My favourite time of the year is fast approaching. A time for celebration, beautiful dresses, lavish parties and an all-out betting war about who has made the right predictions. No, it’s not a drag version of the Superbowl. It’s Oscar night.

The movie industry picks one special evening to announce the best of the best in the film industry over the past year. Though these movies get their one night of celebration, often they’re forgotten in the years to come. Can you remember who won best picture five years ago? Exactly. (It was Million Dollar Baby.)
So, this week I have decided to compile a list of best Oscar-winning movies that may have escaped your memory.
1.  The Godfather: I am fairly certain that 90 per cent of people have heard about this movie. I’m also sure that out of those 90, about 40 per cent saw the beginning, got bored and shut it off. The infamous wedding scene that takes place in the first half hour of the Godfather is the theatrical equivalent to a Michael Bay movie. You know there’s a point to it, but you just aren’t sure what it is. Unlike a Bay movie, the wedding scene is lacking excitement, explosions or scantily clad men and women – what it does have is information that sets up the rest of the film. Once you get past it, you will realize why The Godfather is known as one of the best films of all time.
2.  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: Prepare to cast your normal assumptions of happy, caring nurses aside and meet Nurse Ratchett.  She is in charge of a group of men, including a young Jack Nicholson at an insane asylum. Her level of sadism will make you want to throw blunt objects at the screen. The movie itself is an intense look at the mentality, relationships and struggles that that take place at an asylum. If that’s not enough to motivate a new audience, it was based on a novel written by a man who was on an acid trip, so at least it’s a guaranteed conversation piece.
3.  Rain Man: If you want a classic movie that gets referenced continuously or want to see Tom Cruise’s pre-crazy stage, Rain Man is the one for you. Dustin Hoffman gives an outstanding performance as Raymond Babbit, an autistic savant. Rain Man will have you walking away feeling better about yourself and with a new repertoire of awesome movie quotes to impress your friends with.
4.  Gone With the Wind: I know, I know, a three-hour movie combined with period outfits and of the Civil War drama, all that comes to mind is “Frankly Sarah, I Don’t Give A Damn.” However, I really think that this movie does warrant a look. For an old Civil War flick, the film boasts humour, drama, intrigue and Clark Gable, one of the few men who could rival Bogart in a suave bad-assed actor competition.  It’s worth missing three hours of American Idol.
5.  The Departed: Guns, sex, betrayal, secret agents, mobsters and an awesome song by the Dropkick Murphy’s – what else could you want in a movie? Though it is one of the newer films on the list, I feel this movie often gets overlooked with mob classics Scarface, Goodfellas and Casino. The film is not for the faint of heart. A police officer goes undercover with the mobsters, while a mobster goes undercover with the police and rampant gun shooting, rooftop tossing and body pummeling craziness ensues.
So, before you sit down on the couch with this weeks Oscar choices in hand, try warming up with one of these classics.