Leading up to the 98th Academy Awards, I will be revisiting some of the most heavily debated and controversial Oscar choices. Will the victors keep their crown or will a new winner emerge? Today, we look back on 2010's controversial Best Picture race.

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Over Oscar history, there has been a ceaseless and passionate debate: innovation vs. convention. Shakespeare in Love vs. Saving Private Ryan. A Beautiful Mind vs. The Fellowship of the Ring. In today’s case, the 2010 Best Picture race, where The King’s Speech beat… everything else.

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This is not to say every movie in the field was superior to the dramatic retelling of King George VI’s heroic overcoming of a speech impediment to become the voice of a nation, only that, immediately following its win, the world certainly made it seem that way. The Social Network was backed by 110 critics who placed it atop their year-end lists as well as a legion of Fincher fanboys who always have their torches and pitchforks ready whenever he loses at the Oscars. Christopher Nolan, having given the summer crowds their blockbuster with Inception, had his fans taking to the Internet in droves to lament yet another awards show snub.

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Indie crowds were aghast that Black Swan, as close as the ceremony came to giving twisted arthouse mastery, lost out so spectacularly (aside from its Lead Actress win). People longing for the day animated movies would truly get their moment in the sun wept for Toy Story 3 receiving only an honorary nod and relegated only to supremacy in the animated category. Casual moviegoers wanting to feel evolved settled for The Fighter, a perfect middle ground for blockbuster diehards and indie aficionados. The Coen Brothers proved they weren’t resting on their laurels after winning it all with No Country for Old Men three years earlier. Rounding out the category were the lesser-known films: 127 Hours, The Kids Are All Right, and Winter’s Bone, which grossed a combined $120 million at the international box office, so no one knew or cared about them.

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Still, while many defended the crowd-pleasing sleeper hit, many were pissed to hear Steven Spielberg announce the historical drama as the year’s best film. Fifteen years later, sentiments have remained unchanged. But was The King’s Speech truly as plain Jane and undeserving as so many said? Is The Social Network truly a robbed masterpiece? Should Christopher Nolan have had to wait until Oppenheimer? Or should one of the unsung heroes have taken home the gold?

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And the nominees were…

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127 Hours

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Aron Ralston’s story is rife with cinematic potential, which makes Danny Boyle’s self-indulgent interpretation of it all the more maddening. Admittedly, we know too little about Ralston to make his specific story interesting, but the overarching narrative and its ability to elaborate on numerous ideas seem impossible to foul up. Yet, a woefully miscast James Franco struggles to decide who Ralston is as he descends into madness while trapped in a remote Utah canyon, and Boyle’s highly stylized approach diminishes the story’s agency.

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Black Swan

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Black Swan is artfully executed and features brilliant performances from Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Barbara Hershey. Sadly, it’s nothing more than a psychological drama dependent on the inherent mania of its story. Movies like this allow for a lot of bold artistic expression, Aronofsky’s wheelhouse, but underneath the veneer of artistry is a banal, non-committal film that lacks the edge of the best films of its genre.

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Inception

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It’s dangerous to acclaim films (or the artists behind the lens) simply for trying new things. The second we settle for “A for effort” is the second we let movies be mediocre and get away with it. Christopher Nolan is God to his fans, and his movies have raked in money and awards, but they rest on their poorly-explored ideas more often than not. Inception is a fantastic idea, and dreams permit innovative visual work, but the story lacks heft. It's a bevy of ideas, all unfiltered and poorly explained, with some solid action sequences thrown in. It’s exciting for a theater, profound if you’re 15, and is otherwise a solid, if unspectacular movie.

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The Fighter

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In retrospect, David O. Russell’s style feels faux-gritty, which occasionally robs The Fighter of the rugged charm and emotional brutality it seeks. Still, there’s no denying the ferocious punch (pun very much and shamelessly intended) The Fighter packs, delivering knockout (yes) performances from its players, even if Oscar champs Melissa Leo and Christian Bale practically beg for the statuette. Mark Wahlberg is endearing as Micky Ward, the overlooked son seeking a shot at the title, and Amy Adams steals the show as Charlene, the MTV girl in his corner. It creates, if not respect, a potent desire to see some rather unsavory characters succeed, thus creating an inspirational story that’s delightfully rough around the edges.

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The Kids Are Alright

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In 2010, during the rise of “modern family” media, The Kids Are All Right was viewed as revelatory. It wasn’t. At best, it was a great way to see Mark Ruffalo’s ass and Julianne Moore’s signature waterworks. At worst, it was a lame examination of contemporary family dynamics powering an undeserved Oscar nod for an unbearably thorny Annette Bening. If it had been funny, insightful, or dramatically convincing, it could’ve managed a forward-thinking elaboration on things many of us hadn’t considered. Unfortunately, it was just a meandering farce that thought taking the first step was impressive enough to lie down just past the starting line.

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The King’s Speech

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Cinephiles aplenty bemoaned Tom Hooper’s historical drama as the safe and conventional choice, beating out more deserving and cutting-edge offerings, namely The Social Network. Judging one’s opinion based on its victory at the Oscars is the act of an unevolved mind; you certainly don’t have to like the movie, but merit is king. Sadly, The King’s Speech hasn’t aged as well as hoped. It’s a fantastic screenplay and is acted to perfection, especially by Oscar-winner Colin Firth. Its comedic notes ring true, and its rousing sense of drama crescendos as King George VI delivers his address to the nation and finally overcomes his lifelong stammer. Alas, there is something stale about it, a lack of personality that prevents it from being the classic it flirts with becoming for most of its runtime.

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The Social Network

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David Fincher’s telling of the founding of Facebook is the film of a generation, often claimed as the worthy winner of 2010. It’s topped countless lists of films of the century. Its scoring revolutionized the artform, and its narrative structure breathed new life into the genre. The technical execution is faultless, and it was refreshing to see a movie disregard reverence, offering an almost scathing assessment of its true-to-life subject matter. Still, The Social Network has the same aimless emptiness as Fincher’s other films. It gives the impression it has a lot to say, and if it wasn’t so insistent it said those things, it’d be a better movie. Sadly, a film this self-assured should be sleeker, smoother, and not reduce its core creation to the sad-sap narcissism of a geeky incel.

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Toy Story 3

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What should have been the final film in the franchise was a bittersweet gut punch for millennials. It reused many of the same plot points as its predecessor and thus suffered from diminishing returns, but Pixar’s relentless imagination created a vivid new setting at Sunnyside Daycare and a kids' movie villain for the ages with Lots-o’-Huggin’ bear, who smells of strawberries. It is not often that a children’s movie so pointedly understands its target audience, let alone with such ceaseless humor and heart. As Andy bids farewell to Woody and the gang, we thank Pixar for teaching us one of life’s most valuable lessons: how, and why, to let go. It would’ve been nice if the studio could’ve taken their own lesson to heart and quit while they were ahead, but that’s for another day.

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True Grit

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The Coen Brothers went out with a whimper; their last three movies weren’t bad, but they didn’t capture the highs of their greatest work. True Grit, the pair’s last burst of genius, is also their best film. Rarely is a screenplay this detailed while being so concise. In under two hours, there’s never a wasted syllable or squandered scene. It's witty, acerbic, but uniquely heartfelt and earnest. Roger Deakins captures the southwestern landscapes with vivid beauty, and Carter Burwell’s restrained score accents the film’s emotional notes with tremendous clarity. All that said, the true backbone of the film is the star-making turn from Hailee Steinfeld, a genuine tour de force. The rest of her career hasn’t quite measured up to her electrifying debut, but make no mistake, she gave the performance of a lifetime and was robbed of the Oscar.

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Winter’s Bone

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The Hunger Games kickstarted J-Law mania, but the starlet’s roots are in indie dramas. Her first, this dark, coming-of-age drama from Debra Granik, features perhaps the finest performance of her illustrious career. The film is subtly stirring, the kind that challenges you to accept its quiet intensity and appreciate how brilliantly its creators capture the mood. It isn’t overly complex, but the nuances within its story are arresting. The cinematography is frigid but involving, the pace steady and deliberate, and all the while, Jennifer Lawrence and a fantastic supporting cast drive a compelling drama to the finish line.

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And the Oscar goes to........

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Coin flips exist for a reason, and while forcing decisions is always the best way, no one could be blamed for employing a quarter to choose between Winter’s Bone and True Grit. Both are outstanding movies, but Winter’s Bone has a quietly alluring quality that sears it into the memory, and its production is so simplistic in nature that its near-faultless execution should be studied by anyone looking to become a filmmaker.