Ranking the Past Decade's Best Pic Winners

In honor of Oscar season, I figured it would only be appropriate to rank some of the Best Pictures in the past years. Now, I'm not ambitious enough to go back and watch all of the ones I haven't seen, so we're keeping it current. Below is a ranked list of the Oscar Best Picture winners from 2000 to 2009.

10. Gladiator (2000)


Ridley Scott's Hollywood blockbuster lands itself at the bottom of the list simply because that's all it is: a Hollywood blockbuster. And while it's fantastic and rousing entertainment with Russell Crowe playing a convincing gladiator hero, there's not much more to it than that. Certainly not Best Picture worthy considering it was up against more worthy films.

9. A Beautiful Mind (2001)


It's funny to note that Russell Crowe has starred in a Best Picture winning film two years in a row. In any case, it's another one at the bottom of the list. Although this biopic is well-crafted and respectable with superb performances, it remains still rather forgettable in the larger scheme of things.

8. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)


Danny Boyle's immensely stylish and triumphant crowd pleaser is the Academy's way of saying they know what's popular. And while Boyle's film was great and popular and a bit of a success story, it is not by any means one of his best films. Just take a look at "127 Hours" which came out this year. It was also nominated against more deserving films such as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Milk."

7. Crash (2005)


The uproar surrounding this film winning Best Picture over "Brokeback Mountain" is enough to get this one higher up on the list because, in my opinion, this was a better film than the other. Although overwrought and scattered, this observation of racial tensions post-9/11 was the first film in a while to address such issues and in such a timely manner. It achieved such with great power and resonance, as well.

6. Million Dollar Baby (2004)


A great honor to veteran Clint Eastwood in one of his later, and arguably one of his best, directing efforts, this dark but ultimately life-affirming film showcased a strong performance from Hilary Swank and told a story about faith and redemption with a simple grace and elegant, heartbreaking beauty.

5. Chicago (2002)


One of the best musicals ever made, hands down. From director Rob Marshall, this film really deserved its Best Picture win for taking a Broadway hit and making an equally successful movie hit. Taking unexpected actors/actresses and turning them into dancing and singing stars worked perfectly in one of the most purely electric and entertaining films to come along.

4. The Departed (2006)


Legendary director Martin Scorsese finally got the praise he deserved with the Best Picture win for this one. A superbly structured and twisty game of cat and mouse with excellent performances all around from Mark Wahlberg, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson who all give perhaps some of their best work. A completely worthy win considering its competition that year ("Babel," "The Queen," "Little Miss Sunshine," "Letters from Iwo Jima").

3. No Country for Old Men (2007)


Arguably the Coen brothers best film since "Fargo," this dark and brooding meditation on violence and the immorality of unjustified coincidence and fate is a haunting masterpiece. It also boasts an absolutely dynamite performance from Javier Bardem embodying the horror of impending death.

2. The Hurt Locker (2009)


Director Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" is perhaps the best film about the Iraq war ever made. Simply enough, it's an astonishing achievement and a story of David vs. Goliath for beating out "Avatar."

1. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)


Peter Jackson's glorious epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy gets the worthy finish it so highly deserves with this final installment. Though "Fellowship of the Ring" and "Two Towers" were also superb, "Return of the King" truly is the top and encompasses the series in a fittingly lengthy and powerful grand finale. This winning Best Picture only makes sense, and it was one of the grandest wins of recent memory.

Archive: 'No Country for Old Men'

Movie Review
No Country for Old Men (2007)


This is the movie we've been waiting for. What we have here is absolutely brilliant filmmaking that could only come from the brother directors, Joel and Ethan Coen. The audience I saw it with probably felt the movie was was a simple, conventional suspense thriller, one full of bloodlust and vengeance with an unsatisfying ending. I know this from the grumbles and groans I heard leaving the theater. These people, however, are terribly misguided and obviously shouldn't have been seeing it to begin with. So, have no worry, "No Country for Old Men" is an undeniably great movie. It's stunning, assured, intelligent, and even if December has yet to deliver probably some of the season's best movies, I can safely state that this is the very best film of 2007.

The movie takes place in the barren countryside of West Texas in the 1980s, and it opens with the solemn voice of Tommy Lee Jones. He explains about a 14-year-old boy who killed his girlfriend in what the papers called a crime of passion. When he sent the boy to the electric chair, he asked him about the murder, and the boy responded that it had nothing to do with passion; he had been thinking about killing someone for as long as he can remember. The tone of this story sets everything up perfectly for the rest of the movie. Jones' character is a sheriff and he, along with the other sheriffs, doesn't understand the crimes of today. Other movies have used war to describe dehumanization, but this film is above preaching. This certainly is no country for old men, and no country for any man, for that matter. And to think out there is a man of such incomprehensible evil.

The man is Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), and his presence on the screen can silence and chill a theater. He carries with him the worst hairstyle imaginable and a tank of compressed air, a cattle gun. This is a man who quietly asks his victim to get out of a car, and then proceeds to place the device on the man's forehead, blowing a hole through his head. Chigurh takes care of his victims calmly without breaking a sweat. And he can easily repair whatever wounds he receives. He is the scariest villain to come along in a movie for a long time, one of such dark evil with just a hint of perverse humor and also a smile that makes your skin crawl. In one scene, Chigurh enters a lonely gas station and, unknowing to the old man he's speaking with, they begin talking about whether or not Chigurh will kill him. The killer retrieves a coin from his pocket, flips it onto his hand, and tells the man to call it. The stakes are drawn, and this is Chigurh's game; he gambles with the lives of others through a coin toss. It's scary, that randomness in life.

And then there's Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), who, while hunting in the vast expanse of prairie, randomly comes across the site of a drug trade gone wrong. There are abandoned trucks surrounded by dead bodies, even dogs, and a truck bed full of heroin. But, where's the money? Moss follows more tracks to find it in a briefcase, all $2 million of it. Amidst the carnage is also a man begging for water. After stopping at home to tell his wife (Kelly MacDonald) to stay with her mother, Moss makes the bad move of returning to the site with a jug of water for the man. While out there, a second pair of headlights appears, shots ring out, and Moss is officially on the run. It's not entirely clear how Chigurh is tied to the money, but something is assumed; Moss is attempting to keep the money for himself, and Chigurh is hot on his trail to get it back.

In pursuit of the two men is Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), who is trying to save Moss from the trouble he's in and trying to stop Chigurh's murderous rampage. There's also a cocky bounty hunter named Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson) who compares Chigurh to the bubonic plague. All of these people understand what they're up against, but they really have no idea how to stop it. The chase takes Moss from motel to motel where all of the clerks get a visit from Chigurh. The suspense is heightened by a persistent and haunting silence. During one scene in particular, Moss waits in the dark for Chigurh to arrive; the only sound is the increasing beeps of a tracking transponder, warning of the approaching mayhem. It's truly scary, and this is not the only scene so flawlessly constructed. There are countless sequences that you don't want to end, but then when they do, there's something even better to experience next.

Josh Brolin is excellent as a common man thrust into a hellish world where he believes he's smarter than he really is. Moss is a man possessed by something beyond him, and Brolin adds a much-needed human touch to the role. And Javier Bardem's inexplicable ability to terrify is astonishing all on its own. Then there's Tommy Lee Jones, who is right at home playing the worn-out sheriff dealing with the worst of all evil. He has those tired eyes and long drawl, which is immensely fitting for the role. These three actors make every single line of dialogue count and all give Oscar-worthy performances. Now, as for that so-called disappointing ending, I believe it is pitch-perfect, bringing everything full circle and ending on a fittingly sentimental note that will reverberate in your soul long after the credits roll.

"No Country for Old Men" is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. The Coen brothers have adapted the story for the screen with the infusion of their signature dark humor. This is top-notch writing with a fine script, combining for absolutely great storytelling. The cinematography comes from Roger Deakins, and there's an effectively controlled sense of style, which is hauntingly bleak and violent, yet beautiful. Similar to Joel Coen's Best Picture nominee, "Fargo," the Coen brothers have a certain fascination with empty rural areas and the people who occupy them. This directing duo's latest effort is by far their best work yet.

This is a movie that drags you in, and as the minutes fly by, you'll find yourself entirely engrossed without a blink. It's hypnotizing, and at some points, you may even have to remind yourself to breathe. The movie is a meditation on time, the complexity of good and evil, the morality of choice, the immorality of injustice coincidence, and the unpredictability of fate. And all of this is tackled by the Coen brothers in a world that is all their own. The best part is that it's also damn entertaining and, yes, a masterpiece. Don't miss it.

A 'No Country' Night Among Bleak Contenders

The 80th Annual Academy Awards provided no real shockers as everybody had already predicted the outcomes going in. As expected, the Coen brothers came out on top with four wins (for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor) for their highly-acclaimed "No Country for Old Men." It was an interesting finish to a long night with Joel and Ethan lacking any eloquence in their final speech. And yet, by then, they had already been up there twice, and there was nothing left to add.

Even though "No Country for Old Men" was the front-runner of the night, it wasn't a true sweep. The Academy decided to spread the wealth as each Best Picture nominee went home with at least one win. And the movie with the second-highest total of three wins was none other than "The Bourne Ultimatum" for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing. Who saw that coming?

The first big award of the night went to Javier Bardem for Best Supporting Actor, which was memorable in that halfway through his speech, he launched into Spanish addressing his mother in the audience. While all of the Best Picture nominees were distinctly American, it was the foreigners who prevailed in terms of acting. Alongside Bardem, who was the first Spanish actor ever to win, was British actor Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood," French actress Marion Cotillard for "La Vie En Rose," and British supporting actress Tilda Swinton for "Michael Clayton."

Tilda Swinton's acceptance speech, as well, was particularly memorable through her poking fun at George Clooney who she claims to not find charming at all. It was also a delight to see the surprise on her face when her name was read, beating out projected winners Amy Ryan for "Gone Baby Gone" and Cate Blanchett for "I'm Not There."

As expected, Diablo Cody nabbed her win for Best Original Screenplay, and she sent her love out to the writers. Jon Stewart, too, brought up the writer's strike and was overall enjoyable a second time around as host. Also commenting on the darkness of the nominees, Stewart exclaimed, "Thank God for teen pregnancy!" About two hours into the night, it was bizarrely enough "The Bourne Ultimatum" in the lead with a third win for its rapid-fire editing, and as Stewart noted, somebody somewhere just took the lead in the Oscar pool based on a guess.

Cody's win was "Juno"'s only triumph last night, which is actually somewhat of a relief after its whirlwind of popularity. "There Will Be Blood" won its two for Robert Elswit's cinematography along with Day-Lewis. "Atonement" picked its one up for Best Original Score, and Swinton nabbing Best Supporting Actress was "Michael Clayton"'s singular win. "Ratatouille" rightfully received its win last night, as well, over "Persepolis" and "Surf's Up."

The crowd's warmest recognition went to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for their Best Original Song win for "Falling Slowly" from "Once." And bravo to Stewart again for bringing Irglova back out on stage to give her acceptance speech as she had earlier been cut off before she even began to speak.

While the Oscars were rather widespread, there were no surprises as to what everybody considered to be the evening's big film, and it was the Coen brothers who were the clear winners of the entire night.

Also interesting to note is that this 80th telecast of the Academy Awards was one of the least watched ever. Is it because of the movies being rewarded? It very well could be. People may have simply lost interest as the only Best Picture nominee to cross the $100 million mark at the box office was Juno. So, I guess not only was the Best Picture winner bleak, but so was the turnout.

Oscar Nods '08

The nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards were announced early morning today, which showcase the stream of excellent movies that began last fall. It's been an absolutely amazing year for movies, and this list of nominations reflects that with so many genuinely worthy candidates competing against each other. It's hard enough to predict the winners, but now with all of the nominees being so deserving, it'll be even tougher.

Leading the pack were "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" with eight nominations each. "Michael Clayton" and "Atonement" came next with seven, followed by "Juno" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" with four. Last were "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and "La Vie En Rose" with three, and "American Gangster," "Into the Wild," and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" each with two.

As expected, Best Actor nominations went to George Clooney for "Michael Clayton" and Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood" with one of them most likely receiving the win. I was happy to see nominations for Johnny Depp and Viggo Mortensen beside the two front-runners for their work in "Sweeney Todd" and "Eastern Promises," respectively. Most of all, though, I was thrilled that Tommy Lee Jones finally got recognized for one of his two deeply moving performances last year. The Academy awarded him with a nomination for his work in "In the Valley of Elah."

In Best Supporting Actor, Casey Affleck got nominated for his breakthrough in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" and Hal Holbrook was nominated for "Into the Wild." Tom Wilkinson received a nod for "Michael Clayton," and Philip Seymour Hoffman, of his three movies last year, received his nomination for "Charlie Wilson's War," as expected. The probable winner of this group, though, is Javier Bardem for his haunting serial killer in "No Country for Old Men."

Cate Blanchett received two nominations, one in Best Actress for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and the other in Best Supporting Actress for playing Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There." From a queen to a singing legend? That's quite a range. Beside Blanchett was Julie Christie for "Away from Her," Marion Cotillard for "La Vie En Rose," and Ellen Page for "Juno." Although Ellen Page is the obvious crowd favorite, the award could very well go to Julie Christie or Marion Cotillard instead. The delightful surprise for me was Laura Linney's nomination for "The Savages." She deserves the nomination so much, and I thought for sure she was going to be overlooked. Angelina Jolie for "A Mighty Heart" is conspicuously absent from this category, and I'm thinking that Laura Linney might've slipped out from under her and took the spot.

Aside from Cate Blanchett in Best Supporting Actress, there was the surprise of veteran Ruby Dee for "American Gangster." She was alongside Amy Ryan for "Gone Baby Gone," Tilda Swinton for "Michael Clayton," and the young Saoirse Ronan for "Atonement." It's surprising that Vanessa Redgrave didn't obtain a nomination for "Atonement," as well, but I suppose two supporting ladies from that movie would've been a bit much.

"Ratatouille" got its well-deserved nomination in Best Animated Film, which will most likely result in a win. It has a strong chance against "Surf's Up," which beat out the likes of "Bee Movie" and "Beowulf" for the third slot. Filling the second slot was "Persepolis" as it originally got denied a spot in Best Foreign Film.

In Best Cinematography, it's curious to note that Roger Deakins got nominated for his work in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" along with "No Country for Old Men." Beside that are nominations for the work in "Atonement," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," and "There Will Be Blood." While all had superb cinematography, Deakins' latter work should be taking the prize.

The artist Julian Schnabel did indeed end up getting nominated for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," alongside Jason Reitman for "Juno," Tony Gilroy for "Michael Clayton," Paul Thomas Anderson for "There Will Be Blood," and Joel and Ethan Cohen for "No Country for Old Men" in the category of Best Director. It's surprising that the lesser known Schnabel got nominated over Joe Wright for "Atonement" and Sean Penn for "Into the Wild." Out of the nominees, the brotherly directing duo should definitely win.

Best Documentary nominees were "No End in Sight," "Operation Homecoming," Michael Moore's "Sicko," "A Taxi to the Dark Side," and "War/Dance" with "Sicko" or "No End in Sight" most probable to win. Of the nominations, three of them focused on the conflict in Iraq.

Best Foreign Language Film sure was a shock. The nominees came from Israel, Austria, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Russia, and I haven't heard of any of them. My question is why not the Romanian "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days"?

Strange to me was the fact that Johnny Greenwood's score from "There Will Be Blood" wasn't nominated for Best Original Score. There is, however, the scores from"Atonement," "The Kite Runner," "Michael Clayton," "Ratatouille," and "3:10 to Yuma" with "Atonement" being the probable winner.

"Once" got one recognition in the category of Best Original Song for its song "Falling Slowly." "Enchanted" gathered its three nominations in this one category, leaving Amy Adams hanging.

The big story behind Diablo Cody probably makes her the front-runner for Best Original Screenplay with "Juno." Other nominees include Nancy Oliver for the under appreciated "Lars and the Real Girl" and Tony Gilroy for "Michael Clayton." I was pleasantly surprised to see Tamara Jenkins for "The Savages," and it's remarkable for any animated film to get nominated for its screenplay, but Brad Bird snagged a nomination for "Ratatouille."

The category of Adapted Screenplay contains Sarah Polley for "Away from Her," Ronald Harwood for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," but most notable are the heavy-hitters Joel and Ethan Cohen for "No Country for Old Men," Christopher Hampton for "Atonement," and Paul Thomas Anderson for "There Will Be Blood."

And lastly, the nominees for Best Picture contained no real surprises, and I actually predicted them correctly last night: "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton", "No Country for Old Men," and "There Will Be Blood." It's usually the case that whichever movie wins Best Editing ends up winning Best Picture, so it's worth noting that "Juno," "Michael Clayton," and "Atonement" are missing. Does this leave the soul-lost oil tycoon to compete against the creepy killer? Or does "Juno" really have enough praise and popularity to be this year's potential upset? My bet is still on "No Country for Old Men" to win, but we'll have to wait and see in about a month from now.