10 Greatest Ever Oscar Shocks

1994 was a great year for cinema. Pulp Fiction showed the world what Tarantino could do with a budget. Four Weddings And A Funeral mastered the rom com. The Shawshank Redemption engraved itself into the pantheon, and the underrated Quiz Show spun a black web of American media scandal.

Naturally, the best picture went to Tom Hanks doing a funny voice over clips of important historical events for two hours. A tasteless spectacle in less gifted hands and pretty much the same in Hanks’, Forrest Gump is a schmaltzy and troubling saga which remains mystifyingly popular today.

Hanks won back to back Oscars after deservedly triumphing for his heart breaking turn in AIDS drama Philadelphia. Morgan Freeman (career best in Shawshank), especially, must have been aggrieved. Gump won fans as well as detractors and it’s a film of bravura and ambition, but the sweetness and slush drips off every frame. It’s celluloid diabetes.

The ‘90s are often heralded as an era of bold and original filmmaking, when the old rules went out the window and the new generation turned things on their head. Forrest Gump is a saccharin Zelig imitation which has only gotten worse with age.