Drama
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
(2013)
Steve Conrad (screenplay), Steve Conrad (screen story by), James Thurber (based on the short story by)
5 wins & 16 nominations.
The manager of the negative assets sector of Life magazine, Walter Mitty, has been working for sixteen years for the magazine and has a tedious life, not going anywhere but from his home to his job and vice-versa. He is an escapist, daydreaming into a world of fantasy many times a day. Walter has a crush on the recently hired Cheryl Melhoff but he is too shy to invite her on a date and he is trying to contact her via online dating. The magazine is preparing to release its last printed edition and the loathsome manager of transition Ted Hendricks is preparing an inevitable downsizing over the next few days. Walter has been the liaison between the magazine and the mysterious independent photographer Sean O'Connell who has sent to him a package of negatives and a wallet as a gift for his work. Sean also suggests to the senior management the use of negative 25 for the cover of the last edition. However, Walter cannot find the negative that is missing. Walter has no means to contact Sean and finds a clue that he might be in Greenland. He decides to travel to Greenland to track Sean down in the beginning of an unbelievable adventure.
The Shape of Water
(2017)
Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Won 4 Oscars. 136 wins & 350 nominations total
From master storyteller Guillermo del Toro comes THE SHAPE OF WATER, an otherworldly fable set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment. Rounding out the cast are Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Doug Jones.
The Shawshank Redemption
(1994)
Stephen King (short story "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"), Frank Darabont (screenplay)
Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 20 nominations.
Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
The Shining
(1980)
Stephen King (novel), Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Diane Johnson (screenplay)
3 wins & 5 nominations.
Signing a contract, Jack Torrance, a normal writer and former teacher agrees to take care of a hotel which has a long, violent past that puts everyone in the hotel in a nervous situation. While Jack slowly gets more violent and angry of his life, his son, Danny, tries to use a special talent, the "Shining", to inform the people outside about whatever that is going on in the hotel.
The Silence of the Lambs
(1991)
Thomas Harris (novel), Ted Tally (screenplay)
Won 5 Oscars. Another 48 wins & 33 nominations.
Young FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight into the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who used to be a respected psychiatrist. FBI agent Jack Crawford believes that Lecter, who is also a very powerful and clever mind manipulator, has the answers to their questions and can help locate the killer. However, Clarice must first gain Lecter's confidence before the inmate will give away any information.
The Snowman
(2017)
Peter Straughan (screenplay by), Hossein Amini (screenplay by), Søren Sveistrup (screenplay by), Jo Nesbø (based on the novel by)
1 nomination.
Detective Harry Hole investigates the disappearance of a woman whose scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman.
The Snowtown Murders
(2011)
Shaun Grant, Shaun Grant (story), Justin Kurzel (story), Debi Marshall (book), Andrew McGarry (book)
22 wins & 22 nominations.
Based on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.
The Social Network
(2010)
Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Ben Mezrich (book)
Won 3 Oscars. Another 157 wins & 153 nominations.
Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, but is later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea, and the cofounder who was later squeezed out of the business.
The Straight Story
(1999)
John Roach, Mary Sweeney
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 18 wins & 39 nominations.
"The Straight Story" chronicles a trip made by 73-year-old Alvin Straight from Laurens, Iowa, to Mt. Zion, Wis., in 1994 while riding a lawn mower. The man undertook his strange journey to mend his relationship with his ill, estranged, 75-year-old brother Lyle.
The Sweeney
(2012)
Nick Love, John Hodge, Ian Kennedy Martin (source material)
3 nominations.
Jack Regan is a slobbish, old style cop whose unsubtle methods usually get results, to the annoyance of internal affairs officer Lewis, who would be even more annoyed if he knew that Regan was having an affair with his young wife, policewoman Nancy. After Regan disobeys orders and a shoot-out in central London following a bank hold-up ends in carnage, he is stripped of office and briefly imprisoned. However, thanks to the loyalty of his young protege George Carter and a little string pulling from his superior Frank Haskins, Regan is released to bring down the villains in a gun battle at Gravesend marina, ensuring the continued existence of his department - the Sweeney.
The Take
(2016)
Andrew Baldwin, James Watkins
N/A
Michael Mason, a pick-pocket living in Paris steals a bag with a teddy bear in it. Not realizing the toy contains a timed bomb, he tosses it aside on a busy street. A few seconds later it explodes, killing four people. CCTV footage reveals Masons face and the French police tag him as a terrorist threat. The explosion, although botched, was set up by a select group of the French Interior Ministry as a decoy so they can make a half billion dollar digital transfer from a bank, (closed on French National Day) -hence the title Bastille Day. In a separate CIA investigation the unruly agent Sean Briar, discovers the real story behind Masons "terrorist attack". The two men, on different sides of the law, collaborate to bring the corrupt members of the Ministry down.
The Tesseract
(2003)
Oxide Chun Pang (screenplay), Patrick Neate (screenplay), Alex Garland (novel)
1 win & 1 nomination.
A psychologist, an Englishman, a bellboy and a wounded female assasin have their fates crossed at a sleazy Bangkok hotel.
The Thin Red Line
(1998)
James Jones (novel), Terrence Malick (screenplay)
Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 40 nominations.
In World War II, the outcome of the battle of Guadalcanal will strongly influence the Japanese advance into the Pacific theater. A group of young soldiers is brought in as a relief for the battle-weary Marines. The exhausting fight for a strategically-positioned airfield that allows control over a 1000-mile radius puts the men of the Army rifle company C-for-Charlie through hell. The horrors of war form the soldiers into a tight-knit group; their emotions develop into bonds of love and even family. The reasons for this war get further away as the world for the men gets smaller and smaller until their fighting is for mere survival and the life of the other men with them.
The Thomas Crown Affair
(1968)
Alan Trustman
Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.
Four men pull off a daring daytime robbery at a bank, dump the money in a trash can and go their separate ways. Thomas Crown, a successful, wealthy businessman pulls up in his Rolls and collects it. Vickie Anderson, an independent insurance investigator is called in to recover the huge haul. She begins to examine the people who knew enough about the bank to have pulled the robbery and discovers Crown. She begins a tight watch on his every move and begins seeing him socially. How does the planner of the perfect crime react to pressure?
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
(2005)
Guillermo Arriaga
4 wins & 8 nominations.
Ranch hand Pete Perkins looks to fulfill the promise to his recently deceased best friend by burying him in his hometown in Mexico.
The Town
(2010)
Peter Craig (screenplay), Ben Affleck (screenplay), Aaron Stockard (screenplay), Chuck Hogan (novel)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 45 nominations.
The Charlestown neighborhood of Boston is renowned for churning out a high number of armed robbers, generation after generation. These robbers never leave their Charlestown life on their own volition, the neighborhood where there is an unwritten code to protect that lifestyle. Such robbers include friends Doug MacRay, James Coughlin, Albert 'Gloansy' Magloan and Desmond Elden. Doug and James in particular treat each other like family, as the Coughlins have realistically been as such to Doug since Doug's mother ran off and Doug's father, Stephen MacRay, was sent to prison. James' single mother sister, the drugged out Krista Coughlin, and Doug have a casual sexual relationship. The foursome carry out a mostly successful bank robbery, but due to circumstances take the bank manager, Claire Keesey, hostage for a short period before releasing her physically unharmed. They find out that Claire lives in Charlestown, so they want to ensure that she did not see anything that could incriminate them if they were to ever run into her. As such, Doug begins a personal relationship with her to find out what she knows and what she's told the police and the FBI, who have taken charge of the investigation. He learns that she has kept some information from the authorities for her own protection but information that could identify James in particular. But Doug slowly falls for her, as she does for him. Ultimately, Doug dreams about leaving his Charlestown life to be with Claire anywhere but there. But Doug has to try and keep his true identity from her, and keep the fact that he is seeing her from his colleagues. But leaving is not as easy as he would like as he and the gang are tasked with a big job by a local gangster named Fergie whether Doug likes it or not. And Adam Frawley, the FBI's lead investigator, comes into evidence that links the foursome to the bank robbery and a subsequent armored car heist, so is on their tail for evidence that will send them away dead or alive.
The Tree of Life
(2011)
Terrence Malick
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 100 wins & 104 nominations.
The story of a family in Waco, Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting teachings.
The United States of Leland
(2003)
Matthew Ryan Hoge
1 win & 2 nominations.
As a detached kid spends time in juvenile hall for the unspeakable murder of a special needs kid, a writer and the people around him try to comprehend and cope with his reasoning for commiting this murder from the writings in a classroom book from his juvenile class, where he tries to let people know "the why".
The Untouchables
(1987)
Oscar Fraley (suggested by book), Eliot Ness (suggested by book), David Mamet
Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 15 nominations.
Federal agent Elliot Ness assembles a personal team of mob fighters to bring Chicago crime boss Al Capone to justice using unconventional means during the mob wars of the 1920s. This fictionalized account of the arrest of Al Capone is heavy on style and gunfire. The end shootout combines a baby carriage and stairs with a nod to Eisenstein's _The Battleship Potemkin_.
The Usual Suspects
(1995)
Christopher McQuarrie
Won 2 Oscars. Another 31 wins & 15 nominations.
Following a truck hijack in New York, five conmen are arrested and brought together for questioning. As none of them are guilty, they plan a revenge operation against the police. The operation goes well, but then the influence of a legendary mastermind criminal called Keyser Söze is felt. It becomes clear that each one of them has wronged Söze at some point and must pay back now. The payback job leaves 27 men dead in a boat explosion, but the real question arises now: Who actually is Keyser Söze?