The Oscars are the one time each year to really celebrate movies that were exceptional—and to find out who won the coveted Academy Awards. To relive the Oscars from last weekend, March is the month for binge-worthy Academy Award–nominated movies from years prior. Find our top 50 picks on Swank, with free streaming from Fulton Library with your UVU account:

1. 12 Angry Men (1957): A jury of 12 men deliberates the fate of a young man accused of murder, where one juror fights to persuade the others to consider reasonable doubt. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Director (Sidney Lumet) and Best Adapted Screenplay in 1958.
2. American Fiction (2023): A satire about an African American writer navigating the complexities of race and identity in the literary world. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2024.
3. Apollo 13 (1995): Based on the true story of the ill-fated Apollo 13 space mission, where astronauts fight for their lives to return to Earth. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Film Editing and Best Sound in 1996.
4. Babe (1995): A gentle pig raised by sheepdogs learns how to herd sheep, proving himself a hero in the process. It won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1996.
5. Beauty and the Beast (2017): In this live-action remake, a young woman is held captive by the Beast in his enchanted castle and learns to look beyond his exterior to recognize the kind heart within. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Production Design and Best Costume Design in 2018.
6. Black Hawk Down (2001): A group of U.S. soldiers must fight for survival after a mission to capture a Somali warlord goes horribly wrong. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Film Editing and Best Sound in 2002.
7. The Blind Side (2009): The true story of Michael Oher, a homeless African American teen who is taken in by a wealthy family and becomes an NFL player. It won an Academy Award for Best Actress (Sandra Bullock) in 2010.
8. Casablanca (1942): Set during World War II, a nightclub owner in Casablanca must decide whether to help his former lover and her husband escape from the Nazis. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Curtiz), and Best Adapted Screenplay in 1943.
9. Children of Men (2006): In a dystopian future where humans have become infertile, a disillusioned man must protect a young woman who is pregnant with humanity's hope. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
10.   Citizen Kane (1941): A reporter investigates the life of a wealthy newspaper tycoon, uncovering the mystery of his final word. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1942.
11.   The Dark Knight (2008): Batman faces the Joker, a criminal mastermind who seeks to create chaos in Gotham City. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Heath Ledger) in 2009.
12.   The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007): A man is left paralyzed after a stroke but learns to communicate through blinking, recounting his life story. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
13.   Strangelove (1964): A fanatical U.S. general launches a nuclear attack on Russia during the Cold War, but the President and his advisors are shocked to learn that the Russians have technology that will destroy the world in the event of an attack on them. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Actor, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay in 1965.
14.   Dunkirk (2017): A tense, realistic portrayal of the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk during World War II. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Director (Christopher Nolan) and Best Editing in 2018.
15.   Erin Brockovich (2000): Based on a true story, a legal assistant fights to expose a corporation's role in poisoning a small town's water supply. It won an Academy Award for Best Actress (Julia Roberts) in 2001.
16.   The Florida Project (2017): A young girl and her mother live in a budget motel near Disney World, struggling to make ends meet. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe) in 2018.
17.   Gaslight (1944): A woman begins to question her sanity when her husband manipulates her into doubting her own memories in this classic thriller. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Ingrid Bergman) in 1945.
18.   Good Will Hunting (1997): A young janitor at MIT, with a brilliant mind for mathematics, must confront his troubled past with the help of a therapist. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in 1998.
19.   Green Book (2018): The true story of an African American pianist and his Italian American driver navigating the segregated South in the 1960s. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) in 2019.
20.   Hugo (2011): A young orphan boy living in a Paris train station embarks on a journey to unlock the secrets of an automaton and his father’s legacy. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction in 2012.
21.   The Imitation Game (2014): The life of Alan Turing, the brilliant mathematician who cracked the German Enigma code during World War II, is explored. It won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2015.
22.   The Iron Lady (2011): A biographical drama about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her political career. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Meryl Streep) in 2012.
23.   It Happened One Night (1934): A runaway heiress and a newspaperman on the trail of her story develop a romantic bond during their adventures. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Clark Gable) in 1935.
24.   Jaws (1975): A great white shark terrorizes a small beach town, and a group of men must stop it before it kills again. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Original Score in 1976.
25.   Jurassic Park (1993): Scientists bring dinosaurs back to life through cloning, leading to chaos when the creatures break loose. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects in 1994.
26.   The Killing Fields (1984): A journalist and his Cambodian guide escape the Khmer Rouge regime during the Cambodian genocide. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Haing S. Ngor) in 1985.
27.   La Cage aux Folles (1978): A gay couple, an of whom works as a drag club owner, must hide their lifestyle when the son of one of them announces his engagement to a conservative woman. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1979.
28.   Lawrence of Arabia (1962): The epic true story of British officer T.E. Lawrence's adventures in the Arabian Desert during World War I. It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (David Lean) in 1963.
29.   A League of Their Own (1992): This film tells the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score in 1993.
30.   Life Is Beautiful (La Vita È Bella) (1997): A Jewish Italian man uses humor and imagination to protect his son from the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Roberto Benigni) in 1999.
31.   Lincoln (2012): President Abraham Lincoln works to pass the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, while navigating a divided country during the Civil War. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) in 2013.
32.   The Little Mermaid (1989): A young mermaid trades her voice for human legs to win the love of a prince. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Under the Sea") in 1990.
33.   Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): A post-apocalyptic action film following Max and Furiosa as they escape a tyrannical warlord. It won six Academy Awards, including Best Editing and Best Production Design in 2016.
34.   Moonrise Kingdom (2012): Two young lovers run away together, causing a search party to embark on a quirky adventure in this Wes Anderson film. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2013.
35.   No Country for Old Men (2007): A hunter finds a suitcase of money and sets off a violent series of events in this crime thriller. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director in 2008.
36.   Oppenheimer (2023): The biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist behind the atomic bomb, explores his role in its creation and the moral dilemmas that follow. It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Cillian Murphy).
37.   Platoon (1986): A young soldier's experience in the Vietnam War transforms as he faces the brutality of combat. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Oliver Stone) in 1987.
38.   A Quiet Place (2018): A family must live in complete silence to avoid creatures that hunt by sound in this thrilling post-apocalyptic world. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing in 2019.
39.   Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Adventurer Indiana Jones races against Nazi agents to find the biblical Ark of the Covenant. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects in 1982.
40.   Roman Holiday (1953): A princess escapes her royal duties for a day of freedom in Rome, where she falls in love with an American reporter. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Audrey Hepburn) in 1954.
41.   Saving Private Ryan (1998): A group of soldiers is sent behind enemy lines to find and bring home a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Director (Steven Spielberg) in 1999.
42.   Schindler's List (1993): Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, who saved over a thousand Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Steven Spielberg) in 1994.
43.   The Shawshank Redemption (1994): A man wrongfully convicted of murder befriends a fellow inmate and spends years plotting his escape. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Original Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
44.   Shrek (2001): An ogre embarks on a journey to rescue a princess, only to discover that beauty is more than skin deep. It won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002.
45.   The Silence of the Lambs (1991): A young FBI agent seeks the help of the incarcerated Hannibal Lecter to catch a serial killer. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins) in 1992.
46.   Silver Linings Playbook (2012): A man recovering from mental illness falls in love with a woman dealing with her own issues in this romantic comedy-drama. It won an Academy Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence) in 2013.
47.   Singin' in the Rain (1952): A musical comedy about Hollywood’s transition from silent films to talkies. It was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Musical.
48.   A Streetcar Named Desire (1951): A troubled woman moves in with her sister and her abusive husband, leading to tragic consequences. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Karl Malden and Best Art Direction in 1952.
49.   To Kill a Mockingbird (1962): A young girl observes her father, a lawyer, defend a black man unjustly accused of raping a white woman in the segregated South. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Gregory Peck) in 1963.
50.   The Wizard of Oz (1939): A young girl is transported to a magical land and embarks on a journey to meet the wizard who can help her return home. It won two Academy Awards, including Best Original Song ("Over the Rainbow") in 1940.

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