Top 50 Movies Snubbed by Oscar
AMC Movie List

Top 50 Movies Snubbed by Oscar

Despite being time-honored classics, not one of these movies got a single Academy Award nomination. Which one is the best movie to be completely overlooked?

rank title points votes your vote
1 The Shining
Snowbound with his family in a sinister resort hotel, an alcoholic writer (Jack Nicholson) gives in to his demons. 179 681
2 Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Tarantino's debut begins with a botched heist, and then gradually reveals how it came together and fell apart. 151 599
3 The Searchers
Bitter Civil War vet (John Wayne) channels his fury into searching for his niece (Natalie Wood) who's been abducted by Comanches. 125 551
4 Monty Python and the Holy Grail
A cultishly revered UK comic troupe puts an irreverant spin on the mythic quest for a sacred relic. 124 560
5 The Big Lebowski
Slacker bowling enthusiast (Jeff Bridges) gets entangled in fishy kidnapping in the Coen Brothers' cult comedy. 117 571
6 King Kong
Snatched from his remote jungle home, a giant ape wreaks havoc in NYC for love of a platinum blonde (Fay Wray). 97 467
7 Scarface
Ambitious young gangster (Paul Muni, not Al Pacino) murders his way up the underworld ladder, making enemies with every step. 92 518
8 Frankenstein
Boris Karloff's star-making performance focuses on the iconic monster's heartbreaking humanity. 88 388
9 Heat
Longtime cop (Al Pacino) and seasoned crook (Robert De Niro) develop an unlikely and dangerous bond. 88 464
10 Rio Bravo
Middle-aged sheriff (John Wayne) and alcoholic deputy (Dean Martin) take a stand against an unscrupulous rancher. 84 492
11 The Thing
The staff of a snowed-in Arctic research facility discovers a murderous alien life form in this John Carpenter classic. 73 451
12 The Big Sleep
Tough-guy (Humphrey Bogart) and dangerous dame (Lauren Bacall) sizzle in this seminal if confusing noir thriller. 52 334
13 The Day the Earth Stood Still
Suspicious humans misinterpret the intentions of a benevolent alien and his giant robot named Gort. 51 383
14 Metropolis
The idle rich ignore the wretched poor in Fritz Lang's silent parable, set in a glittering city of the future. 43 301
15 The Night of the Hunter
Sociopathic preacher Robert Mitchum menaces two children in hopes they can lead him to hidden loot in this gothic thriller. 43 327
16 Touch of Evil
Corrupt, racist police captain (Orson Welles) meets his match in a Mexican-American DEA agent (Charlton Heston). 43 321
17 Paths of Glory
In Stanley Kubrick's career-making third feature film, a rigged court-martial lays bare the petty cruelty that thrives in wartime. 32 344
18 His Girl Friday
Newspaper editor (Cary Grant) schemes to win back his ex-wife and former reporter (Rosalind Russell), before she remarries. 31 343
19 My Darling Clementine
Western specialist John Ford's version of the historic showdown at the OK Corral involving Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda). 28 298
20 Duck Soup
The Marx Brothers poke wicked fun at international politics in this still timely anti-war comedy. 25 371
21 This Is Spinal Tap
This pioneering mockumentary follows the rise and fall of a clueless heavy-metal group. 22 340
22 Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Smalltown MD (Kevin McCarthy) learns that aliens are replacing his friends and neighbors -- but who will believe him? 21 321
23 Bringing Up Baby
Madcap heiress (Katharine Hepburn) wreaks havoc with the life of a staid paleontologist (Cary Grant) in this vintage rom-com. 15 319
24 Modern Times
Out of step with the fast-paced modern world, Chaplin's hapless Little Tramp is battered but never beaten. 15 359
25 Mean Streets
This story of childhood friends (Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro) facing adult decisions jump-started Martin Scorsese's career. 9 297
26 City Lights
Charlie Chaplin's eternally hopeful Little Tramp silently suffers life's vicissitudes while curing a flower girl's blindness. 6 312
27 A Night at the Opera
After the brilliant stateroom scene, a variation on the classic "clown car" gag, The Marx Brothers invade the world of opera. -21 301
28 Blood Simple
This sweaty and cynical thriller about dirty deeds in America's heartland put the Coen brothers on the map. -22 280
29 The Wild One
Rival biker gangs led by Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin, raise hell in a small town. -29 251
30 A Face in the Crowd
An amoral huckster (Andy Griffith) parlays his folksy charm into fame and power in this bitter indictment of media-driven politics. -36 244
31 Out of the Past
Former private eye Robert Mitchum's quiet new life is destroyed by an icy femme fatale from the past he tried to escape. -36 230
32 Gilda
In this Charles Vidor pic, a dazzling gold digger (Rita Hayworth) leaves a trail of ruined men in her wake. -40 236
33 The Big Heat
An honest detective (Glenn Ford) takes on mobsters and crooked cops in Fritz Lang's masterful crime thriller. -42 216
34 The Haunting
Four volunteers (Claire Bloom, Julie Harris, Russ Tamblyn, Richard Johnson) move into haunted house to be confronted by their own demons. -42 242
35 Sweet Smell of Success
Ambitious publicist (Tony Curtis) caters shamelessly to the whims of a sadistic NYC columnist (Burt Lancaster). -42 232
36 Point Blank
Betrayed by everyone he trusted, professional thief Lee Marvin declares war on his old associates. -46 230
37 Sullivan's Travels
Comedy director (Joel McCrea) learns that in the cruel world, there's no shame in making people laugh. -60 228
38 In a Lonely Place
Director Nicholas Ray shows a haunted WWII veteran-turned-screenwriter (Humphrey Bogart) who may also be a murderer. -66 208
39 Walkabout
From director Nicolas Roeg: English children lost in the Australian outback form an alliance with an Aboriginal teen during his walkabout. -75 213
40 Kiss Me Deadly
Mickey Spillane's brutal detective, Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker), stumbles onto an apocalyptic conspiracy. -78 206
41 The Women
Backbiting society wives (Rosalind Russell among them) gossip when a friend's husband leaves her for a shop girl (Joan Crawford). -79 219
42 Scarlet Street
Hen-pecked cashier (Edward G. Robinson) impulsively helps an amoral prostitute (Joan Bennett) who then destroys his life. -86 190
43 Don't Look Now
Shattered by their child's death, a couple (Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie) retreats to Venice but finds more terror. -88 214
44 Trouble in Paradise
Quintessential Ernst Lubitsch: A con man and a beautiful thief team up, but love gets in the way of larceny. -88 196
45 The Innocents
A fragile, unworldly governess (Deborah Kerr) begins to believe that two children are possessed by degenerat spirits. -92 200
46 The Palm Beach Story
Mistaken identities, marital mishaps, drunken millionaires and scheming women converge in Preston Sturges' screwball comedy. -94 190
47 Repulsion
Madness gradually engulfs a young manicurist (Catherine Deneuve) in Roman Polanski's psychological thriller. -100 242
48 Letter from an Unknown Woman
Unrequited love for a cad dominates a woman's life in Max Ophuls' tragic romance. -101 211
49 They Live by Night
Depression-era teens (Farley Granger, Cathy O'Donnell) fall into a life of crime for which they're unprepared. -107 197
50 Gun Crazy
In this Bonnie and Clyde story, a couple's mutual erotic fixation on guns leads them into a deadly crime spree. -108 214