1980 Alternate Oscars

I voted for Raging Bull as the year's best picture (along with actor and director) which is not exactly the same as saying I enjoy watching it. Just between me and thee, the ratio of times I've watched The Blues Brothers, Airplane! and Caddyshack to times I've watched Raging Bull is roughly infinity to one.

As portraits of unlovable losers go, Raging Bull is without peer. Real-life boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) did exactly one thing well — beat people up — and he parlayed that into a spectacular career in the ring. That this talent for uncontrolled rage proved to be a liability in every other walk of life came as a complete surprise to no one but himself.

Which makes him a pitiable figure, maybe even a tragic one, and director Martin Scorsese makes you feel in your bones LaMotta's desperation and humiliation as he careens from one self-inflicted disaster to another. It's absolutely top-notch filmmaking.

But, boy, is it hard to watch. I've really got to be in the mood ...

My choices are noted with a ★. A tie is indicated with a ✪. Historical Oscar winners are noted with a ✔. Best foreign-language picture winners are noted with an ƒ. A historical winner who won in a different category is noted with a ✱.