The History of the Academy Awards: Best Picture – 2011

The wonderful ending scene in The Artist.

The 84th annual Academy Awards, for the film year 2011.  The nominations were announced on 24 January 2012 and the awards were held on 26 February 2012.

Best Picture:  The Artist

• Hugo
• The Descendants
• Midnight in Paris
• The Tree of Life
• Moneyball
• War Horse
• The Help
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Most Surprising Omission:  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Best Eligible Film Not Nominated:  Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Rank (out of 85) among Best Picture Years:  #43

 

The Year in Film: 2011

If you’re an 11 year old boy, this is the girl you want to meet – Chloe Grace Moretz in Hugo.

My Top 20:

1. Hugo
2. The Descendants
3. The Artist
4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
5. Midnight in Paris
6. A Separation
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
8. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
9. The Tree of Life
10. The Ides of March
11. Incendies
12. Jane Eyre
13. Beginners
14. Contagion
15. My Week With Marilyn
16. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
17. Rango
18. Moneyball
19. Margin Call
20. Take Shelter

 

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 – 2006

Leo, with my city in the background.

The 79th annual Academy Awards for the film year 2006.  The nominations were announced on January 23, 2007 and the awards were held on February 25, 2007.

Best Picture:  The Departed

• The Queen
• Babel
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• Little Miss Sunshine

Most Surprising Omission:  Dreamgirls

Best Eligible Film Not Nominated:  Children of Men

Rank (out of 82) Among Best Picture Years:  #23

 

The Year in Film: 2006

Marty directs Leo on how to beat the hell out of Matt. Oh, and he finally wins an Oscar.

My Top 20:

1. The Departed
2. Children of Men
3. Pan’s Labyrinth
4. The Fountain
5. The Queen
6. United 93
7. The Prestige
8. Army of Shadows
9. Casino Royale
10. Tristram Shandy
11. Volver
12. The Lives of Others
13. Stranger Than Fiction
14. The Painted Veil
15. Blood Diamond
16. Sophie Scholl – The Final Days
17. Joyeux Noel
18. Perfume
19. Brick
20. Thank You for Smoking

 

The History of the Academy Awards: Best Picture – 2004

A trio of Oscar winners for Million Dollar Baby: Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Hillary Swank.

The 77th annual Academy Awards, for the film year 2004.  The nominations were announced on 25 January 2005 and the awards were held on 27 February 2005.

Best Picture:  Million Dollar Baby

• The Aviator
• Sideways
• Finding Neverland
• Ray

Most Surprising Omission:  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Best Eligible Film Not Nominated:  A Very Long Engagement

Best Eligible English-Language Film Not Nominated:  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Rank (out of 84) Among Best Picture Years:  #12

 

The Year in Film: 2004

I think we have firmly established that I have a thing for Cate Blanchett.

My Top 20:

1. The Aviator
2. A Very Long Engagement
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. Sideways
5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
6. House of Flying Daggers
7. Closer
8. Million Dollar Baby
9. The Incredibles
10. Kill Bill Volume 2
11. Silver City
12. Hero
13. Hotel Rwanda
14. Spider-Man 2
15. Kinsey
16. Bad Education
17. Finding Neverland
18. Vera Drake
    
19. Mar Adentro
20. Shrek 2

 

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 Best of the Nighthawk Awards: The 1990′s

Beauty and the Beast during their best song in the film ("Something There"). The best Animated Film of the 90's.

1990  -  1999

Total Films I’ve Seen:  1217

Films That Make the Top 5 in Any Category:  53

Best Film Not to Make the Top 5 in Any Category:  The Shawshank Redemption

Film of the Decade:  GoodFellas

Worst Film of the Decade:  Showgirls

Worst Best Picture Nominee of the Decade:  Braveheart

Worst Film of the Decade Made by a Top 100 Director:  North