Best Picture Oscars (2000s)

Continuing the theme of my earlier blog post, I'm now delving back a little further into the Academy's past, not least because recent history is quite easy to forget if you don't revisit it. Below is a guide to the Best Picture winners from 2000 - 2009. I'm thinking of doing more posts for the nominated films that didn't quite make it, if there is demand.

This post will not be complete for a little while, but the end is now in sight. Spoilers in this article as always.

73rd Academy Awards - 2000/01
Winner: Gladiator
Defeated: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Chocolat
Synopsis: Aging Emperor Marcus Aurelius decides to offer the successful General Maximus Decimus Meridius the right to succeed him, alienating his son Commodus. Killing his father, Commodus asks for Maximus's loyalty, but he refuses, endangering himself and his family. Finding his wife and son dead, Maximus is captured and sold to Proximo. Highly effective in his new life as a gladiator, Maximus performs at the Colosseum, and Commodus comes to congratulate him. Revealing his identity, Maximus chooses not to kill Commodus as he has planned. Maximus defeats all future attempts by Commodus to exterminate him. With Maximus growing in popularity, Commodus has no alternative but to challenge him to a duel. Despite foul play by Commodus, Maximus kills him and dies a hero's death.
Setting: 180 - c.182, Roman Empire
Screenplay: David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson (Length (Director's Cut): 2 hours, 44 mins)
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe (Maximus Decimus Meridius), Joaquin Phoenix (Commodus), Connie Nielsen (Lucilla), Oliver Reed (Antonius Proximo), Derek Jacobi (Senator Gracchus), Djimon Hounsou (Juba), Richard Harris (Marcus Aurelius)
Music: Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard*
Distributed by: DreamWorks Pictures (US), Universal Pictures
Tagline: 'What we do in life echoes in eternity.'
Also won: Best Actor, Best Sound Mixing, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Effects
Total: 5/12
BAFTA Best Film: Yes
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama): Yes
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant historical inaccuracies: - Commodus was already co-Emperor with his father at the time this film is set.
- Commodus did not kill Marcus Aurelius, who died of plague in Vindobona (now Vienna). Commodus was killed, but was strangled in the bath by his wrestling partner Narcissus (on whom Maximus is thought to be based), in the year 192.
- Under the Roman naming system, Maximus's full name should really be Decimus Aelius Maximus Meridius.
- The death of the combatants in gladiatorial fights was in reality quite rare.
Firsts: Gladiator was the first film to become Best Picture without taking a directing or screenwriting Oscar since 1949.
Trivia: Oliver Reed died of a heart attack in Malta during the making of this film, meaning that CGI had to be used in order to complete some of his scenes.
- British-Iranian comedian Omid Djalili appears in the film as a slave trader.
*Lisa Gerrard was not nominated for an Oscar under the Academy rules at the time.


74th Academy Awards - 2001/02
Winner: A Beautiful Mind
Defeated: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge!, Gosford Park, In the Bedroom
Synopsis: This film is a biopic of the American mathematician and Nobel Prize winner John Nash. The film begins with Nash formulating and publishing the 'Nash equilibrium', his contribution to the concept of game theory, on the strength of which he earns an appointment at MIT.
Nash is later invited to the Pentagon where he is to be employed by William Parcher to crack enemy codes. His close involvement leads him to become obsessed with the threat from the Soviets. Nash's increasing fear for his life leads to him being sent to a psychiatric facility where he is diagnosed with schizophrenia. Nash receives treatment but stops taking his medication after his release due to the side effects. This leads to a relapse where he endangers the lives of his wife, Alicia, and their child. Nash finally accepts that he is having hallucinations and resolves to learn to deal with them. He is eventually awarded the Nobel Prize for his work on game theory in 1994.
Setting: 1947 - 1994, New Jersey, Massachusetts, The Pentagon (hallucination)
Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman (Based on 'A Beautiful Mind' by Sylvia Nasar - Length: 2 hours, 15 minutes)
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Russell Crowe (John Nash, Jr.), Ed Harris (William Parcher), Jennifer Connelly (Alicia Larde-Nash), Paul Bettany (Charles Herman), Adam Goldberg (Sol), Judd Hirsch (Helinger), John Lucas (Martin Hansen), Anthony Rapp (Bender), Vivien Cardone (Marcee), Christopher Plummer (Dr. Rosen), Jason Gray-Stanford (Ainsley Neilson)
Music: James Horner
Distributed by: Universal Pictures (US), DreamWorks Pictures
Tagline: 'He saw the world in a way no one could have imagined.'
Also won: Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay
Total: 4/8
BAFTA Best Film: No (Lord Of the Rings: The Fellowship Of the Ring)
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama): Yes
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant historical inaccuracies: - Nash's hallucinations were only auditory, not visual.
- Most of the supporting characters are not directly based on real people.
- Alicia divorced Nash in 1963, though they began living together again in 1970. They renewed their relationship in 1994.
Trivia: The film makes no mention of Nash's relationship with his nurse Eleanor Stier, nor their son, John David Stier.
This is the third Best Picture winner in a row to have been distributed by DreamWorks Pictures.


75th Academy Awards - 2002/03
Winner: Chicago
Defeated: The Pianist, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Hours, Gangs of New York
Synopsis: This film is based on the 1975 musical. When her relationship with her lover takes a turn for the worse, aspiring vaudeville star Roxie Hart shoots him and persuades her husband to take the blame. However, she is found out and sent to Cook County Jail, where she awaits trial, and if convicted, the death penalty. Whilst there she attempts to befriend Velma Kelly, a show business star who had murdered her husband and sister. She fails and instead engages Velma's lawyer Billy Flynn in taking up her case. When Roxie and Flynn become the centre of media attention, Velma becomes concerned that Roxie is a distraction from her case. In order to create greater coverage, Roxie pretends to be pregnant with a child out of wedlock. Roxie continues to follow Flynn's unconventional tactics and is finally acquitted, despite a last-ditch attempt by Velma to ruin her defence. However, as soon as she is freed, the press finds a new sensational trial to cover and Roxie is forgotten. Despite despising her, Roxy agrees to team up with Velma in a Jazz killers act, and finally realises her dream of stardom.
Setting: c.1924, Chicago, Illinois
Screenplay: Bill Condon (Based on 'Chicago' by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb - Length: 1 hour 53 minutes)
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Renee Zellweger (Roxanne 'Roxie' Hart), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Velma Kelly), Richard Gere (Billy Flynn), Queen Latifah (Matron 'Mama' Morton), John C. Reilly (Amos Hart), Christine Baranski (Mary Sunshine), Taye Diggs (The Bandleader)
Music: John Kander (music), Fred Ebb (lyrics)
Distributed by: Miramax Films
Tagline: 'If you can't be famous, be infamous.'
Also won: Best Supporting Actress, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing
Total: 6/13
BAFTA Best Film: No (The Pianist)
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy): Yes
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant inaccuracies: - None evident
Firsts: - This is the first musical to win Best Picture since Oliver! in 1969.
Trivia: - Chicago is currently the longest running musical (and third longest running show) ever on Broadway.
- The film is based on a musical, based on a play, based on the real life cases of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner.
- The song 'Class' was not present in the theatrical release of the film, but was included on the DVD.
- R&B singer Mya appears in this film as Mona, one of the prisoners.
Notable Songs: All That Jazz, Cell Block Tango, Razzle Dazzle


76th Academy Awards - 2003/04
Winner: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Defeated: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Mystic River, Seabiscuit, Lost in Translation
Synopsis: This film is the final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
With the wizard Saruman now defeated, Aragorn, Gandalf and the others can at last turn their full attention to the threat to Middle Earth from Mordor. When Pippin observes the potential destruction of the city of Minas Tirith through a seeing stone (palantir), he and Gandalf ride there at once, where they find the Lord Steward Denethor ill prepared for the coming siege. When his son Faramir is mortally wounded, Denethor is driven to insanity, leaving Gandalf responsible for the city's defences. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are tasked with seeking the assistance of the undead warriors who King Isildur cursed for their cowardice many years before. As a descendant of Isildur, Aragorn is the only one who can release their souls to the afterlife, and they agree to fight for him in return.
Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam continue their journey into Mordor. Despite a near fatal trap laid by their sinister guide Gollum, Frodo and Sam finally reach the volcano Mount Doom, which is the only place where the Dark Lord Sauron's powerful magical ring can be destroyed. Having successfully defeated Sauron's forces at Minas Tirith, Aragorn and Gandalf decide to march on Mordor to divert attention from Frodo and Sam's dangerous mission. In Mount Doom, Gollum reappears and attacks Frodo, seizing the ring. However, clutching his new prize, Gollum falls to his death, and in so doing causes the collapse of the evil kingdom.
Setting: The Third Age, Middle Earth (mainly Gondor, Rohan and Mordor)
Screenplay: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens (Based on 'The Return of the King' by J. R. R. Tolkien - Length: 3 hours, 21 minutes)
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Ian McKellen (Gandalf the White), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee), Andy Serkis (Gollum/Sméagol), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), Billy Boyd (Pippin Took), Dominic Monaghan (Merry Brandybuck), Bernard Hill (King Théoden), Miranda Otto (Eowyn), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), John Noble (Denethor)
Music: Howard Shore
Distributed by: New Line Cinema
Tagline: 'The journey ends.'
Also won: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Original Song ('Into the West'), Best Sound Mixing, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects
Total: 11/11
BAFTA Best Film: Yes
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama): Yes
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant changes: - Much of Frodo and Sam's story line is actually from the previous book in the series, the Two Towers. The Return of the King novel begins with Frodo's rescue from the Tower of Cirith Ungol.
- In the books, Gollum did not succeed in turning Frodo against Sam.
- In the books, the army of ghosts does not accompany Aragorn to Minas Tirith; instead he only enlists them in dispersing the Corsairs of Umbar.
Firsts: - This is the first fantasy film to win Best Picture.
Trivia: There is a mountain of Lord of the Rings trivia out there, if you're interested, but the following is mainly about the film itself rather than the story -
- Director Peter Jackson has an onscreen cameo as one of the Corsairs of Umbar.
- Winning all 11 of its nominations, the Return of the King has won the joint highest amount of Oscars of any film (with Ben Hur and Titanic), and also holds the record for largest clean sweep.
- The Return of the King was only the second film ever to gross over $1 billion worldwide (after Titanic).
- According to moviebodycounts.com, The Return Of the King has the most deaths of any movie ever made, with 836 total kills.


77th Academy Awards - 2004/05
Winner: Million Dollar Baby
Defeated: The Aviator, Ray, Finding Neverland, Sideways
Synopsis: This story is narrated by Eddie 'Scrap-Iron' Dupris.
Missouri born waitress Maggie Fitzgerald is determined to become a boxer, but Frankie Dunn, owner of the Hit Pit gym, is reluctant to train a woman. However, Dunn's friend 'Scrap-Iron' encourages her, and when Dunn's prize fighter signs to Mickey Mack, Dunn decides to give her an opportunity. Initially intending on leaving Maggie with another manager, Dunn changes his mind. Maggie gradually becomes more and more successful and the two embark on a tour through Europe. Maggie's family care little for her success and disapprove of her career. Dunn arranges a title fight for Maggie in Las Vegas, but despite her showing early promise, Maggie is left disabled by a sucker punch. With her family more interested in their inheritance than her well-being, Dunn takes it upon himself to look after her, but he is left with an agonising choice when Maggie makes it clear that she wishes to be euthanized rather than live on with no hope of recovery.
Setting: c. 2004, USA, mainly Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Europe
Screenplay: Paul Haggis (Based on 'Rope Burns: Stories From the Corner' by F. X. Toole - Length: 2 hours, 12 minutes)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood (Frankie Dunn), Hilary Swank (Maggie Fitzgerald), Morgan Freeman (Eddie 'Scrap-Iron' Dupris)
Music: Clint Eastwood
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Tagline: None
Also won: Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor
Total: 4/7
BAFTA Best Film: No (The Aviator)
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama): No (The Aviator)
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant inaccuracies: None
Trivia: - The name of the film comes from writing on the nose of a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber aircraft.
- Clint Eastwood's daughter Morgan Colette has a cameo in this film.
- Eastwood shot the film in under 40 days.
- Lucia Rijker, who plays Billie 'the Blue Bear' who seriously injures Maggie, is a professional boxer and has been dubbed 'The Most Dangerous Woman In the World'.


78th Academy Awards - 2005/06
Winner: Crash
Defeated: Brokeback Mountain, Good Night and Good Luck., Capote, Munich
Synopsis: This film features many interwoven storylines, all concerning the theme of racism. This synopsis does not feature every storyline.
Two black men, Anthony and Peter, carjack district attorney Rick Cabot and his wife Jean. Two police officers, Ryan and Hansen, pull over a similar car which happens to belong to TV director Cameron Thayer and his wife Christine, who were engaging in a sexual act. Ryan uses the opportunity to sexually assault Christine, while her husband says nothing.
Later, Cameron himself is carjacked by Anthony and Peter, but he resists and a car chase ensues with Anthony holding a gun to Cameron's head. However, Cameron and Hansen manage to resolve the situation, though Anthony remains at large. Hansen gives Peter a ride home, but tragedy strikes in a terrible misunderstanding. Anthony goes onto carjack the van of an Asian man that he had run over earlier, which is revealed to be full of trafficked migrants. At the same time, Christine becomes the victim in a car accident and it falls to Ryan to save her before her car bursts into flame.
Concurrently, Farhad, a Persian shop owner, becomes enraged with a Hispanic locksmith, Daniel, who he believes is ripping him off. Finding his shop vandalised the next day, Farhad assumes that Daniel is responsible and locates his house with the intention of shooting him. Fortunately, Farhad's daughter has loaded the gun with blanks and Farhad realises the brutality of what he had meant to do.
Meanwhile, Jean Cabot learns the error of her prejudice when her maid, whom she had previously disparaged, saves her from serious harm after a nasty accident; and Detective Waters is instructed by his drug addicted mother to find his missing brother.
Setting: c. 2004, Los Angeles
Screenplay: Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco (Length: 1 hour, 52 minutes)
Director: Paul Haggis
Starring: Sandra Bullock (Jean Cabot), Don Cheadle (Detective Graham Waters), Matt Dillon (Officer John Ryan), Jennifer Esposito (Ria), Michael Pena (Daniel Ruiz), Brendan Fraser (Rick Cabot), Terrence Howard (Cameron Thayer), Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges (Anthony), Larenz Tate (Peter), Thandie Newton (Christine Thayer), Ryan Phillippe (Officer Tom Hansen), Shaun Toub (Farhad)
Music: Mark Isham
Distributed by: Lionsgate (US), Pathe (UK)
Tagline: 'Moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.'
Also won: Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing
Total: 3/6
BAFTA Best Film: No (Brokeback Mountain)
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama): No (Brokeback Mountain)
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant inaccuracies: None
Trivia: - Crash is considered a surprise Best Picture winner, with Brokeback Mountain the heavy favourite. Crash was not even nominated for Best Motion Picture (Drama) at the Golden Globe Awards.
- Crash was the last Best Picture winner to be released on VHS and the first to be released on Blu-Ray in the US.
- The film inspired a TV series of the same name starring Dennis Hopper. It was to be Hopper's last on screen role, as he died of prostate cancer in 2010.


79th Academy Awards - 2006/07
Winner: The Departed
Defeated: Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, The Queen, Letters From Iwo Jima
Synopsis: Irish mob boss Frank Costello pulls Colin Sullivan into his fold with the intention of making him a mole in the Massachusetts State Police. Sullivan succeeds in being accepted to the Special Investigations Unit. At the same time, aspiring police officer Billy Costigan is tasked with going undercover in Costello's world of organised crime, thanks to his family connections. Coincidentally both men develop a relationship with the same woman, the psychiatrist Madolyn Madden. When Costello is nearly caught in a sting operation, it becomes clear that both the Police and the mob have been infiltrated. Sullivan has Costigan's superior, Captain Queenan, tailed and Queenan is killed. Sullivan's research into Queenan's diary reveals that Costello is an informant for the FBI. With Sullivan now aware of Costigan's identity, the two men stage an ambush on Costello, who Sullivan kills. With Sullivan a hero in the Police Force, Costigan soon realises the danger he is in and flees. Madolyn reveals she is pregnant, but Sullivan becomes suspicious of who the father is upon discovering Madolyn listening to some of Costello's recordings of his conversations with Sullivan. Sullivan finds that Costigan wishes to use the recordings to implicate him, and the two agree to meet. However, the consequences of this meeting are far from straightforward.
Setting: c. 2006, Boston, Massachusetts
Screenplay: William Monahan (Based on 'Infernal Affairs' by Alan Mak and Feliz Chong - Length: 2 hours, 31 minutes)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio (Billy Costigan), Matt Damon (Colin Sullivan), Jack Nicholson (Frank Costello), Mark Wahlberg (Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam), Martin Sheen (Captain Oliver Queenan), Ray Winstone (Arnold 'Frenchy' French), Vera Farmiga (Dr. Marolyn Madden), Alec Baldwin (Captain George Ellerby)
Music: Howard Shore
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Tagline: 'Cops or criminals. When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?'
Also won: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing
Total: 4/5
BAFTA Best Film: No (The Queen)
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama): No (Babel)
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant inaccuracies: None
Trivia: - The Departed is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film 'Infernal Affairs'.
- The character of Frank Costello is based upon notorious Boston based criminal James 'Whitey' Bulger.
- Drawing inspiration from the 1932 film Scarface, an X motif is used in various guises to foreshadow death throughout the film.
- This film marked Martin Scorsese's 7th nomination for Best Director, and his first win.


80th Academy Awards - 2007/08
Winner: No Country for Old Men
Defeated: There Will Be Blood, Atonement, Michael Clayton, Juno
Synopsis: Whilst hunting in the Texan desert, Llewelyn Moss discovers the grisly aftermath of a failed drug deal, where he happens upon a satchel containing $2 million. Sending his wife, Carla Jean, to stay with her mother for her safety, Moss flees to a motel and hides the cash in an air duct. However, a ruthless hitman, Anton Chigurh, has been tasked with recovering the money. Chigurh is able to track the satchel via a transmitter present inside it and locates Moss's motel. Chigurh kills an ambush party lying in wait for Moss, but a paranoid Moss has escaped. Before he can dispose of the transmitter, Chigurh has caught up with Moss and they are both wounded in the resulting gunfight. After crossing the Mexican border, Moss hopes that bounty hunter Carson Wells will protect him, but Chigurh kills Wells at his hotel. Over Well's phone, Chigurh threatens Carla Jean's life if Moss does not return the money. Moss secretively arranges to meet his wife and give her the satchel, but her mother accidentally betrays him and Moss is killed by a Mexican gang and the money is lost. Carla Jean accepts protection from Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, who has been hot on the heels of Moss and Chigurh. However, Chigurh finds Carla Jean and offers her the toss of a coin to decide whether she will keep her life. She refuses and Chigurh leaves with Carla Jean presumably dead. Bell, tired of the endless onslaught of violence he has witnessed over the years, finally makes the decision to retire from the police.
Setting: 1980, Texas, Northern Mexico
Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen (Based on 'No Country for Old Men' by Cormac McCarthy - Length: 2 hours, 2 minutes)
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones (Sheriff Ed Tom Bell), Javier Bardem (Anton Chigurh), Josh Brolin (Llewelyn Moss), Kelly Macdonald (Carla Jean Moss), Woody Harrelson (Carson Wells)
Music: Carter Burwell
Distributed by: Miramax Films, Paramount Vantage
Tagline: 'There are no clean getaways.'
Also won: Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay
Total: 4/8
BAFTA Best Film: No (Atonement)
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama): No (Atonement)
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant changes: Whereas Sheriff Ed Tom Bell's narration was a consistent theme in the book, Bell only narrates the beginning of the movie and his role is reduced at the expense of the other characters.
Trivia: - The title of 'No Country for Old Men' is based on the first line of the 1928 poem Sailing To Byzantium by Irish poet W. B. Yeats.
- This is the second time that the Coen Brothers have adapted a novel by Cormac McCarthy, the first being All the Pretty Horses in 2000.
- Wikipedia has a whole page dedicated specifically to analysis of this film.


81st Academy Awards - 2008/09
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Defeated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk, The Reader, Frost/Nixon
Synopsis: The film begins in a studio during the filming of Indian gameshow Kaun Banega Crorepari (the Indian version of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?) where Jamal Malik, a poor teenager who hails from the Juhu suburb of Mumbai, is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. However, before the final question can be asked, Jamal is accosted by the police who assume that he must have been cheating in order to progress so far through the show, given the unlikelihood that a 'slumdog' would have a sufficient level of education. The film then uses a series of flashbacks in order to demonstrate how, by coincidence, Jamal has directly experienced the answer to each question. Living with his money obsessed elder brother Salim, his tale encompasses their battles with ruthless criminals, their life travelling on the rooftops of trains and their efforts to make a living from both working and stealing from others. The brothers are able to rescue Latika, a friend from before their escape from the slum, from a life of prostitution at the hands of the exploitative crime lord Maman. However, after Salim kills Maman, he is offered the chance to work for Maman's rival Javed and Salim orders Jamal to leave him and Latika. Years later, Jamal manages to track down Salim, who is still working for Javed. Finding Latika at Javed's residence, Jamal only manages to speak to her briefly, but is insistent that they meet again. However, Salim conspires to stop this and Latika is kidnapped by Javed's men. Jamal reveals that he has sought to appear on the programme in order to reconnect with Lakita, who is a regular viewer. It is also revealed that the host, Prem Kumar, is prejudiced towards Jamal and it is he who has contacted the police. Jamal is allowed to continue competing, and after watching coverage of Jamal's feat, a guilty Salim offers Lakita the chance to escape. When Jamal uses his Phone-A-Friend lifeline, he discovers Lakita is safe, and guesses the final question correctly. Jamal and Latika reunite and begin their romance, but Salim's fate is sealed and he is murdered after killing Javed.
Setting: 1993 - 2006, India, primarily Mumbai
Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy (Based on 'Q & A' by Vikas Swarup - Length: 2 hours)
Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan*
Starring: Dev Patel (Jamal Malik), Frieda Pinto (Lakita), Madhur Mittal (Salim Malik), Anil Kapoor (Prem Kumar), Irrfan Khan (Police Inspector), Ankur Vikal (Maman), Mahesh Manjrekar (Javed Khan)
Music: A. R. Rahman
Distributed by: Pathe, Eros Entertainment (UK), Fox Searchlight Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures (US)
Tagline: 'What does it take to find a lost love? A) Money B) Luck C) Brainpower D) Destiny'
Also won: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Original Song (Jai Ho!), Best Sound Mixing, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing
Total: 7/10
BAFTA Best Film: Yes
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama): Yes
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant inaccuracies: - The film attributes the song 'Darshan Do Ganshyam' to the poet Surdas, but it was actually written by Gopal Singh Nepali for the 1957 film Narsi Bhagat, prompting a lawsuit from his family.
Trivia: - *Casting director Loveleen Tandan is credited as a Co-Director (India) for her work on this film, which caused some controversy when she was not nominated for Best Director with Danny Boyle at the Oscars.
- On the films release, many Indians objected to the use of the word 'slumdog' to describe Jamal and others from the same background. Boyle states that his intention was that 'slumdog' was a condensation of the words 'slum' and 'underdog'. The dubbed Hindi version of the film is entitled 'Slumdog Crorepati'.
- It was revealed that the child actors who played the parts of the young Salim and the young Latika were paid comparatively low sums of money for their roles and continued to live in slums during filming. Boyle's response to this was that he had set up a trust fund for the actors and made provisions for their education up to the age of 18.
- 'Jai Ho!', the movie's most notable song, was later released as a single by the Pussycat Dolls ft. Nicole Scherzinger, retitled 'Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny).


82nd Academy Awards - 2009/10
Winner: The Hurt Locker
Defeated: Avatar, Precious, Up, Inglourious Basterds, The Blind Side, Up In the Air, District 9, An Education, A Serious Man

Synopsis: When Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson is killed by an improvised explosive device, Sergeant First Class William James is sent to replace him as the leader of a bomb disposal team. The films follows the various life threatening situations that the squad are forced to endure. Sergeant Sanborn and Specialist Eldridge consider James' approach to military life to be rash and potentially dangerous, and Sanborn even contemplates murdering James and making it look like an accident. After discovering a team of mercenaries with high profile Iraqi hostages, the bomb disposal squad comes under fire and is forced to kill their adversaries. Managing to survive, they make their way back to Camp Victory. James later becomes distressed at discovering the body of a boy, 'Beckham', that he had befriended whilst he is conducting a raid on a warehouse and vows to seek revenge on his killers. Eldridge is similarly tormented by the death of his friend Lieutenant Colonel Cambridge, for which he blames himself. After being called to deal with an exploded petrol tanker, James decides to search for the responsible militants, with Eldridge and Sanborn agreeing to help, despite protest. Eldridge is consequently taken prisoner by insurgents, and James and Sanborn injure him whilst coming to his rescue, meaning that Eldridge will require surgery on his leg. When James discovers Beckham is actually alive, Eldridge is furious with James for his recklessness. On the last few days of their rotation, the squad is called to save an Iraqi civilian, who has had a bomb secured to his body. James tries, but is unable to save him and Sanborn is deeply affected by the man's death, realising that he wishes to return home and start a family. James, however, is ill-suited to civilian life and soon returns to service, professing that it is the only thing he really loves.    
Setting: c. 2004, Iraq
Screenplay: Mark Boal (Length: 2 hours, 11 minutes)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner (Sergeant First Class William James), Anthony Mackie (Sergeant J. T. Sanborn), Brian Geraghty (Specialist Owen Eldridge), Christian Camargo (Lieutenant Colonel John Cambridge), Evangeline Lily (Connie James), Ralph Fiennes (Private Military Company Unit Leader), David Morse (Colonel Reed), Guy Pearce (Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson), Christopher Sayegh ('Beckham')
Music: Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders
Distributed by: Summit Entertainment/Universal Studios (USA), Lionsgate/Optimum Releasing (UK), Warner Bros. (Italy)
Tagline: 'You don't have to be a hero to do this job. But it helps.'
Also won: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing
Total: 6/9
BAFTA Best Film: Yes
Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama): No (Avatar)
Box Office Success: Yes
Significant inaccuracies: - The film has been criticised for entertaining ideas that are not in line with army protocol (for instance, the decision of the squad to split up in the wake of an explosion), and James' general impetuousness. It has also been highlighted for an unrealistic lack of radio contact between the servicemen.
Trivia: - The film is based on the findings of American journalist Mark Boal from his time as an embedded reporter on the front line.
- The name 'The Hurt Locker' is based on a term first recorded in the Vietnam War, with Boal describing it as 'somewhere you don't want to be'.
- Bigelow became the first (and so far, only) woman to win a Best Director Oscar for her work on this film, famously beating her husband James Cameron, for Avatar.
- The film was shot on location in Jordan, in order to show landscapes as close to reality as possible. Bigelow cast several Iraqi refugees as extras.
- Voltage Pictures announced their intention to sue computer users who downloaded pirated versions of the film. The case has since been dropped.


That's all of them. If you'd like me to do another decade, or have a go at a guide to some of the losing nominees, don't hesitate to comment and let me know.