One of the markers I have for a good movie is whether or not it's entertaining, i.e. will I watch it more than once.
I'm not going to claim that Forrest Gump is a cinematic masterpiece, but it's one of the few movies that's broadcast incessantly that I can sit through after x number of viewings.
I agree. I liked Gump. I remember some dude at work trying to tell me about this movie and I didn’t understand what he was talking about so I went to the theater just to find out. I enjoyed it.
I have a similar barometer. I know that one of the supposed "outrages" of Oscar history is that How Green Was My Valley beat Citizen Kane. I have never, actually, seen Citizen Kane; but, I love How Green was my Valley. That is a movie that I will watch whenever it is on. (I believe the show Frasier did an episode about how the movie HGWMV was his favorite movie and he was trying to find a copy of it to watch. Hilarity insues.
Last night I saw Secretariat was on, again, and so I watched it, again. I just like that movie. Ditto, While You Were Sleeping. Not the greatest movies in the world, but I just enjoy myself when I watch them.
As for this particular Oscar year, I really would have liked to see somebody be bold and nominate Andy Serkis for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Cesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. His performance was incrediably nuanced. Also, (hello) Alan Rickman as Snape in Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. II? A terrific performance.