2005--The Year in Review

A remarkable year for movies, especially for the top ten. But, for me, there is only one choice–my favorite film of the 2000s, Terrence Malick's uplifting retelling of the now-mythic discovery of North America, guided by the delicate yet complex romance between an unruly British ship captain, John Smith (Colin Ferrell) and a young Native American princess Pocahontas, unnamed here and played impeccably by newcomer Q’Orianka Kilcher (whose previous brush with fame had been as the sister of then-popular singer Jewel; this unknown stance unjustly kept her far away from the Best Actress race). The New World is, when seen on the big screen, a tremendously moving account of innocence lost, its gorgeousness first commanded by an uplifting use of Richard Wagner's ever-escalating prelude to Das Rheingold as bookends to Malick's ravishing work (the use of Wagner's spectacular music, alone, moved me to tears, especially when coupled with Emmanuel Lubezski's unbelievable cinematography and Malick's perfect direction; this was as sublime as anything I'd ever seen cinema offer). The New World, throughout, still moves me to copious tears with its overwhelming beauty, but so does Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, the Hollywood movie that everybody thought was destined for Best Picture glory. Both Heath Ledger's and Jake Gyllenhaal's performances as conflicted '50s-era cowboy lovers jolted the collective culture. Yet the Academy decided for Paul Haggis' race-driven, early year hit Crash, in probably the most unfortunately surprising Oscar conclusion ever.

Meanwhile, more moving, foreign-flavored pictures like Michael Haneke's tense tale of family secrets Caché, Belgian brothers Jean-Luc Dardenne and Pierre Dardenne's devastating L’Enfant, and Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog's belated collaboration with animal-loving loner Timothy Treadwell (who deserved a co-director credit); all were worthy of Best Picture consideration, even though each of these movies emerged with not a single nomination between them. I nonetheless loved the remaining Best Picture nominees--Steven Spielberg's continually rewarding and mature Munich, George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck, an elegant black-and-white account of the clash between CBS news scion Edward R. Murrow and scuzzy US senator Joseph McCarthy, and Bennett Miller's Capote, detailing that author's internal struggle to get In Cold Blood down on the page (which resulted in the exquisite Philip Seymour Hoffman winning the Best Actor Oscar, even if it now seems another actor, Toby Jones, later proved himself better suited for the Capote role). As for the Supporting Oscars, Clooney justifiably nabbed the top spot for his tense portrayal of a conflicted CIA operative driving himself insane on behalf of U.S. oil superiority, but I was devastated at Amy Adams being denied the Supporting Actress victory for her lovely, wide-eyed mother-to-be in Junebug; this fine actress has been searching for a make-up award ever since. NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold.

PICTURE: THE NEW WORLD (US, Terrence Malick)
(2nd: Brokeback Mountain (US, Ang Lee)
followed by: Caché (France, Michael Haneke)
L’Enfant (Belgium/France, Jean-Luc Dardenne and Pierre Dardenne)
Munich (US, Steven Spielberg)
Grizzly Man (US, Werner Herzog and Timothy Treadwell)
Capote (US, Bennett Miller)
A History of Violence (US/Canada, David Cronenberg)
The Constant Gardener (UK, Fernando Meirelles)
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (UK, Michael Winterbottom)
Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (US, Martin Scorsese)
The Squid and the Whale (US, Noam Baumbach)
Good Night, and Good Luck (US, George Clooney)
In Her Shoes (US, Curtis Hanson)
Into Great Silence (Germany/France, Philip Gröning)
Junebug (US, Phil Morrison)
Hustle and Flow (US, Craig Brewer)
The 40 Year Old Virgin (US, Judd Apatow)
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (US, Tommy Lee Jones)
Syriana (US, Stephen Gaghan)
Paradise Now (Palestine, Hany Abu-Assad)
Me and You and Everyone We Know (US, Miranda July)
Batman Begins (US, Christopher Nolan)
Mirrormask (US/UK, Dave McKean)
Shopgirl (US, Anand Tucker)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (US, Shane Black)
Forty Shades of Blue (US, Ira Sachs)
Joyuex Noel (France/Germany/UK, Christian Carion)
Ballets Russes (US, Daniel Keller and Dayna Goldfine)
The Matador (US/Ireland, Richard Shepard)
Oliver Twist (UK/France/Italy/Czech Republic, Roman Polanski)
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (UK, Nick Park and Steve Box)
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (US, Albert Brooks)
Sophie Scholl: The Last Days (Germany, Marc Rothemund)
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (US, Alex Gibney)
The Upside of Anger (US, Mike Binder)
Stay (US, Marc Forster)
Jarhead (US, Sam Mendes)
March of the Penguins (France, Luc Jacquet)
Match Point (UK/US, Woody Allen)
Mad Hot Ballroom (US, Marilyn Agrelo)
Duma (US, Carroll Ballard)
The Descent (UK, Neil Marshall)
Why We Fight (US, Eugene Jareki)
Corpse Bride (US, Tim Burton and Mike Johnson)
I Am a Sex Addict (US, Caveh Zahedi)
Everything is Illuminated (US, Liev Schreiber)
Happy Endings (US, Don Roos)
Murderball (US, Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro)
Walk the Line (US, James Mangold)
Lord of War (US, Andrew Niccol)
North Country (US, Niki Caro)
Down in the Valley (US, David Jacobson)
Sin City (US, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and Frank Miller)
Crash (US, Paul Haggis)
Transamerica (US, Duncan Tucker)
Dark Water (US, Walter Salles)
Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic (US, Liam Lynch)
Cinderella Man (US, Ron Howard)
Manderlay (Denmark, Lars Von Trier)
Serenity (US, Joss Whedon)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Romania, Cristi Puiu)
The Proposition (Australia, John Hillcoat)
V for Vendetta (US, James McTeague)
King Kong (US, Peter Jackson)
Memoirs of a Geisha (US, Rob Marshall)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (US, Andrew Adamson)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (US, Tim Burton)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (US, George Lucas)
Mysterious Skin (US, Gregg Araki))



ACTOR: Heath Ledger, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2nd: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Capote; followed by: Daniel Autiel, Cache; Terrence Howard, Hustle and Flow; Pierce Brosnan, The Matador; Jeremie Renier, L'Enfant; David Straithairn, Good Night, and Good Luck)



ACTRESS: Q’Orianka Kilcher, THE NEW WORLD (2nd: Juliette Binoche, Cache; followed by: Dina Korzun, Forty Shades of Blue; Cameron Diaz, In Her Shoes; Toni Collette, In Her Shoes; Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line; Charlize Theron, North Country)

SUPPORTING ACTOR: George Clooney, SYRIANA (2nd: Matt Dillon, Crash, followed by: Ed Harris, A History of Violence; Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man; Clifton Collins Jr., Capote; Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain; Rob Brydon, Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams, JUNEBUG (2nd: Rachel Weitz, The Constant Gardener, followed by: Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain; Taraji P. Henson, Hustle and Flow; Deborah François, L'Enfant; Sheetal Sheth, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World; Catherine Keener, Capote)

DIRECTOR: Terrence Malick, THE NEW WORLD (2nd: Michael Haneke, Cache, followed by: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain; Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, L’Enfant; Steven Spielberg, Munich; Werner Herzog and Timothy Treadwell, Grizzly Man; Bennett Miller, Capote)



NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: CACHE (Belgium/France, Michael Haneke) (2nd: L’Enfant (Belgium, Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne) followed by: Into Great Silence (Germany/France, Philip Gröning); Paradise Now (Palestine, Hany Abu-Assad); Sophie Scholl: The Last Days (Germany, Marc Rothemund); The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Romania, Cristi Puiu))



DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: GRIZZLY MAN (US, Werner Herzog and Timothy Treadwell) (2nd: Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (US, Martin Scorsese), followed by: Into Great Silence (France/Germany.Switzerland, Philip Groning); Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (US, Alex Gibney); March of the Penguins (France, Luc Jacquet); Ballet Russes (US, Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine); Mad Hot Ballroom (US, Marilyn Agrelo); Why We Fight (US, Eugene Jarecki); Murderball (US, Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro))

ANIMATED FEATURE: WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (UK, Nick Park and Steve Box) (2nd: Corpse Bride (US, Tim Burton and Mike Johnson))



ANIMATED SHORT: THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION (US, John Canemaker) (2nd: Rabbit (UK, Run Wrake), followed by: 9 (US, Shane Acker); Milch (US, Igor Kovalyov)



LIVE ACTION SHORT: CASHBACK (UK, Sean Ellis) (2nd: Starcrossed (US, James Burkhammer), followed by: Mute (US, Melissa Joan Hart); Boys Grammar (Australia, Dean Francis))

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Michael Haneke, CACHE (2nd: Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, L’Enfant, followed by: Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale; Guillermo Arriaga, The Three Burials of Meliquiades Estrada; Angus MacLachlan, Junebug)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2nd: Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, Munich, followed by: Jeffrey Caine, The Constant Gardener; Frank Cotrell Boyce, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story; Jennifer Weiner, In Her Shoes)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki, THE NEW WORLD (2nd: Dion Beebe, Memoirs of a Geisha, followed by: Wally Pfister, Batman Begins; Robert Elswit, Good Night and Good Luck; Philip Groning, Into Great Silence)

ART DIRECTION: MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, Good Night and Good Luck, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The New World, Mirrormask

COSTUME DESIGN: MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, Walk The Line, The New World, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Oliver Twist



FILM EDITING: MUNICH, Brokeback Mountain, Syriana, The New World, Grizzly Man



SOUND: KING KONG, War of the Worlds, The New World, Brokeback Mountain, Batman Begins



SOUND EFFECTS: WAR OF THE WORLDS, King Kong, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 



ORIGINAL SCORE: Gustavo Santolalla, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2nd: John Williams, Munich, followed by: James Horner, The New World; Dario Marianelli, Pride and Prejudice; Julian Nott, Wallace and Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit)



ORIGINAL SONG: “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from HUSTLE AND FLOW (Music and lyrics by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard) (2nd: “Travelin’ Thru” from Transamerica (Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton), followed by: "Whoop That Trick" from Hustle and Flow (Music and lyrics by Alphonzo Bailey))

SPECIAL EFFECTS: KING KONG, War of the Worlds, Sin City, Mirrormask, Batman Begins

MAKEUP: THE NEW WORLD, Sin City, Memoirs of a Geisha

2004--The Year in Review

Goodness, what a difficult puzzle this was to work out. Initially, I was ready to go with Jonathan Glazer's Birth, a stunningly gorgeous take on a horror story, with Nicole Kidman as a woman in such longing for her dead fiancee that she's willing to devote herself to a child claiming to be his reincarnation. But then I rewatched it, and found minor but significant flaws. I was then almost willing to go with the Academy's choice, Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, but I always had issues with some of its iffy acting, lesser scenes, and problematic plot points. I see Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes bio-pic The Aviator as a well-produced, highly entertaining mixed bag that gets better as it goes along. Meanwhile, Mike Leigh's Vera Drake is beyond reproach, yet seems a bit dark for Best Picture (the same goes for Hirokazu Kore-Eda's beautifully depressing tale of child abandonment Nobody Knows). I momentarily toyed with Napoleon Dynamite (way too light, though it might be the 2004 movie that's provided me with the most joy, repeatedly), Downfall (too dour, though its lead actor was a powerhouse shoo-in even against the popular choice: Jamie Foxx's uncanny Ray Charles), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (too knowingly hip). But, in the end, I had to find for the year's critical favorite, Alexander Payne's Sideways, a gloriously performed and scripted movie I find I can watch repeatedly without it falling apart before my eyes (yet I ended up choosing Mike Leigh for Best Director; his Vera Drake is just too magnificent to ignore, with his superb script and Imelda Staunton's lead performance its primary drives). This is a year of many fine films, but few seem like totally suitable, "oh, yeah, of course..." or even "I can see that" Best Picture winners. Even Sideways feels a curiously akin to its title. 2004 is yet another sign that things are changing for movies, and not necessarily for the better. NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold.

PICTURE: SIDEWAYS (US, Alexander Payne)
(2nd: Vera Drake (UK, Mike Leigh)
followed by: Nobody Knows (Japan, Hirokazu Kore-Eda)
Million Dollar Baby (US, Clint Eastwood)
Downfall (Germany, Oliver Hirschbiegel)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (US, Michel Gondry)
The Incredibles (US, Brad Bird)
Napoleon Dynamite (US, Jared Hess)
The Aviator (US, Martin Scorsese)
Birth (US, Jonathan Glazer)
Before Sunset (US, Richard Linklater)
In The Realms of the Unreal (US, Jessica Yu)
2046 (Hong Kong, Wong Kar-Wai)
Primer (US, Shane Carruth)
Shaun of the Dead (UK, Edgar Wright)
Team America: World Police (US, Trey Parker)
I ♥ Huckabees (US, David O. Russell)
Moolaadé (Senegal, Ousmane Sembene)
Head-On (Germany, Fatih Akin)
Spider-Man 2 (US, Sam Raimi)
Kung Fu Hustle (Hong Kong, Stephen Chow)
The Assassination of Richard Nixon (US/Mexico, Niels Mueller)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (US, Wes Anderson)
Keane (US, Lodge Kerrigan)
Tropical Malady (Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Maria Full of Grace (US/Colombia, Joshua Marston)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (US, Kerry Conran)
Ray (US Taylor Hackford)
Teacher’s Pet (US, Timothy Bjorklund)
The Bourne Supremacy (US, Paul Greengrass)
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (US, Xan Cassavetes)
Born Into Brothels (US, Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman)
Collateral (US, Michael Mann)
The Girl Next Door (US, Luke Greenfield)
C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (US, Kevin Willmott)
Moog (US, Hans Fjellestad)
Millions (UK, Danny Boyle)
The Machinist (US, Brad Anderson)
Howl’s Moving Castle (Japan, Hayao Miyazaki)
The Village (US, M. Night Shymalyan)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (US, Michael Moore)
Tarnation (US, Jonathan Caouette)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (US, Alfonso Cuaron)
Kinsey (US, Bill Condon)
Closer (US/UK, Mike Nichols)
The Sea Inside (Spain, Alejandro Aménabar)
The House of Flying Daggers (China, Zhang Yimou)
The Passion of the Christ (US, Mel Gibson)
The Motorcycle Diaries (Brazil, Walter Salles)
Last Days (US, Gus Van Sant)
Hotel Rwanda (US, Terry George)
Finding Neverland (UK, Marc Forster)
A Very Long Engagement (France, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
The Libertine (UK, Lawrence Dunmore)
Troy (US, Wolfgang Petersen)
Shrek 2 (US, Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon)



ACTOR: Jamie Foxx, RAY (2nd: Bruno Ganz, Downfall, followed by: Paul Giamatti, Sideways; Sean Penn, The Assassination of Richard Nixon; Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator; Jon Heder, Napoleon Dynamite)



ACTRESS: Imelda Staunton, VERA DRAKE (2nd: Nicole Kidman, Birth, followed by: Hillary Swank, Million Dollar Baby; Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace; Annette Bening, Being Julia)

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Morgan Freeman, MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2nd: Thomas Hayden Church, Sideways, followed by: Phil Davis, Vera Drake; Jon Gries, Napoleon Dynamite; Cameron Bright, Birth; Mark Wahlberg, I ♥ Huckabees)



SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS (2nd: Cate Blanchett, The Avitator, followed by: Natalie Portman, Closer; Irma P. Hall, The Ladykillers; Lily Tomlin, I ♥ Huckabees; Laura Linney, Kinsey)

DIRECTOR: Mike Leigh, VERA DRAKE (2nd: Alexander Payne, Sideways, followed by: Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Hirokazu Kore-Eda, Nobody Knows; Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby; Jared Hess, Napoleon Dynamite)

NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: NOBODY KNOWS (Japan, Hirokazu Kore-eda) (2nd: Downfall (Germany/Italy/Austria, Oliver Hirschbiegel), followed by: 2046 (Hong Kong, Wong Kar-Wei); Head-On (Germany/Turkey, Faith Akin); Moolaade (Burkina Faso/France, Ousmene Sembene); The Sea Inside (Spain, Alejandro Amenábar); Howl’s Moving Castle (Japan, Hayao Miyakazi); Kung Fu Hustle (Hong Kong/China, Stephen Chow))

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL (US, Jessica Yu) (2nd: Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (US, Xan Cassavetes), followed by: Born Into Brothels (US, Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman); Moog (US, Hans Fjellestad); Fahrenheit 9/11 (US, Michael Moore))

ANIMATED FEATURE: THE INCREDIBLES (US, Brad Bird) (2nd: Howl’s Moving Castle (Japan, Hayao Miyakazi), followed by: Teacher’s Pet (US, Timothy Bjorklund))



ANIMATED SHORT: RYAN (Canada, Chris Landreth) (2nd: Guard Dog (US, Bill Plympton), followed by: Lorenzo (US, Mike Gabriel); Birthday Boy (Australia, Sejong Park))



LIVE ACTION SHORT: TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT (New Zealand, Takita Waititi) (2nd: Six Shooter (Ireland, Martin McDonagh), followed by: Wasp (UK, Andrea Arnold); Agent Orange (US, Tony Scott))



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2nd: Mike Leigh, Vera Drake, followed by: Jean-Claude Carriere, Jonathan Glazer and Milo Addica, Birth; Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess, Napoleon Dynamite; Brad Bird, The Incredibles)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, SIDEWAYS (2nd: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, Before Sunset, followed by: Paul Haggis, Million Dollar Baby; Bernd Eichinger, Downfall; Jose Rivera, The Motorcycle Diaries)



CINEMATOGRAPHY: Robert Richardson, THE AVIATOR (2nd: Harris Savides, Birth, followed by: Robert Yeoman, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; Caleb Deschanel, The Passion of the Christ; Christopher Doyle and Pung-Leung Kwan, 2046)



ART DIRECTION: THE AVIATOR, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, A Very Long Engagement, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow



COSTUME DESIGN: THE AVIATOR, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Ray, Troy, Finding Neverland 



FILM EDITING: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby, Sideways, Napoleon Dynamite



SOUND: THE AVIATOR, The Incredibles, Ray, Kung Fu Hustle, Spider-Man 2



SOUND EFFECTS: THE INCREDIBLES, The Aviator, Spider-Man 2



ORIGINAL SONG: “Je T’Aime Tant” from BEFORE SUNSET (Music and lyrics by Julie Delpy) (2nd: “A Waltz for a Night” from Before Sunset (Music and lyrics by Julie Delpy), followed by: "America, Fuck Yeah!" from Team America: World Police (Music and lyrics by Trey Parker); "I'm So Ronery" from Team America: World Police (Music and lyrics by Trey Parker); “Ocean Man” from The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (Music and lyrics by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo); "Al Otro Lado Del Río" from The Motorcycle Diaries (Music and lyrics by Jorge Drexler); "Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)" from The Chorus (Music by Bruno Coulais, lyrics by Christophe Barratier))



ORIGINAL SCORE: Alexander Desplat, BIRTH (2nd: Michael Giacchino, The Incredibles, followed by: Howard Shore, The Aviator; John Debney, The Passion of the Christ; Edward Shearmur, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow)



ADAPTED OR SONG SCORE: Trey Parker, Marc Shaiman and Harry Gregson-Williams, TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE (2nd: Craig Armstrong, Ray, followed by: Cheri Steinkellner, Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn, Bryan Woodbury, Peter Lurye, and Stephen James Taylor, Teacher's Pet)



SPECIAL EFFECTS: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Kung Fu Hustle



MAKEUP: THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, Hellboy, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

2003--The Year in Review

This year, documentaries explode with excellence. There's Capturing the Friedmans, Andrew Jarecki's joltingly heartrending look at a family collectively accused of child molestation; The Fog of War, Errol Morris' ultimately Oscar-winning confessional for Kennedy-era Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara (side note: after seeing the film at the NY Film Festival that year, I told Mr. Morris that he'd win the 2003 Oscar for it; he gently but emphatically stated he didn't think the Academy would ever anoint him so); Ted Demme and Richard LaGravenese contributed a lovingly exhaustive overview of '70s cinema with A Decade Under The Influence, while modern social, political and financial constructs were harshly grilled in films like The Yes Men and The Corporation. But, after much back-and-forthing, I've joyfully found in favor of Thom Andersen's Los Angeles Plays Itself. It's a movie that, after hearing much acclaim, I finally discovered online in 2010. It's recently become easier to see via The Criterion Collection (who miraculously found a way to get clearance for the film's inclusion of hundreds of clips from studio works and indie obscurities). I emphatically recommend every movie lover check out this documentary--it's a mindblower. Film expert and USC professor Andersen has crafted an epic portrait of Los Angeles, framed simultaneously as his constantly-changing hometown, a setting for famous movies, an architectural marvel, and as a sullied jewel in the crown of American cities. Andersen's film gets your mind racing about scads of things at once, and though its three-hour-length might seem like a chore, it's nevertheless a constantly surprising work that appeals to your brain's better nature. It leaves me breathless. I can't even express how exciting it is, for instance, to hear low-key narrator Encke King (it's NOT Andersen, but he sounds like a perfect stand-in) as he exactingly delineates how H.B. Halicki's 1974 action film Gone in 60 Seconds highlighted a rarely-filmed side of Los Angeles (this is only one of a thousand moments like this). Los Angeles Plays Itself is an indomitable education into the city's layout and history, and the sheer diversity of clips here (everything from Laurel and Hardy's errant piano in The Music Box to the air-lifted city bus from Swordfish) keeps us absolutely captivated throughout. I like how the film's gears change at each hour mark, continually getting more detailed and personal as it goes along.

There are many narrative films I loved this year--Gus Van Sant's eerie, superbly constructed Columbine recreation Elephant; Sofia Coppola's gorgeous real-love-story Lost in Translation; David Gordon Green's similarly effusive All the Real Girls (led by the astonishing Paul Schneider and Zooey Deschanel); two very different but radically memorable action pieces in Park Chan-wook's Oldboy and Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Terry Zwigoff's immutable cult film Bad Santa (I was THIS CLOSE to voting Billy Bob Thornton as Best Actor but at the last minute, I realized Murray really deserved it); Vincent Gallo's much-maligned The Brown Bunny (which I still see as one of the year's most graceful films); Lars Von Trier's stark, shocking Dogville; Ingmar Bergman's REAL final film Saraband; Sylvain Chomet's thrilling animated film The Triplets of Belleville; the genre-bending Harvey Pekar bio-pic American Splendor (so wonderfully acted); Billy Ray's tense account of journalistic delusion Shattered Glass; Normal, Jane Alexander's eloquent tale of a radically shifting family; Mike Nichols' regal HBO adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer-winning play Angels in America; and Lawrence Bridges' stunning, little-seen mini-L.A.-epic 12. Meanwhile, in 2003, the Academy over-emphatically paid tribute to Peter Jackson's brown-tinged, mega-hit Lord of the Rings series by handing 11 Oscars (even Best Song) to its final entry The Return of the King. Sorry, but I've never been a Tolkien fan, so I keep my wits about me here. Though I recognize Jackson's films ARE an achievement, I happily go another way in 2003. NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold.

PICTURE: LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF (US, Thom Andersen)
(2nd: Elephant (US, Gus Van Sant)
followed by: Lost in Translation (US, Sofia Coppola)
All the Real Girls (US, David Gordon Green)
Oldboy (South Korea, Park Chan-wook)
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (US, Peter Weir)
12 (US, Lawrence Bridges)
Bad Santa (US, Terry Zwigoff)
Capturing the Friedmans (US, Andrew Jarecki)
The Brown Bunny (US, Vincent Gallo)
Saraband (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
The Triplets of Belleville (France, Sylvain Chomet)
Dogville (Denmark/UK, Lars Von Trier)
The Fog of War (US, Errol Morris)
American Splendor (US, Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini)
Shattered Glass (US, Billy Ray)
Angels in America (US, Mike Nichols)
House of Sand and Fog (US, Vadim Perelman)
Normal (US, Jane Anderson)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (US/New Zealand, Peter Jackson)
The Dreamers (France/US, Bernardo Bertolucci)
Gerry (US, Gus Van Sant)
Jimmy’s Story (US, Billy Yeager)
The Inheritance (Denmark, Per Fly)
The Barbarian Invasions (Canada, Denys Arcand)
21 Grams (US/Mexico, Alejandro González Iñárritu)
Mystic River (US, Clint Eastwood)
A Decade Under The Influence (US, Ted Demme and Richard LaGravenese)
Down with Love (US, Peyton Reed)
School of Rock (US, Richard Linklater)
Kill Bill (US, Quentin Tarantino, both parts included)
Shelter Dogs (US, Cynthia Wade)
The Five Obstructions (Denmark, Lars Von Trier and Jorgen Leth)
Swimming Pool (France, François Ozon)
The Corporation (US, Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott)
My Architect (US, Nathaniel Kahn)
Girl With a Pearl Earring (UK, Peter Webber)
Blind Shaft (China, Yang Li)
The Cooler (US, Wayne Kramer)
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (US, Judy Irving)
Open Range (US, Kevin Costner)
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (US, Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill)
My Life Without Me (Spain/Canada, Isabel Coixet)
The Best of Youth (Italy, Marco Tullio Giordano)
Good Morning, Night (Italy, Marco Belluchio)
Coffee and Cigarettes (US, Jim Jarmusch)
Holes (US, Andrew Davis)
Monster (US, Patty Jenkins)
End of the Century (US, Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia)
Finding Nemo (US, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
Dark Blue (US, Ron Shelton)
The Movie Hero (US, Brad T. Gottfred)
Touching the Void (UK, Kevin MacDonald)
Intolerable Cruelty (US, Joel Coen)
The Station Agent (US, Tom McCarthy)
A Mighty Wind (US, Christopher Guest)
Big Fish (US, Tim Burton)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (US, Jonathan Mostow)
Cold Mountain (US, Anthony Minghella)



ACTOR: Bill Murray, LOST IN TRANSLATION (2nd: Billy Bob Thornton, Bad Santa, followed by: Paul Giamatti, American Splendor; Tom Wilkinson, Normal; Choi Min-sik, Oldboy; Al Pacino, Angels in America; Paul Schneider, All The Real Girls)

ACTRESS: Zooey Deschanel, ALL THE REAL GIRLS (2nd: Nicole Kidman, Dogville, followed by: Liv Ullmann, Saraband; Charlize Theron, Monster; Jessica Lange, Normal; Scarlett Johansson, Lost in Translation; Jennifer Connelly, House of Sand and Fog)



SUPPORTING ACTOR: Tim Robbins, MYSTIC RIVER (2nd: Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass, followed by: Tony Cox, Bad Santa; Benicio Del Toro, 21 Grams; Judah Friedlander, American Splendor; Jeffrey Wright, Angels in America; Alec Baldwin, The Cooler)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Hope Davis, AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2nd: Lauren Graham, Bad Santa, followed by: Meryl Streep, Angels in America; Shohreh Ashdashloo, House of Sand and Fog; Marcia Gay Harden, Mystic River; Christina Ricci, Monster; Hayden Pantierre, Normal)

DIRECTOR: Gus Van Sant, ELEPHANT (2nd: Thom Andersen, Los Angeles Plays Itself, followed by: Park Chan-wook, Oldboy; Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation; David Gordon Green, All The Real Girls; Jane Anderson, Normal; Vincent Gallo, The Brown Bunny)

NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM: OLDBOY (South Korea, Park Chan-wook) (2nd: The Triplets of Belleville (France, Sylvain Chomet), followed by: Saraband (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); The Inheritance (Denmark, Per Fly); The Barbarian Invasions (Canada, Denys Arcand); Blind Shaft (China, Yang Li); The Best of Youth (Italy, Marco Tullio Giordano); Good Morning, Night (Italy, Marco Belluchio))

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF (US, Thom Andersen) (2nd: Capturing the Friedmans (US, Andrew Jarecki), followed by: The Fog of War (US, Errol Morris); The Yes Men (US, Dan Ollman, Sarah Price and Chris Smith); A Decade Under The Influence (US, Ted Demme and Richard LaGravenese); The Corporation (US, Jennifer Abbott and Mark Achbar); My Architect (US, Nathanial Kahn); Shelter Dogs (US, Cynthia Wade); Jimmy’s Story (US, Billy Yeager))

ANIMATED FEATURE: THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (France, Sylvain Chomet) (2nd: Finding Nemo (US, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich))



LIVE ACTION SHORT: CHERNOBYL HEART (Russia/US, Maryann DeLeo, won as Documentary Short) (2nd: Competition (Poland, Maciaj Ademek), followed by: Aspara (UK/India, Colin McGreal); In/Out (US, Daryll Woon)



ANIMATED SHORT: DESTINO (France/US, Dominique Monfrey) (2nd: Ward 13 (Australia, Peter Cornwell, followed by: Harvie Krumpet (US, Adam Elliot))



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Sofia Coppola, LOST IN TRANSLATION (2nd: Glenn Ficara and John Requa, Bad Santa, followed by: David Gordon Green, All The Real Girls; Thom Andersen, Los Angeles Plays Itself; Denys Arcand, The Barbarian Invasions)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Billy Ray, SHATTERED GLASS (2nd: Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman, American Splendor, followed by: Hwang Jo-yun, Lim Chun-hywong, Lim Joon-hyung, and Park Chan-wook, Oldboy; Jane Anderson, Normal; Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)



CINEMATOGRAPHY: Harris Savides, ELEPHANT (2nd: Russell Boyd, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, followed by: Vincent Gallo, The Brown Bunny; Chung Chung-hoon, Oldboy; Harris Savides, Gerry)

ART DIRECTION: GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING, Down With Love, Dogville, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 

COSTUME DESIGN: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Down With Love, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, The Last Samurai

FILM EDITING: LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF, Elephant, Kill Bill, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Oldboy

SOUND: ELEPHANT, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Oldboy, Gerry



SOUND EFFECTS: MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Finding Nemo



ORIGINAL SCORE: Howard Shore, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, followed by: Alexander Desplat, Girl with the Pearl Earring; Thomas Newman, Finding Nemo; Gabriel Yared, Cold Mountain; Danny Elfman, Big Fish)



ORIGINAL SONG: “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” from A MIGHTY WIND (Music and lyrics by Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole) (2nd: “Belleville Rendezvous” from The Triplets of Belleville (Music by Benoit Charest, lyrics by Sylvain Chomet), followed by: “You Will Be My Ain True Love” from Cold Mountain (Music and lyrics by Sting); “Into the West” from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Music and lyrics by Fran Walsh, Annie Lennox and Howard Shore))

SPECIAL EFFECTS: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

MAKEUP: MONSTER, Angels in America, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King