For our first top-five list, we took on every Best Picture winner from the 1920s to today. We didn't coordinate ahead of time, and when the lists came out there was no overlap at all. See the full ranked list.
Jeff's picks lean toward the underdog. Rocky, CODA, Braveheart, and his number one, Forrest Gump, are all stories about someone nobody believed in. Titanic is the exception. It's the subject itself that has always stuck with him.
Matt's picks lean toward principle and patience. Chariots of Fire is about refusing to compromise your convictions. Gladiator is about keeping your word to the end. Lawrence of Arabia and Unforgiven both ask you to sit with a slow build. His number one, Casablanca, wins on how tight the story is.
The real lesson: the Academy's list is so strong that a top five barely scratches it. Next time we might go decade by decade, or include the nominees, although then we'd never finish.
Hear the full conversation on episode 1.