Movies: Oscar Winner, Close, Snubbed Quiz

Answer: Won

"Forrest Gump" follows a young man (played by Tom Hanks) as he plays college football, serves in the Vietnam War, and starts a shrimp business. It also closely follows his sometimes-complex relationships with his mother and his childhood friend named Jenny. Forrest acts rather naïve but that simple nature and his fierce determination is what gives him so much depth.

The movie, released in 1994, won six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director (for Robert Zemeckis) and Best Actor for Hanks. Interestingly, many historical scenes were created using visual effects that were ground-breaking for that time in the mid 90s. Forrest was inserted into footage showing him with real presidents such as Kennedy and Nixon.

Answer: Won

The movie, about the doomed ship, was released in 1997 and was directed by James Cameron. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack and Kate Winslet as Rose. Jack and Rose are two passengers from very different social classes who are on board. They, of course, fall in love during the voyage. I hope this isn't a spoiler alert, but the ship hits an iceberg and the two main characters must struggle to survive through the chaos.

The movie won eleven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for Cameron. This large amount of Oscar wins that night tied the movie "Ben-Hur" for most wins. The song in the movie called "My Heart Will Go On" (another Oscar winner) became a huge global hit.

Answer: Won

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was released in 2003 and directed by Peter Jackson. It stars Elijah Wood as Frodo (a hobbit), Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn (a mortal), and Ian McKellen as Gandalf (a wizard). The story follows a huge battle to save Middle-earth from a powerful dark lord named Sauron. While armies fight, Frodo must try to destroy the One Ring (an ultimate source of power that can destroy most creatures) by throwing it into the fires of Mount Doom.

The movie won eleven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director (for Jackson), and Best Visual Effects. Those wins tied it that evening with "Ben-Hur" and "Titanic" which both had 11 wins also. The movie is part of a trilogy and more than 20,000 props and costume parts were created for the series.

Answer: Won

The movie "Schindler's List" was released in 1993 and directed by Steven Spielberg. The movie is about a man named Oskar Schindler (played by Liam Neeson). Schindler is a German businessman who at first profits from his wartime factory in Nazi-occupied Poland. However, he comes to risk his life and fortune to protect more than 1,000 Jewish workers. It is based on a true story.

The film won seven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director (for Spielberg) and Best Cinematography. It was shot mostly in black and white to resemble actual historical newsreels from WWII. In a touching moment, the real surviving workers who were saved by Schindler appeared at the end of the film.

Answer: Nominated but Lost

"Star Wars", released in 1977 and directed by George Lucas, was actually the first in the franchise to be shown but was the fourth episode in the story. Therefore, it was later retitled "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope". It stars Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. The film follows Skywalker as he joins a rebellion against the Galactic Empire, rescues the princess, and destroys the Death Star.

The film received ten Oscar nominations and won categories like Best Original Score and Best Film Editing but did not win Best Picture. The special effects company was created specifically for the movie and ended up helping to transform visual effects in the industry. The movie became incredibly influential and launched the huge "Star Wars" franchise.

Answer: Nominated but Lost

"E.T the Extra-Terrestrial" was released in 1982 and directed by Steven Spielberg. It starred a young Henry Thomas as Elliott, a lonely boy who discovers an alien he names "E.T". The film then follows Elliott and his family as they hide the beloved little alien from the government agency tracking it. They also aid E.T. in trying to go home while developing a deep friendship, and even love, with the cute creature.

The movie received nine Oscar nominations and won four, including Best Sound and Best Original Score. It did not win the Best Picture. However, its famous flying bicycle scene across the moon (with Elliott and E.T.) became one of the most iconic images in motion picture history.

Answer: Nominated but Lost

"The Shawshank Redemption" was released in 1994 and directed by Frank Darabont. It stars Tim Robbins as Andy and Morgan Freeman as Red. They are two prisoners in Shawshank State Penitentiary. The movie follows Andy, who was wrongly convicted of murder, as he forms an unlikely bond with Red, an African-American longtime inmate. Andy survives years in the prison, devising escape plans, as he interacts with fellow prisoners and corrupt authorities.

The movie received seven Oscar nominations but, very surprisingly, did not win a single award. Although it didn't win an Oscar and was not, at first, a box office hit, it became hugely popular through cable television and home video. The prison was the old Ohio State Reformatory and became a tourist attraction after the movie.

Answer: Nominated but Lost

"Avatar" was released in 2009 and directed by James Cameron and stars Sam Worthington as Jake Sully and Zoe Saldana as Neytiri. The movie story takes place on an alien moon called Pandora (inhabited by the Na'vi), where humans are trying to mine resources. Jake, who is wheelchair bound, uses a special pod to transfer his human consciousness into a genetically engineered Na'vi-human hybrid body so he can explore Pandora and walk again. The film then follows his exploits as he begins to side with the locals against his fellow humans.

The movie was nominated for nine Oscars and won three, including Best Art Direction. It did not win Best Picture. It did, however, also win Best Cinematography, which is a testament to the fact that Cameron spent years waiting for technology to improve enough to make the movie the way he had envisioned it done.

Answer: Snubbed

"The Shining" was released in 1980 and was directed by Stanley Kubrick. It stars Jack Nicholson as Jack and Shelley Duvall as Wendy. The story covers Jack, who is a struggling writer who takes a winter job as a caretaker in an isolated, and rather scary, hotel with his wife and son. As the snow traps them, strange supernatural happenings and Jack's growing insanity turn the hotel into a horror scene.

The movie received no Oscar nominations at all. At the time, horror movies were not taken very seriously by the Academy (which favored dramas and biographical films). Plus, critics were supposedly disappointed by the movie's slower pace and differences from the novel written by Stephen King.

Answer: Snubbed

"Psycho" was released in 1960 and directed by the famous Alfred Hitchcock. The movie stars Tony Perkins as Norman Bates and Janet Leigh as Marion. The story follows Marion stealing some money and leaving town. She then, in a bad decision, stops at the eerie and isolated Bates Motel. There she runs into the shy and awkward Norman Bates. The movie then turns into a psychological thriller.

The film received four Oscar nominations but won none of them. It was not even nominated for Best Picture. The shocking violence (think shower scene) and subject matter were fairly controversial for the audiences in 1960 and some viewers found it much too scary. Despite this, the film later became recognised as a masterpiece of suspense.

Answer: Snubbed

"The Dark Knight" was released in 2008 and directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as the Joker. The movie follows the superhero Batman as he tries to stop the Joker, who is spreading problems all through Gotham City. The Joker continuously attempts to prove that ordinary people and heroes alike will abandon their morals and descend into chaos when pushed far enough. Batman must fight villains and his own innate demons.

The film received eight Oscar nominations and won two, including Best Supporting Actor for Ledger. It did not get nominated for Best Picture. Many critics and audiences believed it deserved a nomination but superhero movies in the early 2000s were not garnering those accolades. The omission caused such backlash, however, that the Oscars later expanded the Best Picture category from 5 to 10 nominees.

Answer: Snubbed

"Singin' in the Rain" was released in 1952 and directed by both Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. Kelly also starred in the musical, along with Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. The story takes place in Hollywood as silent movies are giving way to "talking pictures". Kelly, a silent film star, must struggle to adapt to the new medium. This is especially difficult, in a humerous way, when one of the silent starlets has a hideous speaking voice.

The film received only two nominations (none for Best Picture) and won neither of them. Musicals, at the time, were considered light entertainment rather than serious movies. However, over time, people grew to greatly appreciate the film's amazing choreography, music, and filmmaking innovations (e.g. making the rain clearly visible).