Review: "The Girl on the Train"

Someday, Emily Blunt, you will (at last!) get that Oscar nomination. I'm afraid, unfortunately, this again will probably not be the year.

Going into The Girl on the Train, adapted from Paula Hawkins' big, fat hit of a novel, I was expecting something of a pale Gone Girl imitation. Reviews for the picture, after all, were embargoed until a few mere days prior to release and when notices finally did surface, they weren't too flattering. Given the raves for its leading lady, I figured the picture might well prove a repeat of something like Mommie Dearest, where the brilliant Faye Dunaway was stuck carrying a gargantuan pile of trash on her shoulders.

Thankfully, The Girl on the Train is no Mommie Dearest. It almost never reaches the heights of the aforementioned Gone Girl either, but it is an entertaining, plenty watchable erotic-psychological thriller. The picture at times rings of Adrian Lyne adapting a Jacqueline Susann novel.

In the film, Blunt portrays Rachel Watson, a woman reeling from the end of her marriage to Tom (Justin Theroux), who cheated on Rachel with Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). Every day, the alcoholic, blackout-prone Rachel passes by Tom and Anna's home while taking the train into the city but it is the sight of their neighbors Megan (Haley Bennett) and Scott (Luke Evans) that really piques Rachel's interest. She views the seemingly madly-in-love Megan and Scott as an absolutely perfect couple. So, when Rachel notices something unusual at their home, involving Megan's therapist (Edgar Ramirez), and then Megan suddenly goes missing, she cannot help but investigate, even as she cannot trust her own memory due to all the boozing.

Blunt is flat-out fantastic in the picture, perhaps even more amazing here than in last year's Sicario, and anytime she graces the screen, The Girl on the Train is completely engrossing. When it comes to on-screen alcoholics, it's a turn right on-par with the legendary likes of Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend and Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway in Barfly.

Unfortunately, the rest of the film does not quite operate at the same sky-high level. Bennett leaves a strong impression as Megan but the other ensemble players - sans Allison Janney, terrific (as always) as the detective investigating Megan's disappearance - don't seem as invested. The picture sports a polished, gloomy look, not unlike Gone Girl, but rarely musters the same suspense as that film. Danny Elfman's score is a nice fit.

Ultimately, if I have to point a finger at a single person for not delivering a more all-around satisfying film, it would have to be the picture's director, Tate Taylor, who also leaned heavily on the strength of his cast to make something out of The Help. That film had half a dozen or so marvelous performances, which effectively overshadowed the lethargy of Taylor's direction. This time around, Taylor recruited a cast that, for the most part, wasn't so willing to do such heavy lifting.

With that said, The Girl on the Train is still well worth a look, for both thriller fans and to see Blunt operating at the top of her game.

B

HORROR at the Oscars! Chapter I (1928-1959)

In looking back at the history of horror cinema and its performance at the Oscars, it must first be acknowledged that a plethora of outstanding pictures in this genre were released prior to the very existence of the Academy Awards.

The legendary likes of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Wiene), Nosferatu (1922, Murnau) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925, Julian), among others, all garnered releases prior to the first Oscar ceremony, in 1928. Decades later, of course, the Academy would embrace multiple remakes of Phantom, as well as as a picture about the making of Nosferatu.

There were not many horror films eligible for consideration at the first Oscar ceremony - the most worthy of such recognition would have been Paul Leni's haunting The Man Who Laughs, one of countless horror films released in the first half of the century by Universal Pictures. Leni's film did not garner any awards love and neither did Universal's much more successful and iconic Dracula (1931, Browning) and Frankenstein (1931, Whale) a few years later.

Fredric March won his first of two career Oscars for Paramount's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932, Marmoulian).

It was not until the following year, in 1932, that the Academy embraced a horror film. It was not Freaks (1932, Browning) or The Mummy (1932, Freund) that won this recognition but rather a non-Universal production, Paramount's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, directed by Rouben Mamoulian and featuring a stirring leading turn from the great Fredric March. Nominated for three Oscars - Best Lead Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography - the picture ultimately went home with one award, for its leading man. March would, 15 years later, go on to win a second Oscar in this category, for The Best Years of Our Lives.

The next seven years would prove much of a dry spell for horror at the Oscars. The much-hyped and adored The Bride of Frankenstein (1935, Whale) only mustered a single nomination, in Best Sound. Other, admittedly lesser Universal productions were ignored entirely.

In 1939 and 1940, however, horror made a notable return to the Oscars. Four pictures, including two Universal productions, one Paramount effort and one RKO film, garnered nominations.

RKO's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939, Dieterle) received Oscar nods in Best Original Score and Best Sound.

RKO's costly The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939, Dieterle), starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara, won nominations in Best Original Score and Best Sound. The other three pictures - Paramount's Dr. Cyclops (1940, Schoedsack) and Universal's The Invisible Man Returns (1940, May) and The Invisible Woman (1940, Sutherland) - were nominated in Best Special Effects, none able to to prevail. That the latter two pictures garnered Oscar love while the first (and best) film in the series, The Invisible Man (1933, Whale), received zero nominations, might seem a bit of an eyebrow-raiser, except that Best Special Effects category did not really come to fruition until 1939.

In 1941, the Academy sadly did not embrace George Waggner's classic The Wolf Man. They did, however, curiously opt to reward that year's production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a starry vehicle for Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner, directed by the incomparable Victor Fleming. Despite all of that star wattage, however, the picture is kind of a snooze, half-heartedly delivered by all involved. Nonetheless, the Academy went for it anyway, rewarding it three nominations, in Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score. The Academy also this year gave a Best Original Score nom to Jean Yarbrough's silly horror-comedy King of the Zombies. (Bernard Herrman's composition for The Devil and Daniel Webster ultimately defeated the two horror flicks.)

Universal's sumptuous 1943 retelling of The Phantom of the Opera garnered four Oscar nominations, including two victories - in Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. It was the last of the studio's classic "monster movies" to receive an Oscar nod.

No, there was inexplicably no love for RKO's Cat People (1942, Tourneur) the following year. In 1943, however, Universal at last got one of their "monster movies" to resonate in a significant way with the Academy. Arthur Lubin's ravishing The Phantom of the Opera, headlined by the always-outstanding Claude Rains, was not at the time a real box-office or critical smash. It did, however, receive four Oscar nominations - Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography - winning the last two prizes. Sadly for Universal, Phantom would prove the last of the studio's classic horror films to receive any Oscar recognition. (And no, no love to be found for any of Universal's Abbott and Costello horror vehicles.)

The remainder of the 1940s and all of the 1950s were not so great for horror cinema at the Oscars in general.

1945's The Picture of Dorian Gray, directed by Albert Lewin and headlined by George Sanders and Donna Reed, was not a box office success but did win nominations in Best Supporting Actress (for the exquisite Angela Lansbury), Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography, the last of which it managed to win. It would take more than a decade from here, however, for another horror film to garner multiple Oscar nominations.

Ted Parmalee's The Tell-Tale Heart was one of several short features in the horror genre to garner Oscar recognition.

Three short subjects from the horror genre, two animated and one live-action, received Oscar nominations in these in-between years - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (1947, Hanna and Barbera), Return to Glennascaul (1951, Edwards) and The Tell-Tale Heart (1953, Parmaelee). While the Hanna-Barbera short is merely an amusing Tom & Jerry parody of that classic story, the other two productions are truly outstanding, must-sees for any fan of classic horror.

The deliriously entertaining Them! (1954, Douglas) also managed to show up at the Oscars, landing a Best Special Effects nomination. (That prize ultimately went to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.) No Oscar love, unfortunately, for 20th Century Fox's legendary The Fly (1958, Neumann) or Warner Brothers' groundbreaking House of Wax (1953, Toth), the first-ever 3-D film in color. Also egregiously overlooked - all of the gorgeously produced British Hammer Horror pictures.

Warner Brothers' outrageously campy The Bad Seed (1956, LeRoy) was embraced by audiences and the Academy alike - it received four Oscar nominations, including three acting nods.

The final horror film nominated in the 1950s, and the only one in the decade to win multiple nominations, is, I would argue, barely a real horror picture. (That is, unless the sight of relentlessly campy, unintentionally funny acting sends shivers down your spine.) Warner Brothers' The Bad Seed (1956, LeRoy) was certainly at least marketed as a horror flick, however, and fared exceedingly well at that year's box office. It garnered four Oscar nominations that year - for Best Cinematography, Best Lead Actress (Nancy Kelly) and two in Best Supporting Actress (Patty McCormack and the scene-stealing Eileen Heckart) - albeit, with no wins. The Bad Seed would prove just the first of several horror camp classics to win over the Academy.

Before we get to those other horror campfests, however, I'll be taking a look at the year 1960, when a certain Hitchcock classic took its stab at Oscar glory...

Coming Soon...HORROR at the Oscars!

Over the past seven months, I have embarked on a Best Original Song project, reviewing all 82 years of that Oscar category's nominees. I don't plan on tackling another adventure like that for a while, not until the coming awards season is wrapped up. I have, however, very much wanted to do one more project before exclusively focusing on the 2016 horse race (in addition to my usual film reviews) and October, with Halloween not too far off on the horizon, is the perfect month to do it.

During October, I will be taking a fond look back at the Oscar history of my very favorite film genre...horror.

As a film buff who was raised on horror - and whose parents somehow had no qualms about renting R-rated slasher films for him as a young lad (in addition to milder mainstays like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Killer Klowns from Outer Space) - I have long been enamored with this genre. My father got me into the classics - the Universal monster movies and Hammer horror flicks (which, let it be known, also sported some of the most drop-dead gorgeous women to ever grace the big screen) - while my mom was all about the '70s horror, plus Freddy Krueger, Chucky, Leprechaun and so on.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of course, unfortunately, did not opt to recognize any of the films of those horror franchise legends. Looking back, however, there are a number of surprises and eyebrow-raisers in terms of what horror pictures the Academy did nominate. Awards buffs know the critically acclaimed likes of The Exorcist and Jaws were embraced but just wait 'til you see which of the Universal monster movies the Academy honorned in technical categories - and no, it ain't Dracula or The Bride of Frankenstein.

During this small-scale Oscar Flashback, which I plan to break down in four chapters over four weeks, I'll be looking back at every single horror film nominated for an Oscar, including the well-known, Oscar-winning contenders, the nominated short subjects of the genre and the real duds that made it into Oscar night with a single nomination. I'll also discuss the horror films that struck out with the Academy, despite precursor attention, and the unimpeachable classics that failed to make any awards dent at all.

Note that it's entirely possible, if not likely, that I will gloss over a film that was nominated or a true juggernaut of the genre that deserved Oscar love. That's what the comments section is for - enjoy and respond away!

But just remember, on my blog, no one can hear you scream...

2016 Oscar Nomination Predictions (September)

With my Best Original Song project behind me, I am (at last!) ready to squarely focus on this year's Oscar horse race. (That is, in addition to my usual movie reviews and one small, spooky October project that I'll reveal more info on in the coming days.)

The 2016 Oscar race has already, to put it mildly, proven an exciting and fascinating one. It's no surprise the likes of La La Land and Manchester by the Sea were whole-heartedly embraced on the festival scene but I for one did not expect such raves for Jackie or even Nocturnal Animals. A number of potential Oscar contenders have already garnered domestic releases - among them, Sully, Hell or High Water, The Jungle Book and Florence Foster Jenkins - and we'll see if they can hang on amidst the onslaught of Oscar-bait about to flood the big screens over the coming months.

There remain many unanswered questions.

Will, for instance, Martin Scorsese's Silence actually see the light of day? (At this point, I am going to presume Paramount gets the film out on time and predict it in a number of categories...but I suspect it's a real coin flip.)

Then, there's Fences - will it prove a threat in not only Lead Actor and Lead Actress but also Picture and Director, or could it go the way of middling stage-to-screen adaptations like The History Boys and Proof? Likewise, is Billy Lynn another Ang Lee winner or have we perhaps been overestimating the picture all along? These are two potential-juggernauts but, unlike La La Land and Manchester by the Sea, we really haven't a clue yet how strong the pictures are. Same goes for Rules Don't Apply, Passengers and Allied.

Of course, there's also The Birth of a Nation. Has all of the controversy surrounding Nate Parker's college rape trial left the picture dead in the water, or can Parker and Fox Searchlight still make a success out of it? For now, I remain skeptical but anything is possible in what no doubt will be a true roller coaster ride of an awards season.

With that said, here are my first full Oscar predictions of the 2016 season, ranked from most to least likely to garner a nomination. I'll be updating them once a month from here on out. Of course feel free to comment and offer up your own thoughts and predictions!

Best Picture

1. La La Land
2. Manchester by the Sea
3. Fences
4. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
5. Jackie
6. Loving
7. Silence
8. Arrival
9. Hidden Figures
   ---
10. Allied
11. Lion
12. Nocturnal Animals
13. Rules Don't Apply
14. The Birth of a Nation
15. Moonlight

Best Director

1. Damien Chazelle, La La Land
2. Ang Lee, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
3. Denzel Washington, Fences
4. Martin Scorsese, Silence
5. Denis Villanueve, Arrival
   ---
6. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
7. Jeff Nichols, Loving
8. Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals
9. Warren Beatty, Rules Don't Apply
10. Pablo Larrain, Jackie

Best Lead Actor

1. Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
2. Denzel Washington, Fences
3. Ryan Gosling, La La Land
4. Joel Edgerton, Loving
5. Joe Alwyn, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
   ---
6. Tom Hanks, Sully
7. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nocturnal Animals
8. Michael Keaton, The Founder
9. Andrew Garfield, Silence (Hacksaw Ridge if Silence not released)
10. Dev Patel, Lion

Best Lead Actress

1. Emma Stone, La La Land
2. Natalie Portman, Jackie
3. Viola Davis, Fences
4. Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
5. Ruth Negga, Loving
   ---
6. Amy Adams, Arrival
7. Taraji P. Henson, Hidden Figures
8. Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
9. Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane
10. Isabelle Huppert, Elle

Best Supporting Actor

1. Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
2. Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
3. Warren Beatty, Rules Don't Apply
4. Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
5. Liam Neeson, Silence
   ---
6. Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
7. Peter Sarsgaard, Jackie
8. Steve Martin, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
9. Stephen Henderson, Fences
10. Mykelti Williamson, Fences

Best Supporting Actress

1. Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
2. Naomie Harris, Moonlight
3. Kristen Stewart, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
4. Nicole Kidman, Lion
5. Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
   ---
6. Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women
7. Felicity Jones, A Monster Calls
8. Annette Bening, Rules Don't Apply
9. Elle Fanning, 20th Century Women
10. Laura Linney, Nocturnal Animals

Best Original Screenplay

1. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
2. Jeff Nichols, Loving
3. Damien Chazelle, La La Land
4. Noah Oppenheim, Jackie
5. Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee, Rich Moore, Jim Reardon and Josie Trinidad, Zootopia
   ---
6. Ron Clements and John Musker, Moana
7. Barry Jenkins and Tarell McCraney, Moonlight
8. Warren Beatty, Rules Don't Apply
9. Steven Knight, Allied
10. Asghar Farhadi, The Salesman

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. August Wilson, Fences
2. Jean-Christophe Castelli, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
3. Jay Cocks, Silence
4. Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals
5. Allison Schroeder, Hidden Figures
   ---
6. Luke Davies, Lion
7. Eric Heisserer, Arrival
8. Whit Stillman, Love & Friendship
9. David Birke, Elle
10. Justin Marks, The Jungle Book

Best Animated Feature

1. Zootopia
2. Moana
3. Sing
4. The Red Turtle
5. Finding Dory
   ---
6. Kubo and the Two Strings
7. Sausage Party
8. The Secret Life of Pets
9. April and the Extraordinary World
10. Miss Hokusai

Best Cinematography

1. Linus Sandgren, La La Land
2. John Toll, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
3. Bradford Young, Arrival
4. Rodrigo Prieto, Silence
5. Seamus McGarvey, Nocturnal Animals
   ---
6. Bill Pope, The Jungle Book
7. Charlotte Bruus Christiansen, Fences
8. Elliot Davis, The Birth of a Nation
9. Greig Fraser, Lion
10. Don Burgess, Allied

Best Costume Design

1. Mary Zophres, La La Land
2. Joanna Johnston, Allied
3. Albert Wolsky, Rules Don't Apply
4. Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh, Love & Friendship
5. Consolata Boyle, Florence Foster Jenkins
   ---
6. Madeline Fontaine, Jackie
7. Sandy Powell, Silence
8. Sharen Davis, Fences
9. Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, The Birth of a Nation
10. Colleen Atwood, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Best Film Editing

1. Tom Cross, La La Land
2. Thelma Schoonmaker, Silence
3. Tim Squyre, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
4. Joe Walker, Arrival
5. Hughes Winborne, Fences
   ---
6. Joan Sobel, Nocturnal Animals
7. Jennifer Lame, Manchester by the Sea
8. Steven Rosenblum, The Birth of a Nation
9. Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders, Moonlight
10. Jeremiah O’Driscoll, Allied

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. Florence Foster Jenkins
2. Rules Don't Apply
3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
   ---
4. Love & Friendship
5. Hidden Figures
6. La La Land
7. Star Trek: Beyond
8. Jackie
9. Hail, Caesar!
10. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best Original Score

1. Opetaia Foa’i, Mark Mancina and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Moana
2. Michael Giacchino, Zootopia
3. Johann Johansson, Arrival
4. Jeff and Mychael Danna, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
5. Justin Hurwitz, La La Land
   ---
6. Howard Shore, Silence
7. Mica Levi, Jackie
8. Thomas Newman, Finding Dory
9. Alexandre Desplat, Florence Foster Jenkins
10. Henry Jackman, The Birth of a Nation

Best Original Song

1. "City of Stars," La La Land
2. "We Know the Way," Moana
3. "Audition," La La Land
4. "How Far I'll Go," Moana
5. "Go Now," Sing Street
   ---
6. "Victory," Hidden Figures
7. "The Great Beyond, Sausage Party
8. "Can't Stop the Feeling," Trolls
9. "Try Everything," Zootopia
10. "Drive It Like You Stole It," Sing Street

Best Production Design

1. David Wasco, La La Land
2. Jeannine Oppewall, Rules Don't Apply
3. Dante Ferretti, Silence
4. Gary Freeman, Allied
5. David Gropman, Fences
   ---
6. Stuart Craig, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
7. Anna Rackard, Love & Friendship
8. Geoffrey Kirkland, The Birth of a Nation
9. Jean Rabasse, Jackie
10. Mark Friedberg, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

Best Sound Editing

1. La La Land
2. Arrival
3. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
5. Silence
   ---
6. Moana
7. Allied
8. Passengers
9. Deepwater Horizon
10. Captain America: Civil War

Best Sound Mixing

1. La La Land
2. Arrival
3. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
4. Silence
5. Moana
   ---
6. Allied
7. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
8. Passengers
9. Zootopia
10. Deepwater Horizon

Best Visual Effects

1. Arrival
2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
3. Passengers
4. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
   ---
6. The Jungle Book
7. Captain America: Civil War
8. A Monster Calls
9. Star Trek: Beyond
10. Deadpool

Best Documentary Feature

1. The 13th
2. Gleason
3. The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger
4. Equal Means Equal
5. Newtown
   ---
6. Three Days of Terror: The Charlie Hebdo Attacks
7. Fire at Sea
8. Miss Sharon Jones
9. By Sidney Lumet
10. Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World

Best Foreign Language Film

1. The Salesman (Iran)
2. Death in Sarajevo (Bosnia)
3. Elle (France)
4. Sand Storm (Israel)
5. Ma'Rosa (Phillippines)
   ---
6. United States of Love (Poland)
7. Julieta (Spain)
8. From Afar (Venezuela)
9. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Finland)
10. Barakah Meets Barakah (Saudi Arabia)

Oscar Flashback - Best Original Song

Beginning in March, on the heels of the last film awards season, I embarked on my first "Oscar Flashback" project by reviewing and ranking all 82 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars. I started with 1934, the year Fred and Ginger's "The Continental" took home the first prize in this category, and, over the seven months since, ventured all the way through to 2015, when Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall" became the latest original tune to claim victory.

Along the way, I've revisited and, in many cases, discovered a vast array of incredible (and, admittedly just as often, not-so-exemplary) music. I went from the likes of "Over the Rainbow" and "Moon River" to "Lose Yourself" and "Let It Go." There were powerful pieces like "Streets of Philadelphia" and "The Way We Were" and stinky cheese like "You Light Up My Life" and "Say You, Say Me." And as for Maureen McGovern's two Oscar-winners from The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, well, let's not even go there.

I want to thank everyone who has joined me on this entertaining journey through Oscar history and for your comments, which were often lengthier and, I would argue, more insightful than my own. If you're a crazed Oscar junkie like myself and haven't yet had a chance to check out my reviews, please do when you have a chance and, of course, feel free to offer up your own input.

As for the future of the Oscar Flashback, while I'll be focusing almost exclusively on the 2016 awards season from here on out (with a small October project TBA, plus my usual movie reviews), I will almost certainly want to do this again next year, once the coming Oscars have come and gone. If you have any suggestions for a follow-up project, please don't hesitate to let me know! I truly cannot wait to do this again.

With that said, here are a bunch of rankings and links on the Best Original Song project...

Top 10 Best Original Song winners...

1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
3. "Streets of Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
4. "Lose Yourself," 8 Mile (2002)
5. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
6. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
7. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
9. "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," Dirty Dancing (1987)
10. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Top 10 Best Original Song nominees (non-winners)...

1. "Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
2. "The Look of Love," Casino Royale (1967)
3. "Town Without Pity," Town Without Pity (1961)
4. "The Man That Got Away," A Star Is Born (1954)
5. "Alfie," Alfie (1966)
6. "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow," A Mighty Wind (2003)
7. "Circle of Life," The Lion King (1994)
8. "Belle," Beauty and the Beast (1991)
9. "Come Saturday Morning," The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
10. "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe," Cabin in the Sky (1943)

Top 10 most egregious Best Original Song snubs...

1. "Pure Imagination," Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
2. "Theme from New York, New York," New York, New York (1977)
3. "I Believe I Can Fly," Space Jam (1996)
4. "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls," Valley of the Dolls (1967)
5. "How Deep Is Your Love," Saturday Night Fever (1977)
6. "Part of Your World," The Little Mermaid (1989)
7. "I'm Old-Fashioned," You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
8. "Goldfinger," Goldfinger (1964)
9. "Grease," Grease (1978)
10. "A Hard Day's Night," A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Full ranking of every Best Original Song winner...

1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
3. "Streets of Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
4. "Lose Yourself," 8 Mile (2002)
5. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
6. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
7. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
9. "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," Dirty Dancing (1987)
10. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
11. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
12. "Let the River Run," Working Girl (1988)
13. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
14. "Under the Sea," The Little Mermaid (1989)
15. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
16. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," The Lion King (1994)
17. "Beauty and the Beast," Beauty and the Beast (1991)
18. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
19. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
20. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
21. "Fame," Fame (1980)
22. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
23. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
24. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
25. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
26. "Take My Breath Away," Top Gun (1986)
27. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
28. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
29. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
30. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
31. "A Whole New World," Aladdin (1992)
32. "My Heart Will Go On," Titanic (1997)
33. "Let It Go," Frozen (2013)
34. "Flashdance...What a Feeling," Flashdance (1983)
35. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur (1981)
36. "I Need to Wake Up," An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
37. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
38. "Colors of the Wind," Pocahontas (1995)
39. "Falling Slowly," Once (2007)
40. "You Must Love Me," Evita (1996)
41. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)," Dick Tracy (1990)
42. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
43. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
44. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
45. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
46. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
47. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
48. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
49. "Skyfall," Skyfall (2012)
50. "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart (2009)
51. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," Hustle & Flow (2005)
52. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
53. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
54. "Writing's on the Wall," Spectre (2015)
55. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
56. "I Just Called to Say I Love You," The Woman in Red (1984)
57. "Up Where We Belong," An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
58. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
59. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
60. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
61. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
62. "Al otro lado del río," The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
63. "Things Have Changed," Wonder Boys (2000)
64. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
65. "Into the West," The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
66. "Glory," Selma (2014)
67. "Man or Muppet," The Muppets (2011)
68. "We Belong Together," Toy Story 3 (2010)
69. "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
70. "If I Didn't Have You," Monsters, Inc. (2001)
71. "You'll Be in My Heart," Tarzan (1999)
72. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
73. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
74. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
75. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
76. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
77. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
78. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
79. "When You Believe," The Prince of Egypt (1998)
80. "Say You, Say Me," White Nights (1985)
81. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
82. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

Links to my reviews of 82 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars...

2015: Someday, Diane Warren, You'll Get This
2014: Everything Is Awesome at the Oscars!
2013: Sorry Bono, Idina's Got This
2012: Adele Heals 007's Oscar Wounds
2011: Longing for the Rainbow Connection
2010: Ahem, Where Is Cher?
2009: Where the Wild Things Weren't
2008: Slumdog Hits the Oscar Jackpot
2007: Falling for "Falling Slowly"
2006: Dreamgirls No Match for Melissa
2005: Give Dolly an Oscar Already!!
2004: Counting Crows? Why, Academy, Why?!?!
2003: A Mighty Wind Blows the Oscars
2002: The Academy Loses Itself
2001: Randy Newman Catches a Break
2000: Attack of the Swan!
1999: Phil Collins' Oscar-Winning Sleeping Pill
1998: Whitney and Mariah Belt to Victory
1997: Titanic Steamrolls the Oscars
1996: Space Jam on the Sidelines
1995: The Long, Long Randy Newman Losing Streak
1994: The Lion King Rules the Oscars
1993: Songs from the City of Brotherly Love
1992: Whitney Wakes Up the Oscars
1991: Beauty and the Beast (and Bryan Adams)
1990: Sondheim Goes Home with Oscar
1989: A Love Letter to Howard Ashman
1988: Carly Simon's Grand Oscar Moment
1987: The Year We Had the Times of Our Lives
1986: The Year That Took Our Breath Away
1985: The First Time Madonna Was Robbed
1984: Stevie Ain't Afraid of No Ghostbusters (Or Kevin Bacon)
1983: The Great Barbra Streisand-Jennifer Beals Duel
1982: I Love You, Dorothy Michaels
1981: "Endless Love, from the Endless Movie Endless Love"
1980: Don't Mess with Dolly
1979: That Time Norma Rae Squashed Kermit
1978: Disco Dominates the Oscars
1977: No Bee Gees, No Liza, No Dice
1976: When Barbra Beat Rocky and Satan
1975: Divas Live '75! Barbra, Diana, Olivia and...Keith?
1974: Another Maureen McGovern Disaster
1973: Misty Watercolor Oscar Memories
1972: Not Even Gene Hackman Can Save This
1971: The Willy Wonka Robbery
1970: Julie Andrews Stops the Show
1969: Here Comes Liza!
1968: Hitler Was Robbed!
1967: Burt Bacharach vs. Baloo the Bear - The Ultimate Showdown
1966: Dionne Warwick Did It Better
1965: Nat King Cole's Swan Song
1964: When the Oscars Snubbed Bond and the Beatles
1963: It's a Meh, Meh, Meh, Meh Category
1962: Walking on the Wild Side
1961: Sorry, Holly Golightly...
1960: Wait, Where Are Blair and Tootie?
1959: The One Where I Finally Pick a Sinatra Song
1958: Gigi? Seriously, Academy?
1957: The Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds
1956: Doris Day ne déçoit jamais
1955: Long Before Patrick and Demi...
1954: The Biggest Robbery Since Brink's
1953: Jerry Lewis Ruins Everything
1952: The Snubbin' of Singin' in the Rain
1951: Ah, To Be Young, Rich and Pretty
1950: The Ultimate Battle - Nat King Cole vs. Cinderella's Fairy Godmother
1949: Warming Up with Esther Williams
1948: Doris Day's Delightful Debut
1947: The Oscar Win Disney Won't Speak Of
1946: A Jolly Train Ride with Judy
1945: Vera-Ellen Steals the Show
1944: That Time Bing Hijacked Judy's Trolley
1943: God Bless Ethel Waters
1942: My Apologies to Bing and Judy...
1941: All Hail Those Andrews Sisters
1940: Pinocchio, Bing, Fred, Mickey and Judy, Oh My!
1939: That Glorious, Untouchable Rainbow
1938: Oscar Memories
1937: Searching for Snow White
1936: When the Tunes Were Like Heaven
1935: Before Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga...
1934: Bing vs. Fred & Ginger x2