Hollywood paid homage to Bollywood in 2008, and Slumdog Millionaire was rewarded with the Oscar. From a production standpoint, it’s amazing that this film was even made. Director Danny Boyle had to take guerilla film making to a whole new level as much of the filming they did in India was done without permits or …
Category: Best Picture Blogs
2007 Winner for Best Picture – No Country for Old Men
By 2007 the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, had directed some of the most recognizable and enduring films of the previous two decades. Films like Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski among others demonstrated a penchant for dark comedy, snappy and witty dialogue, sometimes graphic violence, and tension-filled storytelling. In No …
2006 Winner for Best Picture – The Departed
After having five of his films nominated for Best Picture since 1976, Martin Scorsese finally broke through and won Best Picture with The Departed, which was a remake of a Hong Kong film called Internal Affairs. Over the previous 30 years, Scorsese deservedly built up a reputation for being one of American cinema’s great directors. …
2005 Winner for Best Picture – Crash
A year after being nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for the film that won Best Picture (Million Dollar Baby), Paul Haggis tried his hand at writing as well as directing Crash and this time would take home the Best Picture Oscar for himself, along with the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. This was …
2004 Winner for Best Picture – Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby scored Clint Eastwood his second Best Picture winning film as a director, and he walked away with the Best Director Oscar as well, in what was a very good night for this film that is at once funny and light, and later tragic and dark. Other than Boogie Nights, I don’t know …
2003 Winner for Best Picture – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
In what was likely a coronation (no pun intended) as well as an acknowledgement to the entire series, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King tied a record by winning eleven Oscars, including Best Picture, and joining Titanic and Ben-Hur as the only 11-time Oscar winners. The previous films in the series …
2002 Winner for Best Picture – Chicago
For the first time since Oliver! took home the statue for Best Picture for 1968 the Academy bestowed its highest honor on a musical with Chicago. Other Musicals had been nominated in the 34 years between wins, like the previous year’s Moulin Rouge!, Cabaret in 1972, Nashville in 1975, and All That Jazz in 1979, …
2001 Winner for Best Picture – A Beautiful Mind
In my humble opinion, one of the most average Oscar winners in history is 2001’s winner, A Beautiful Mind. It has some wonderful acting performances by Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly (who won Best Supporting Actress for her performance), Ed Harris, and Christopher Plummer. It has a well-written and Oscar-winning script, and Ron Howard (who won …
2000 Winner for Best Picture – Gladiator
I am going to start right off by stating that I’ve always been a fan of this film. I saw it in the theater when it first came out and I was a big fan of it then, and I’ve continued to like this movie very much over the years. Gladiator is a terrific blend …
1999 Winner for Best Picture – American Beauty
The Academy closed out the 20th Century by awarding its highest honor to American Beauty, a film that can be interpreted in many ways. It’s not that American Beauty lacks a clear meaning, but it is about so many things, and that makes it one of the most deeply thematic films I’ve ever seen. Indeed, …