caught 2 very disappointing films today (shrek 3 and pirates 3). i literally felt my life being leached away. i've decided to be more selective in my choice of entertainment - am thinking i should rent vcds instead of watching summer blockbusters the moment they are released. i'll save a bit of money too. in any case movie-watching is a fairly passive affair (during the show, and for many people, after as well - when was the last time you had a half-decent conversation about the merits of a film with anyone?).

right now i've recalled telling myself i'd catch all the movies that have been awarded the best picture oscar (as a reminder to myself, i've caught the shows with titles that are italicised and in bold):

1927/28 (1st) OUTSTANDING PICTURE* Wings
1928/29 (2nd) OUTSTANDING PICTURE* The Broadway Melody
1929/30 (3rd) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* All Quiet on the Western Front
1930/31 (4th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* Cimarron
1931/32 (5th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* Grand Hotel
1932/33 (6th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* Cavalcade
1934 (7th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* It Happened One Night
1935 (8th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 (9th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* The Great Ziegfeld
1937 (10th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* The Life of Emile Zola
1938 (11th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* You Can't Take It with You
1939 (12th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* Gone with the Wind
1940 (13th) OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION* Rebecca
1941 (14th) OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE* How Green Was My Valley
1942 (15th) OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE* Mrs. Miniver
1943 (16th) OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE* Casablanca
1944 (17th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* Going My Way
1945 (18th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* The Lost Weekend
1946 (19th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 (20th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* Gentleman's Agreement
1948 (21st) BEST MOTION PICTURE* Hamlet
1949 (22nd) BEST MOTION PICTURE* All the King's Men
1950 (23rd) BEST MOTION PICTURE* All about Eve
1951 (24th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* An American in Paris
1952 (25th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 (26th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* From Here to Eternity
1954 (27th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* On the Waterfront
1955 (28th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* Marty
1956 (29th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* Around the World in 80 Days
1957 (30th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 (31st) BEST MOTION PICTURE* Gigi
1959 (32nd) BEST MOTION PICTURE* Ben-Hur
1960 (33rd) BEST MOTION PICTURE* The Apartment
1961 (34th) BEST MOTION PICTURE* West Side Story
1962 (35th) BEST PICTURE* Lawrence of Arabia
1963 (36th) BEST PICTURE* Tom Jones
1964 (37th) BEST PICTURE* My Fair Lady
1965 (38th) BEST PICTURE* The Sound of Music
1966 (39th) BEST PICTURE* A Man for All Seasons
1967 (40th) BEST PICTURE* In the Heat of the Night
1968 (41st) BEST PICTURE* Oliver!
1969 (42nd) BEST PICTURE* Midnight Cowboy
1970 (43rd) BEST PICTURE* Patton
1971 (44th) BEST PICTURE* The French Connection
1972 (45th) BEST PICTURE* The Godfather
1973 (46th) BEST PICTURE* The Sting
1974 (47th) BEST PICTURE* The Godfather Part II
1975 (48th) BEST PICTURE* One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 (49th) BEST PICTURE* Rocky
1977 (50th) BEST PICTURE* Annie Hall
1978 (51st) BEST PICTURE* The Deer Hunter
1979 (52nd) BEST PICTURE* Kramer vs. Kramer
1980 (53rd) BEST PICTURE* Ordinary People
1981 (54th) BEST PICTURE* Chariots of Fire
1982 (55th) BEST PICTURE* Gandhi
1983 (56th) BEST PICTURE* Terms of Endearment
1984 (57th) BEST PICTURE* Amadeus
1985 (58th) BEST PICTURE* Out of Africa
1986 (59th) BEST PICTURE* Platoon
1987 (60th) BEST PICTURE* The Last Emperor
1988 (61st) BEST PICTURE* Rain Man
1989 (62nd) BEST PICTURE* Driving Miss Daisy
1990 (63rd) BEST PICTURE* Dances With Wolves
1991 (64th) BEST PICTURE* The Silence of the Lambs
1992 (65th) BEST PICTURE* Unforgiven
1993 (66th) BEST PICTURE* Schindler's List
1994 (67th) BEST PICTURE* Forrest Gump
1995 (68th) BEST PICTURE* Braveheart
1996 (69th) BEST PICTURE* The English Patient
1997 (70th) BEST PICTURE* Titanic
1998 (71st) BEST PICTURE* Shakespeare in Love
1999 (72nd) BEST PICTURE* American Beauty
2000 (73rd) BEST PICTURE* Gladiator
2001 (74th) BEST PICTURE* A Beautiful Mind
2002 (75th) BEST PICTURE* Chicago
2003 (76th) BEST PICTURE* The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 (77th) BEST PICTURE* Million Dollar Baby
2005 (78th) BEST PICTURE* Crash
2006 (79th) BEST PICTURE* The Departed