movie awards

I have watched dozens of great movies and I thought that it would be nice to compile a list of some of the best-greatest and most affective works of cinema
there is no such thing a comprehensive list and each category has limited spaces and so every list has its own biases so there are some great works (gone with the wind-a few good men-on waterfront-who is afraid of Virginia Woolf?-as good as it gets) and actors( Clark gable-Clint eastwood-katherine Hepburn-Barbara Streisand-Sydney potier-Heth Ledger-Denzel Washington-Michael Douglas-Gene Hackman-James Dean) that are not even nominated let alone winners. There are those movies that are nominated more than once that is cause they deserve it. and although there are a few old school movies I feel the list is “OK”
This is just a general list its not complete you are welcome to comment
Generally there is a the movie-the award recipient-country of the movie as well as year

Best Picture
The nominees
• Winters bone
• No country for old men
• Annie hall
• The departed
• Wild strawberries
• Kramer vs Kramer
• The godfather
• Reservoir dogs
• Network
• The silence of the lambs

And the winner is- The godfather-
Simply because it was the most innovative movie of its time and a bench mark in combining big budget and small budget film making-great cast-great directing and music its really great. He who has not seen it should be shoot.


Best actor
The nominees
• Jean Reano-the professional
• Jack Nicholson-the departed
• Robert Deniro-Taxi Driver
• Anthony Hopkins-The silence of the lambs
• Jude Law-sleuth
• Sean Penn-Mystic river
• Marlon Brando the godfather

And the winner is-(joint winners) Jean Reano- the professional (took a relatively unknown role and made it unbelievably dark and him very simple storyline but amazing performance) and Jack Nicholson-the departed (a typical crazy jack Nicholson role but when he plays it you never ever think about any other Jack Nicholson movie he keeps you there throughout the movie)

Best actress
The nominees
• Hillary swank-Boys don’t cry
• Charlize Theron-Monster
• Salma hayek-frida
• Helen Mirren-the queen
• Whoopi Goldberg-the color purple
• Meryl streep-Sophie’s choice
• Emily Watson-breaking the waves

And the winner is- Meryl streep-Sophie’s choice
(great accent probably the best of Meryl streep’s great career, a really great testament to showcase the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany)

Best original score
The nominees
• Star wars episode I
• Gladiator
• Lord of the rings
• Da vinci code
• The godfather-Nino Rota

And the winner is- Star wars episode I
(I’m not a sci-fi fan or a Blockbuster fan but the music in this movie adds great value to the movie a great uplifting score really amazing)



Best short film
The nominees
• Le Jette
• Validation
• Signs
• Touch
• Nora

And the winner is- Touch
(not too much action just a beautiful dialogue short, really captures the core of human emotions with just a simple conversation)



Best supporting actor
The nominees
• Javier Bardem-No country for old men
• Joe Pesci-Goodfellas
• Al pacino-the godfather
• George Clooney-Goodnight and Good luck
• Morgan Freeman-Shawshank redemption
• Jamie Foxx-Collateral
• Daniel day Lewis-Gangs of New York

And the winner is- Al pacino-the godfather
(it would have been easy for a young Al Pacino to be drowned and be complacent in this role simply due to the star power of the cast around him (Diane Keaton-Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall) but a calm and consistent performance from one of the best of all time)


Best supporting actress
The nominees
• Meryl streep- Kramer vs Kramer
• Monique- Precious
• Natalie Portman-Closer
• Jane Fonda-On golden Pond
• Cate Blanchet-The Aviator
• Kate Winslet-Iris
• Judi Dench-Notes on a scandal

And the winner is- Judi Dench-Notes on a scandal
(it’s hard to play a real life character but this intimate portrait of Iris Murdoch is perfectly executed by one of the grand old ladies if world cinema really beautiful intimate piece)


Best original screenplay
The nominees
• Memento
• Eastern promises
• Reservoir Dogs-Quentin Tarantino
• I’m not there
• American history X
• Shortcuts

And the winner is- Reservoir Dogs-Quentin Tarantino
(one of the most beautiful dialogue driven movies ever-from the “tipping scene”-“the meaning of like a virgin” and “how Mr White got his start” it’s really a well written piece.

Best Adapted screenplay
The nominees
• Winters bone-(based on the book by
• The departed-(based on the movie internal affairs)
• Pay it forward-(based on the book by
• Mystic river-(based on the book by
• No country for old men-(based on the book by Cormac McCarthy

And the winner is- No country for old men-(based on the book by Cormac McCarthy
(books that sell well but are from picky authors like Cormac McCarthy (I say picky because he has only been interviewed twice on television in 40 years) are really hard to adapt to the screen but the Coen brothers did great in setting it up, great dialogue and did the whole movie without a single piece of music its amazing)

Best movie scene
The nominees
• Unforgiven-“it’s a helluva thing killing a man” scene
• Heat-(6 minute conversation between Robert Deniro and Al pacino
• Lucky Number Slevin-meeting the boss scene
• The shinning-“here’s Johnny” scene
• American Gangster-shooting outside the restaurant
• Gangs of New York-closing scene “the hands that built America”
• Annie Hall-opening direct to camera Monologue

And the winner is- Heat-(6 minute conversation between Robert Deniro and Al pacino)
(they were both in part II of the godfather but were never on the screen together , this was the first time these two legends shared screen time and the result is electric-no scene hogging just two guys doing what they do best and feeding of each other)



Best Foreign language film
The nominees
• Three colors trilogy-red-(Poland-France)
• Waltz with bashIr-(Israel)
• City of God-(Brazil)
• Moloch trapicana-(Haiti-france)
• La Strada-(Italy)

And the winner is- Moloch trapicana-(Haiti-france)
(tell the story of the last 24 hours of a crazy president it’s a really great portrait on power and human relationships very well acted as well)


Best Director
The nominees
• Martin Scorcese-The departed
• Woody Allen-Annie Hall
• Francis Ford Coppola-the godfather trilogy
• Roman Polanski-Chinatown
• D.W Griffith-Birth of a nation
• The Coen Brothers-Fargo
• Guy Richie-snatch

And the winner is- Martin Scorcese-
The departed (he had done great work before (Taxi driver-Alice doesn’t live here anymore-Goodfellas-Casino-New York New York-Raging bull-the aviator-gangs of New York) and was nominated for many directing Oscars but I think the departed was really well handled with an ensemble cast which includes Damon-Walberg-sheen-Nicholson-Baldwin-the old man of did a great work handling each scene.

Best independent film
The nominees
• Memento
• Requiem for a dream
• Reservoir dogs
• History of violence
• No country for old men
• 21 grams
• Shortcuts
• Boondock saints

And the winner is- History of violence
(a really great quiet film almost waiting to jump at you, very emotionally impactful, does a great job of showing the relevance of Karma and how to beat it)

Best cinematography
The nominees
• The godfather
• Winters bone
• Se7en
• Chinatown
• History of violence
And the winner is- Winters bone
(I saw this at the Durban Film fest its really new but the camera work and the lighting is dark and grim and really does well to add value to this “white trash story”

Best South African film
The nominees
• Life above all
• A small town called descent
• Faith’s corner
• Jerusalema
• Paradise stop
• The bet
• Surfing Soweto

And the winner is- A small town called descent
(also saw this at the Durban film fest-well casted film but extremely ambitious the use of archive footage as well as many political statements about South Africa right now its really worth watching)


Best documentary
The nominees
• cocaine cowboys
• Bowling for columbine
• Tyson
• Man on wire
• Woodstock
• Surfing Soweto

And the winner is- Bowling for columbine
(this was a close call between Surfing Soweto and Michael Moore but this is a more Universal story in the sense that it tries to frame the state of mind of teens and people in general but what really tips it over is the “History of America cartoon sequence as well as the what a wonderful world montage really amazing”


Best production design
The nominees
• Gladiator
• Chicago
• Schindler’s list
• Ben Hur
• Fight Club

And the winner is- Gladiator
(its really hard to imagine the Glory that was once Rome but the costume and set Design in this movie gives a great idea and was a great aid for Russell Crowe for



Best animated feature
Waltz with Bashir- a really ambitious movie from a non entity country in filmmaking but greatly well executed even with live actors this could not be done better.


Best romantic movie
Annie Hall-
form the opening monologue this movie says classic all over it and Allen uses a the first ever direct to camera speech method something that is well partnered with his bubblegum
THAT’S ALL FOLKS