At their best, films have the power to inspire, empower, enlighten, uplift, and challenge. Reel Inspiration promotes films at their best! Reel Inspiration promotes diverse narrative films with high production values and entertaining, meaningful stories. You know... movies you can watch more than once because they have something to say, movies that reflect the condition of our society, the nature of our relationships or the issues of our times - movies that move us.

I've compiled a list of 50 Oscar winners that I feel fit Reel Inspiration's criteria for promotion. The films are taken from a list of Best Picture, Best Adaptation, Best Screenplay, and Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winners. You may notice that a majority of the Best Picture winners also won best screenplay or adaptation (or were nominated for these awards.) I believe that what made these films winners is that they had important themes -- that comes from great writing. So I've included the screenwriters when they won in their category.

Included on my list are: classic epic films (Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Gandhi) that not only inspire us with their grandeur but with themes worthy of their stature, smart adult dramas (On the Water Front, Best Years of Our Lives, Coming Home, Kramer Vs. Kramer, In the Heat of the Night, Crash) that move us while putting a mirror to our society, honest dramas (On Golden Pond, Terms of Endearment, Driving Miss Daisy, Rain Man) that move us with their humanity, comedies (Little Miss Sunshine, Annie Hall) that deal truthfully with real relationships, classics (Casablanca, To Kill a Mockingbird, Schindler's List) with heroes that overcome great adversity to fight for what is right, musicals (Sound of Music, West Side Story, Oliver) that not only entertain but move us with powerful themes, wildly original dramas (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, American Beauty) that delight us with their creativity and new perspectives.

For the list 50 films that Reel Inspiration recommends, visit: http://reelinspiration.blogspot.com/

I'd love to hear your additions or comments.

Movie Blessings,
Jana Segal
Reel Inspiration

Thanks for the post and link Jana.

Since the Oscars snubbed my favorite movie It's a Wonderful Life, they are dead to me. I think Frederic March did a fantastic job in Best Years of Our Lives, but that Oscar should have went to Jimmy, and it was wrong. It was as wrong as when the MVP award was given to Zoilo Versalles in 1965.

I love "It's a Wonderful Life" too! I will be honoring "It's a Wonderful Life" and other meaningful Oscar nominated films with another Reel Inspiration list sometime soon. I imagine "Best Years of Our Lives" won because it resonated with what people were going through at that time. Of course, It's a Wonderful Life has lived on in our hearts. (Not to mention TV land.)

Jana
http://reelinspiration.blogspot.com/