Ben-Hur
1959 Best Picture

100 Words
There’s a lot to unpack here, okay? It’s a really long movie. The only part I knew about beforehand was the chariot race, which is arguably the best part of the entire thing, swallowing a whopping 25 minutes of this over-three-hour trek through the Bible. I know this story already! This is just like The Ten Commandments!

The opening scene is two friends pledging undying loyalty to each other and then in the NEXT SCENE, they decide they hate each other.

Is it beautiful? Yes. Is it a staggering cinematic achievement? Absolutely. It’s certainly the longest movie nominated this year.