The REAL Best Picture of 1998

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 1999)

I'll keep this simple--"Saving Private Ryan" is the REAL Best Picture of 1998.
I admit this--I loved "Shakespeare in Love." But as I was walking out of the theater after seeing it, I thought it was the second-best movie I had seen in '98.
"Shakespeare" didn't deserve Best Picture. Why? Because the film did nothing that couldn't be done in a Play. Everything that happened in that film could have been reproduced on a stage. And this may be considered a personal bias, but a film that could honestly be a stage production should not be remotely competitive for film awards when it's up against the likes of the shocking and fantastic FILM work of "Ryan."
Additionally, I have another personal bias. I believe a Best Picture should transcend the material seen on screen. It should have an emotional impact--it should touch the viewer in a way where it becomes much more than a movie for the viewer. And let's face it; "Shakespeare" was well-done, but it's only a well-done story that doesn't have much to say beyond the screen. However, I think we all know how much impact "Ryan" had beyond the actual film itself.
The academy got it wrong. Period.