1989 Alternate Oscars

If you're old like me, you might remember all the hand-wringing and pearl-clutching that accompanied the release of Spike Lee's masterpiece, Do the Right Thing, back in 1989. The movie holds up even if its critics' hysterics look pretty comical in retrospect. Lee basically predicted the Black Lives Matter movement thirty years before it had a name and laid out the injustices and frustrations that underlie it.

A true artist with his finger on America's pulse and the best picture of the year.

So of course the Academy gave the Oscar to Driving Miss Daisy, the essential message of which is Keep your mouth shut and your eyes on the road, Morgan, and eventually the old white lady in the backseat might learn to tolerate you. Try as I might I couldn't shoehorn it into my top ten. Or maybe I just didn't want to.

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 ✱.

And on a personal note, I passed a milestone last week. When I say I'm happy to be here, you can bet I really mean it!