The annual Academy Awards ceremony, set to air in March 2022, has cinema fans buzzing. Many are speculating which of the ten films nominated for Best Picture will take home the Oscar. Among the nominees are some films that have stirred controversy, including Adam McKay's Don't Look Up and Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza.

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Over the 94 years of film commemoration, several films have taken home Best Picture that left critics and film fans scratching their heads. Thankfully, none of the films nominated this year are as arguably undeserving of the award as some of these choices. These ten films surprisingly beat out some all-time classics for Best Picture.

10 1978: Annie Hall Beats Star Wars

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton talking in Annie Hall; Han, Chewy, Luke, and Leia in the Death Star in Star Wars

Woody Allen tends to be a subject of controversy all by himself these days, and for good reason. However, Annie Hall dominated at the 1978 Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actress (for Diane Keaton). The film is also considered by many to be one of the greatest comedies ever made.

Some of the film's content hasn't aged well though, especially in light of Woody Allen's personal scandals. The film was also up against Star Wars, a summer blockbuster that remains one of the most culturally significant films of all time. Who would've guessed in 1978 that George Lucas's sci-fi B-movie would become what it is today?

9 1980: Kramer vs Kramer Beats Apocalypse Now

Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep arguing over dinner in Kramer vs Kramer; Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now

This legal drama surrounding a couple's divorce and the effect it has on their relationship and their child doesn't seem so original these days. This is especially true when fellow Best Picture nominees like Marriage Story cover the subject through a modern lens. However, in 1979 when it was released, audiences weren't used to the subject.

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Even at the time, critics were baffled by the choice to award Kramer vs Kramer with Best Picture over Francis Ford Coppola's groundbreaking Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now. Combine that with allegations of Hoffman's abusive behavior towards Streep on set, and today, this choice seems even more misguided.

8 1990: Driving Miss Daisy Beats Dead Poets Society

Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy in Driving Miss Daisy; Robin Williams standing on desks in Dead Poets Society

Critics today are not as kind towards Driving Miss Daisy as they were in 1989 when the film was released. The film stars Morgan Freeman as the chauffeur of the wealthy titular character played by Jessica Tandy. Its poor handling of the issue of racism led to a poll in 2015 where Academy members voted in My Left Foot's favor instead.

The Robin Williams-led drama Dead Poets Society (nominated against Driving Miss Daisy) would've been a well-deserved choice to take home the Oscar. Furthermore, Spike Lee's iconic Do The Right Thing wasn't even nominated. This film's win is a perfect example of the Academy succumbing to bias and racial insensitivity.

7 1999: Shakespeare In Love Beats Saving Private Ryan

Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love; Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan

This romantic period drama (produced by the disgraced Harvey Weinstein) stars Joseph Fiennes as playwright William Shakespeare. The film chronicles Shakespeare's fictional love affair with Gwyneth Paltrow's Viola de Lesseps. The film swept at the Academy Awards in 1999, thanks to an avalanche of award campaigning.

However, Shakespeare In Love controversially won Best Picture over Steven Spielberg's masterpiece Saving Private Ryan. However, Spielberg did take home Best Director for his World War II epic starring Matt Damon and Tom Hanks. Perhaps, in this year's Oscars, the director might earn a few more for West Side Story.

6 2006: Crash Beats Brokeback Mountain

Thandiwe Newton and Matt Dillon in Crash; Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain

This crime drama remains one of the most controversial Best Picture wins of all time. Crash stars an ensemble cast including Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, and Thandiwe Newton. It was acclaimed for its directing and performances, while other critics panned the film for its unsubtle portrayal of modern race relations.

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What was even more upsetting about Crash's win was that it beat out several critic favorites. Films that should've won that year include Ang Lee's emotional LGBTQ+ drama Brokeback Mountain, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, as well as the Philip Seymour Hoffman-led biopic Capote about the life of novelist Truman Capote.

5 2007: The Departed Beats Little Miss Sunshine

Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg in The Departed; Steve Carrell and Toni Collette jumping out of the van in Little Miss Sunshine

Martin Scorsese has made many great films, including Goodfellas and Raging Bull. Both of those films earned nominations for Best Picture, yet lost their respective years. Out of all of Scorsese's films to finally nab the award, The Departed is an odd choice, especially against the brilliantly-written road trip film Little Miss Sunshine.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, and Matt Damon, Scorsese's Boston-set crime thriller was critically acclaimed, while some critics noted the film's use of violence and profanity held it back. Furthermore, it's a remake of the Hong Kong film Internal Affairs, which many critics seem to prefer over this movie.

4 2011: The King's Speech Beats The Social Network

Colin Firth standing at a microphone in The King's Speech; Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network

The King's Speech is a well-crafted historical drama, the kind that the Oscars seem to love. It stars Colin Firth as King George VI, who attends speech therapy to cope with a stammer prior to a speech. It certainly earned its nomination for Best Picture, but other films nominated that year that have left more of a cultural impact.

Among them is Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher's The Social Network. Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield, the film expertly examines the origins of Facebook and the relationships that were destroyed in its uprising. Other films that deserved the win over The King's Speech that year include Black Swan and Toy Story 3.

3 2015: Birdman Beats Boyhood

Michael Keaton haunted by Birdman in Birdman; Ethan Hawke driving in Boyhood

Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) was not the expected winner of Best Picture in 2015. Edited to look like one take, it stars Michael Keaton as a fading movie star attempting to revive his career on Broadway. It's a marvelous film, and one of the few examples on this list that certainly deserved its win.

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Critics had their money on drum drama Whiplash or Bradley Cooper-led American Sniper. However, the film that arguably deserved to win was Richard Linklater's Boyhood. The coming-of-age film starring Ellar Coltrane and Ethan Hawke was shot over the course of 11 years with the same cast growing up in real time. That kind of dedication to a project should've made it an easy pick for the Academy.

2 2018: The Shape Of Water Beats Get Out

Sally Hawkins sleeping with Fish Man in The Shape of Water; Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams in Get Out

Say what you want about The Shape of Water's fishman romance, but it's a well-deserved win for director Guillermo del Toro. However, The Shape of Water was also a surprising choice in a year of homeruns, including Greta Gerwig's beautiful debut film Lady Bird and Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

The film that had the most buzz that year was Jordan Peele's debut thriller Get Out. Starring Daniel Kaluuya as an African-American man meeting his Caucasian girlfriend's family, Get Out is a movie that, on first watch, is an experience that cannot be replicated. At least Peele was able to walk away with Best Original Screenplay.

1 2019: Green Book Beats Black Panther

Mahershala Ali smiling in Green Book; Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa in Black Panther

Behind Crash, Green Book is one of the most controversial Best Picture wins of all time. When the award was announced, fellow nominee Spike Lee even stormed out of the theater in protest. The film faced accusations of advancing the "white savior" trope, as well as criticism from the real-life family of Mahershala Ali's Dr. Don Shirley.

What's even more confusing about Green Book's eyeroll-inducing win is the slate of excellent films it was nominated against. Among them was the international sensation Black Panther, which would've been the first MCU movie to win Best Picture. Another nominee that should've earned the award is period black comedy The Favourite, starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz.

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