfred Hitchcock

1954 Winner:
On the Waterfront

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Director - Alfred Hitchcock
Best Writing, Screenplay
Best Cinematography, Color
Best Sound, Recording

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
1955 • Charles Laughton

1955 Winner:
Marty

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
None

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
1956 • Cecil B. DeMille

1956 Winner:
Around the World in 80 Days

Oscar Wins:
Best Effects, Special Effects

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Cinematography, Color
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Color
Best Costume Design, Color
Best Sound, Recording

12 ANGRY MEN
1957 • Sidney Lumet

1957 Winner:
The Bridge on the River Kwai

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director - Sidney Lumet
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

VERTIGO
1958 • Alfred Hitchcock

1958 Winner:
Gigi

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Black & White or Color
Best Sound

NORTH BY NORTHWEST
1959 • Alfred Hitchcock

1959 Winner:
Ben-Hur

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
Best Writing, Story & Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Color

PSYCHO
1960 • Alfred Hitchcock

1960 Winner:
The Apartment

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Janet Leigh
Best Director - Alfred Hitchcock
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Black & White

THE HUSTLER
1961 • Robert Rossen

1961 Winner:
West Side Story

Oscar Wins:
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Black & White

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Paul Newman
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Piper Laurie
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Jackie Gleason
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - George C. Scott
Best Director - Robert Rossen
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
1962 • Robert Mulligan

1962 Winner:
Lawrence of Arabia

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Gregory Peck
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Black & White
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Mary Badham
Best Director - Robert Mulligan
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Best Music, Score - Substantially Original

8½
1963 • Federico Fellini

1963 Winner:
Tom Jones

Oscar Wins:
Best Costume Design, Black & White
Best Foreign Language Film

Nominations:
Best Director - Federico Fellini
Best Writing, Story & Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Black & White

DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB
1964 • Stanley Kubrick

1964 Winner:
My Fair Lady

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Peter Sellers
Best Director - Stanley Kubrick
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
1965 • David Lean

1965 Winner:
The Sound of Music

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Best Cinematography, Color
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Color
Best Costume Design, Color
Best Music, Score - Substantially Original

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Tom Courtenay
Best Director - David Lean
Best Film Editing
Best Sound

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (original title)

1966 • Sergio Leone

1966 Winner:
A Man for All Seasons

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
None.

COOL HAND LUKE
1967 • Stuart Rosenberg

1967 Winner:
In the Heat of the Night

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - George Kennedy

Nominations:
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Paul Newman
Best Writing, Screenplay based on Material from Another Medium
Best Music, Original Music Score

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
1968 • Stanley Kubrick

1968 Winner:
Oliver!

Oscar Wins:
Best Effects, Special Visual Effects

Nominations:
Best Director
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
1969 • George Roy Hill

1969 Winner:
Midnight Cowboy

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Material Not Previously Produced or Published
Best Cinematography
Best Score, Original Score for a Motion Picture (Not a Musical)
Best Music, Original Song - "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director - George Roy Hill
Best Sound

M*A*S*H
1970 • Robert Altman

1970 Winner:
Patton

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Sally Kellerman
Best Director - Robert Altman
Best Film Editing

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
1971 • Stanley Kubrick

1971 Winner:
The French Connection

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director - Stanley Kubrick
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Best Film Editing

SOLARIS
1972 • Andrey Tarkovskiy

1972 Winner:
The Godfather

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
None

THE EXORCIST
1973 • William Friedkin

1973 Winner:
The Sting

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Screenplay based on Material from Another Medium
Best Sound

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Ellen Burstyn
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Jason Miller
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Linda Blair
Best Director - William Friedkin
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration

CHINATOWN
1974 • Roman Polanski

1974 Winner:
The Godfather Part II

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Jack Nicholson
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Faye Dunaway
Best Director - Roman Polanski
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration
Best Costume Design
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
Best Film Editing
Best Sound

JAWS
1975 • Steven Spielberg

1975 Winner:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Oscar Wins:
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
Best Sound

Nominations:
Best Picture

TAXI DRIVER
1976 • Martin Scorsese

1976 Winner:
Rocky

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Robert DeNiro
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Jodie Foster
Best Music, Original Score

STAR WARS
1977 • George Lucas

1977 Winner:
Annie Hall

Oscar Wins:
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration
Best Costume Design
Best Effects, Visual Effects
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Original Score
Best Sound
Special Achievement Award - Sound Effects

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Alec Guinness
Best Director: George Lucas
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

MIDNIGHT EXPRESS
1978 • Alan Parker

1978 Winner:
The Deer Hunter

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Best Music, Original Score

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director - Alan Parker
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - John Hurt
Best Film Editing

APOCALYPSE NOW
1979 • Francis Ford Coppola

1979 Winner:
Kramer VS Kramer

Oscar Wins:
Best Cinematography
Best Sound

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Robert Duvall
Best Director
Best Writing, Screenplay based on Material from Another Medium
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration

RAGING BULL
1980 • Martin Scorsese

1980 Winner:
Ordinary People

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Robert DeNiro
Best Film Editing

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Joe Pesci
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Cathy Moriarty
Best Director - Martin Scorsese
Best Cinematography
Best Sound

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
1981 • Steven Spielberg

1981 Winner:
Chariots of Fire

Oscar Wins:
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration
Best Effects, Visual Effects
Best Film Editing
Best Sound
Special Achievement - Sound Effects Editing

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director - Steven Spielberg
Best Cinematography
Best Music, Original Score

E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
1982 • Steven Spielberg

1982 Winner:
Gandhi

Oscar Wins:
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing
Best Effects, Visual Effects
Best Music, Original Score
Best Sound

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director - Steven Spielberg
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing

SCARFACE
1983 • Brian de Palma

1983 Winner:
Terms of Endearment

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
None

THE TERMINATOR
1984 • James Cameron

1984 Winner:
Amadeus

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
None

BACK TO THE FUTURE
1985 • Robert Zemeckis

1985 Winner:
Out of Africa

Oscar Wins:
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing

Nominations:
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Best Music, Original Song - "Power of Love"
Best Sound

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS
1986 • Woody Allen

1986 Winner:
Platoon

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Michael Caine
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Dianne Weist
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director - Woody Allen
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration
Best Film Editing

FULL METAL JACKET
1987 • Stanley Kubrick

1987 Winner:
The Last Emperor

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
1988 • Martin Scorsese

1988 Winner:
Rain Man

Oscar Wins:
None.

Nominations:
Best Director - Martin Scorsese

DO THE RIGHT THING
1989 • Spike Lee

1989 Winner:
Driving Miss Daisy

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Danny Aiello
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

GOODFELLAS
1990 • Martin Scorsese

1990 Winner:
Dances with Wolves

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Joe Pesci

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Lorraine Bracco
Best Director - Martin Scorsese
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Best Film Editing

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
1991 • James Cameron

1991 Winner:
Silence of the Lambs

Oscar Wins:
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing
Best Effects, Visual Effects
Best Makeup
Best Sound

Nominations:
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing

RESERVOIR DOGS
1992 • Quentin Tarantino

1992 Winner:
Unforgiven

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
None

PHILADELPHIA
1993 • Jonathan Demme

1993 Winner:
Schindler's List

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Tom Hanks
Best Music, Original Song - "Streets of Philadelphia"

Nominations:
Best Makeup
Best Music, Original Song
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

PULP FICTION
1994 • Quentin Tarantino

1994 Winner:
Forrest Gump

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - John Travolta
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Samuel L. Jackson
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Uma Thurman
Best Director - Quentin Tarantino
Best Film Editing

THE USUAL SUSPECTS
1995 • Bryan Singer

1995 Winner:
Braveheart

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Kevin Spacey
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

FARGO
1996 • Joel Coen

1996 Winner:
The English Patient

Oscar Wins:
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Frances McDormand
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - William H. Macy
Best Director - Joel Coen
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
1997 • Curtis Hanson

1997 Winner:
Titanic

Oscar Wins:
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Kim Basinger
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
Best Sound

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
1998 • Steven Spielberg

1998 Winner:
Shakespeare In Love

Oscar Wins:
Best Director - Steven Spielberg
Best Cinematography
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing
Best Film Editing
Best Sound

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Tom Hanks
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration
Best Makeup
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score

FIGHT CLUB
1999 • David Fincher

1999 Winner:
American Beauty

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing

TRAFFIC
2000 • Steven Soderbergh

2000 Winner:
Gladiator

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Benicio del Toro
Best Director - Steven Soderbergh
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Best Film Editing

Nominations:
Best Picture

MEMENTO
2001 • Christopher Nolan

2001 Winner:
A Beautiful Mind

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Film Editing
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

THE PIANIST
2002 • Roman Polanski

2002 Winner:
Chicago

Oscar Wins:
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Adrien Brody
Best Director - Roman Polanski
Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing

LOST IN TRANSLATION
2003 • Sofia Coppola

2003 Winner:
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Bill Murray
Best Director - Sofia Coppola

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
2004 • Michel Gondry

2004 Winner:
Million Dollar Baby

Oscar Wins:
Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Nominations:
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Kate Winslet

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
2005 • Ang Lee

2005 Winner:
Crash

Oscar Wins:
Best Achievement in Directing - Ang Lee
Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Nominations:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Heath Ledger
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Jake Gyllenhaal
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Michelle Williams
Best Achievement in Cinematography

PAN'S LABYRINTH
2006 • Guillermo Del Toro

2006 Winner:
The Departed

Oscar Wins:
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Makeup

Nominations:
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Best Writing, Original Screenplay

THERE WILL BE BLOOD
2007 • Paul Thomas Anderson

2007 Winner:
No Country for Old Men

Oscar Wins:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Achievement in Cinematography

Nominations:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Achievement in Directing - Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Best Achievement in Film Editing
Best Achievement in Sound Editing

THE DARK KNIGHT
2008 • Christopher Nolan

2008 Winner:
Slumdog Millionaire

Oscar Wins:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Heath Ledger
Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Nominations:
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Film Editing
Best Achievement in Makeup
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Best Achievement in Visual Effects

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
2009 • Quentin Tarantino

2009 Winner:
The Hurt Locker

Oscar Wins:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Christoph Waltz

Nominations:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Achievement in Directing - Quentin Tarantino
Best Writing, Original Screenplay
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Film Editing
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

INCEPTION
2010 • Christopher Nolan

2010 Winner:
The King's Speech

Oscar Wins:
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Nominations:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Writing, Original Screenplay
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

THE TREE OF LIFE
2011 • Terrence Malick

2011 Winner:
The Artist

Oscar Wins:
None

Nominations:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Achievement in Directing - Terrence Malick
Best Cinematography

ZERO DARK THIRTY
2012 • Kathryn Bigelow

2012 Winner:
Argo

Oscar Wins:
Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Nominations:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Jessica Chastain
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Best Achievement in Editing