January means a lot of things: cold weather, long nights, and plenty of awards talk. The pinnacle of each awards season is the Oscars, even though lots of us can get frustrated with what films win, what films lose, and what films don’t even get nominated for the big trophy. The Best Picture Oscar has, especially in recent memory, come under criticism for awarding films like Crash, The Artist, and Birdman, either because they do so at the expense of presumably better films or because those movies ... just suck. But throughout the Oscars’ 90-year history, there have been some truly excellent films that managed to walk away with Best Picture. Here, in chronological order, are 25 of the best of the best, films that—if you haven’t already—you must see.

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