Oscar-Winning Movies on Philo

Awards season is here, and Philo has a ton of Oscar-winning (and almost-winning) movies for you to enjoy!

Yes, it’s that time of year again when our anticipation grows, and we wait to see if our favorite films of the year also happen to be the favorite films of the over 10,000 Academy voting members. 

And you know, sometimes they get it right. But sometimes they get it so wrong.

As much as we would like to think that the Oscar for Best Picture goes to the most beloved film of the year, that isn’t always the case. While there’s no monolith of what makes a great movie, sometimes the opening of the envelope reveals a growing disconnect between what Hollywood lauds and what the average moviegoer loves.

So, with the awards ceremony just a couple of weeks away, we’ve compiled two lists of films for you to enjoy while you wait: One is filled with movies that took home the statue for Best Picture, while the other is filled with films that lost, but that many believe, should have won. 

So it’s up to you to decide. Did these winners deserve the Oscar, or did these runners-up get robbed?

 

Oscar-Winning Movies:

 

Spotlight (Best Picture 2016)

In 2001, editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigned a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys. Led by editor Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton), reporters Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Matt Carroll, and Sacha Pfeiffer interview victims and try to unseal sensitive documents. The reporters make it their mission to provide proof of a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. 

Watch Spotlight on STARZ (add-on) with Philo.

 

Chicago (Best Picture 2003)

Nightclub sensation Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones) murders her philandering husband, and Chicago’s slickest lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), is set to defend her. But when Roxie (Renée Zellweger) also winds up in prison, Billy takes on her case as well — turning her into a media circus of headlines. 

Watch Chicago on MGM+ (add-on) with Philo.

 

Gladiator (Best Picture 2001)

Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) takes power and strips rank from Maximus (Russell Crowe), one of the favored generals of his predecessor and father, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the great stoical philosopher. Maximus is then relegated to fighting to the death in the gladiator arenas.

Watch Gladiator on Paramount Network with Philo.

 

Shakespeare in Love (Best Picture 1999)

Gwyneth Paltrow stars in this romantic comedy for the 1990s set in the 1590s. It imaginatively unfolds the witty, sexy and timeless tale behind the creation of the greatest love story ever told. A young Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is out of cash and ideas, he meets his ideal woman and she inspires him to write one of his most famous plays.

Watch Shakespeare in Love on MGM+ (add-on) with Philo.

 

The English Patient (Best Picture 1997)

A badly burned man, Laszlo de Almasy (Ralph Fiennes), is tended to by a nurse, Hana (Juliette Binoche), in an Italian monastery near the end of World War II. His past is revealed through flashbacks involving a married Englishwoman (Kristin Scott Thomas) and his work mapping the African landscape. Hana learns to heal her own scars as she helps the dying man.

Watch The English Patient on MGM+ (add-on) with Philo.

 

Braveheart (Best Picture 1996)

The epic story of the legendary thirteenth-century Scottish hero named William Wallace (Mel Gibson). Wallace rallies the Scottish against the English monarch and Edward I (Peter Hanly) after he suffers a personal tragedy by English soldiers. Wallace gathers a group of amateur warriors that is stronger than any English army.

Watch Braveheart on MGM+ (add-on) with Philo.

 

Forrest Gump (Best Picture 1995)

Slow-witted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and thanks to his supportive mother (Sally Field), he leads anything but a restricted life. Whether dominating on the gridiron as a college football star, fighting in Vietnam, or captaining a shrimp boat, Forrest inspires people with his childlike optimism. But one person Forrest cares about most may be the most difficult to save — his childhood love, the sweet but troubled Jenny (Robin Wright).

Watch Forrest Gump on VH1 with Philo.

 

Terms of Endearment (Best Picture 1984)

Widow Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter, Emma (Debra Winger), have a strong bond, but Emma marries teacher Flap Horton (Jeff Daniels) against her mother’s wishes. When the marriage grows sour due to Flap’s cheating, Emma eventually splits from him, returning to her mother, who is involved with a former astronaut (Jack Nicholson).

Watch Terms of Endearment on MGM+ (add-on) with Philo.

 

In the Heat of the Night (Best Picture 1968)

Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

Watch In the Heat of the Night on HDNet Movies (add-on) with Philo.

 

The Apartment (Best Picture 1961)

Insurance worker C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) lends his Upper West Side apartment to company bosses to use for extramarital affairs. When his manager Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray) begins using Baxter’s apartment in exchange for promoting him, Baxter is disappointed to learn that Sheldrake’s mistress is Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), the elevator girl at work whom Baxter is interested in himself. Soon, Baxter must decide between the girl he loves and the advancement of his career.

Watch The Apartment on MGM+ (add-on) with Philo.

 

The Greatest Show on Earth (Best Picture 1953)

The Greatest Show on Earth is a dazzling spectacle of life behind the scenes with Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey Circus, the best three-ring circus in the land. Celebrates the extravagant three-ring circus and depicts the passionate scenes of love and jealousy behind the greatest show on Earth.

Watch The Greatest Show on Earth on MGM+ (add-on) with Philo.

 

The Runners-Up:

 

La La Land (Lost to Moonlight in 2017)

Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) are drawn together by their common desire to do what they love. But as success mounts, they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart. 

Watch La La Land on HerSphere by Lionsgate (free channel) with Philo.

 

Boyhood (Lost to Birdman in 2015)

The joys and pitfalls of growing up are seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his parents (Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke), and his sister (Lorelei Linklater). Vignettes, filmed with the same cast over the course of 12 years, capture family meals, road trips, birthday parties, graduation,s and other important milestones. 

Watch Boyhood on AMC+ with Philo.

 

The Sixth Sense (Lost to American Beauty in 1999)

Young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). 

Watch The Sixth Sense on AMC with Philo.

 

Pulp Fiction (Lost to Forrest Gump in 1995)

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen with a penchant for philosophical discussions. In this ultra-hip, multi-strand crime movie, their storyline is interwoven with those of their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) ; his actress wife, Mia (Uma Thurman) ; struggling boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) ; master fixer Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) and a nervous pair of armed robbers, Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer).

Watch Pulp Fiction on AMC+ with Philo.

 

The Shawshank Redemption (Lost to Forrest Gump in 1995)

Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to a tough prison. However, only Andy knows he didn’t commit the crimes. While there, he forms a friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), experiences the brutality of prison life, adapts, helps the warden, etc., all in 19 years.

Watch The Shawshank Redemption on Vice with Philo.

 

Goodfellas (Lost to Dances with Wolves in 1991)

Martin Scorsese’s mobster classic follows Henry Hill, a poor Irish-Italian boy growing up in 1950s New York City, who rises through the ranks of his neighborhood’s organized crime branch. After testifying against his former partners, he ends up in the FBI’s witness protection program.

Watch Goodfellas on AMC+ with Philo.

 

Broadcast News (Lost to The Last Emperor in 1988)

Intelligent satire of American television news. A highly strung news producer finds herself strangely attracted to a vapid anchorman even though she loathes everything he personifies. To make matters worse, her best friend, a talented but not particularly telegenic news reporter, is secretly in love with her.

Watch Broadcast News on STARZ (add-on) with Philo.

 

Raiders of the Lost Ark (Lost to Chariots of Fire in 1981)

Harrison Ford stars as Dr. Indiana Jones, a renowned archeologist and expert in the occult, is hired by the U.S. Government to find the ark of the covenant, which is believed to still hold the Ten Commandments. Unfortunately, Hitler’s agents are also after the ark. Indy and his ex-flame Marion escape from various close scrapes in a quest that takes them from Nepal to Cairo.

Watch Raiders of the Lost Ark on Paramount Network with Philo.

 

Breaking Away (Lost to Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980)

Dave (Dennis Christopher) and his working-class friends Cyril (Daniel Stern), Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley) and Mike (Dennis Quaid) spend their post-high school days in Bloomington, Indiana, sparring with snooty students from the local university, chasing girls and–in Dave’s case–dreaming of competitive bicycle racing. The four friends face opposition from all corners as they decide to make Dave’s dreams come true in the university’s annual bicycle endurance race.

Watch Breaking Away on MOVIES! (add-on) with Philo.

 

12 Angry Men (Lost to The Bridge on the River Kwai in 1958)

Following the closing arguments in a murder trial, the 12 members of the jury must deliberate, with a guilty verdict meaning death for the accused, an inner-city teen. As the dozen men try to reach a unanimous decision while sequestered in a room, one juror (Henry Fonda) casts considerable doubt on elements of the case. Personal issues soon rise to the surface, and conflict threatens to derail the delicate process that will decide one boy’s fate.

Watch 12 Angry Men on MGM+ (add-on) with Philo.

 

Not in the mood for a movie? Philo also has a ton of critically acclaimed shows for you to binge.

 

What are add-ons?

Philo has a whole world of entertainment for you to explore, and if you haven’t checked out our premium add-ons like MGM+, STARZ, Hallmark+, ALLBLK, and our Movies & More package, then you’ve barely scratched the surface. 

And the best part? All of our add-ons are available for a 7-day free trial!  Click HERE to learn how you can get even more of the movies and shows you love with Philo.

 

Note: At the time of publication, all of the above movies were available on demand or coming soon to Philo. We’re constantly striving to bring you the best content for the best price, so, for that reason, some content offerings are subject to change based on network availability. Check out our What’s New post to see the top shows and movies coming soon to Philo.