9. Rocky - 1976
I'll start by apologizing to my father: Sorry Dad, I know you love Rocky but it belongs on this list. There, now that I've maintained my place in the will, I can get to it. There's nothing "wrong" with Rocky, it's a good movie, it makes you feel good, like anything is possible. However, this is where it begins and ends with the movie. There is nothing "great" about Rocky. The fact that it also won Avildsen an Oscar for directing only compounds the issue. Of the five films nominated that year, Rocky should rank fourth. Yes, it was a better movie than Bound For Glory but fourth place should not win you an award. The late, great Sidney Lumet's Network was a far superior film to Rocky. The account of Woodward and Bernstein's investigation of the Watergate scandal, All The President's Men, can also rest easy being a better film. This leaves one, Martin Scorsese's masterpiece, (a recurring theme) Taxi Driver. Did you know that Taxi Driver was not even nominated in the screenplay and directing categories? We're talking about one of the most iconic, influential, and significant films of the entire decade and it was snubbed for a decent feel good story, in Rocky.