The Year in Film: 2012

That great shot where we first see Lincoln’s face.

My Top 20:

1. Lincoln
2. Argo
3. Les Misérables
4. Zero Dark Thirty
5. Anna Karenina
6. Moonrise Kingdom
7. Django Unchained
8. Amour
9. The Dark Knight Rises
10. Skyfall
11. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
12. Brave
13. Silver Linings Playbook
14. Prometheus
15. Life of Pi
16. The Avengers
17. Frankenweenie
18. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
19. The Master
20. The Secret World of Arietty

 

The Best of the Nighthawk Awards: The 2000′s

Still the best animated film of this or any other decade.

2000  -  2009

Total Films I’ve Seen:  1296

Films That Make the Top 5 in Any Category:  48

Best Film Not to Make the Top 5 in Any Category:  No Country for Old Men

Film of the Decade:  The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Worst Film of the Decade:  Captivity

Worst Best Picture Nominee of the Decade:  The Blind Side

Worst Film of the Decade Made by a Top 100 Director:  What Planet Are You From

 

The History of the Academy Awards: Best Picture – 2003

You shall not pass! Unless you give me 11 Oscars.

The 73rd annual Academy Awards, for the film year 2003.  The nominations were announced on 27 January 2004 and the awards were held on February 29, 2004.

Best Picture:  The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

• Mystic River
• Lost in Translation
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
• Seabiscuit

Most Surprising Omission:  Cold Mountain

Best Eligible Film Not Nominated:  City of God

Best Eligible English-Language Film Not Nominated:  In America

Rank (out of 84) Among Best Picture Years:  #4

 

The Year in Film: 2003

“I am no man.” The reason that Thomas would have been Eowyn had he been a girl. And you only think I’m kidding.

My Top 20:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2. Mystic River
3. Lost in Translation
4. City of God
5. In America
6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
7. Finding Nemo
8. Kill Bill Volume 1
9. A Mighty Wind
10. Whale Rider
11. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
12. American Splendor
13. The Station Agent
14. Dirty Pretty Things
15. The Triplets of Belleville
16. Nowhere in Africa
17. Tokyo Godfathers
18. The Barbarian Invasions
19. The Last Samurai
20. Divine Intervention

 

The History of the Academy Awards: Best Picture – 2002

A shot that kind of sums up the greatness and problems of Chicago (2002).

The 75th annual Academy Awards, for the film year 2002.  The nominations were announced on February 11, 2003 and the awards were held on March 23, 2003.

Best Picture:  Chicago

• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
• Gangs of New York
• The Hours
• The Pianist

Most Surprising Omission:  Adaptation

Best Eligible Film Not Nominated:  Spirited Away

Best Eligible English-Language Film Not Nominated:  Minority Report

Rank (out of 84) Among Best Picture Years:  #1

 

The Year in Film: 2002

The talent from down under shines in The Two Towers: David Wenham, Karl Urban and, of course, Miranda Otto.

My Top 20:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2. Gangs of New York
3. Spirited Away
4. The Hours
   
5. The Pianist
6. Talk to Her
7. Minority Report
8. Y tu mamá también
9. Chicago
10. Adaptation
11. Solaris
12. Road to Perdition
13. The Quiet American
14. Catch Me If You Can
15. Lilo & Stitch
16. Heaven
17. 8 Women
18. 24 Hour Party People
19. Sunshine State
20. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

 

The History of the Academy Awards: Best Picture – 2001

Patterns form where none exist for John (Russell Crowe) and Alicia Nash (Jennifer Connelly) in A Beautiful Mind.

The 74th annual Academy Awards for the film year 2001.  The nominations were announced on February 12, 2002 and the awards were held on March 24, 2002.

Best Picture:  A Beautiful Mind

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
• Moulin Rouge!
• Gosford Park
• In the Bedroom

Most Surprising Omission:  Mulholland Dr.

Best Eligible Film Not Nominated:  The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain

Best Eligible English-Language Film Not Nominated:  Mulholland Dr.

Rank (out of 84) Among Best Picture Years:  #6

 

The Year in Film: 2001

I’m a Lord of the Rings fanatic with a thing for Cate Blanchett. What were you expecting to see here?

My Top 20:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2. Moulin Rouge
3. The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain
4. Mulholland Dr.
5. Memento
6. Gosford Park
   
7. In the Bedroom
8. The Royal Tenenbaums
9. The Others
10. The Man Who Wasn’t There
11. Ghost World
12. Amores perros
13. Monster’s Ball
14. The Princess and the Warrior
15. A.I.  Artificial Intelligence
16. Vanilla Sky
17. Black Hawk Down
18. The Devil’s Backbone
19. Monsters Inc.
20. Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone

 

The Year in Film: 1994

Johnny Depp as the irrepressible Ed Wood

My Top 20:

1. Ed Wood
2. Pulp Fiction
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. Four Weddings and a Funeral
5. Heavenly Creatures
6. Quiz Show
7. Bullets over Broadway
8. Three Colors: Red
9. Grave of the Fireflies
10. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
11. Clerks
12. Death and the Maiden
13. Three Colors: White
14. Eat Drink Man Woman
15. The Scent of Green Papaya
16. Nobody’s Fool
17. The Crow
18. The Lion King
19. Queen Margot
20. The Madness of King George

 

The History of the Academy Awards: Best Director (Part IV)

Four Friends and an Oscar

But What I Really Want to Do is Direct

Actors have been getting nominated for Best Director since the beginning of time. Or at least the beginning of the Academy Awards. No exaggeration. Charlie Chaplin was nominated for Best Comedy Direction in the initial awards in 1928.