Top 10 Oscar-winning movies to watch before you die

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded globally as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment world. Hundreds of films are nominated for Academy Awards year after year. As of 2022, only 32 films have won five or more than 5 awards. Among them are Schindler’s List, Star Wars, and The Godfather Part 2′ which are considered to be all-time movies, while many Oscar-winning films have been forgotten. Today we’re going to explore the top 10 Oscar-winning movies that you shouldn’t miss, yes you shouldn’t.

01 – Forrest Gump (1994) – IMDb – 8.8

• Release date: 6 July 1994 (USA)
• Director: Robert Zemeckis
• Box office: 67.82 crores USD
• Awards: Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, MORE
• Adapted from: Forrest Gump
• Budget: 5.5 crores USD

Spoiler-free:  Forrest Gump, a man with low IQ, joins forces, where he meets Dan and Bubba. However, he can’t stop thinking about his childhood love, Jenny Curran, whose life is in turmoil. Forrest Gump takes a character who is a social outsider and makes us love him. Despite the fact that most of us will never go through that challenges, we can relate to his feelings and experience. How do we establish this link? The film stars Forrest Gump as someone who is just like us. Forrest Gump won six Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

02 – The Godfather Part II (1974) – 9/10IMDb

• Release date: 20 December 1974 (USA)
• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Producers: Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Roos, Gray Frederickson
• Production companies: Paramount Pictures, Coppola Company
• Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
• Adapted from: The Godfather

Spoiler-free: Vito Corleone’s son, Michael, seeks to expand his family’s criminal empire. When he strikes a business deal with a gangster, Hyman Roth, he is unaware of the dangers he will face. The legendary directorial by Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part II surpasses every expectation with excellent performances. The Godfather: Part II is one of the best sequels in film history, and the Academy recognized it with an Oscar for Best Picture in 1975. Other academy awards are Academy Award for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design.

03 – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – 9/10IMDb

• Release date: 6 February 2004 (India)
• Director: Peter Jackson
• Nominations: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
• Box office: 114.6 crores USD
• Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
• Budget: 9.4 crores USD

Spoiler-free: The former Fellowship of the Ring prepares for the final battle. Frodo and Sam convince Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. They follow Gollum and are unaware of his intentions. This film series is not only the best fantasy film series of all time, but it is also the most loved film series of any genre in cinematic history as well as one of the highest-grossing film series. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)won all 11 Oscars it was nominated for at the 76th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. The return of the king won all 11 Oscars such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Mixing, Best Music (Original Score), Best Music (Original Song), Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, Best Writing.

04 – Schindler’s List (1993) – 9/10IMDb

• Release date: 4 February 1994 (USA)
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Cinematography: Janusz Kamiński
• Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
• Box office: 32.22 crores USD
• Adapted from: Schindler’s Ark

Spoiler-free: Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and member of the Nazi Party, tries to rescue his Jewish employees after witnessing the persecution of Jewish people in Poland. Schindler’s List is undoubtedly the best Holocaust movie of all time. Several other films have tried to show the true horrors of the Holocaust, but none have been as successful as Schindler’s List. The movie was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won7 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. It was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won 7, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. The film won many other awards including seven BAFTAs and 3 Golden Globe Awards.

05 – Titanic (1997) – 7.9/10IMDb

• Release date: 19 December 1997 (USA)
• Director: James Cameron
• Box office: 220.2 crores USD
• Budget: 20 crores USD
• Featured song: My Heart Will Go On
• Distributed by: 20th Century Studios, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment

Spoiler-free: Rose, a seventeen-year-old from an aristocratic family, gets married. She meets an artist, Jack Dawson, as she travels on the Titanic and falls in love with Jack. It is impeccably crafted, sensibly constructed, strongly acted, and an attention-grabbing masterpiece. It was the second film to win eleven Academy Awards, after Ben-Hur (1959). At the 70th Academy Awards, Titanic won 11 awards:  Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Best Original Song.

06 – Gone With The Wind (1939) – 8.2/10IMDb

• Release date: 17 January 1940 (USA)
• Director: Victor Fleming
• Story by: Margaret Mitchell
• Adapted from: Gone with the Wind
• Producer: David O. Selznick
• Production companies: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Selznick International Pictures

Spoiler-free: American classic, in which the cunning woman and the cunning man have a tumultuous love affair in South America during the American Civil War and Reconstruction. The movie, produced by David O. Selznick, won eight competitive Oscars including best actress for Leigh, best picture, best director for Victor Fleming, and best-supporting actress for McDaniel, who was the first Black person to ever win an Academy Award. “Gone with the Wind” is ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth greatest American film of all time, behind “Citizen Kane,” “Casablanca,” and “The Godfather.”

07 – Ben-Hur (1959) – 8.1/10IMDb

• Release date: 18 November 1959 (USA)
• Director: William Wyler
• Nominations: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
• Music director: Miklós Rózsa
• Screenplay: William Wyler, Gore Vidal, Karl Tunberg, Maxwell Anderson, Christopher Fry, S. N. Behrman
• Box office: 14.69 crores USD (initial release)

Spoiler-free: JudahBen-Hur, a nobleman, is sentenced to years of slavery after being accused of treason by his adopted brother, Messel. However, he returns to take revenge by competing with him in a race. Made on a hefty budget—$15 million—the film was a massive hit, despite a runtime of nearly three-and-a-half hours. “Ben-Hur” wins 11 Academy Awards including the academy award for Best Actor, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Director, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

08 –Parasite – 8.5/10IMDb

• Release date: 30 May 2019 (South Korea)
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Screenplay: Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won
• Languages: Korean, English
• Production company: Barunson
• Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, Palme d’Or, MORE

Spoiler-free: The struggling Kim family sees an opportunity when the son starts working for the Park family. Soon, they all find a way to work in the same household and lead a parasitic life. The film tells the story of our society and the unseen line between the poor and the rich. From great direction to great acting, everything from the very first scene will keep you hooked and booked. Parasite wins 11 Academy Awards including Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Picture, Best Production Design, Best International Feature Film, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Screenplay.

09 – The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) -8.6/10IMDb

• Release date: 14 February 1991 (USA)
• Director: Jonathan Demme
• Sequel: Hannibal
• Adapted from: The Silence of the Lambs
• Awards: Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, MORE

Spoiler-free: An FBI agent, Clarice Starling, seeks help from a psychopathic killer and former psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter, to nab another murderer who preys on women. The film premiered in 1991 and grossed $272.7 million worldwide on a $19 million budget. In 2018, Empire ranked it 48th on its list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. The film won the Big Five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Demme), Best Actor (Hopkins), Best Actress (Foster), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally).

10 – Avatar 2009 – 7.8/10IMDb

• Release date: 18 December 2009 (India)
• Director: James Cameron
• Box office: 292.2 crores USD
• Budget: 23.7 crores USD (2009)
• Art directors: Sean Haworth, Kim Sinclair, Stefan Dechant, MORE
• Sequel: Avatar: The Way of Water

Spoiler-free: Jake, who is paraplegic, replaces his twin on the Na’vi-inhabited Pandora for a corporate mission. He is accepted by the natives there, but he must decide with whom his honesty lies. Avatar was not only technologically advanced but various relevant themes were also incorporated in the movie. With amazing visuals and impressive acting, Avatar is a must-watch movie for all ages. Avatar won the 82nd Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects, and was nominated for a total of nine, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Bonus Movie

Slumdog millionaire – 8/10IMDb

• Release date: 23 January 2009 (India)
• Director: Danny Boyle
• Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
• Box office: 37.81 crores USD
• Adapted from: Q & A

Spoiler-free: A teenager from the slums of Mumbai became a contestant on the show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (Like Amitabh’s KBC show). During interrogation under suspicion of fraud, he reviews his past, also revealing how he had all the answers. The film won 8 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, Best Director, and Best Sound Editing. The film reveals how most people are deprived of education, reluctantly pushed into the world of crime, and much more. It has a great cast, and a well-performed and portrayed story, from child to adult.

FAQ

Which are the top 10 Oscar-winning movies?

The top 10 Oscar-winning movies are as follows: –

1. Forrest Gump (1994)
2. The Godfather Part II (1974)
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
4. Schindler’s List (1993)
5. Titanic (1997)
6. Gone with The Wind (1939)
7. Ben-Hur (1959)
8. Parasite
9. The Silence of The Lambs (1991)
10. Avatar 2009

Which Indian movies were nominated for Oscar (1957-2022)?

As of 2022, only 3 films from India—Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Lagaan (2001)—have been nominated for the Academy award.

Which are the top 10 must-watch movies in Hollywood?

The top 10 must-watch Hollywood movies are as follows: –

1. Shawshank Redemption
2. Green Miles
3. Inception
4. Fight Club
5. The Godfather
6. Schindler’s List
7. Interstellar
8. The Dark Knight Trilogy
9. The Pursuit of Happyness
10. The Prestige

What is the deadliest horror movie?

The top 10 horror movies of all time are as follows: –

• The Shining (1980)
• The Conjuring
• The Exorcist, 1973
• Alien, 1979
• Hereditary (2018)
• The Silence of the Lambs, 1991
• Saw
• Sinister
• lights out
• The ring (2002)

What to watch when you need to be inspired?

The top 10 inspirational movies are as follows: –

1. A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001)
2. SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
3. THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
4. BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON (IN 2019)
5. THE BUCKET LIST (2007)
6. CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981)
7. CHEF (2014)
8. FORREST GUMP (1994)
9. GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997)
10. FREE GUY

Top 10 must-watch webseries of all time? 

The top 10 must-watch web series of all time are as follows: –

1. Breaking Bad
2. Game of Thrones
3. Chernobyl
4. The boys
5. Daredevil
6. The walking dead
7. Dexter
8. Dark
9. Kota Factory
10. Scam 1992

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