Taking a break from all this Bat-talk. Trekking through the year 2000 was a daunting task. There were many films I hadn’t seen in years, while others I’ve never feasted my eyes on before. Naturally this brings on a dilemma. A 15-year-old Clayton watching movies is very different from a now, 28-year-old Clayton. I like to think there is a maturity there that lacked before. I realized that after re-watching Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In 2000, I found the film immensely overrated and couldn’t understand what people were so mesmerized by. Naturally, I’ve never officially appreciated it or thought it to be among Ang Lee’s best. Enter last weekend. Talk about being fantastic a second-time around, the film was nearly hypnotic in its style and approach. Do I consider it the best of the year? Not really. One of the best? Definitely so.
With our ACCA 2000 closing up on Friday, and winners being announced on Sunday’s podcast, I have to let you in on my favorites of the new millennium. Please include yours in the comment section and let’s see what commonalities or differences we have. Bold denotes winner. Enjoy after the jump:
Best Motion Picture
- Almost Famous - Ian Bryce; Cameron Crowe
- Cast Away - Tom Hanks; Jack Rapke; Steve Starkey; Robert Zemeckis
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Li Kong Hsu; William Hong; Ang Lee
- Gladiator - David Franzoni; Branko Lustig; Douglas Wick
- Traffic - Laura Bickford; Marshall Herskovitz; Edward Zwick
Best Achievement in Directing
- Darren Aronofsky - Requiem for a Dream
- Ang Lee - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Ridley Scott - Gladiator
- Steven Soderbergh - Traffic
- Robert Zemeckis - Cast Away
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
- Christian Bale - American Psycho
Russell Crowe - Gladiator- Chow Yun Fat - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Tom Hanks - Cast Away
- Mark Ruffalo - You Can Count on Me
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
- Ellen Burstyn - Requiem for a Dream
- Sanaa Lathan - Love & Basketball
- Laura Linney - You Can Count on Me
- Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich
- Michelle Yeoh - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
- Billy Crudup - Almost Famous
- Benicio del Toro - Traffic
- Albert Finney - Erin Brockovich
- Joaquin Phoenix - Gladiator
Marlon Wayans - Requiem for a Dream
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
- Jennifer Connelly - Requiem for a Dream
- Kate Hudson - Almost Famous
- Frances McDormand - Almost Famous
- Catherine Zeta-Jones - Traffic
- Ziyi Zhang - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Best Original Screenplay
- Cameron Crowe - Almost Famous
- William Broyles, Jr. - Cast Away
- Susannah Grant - Erin Brockovich
- David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson - Gladiator
- Kenneth Lonergan - You Can Count on Me
Best Adapted Screenplay
Mary Harron & Guinevere Turner - American Psycho- Hui Ling Wang, James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Darren Aronofsky & Hubert Selby Jr. - Requiem for a Dream
- Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer - Scary Movie
- Stephen Gaghan - Traffic
Best Performance by a Cast Ensemble
- Almost Famous
- Gladiator
- Remember the Titans
- Requiem for a Dream
- Traffic
Best Achievement in Art Direction
- The Cell
- Chocolat
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Gladiator- Quills
Best Achievement in Cinematography
- Don Burgess - Cast Away
- Paul Laufer - The Cell
- Peter Pau - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- John Mathieson - Gladiator
- Steven Soderbergh - Traffic
Best Achievement in Costume Design
- Betsy Heilmann - Almost Famous
- Eika Ishioka & April Napier - The Cell
- Timmy Yip - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Janty Yaters - Gladiator
- Jacqueline West - Quills
Best Achievement in Film Editing
- Joe Hutshing & Saar Klein - Almost Famous
- Arthur Schmidt - Cast Away
- Tim Squyres - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Pietro Scalla - Gladiator
- Stephen Mirrione - Traffic
Best Achievement in Sound
- Cast Away
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Dinosaur
- Gladiator
- X-Men
Best Original Score
- Alan Silverstri - Cast Away
- Rachel Portman - Chocolat
- Tan Dun - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Hans Zimmer - Gladiator
- Clint Mansell - Requiem for a Dream
Best Song From/Used in a Motion Picture
- “Tiny Dancer” from Almost Famous
- “Independent Woman” from Charlie’s Angels
- “My Funny Friend and Me” from The Emperor’s New Groove
- “Painted on my Heart” from Gone in Sixty Seconds
- “Woman’s Work” from Love and Basketball
Related Stories:
Tags: Almost Famous, American Psycho, Awards Circuit Community Awards, Benicio Del Toro, Billy Crudup, Cast Away, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Christian Bale, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Darren Aronofsky, Davis Awards, Davis Awards 2000, Ellen Burstyn, Frances McDormand, Gladiator, Jennifer Connelly, Joaquin Phoenix, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Laura Linney, michelle yeoh, Requiem for a Dream, Ridley Scott, Robert Zemeckis, Russell Crowe, Scary Movie, Steven Soderbergh, tom hanks, Traffic, Ziyi Zhang
6 Comments
Loving this. So spread out….if only real life was like this lol. Tom Hanks performance in Cast Away is probably, after Daniel Day-Lewis’ There Will Be Blood, my favorite performance by an actor ever!
GL(Quote) (Reply)
Definitely agreed GL. Definitely one of Hanks’ best turns. Should have won that Oscar easy.
Clayton Davis(Quote) (Reply)
Here’s how my awards would look:
Best Motion Picture
Almost Famous
The Contender
High Fidelity
Requiem for a Dream
You Can Count on Me
Best Achievement in Directing
Darren Aronofsky – Requiem for a Dream
Cameron Crowe – Almost Famous
Rod Lurie – The Contender
Steven Soderbergh – Traffic
Robert Zemeckis – Cast Away
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale – American Psycho
Billy Crudup – Waking The Dead
John Cusack – High Fidelity
Tom Hanks – Cast Away
Mark Ruffalo – You Can Count on Me
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Joan Allen – The Contender
Björk – Dancer in the Dark
Ellen Burstyn – Requiem for a Dream
Laura Linney – You Can Count on Me
Julia Roberts – Erin Brockovich
Michelle Yeoh – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Jeff Bridges – The Contender
Billy Crudup – Almost Famous
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Almost Famous
Gary Oldman – The Contender
Marlon Wayans – Requiem for a Dream
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Connelly – Requiem for a Dream
Kate Hudson – Almost Famous
Frances McDormand – Almost Famous
Catherine Zeta-Jones – Traffic
Ziyi Zhang – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Best Original Screenplay
William Broyles Jr. – Cast Away
Cameron Crowe – Almost Famous
David Gordon Green – George Washington
Kenneth Lonergan – You Can Count on Me
Rod Lurie – The Contender
Best Adapted Screenplay
Darren Aronofsky & Hubert Selby Jr. – Requiem for a Dream
John Cusack, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, and Scott Rosenberg – High Fidelity
Robert Dillon – Waking the Dead
Mary Harron & Guinevere Turner – American Psycho
Steve Kloves – Wonder Boys
Best Performance by a Cast Ensemble
Almost Famous
The Contender
Requiem for a Dream
Traffic
You Can Count on Me
Best Achievement in Art Direction
The Cell
The Contender
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Gladiator
Requiem for a Dream
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Don Burgess – Cast Away
Caleb Deschanel – The Patriot
Matthew Libatique – Requiem for a Dream
Paul Laufer – The Cell
John Toll – Almost Famous
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Almost Famous
The Cell
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Gladiator
Quills
Best Achievement in Film Editing
Almost Famous
Cast Away
The Contender
Requiem for a Dream
You Can Count on Me
Best Achievement in Sound
Almost Famous
Cast Away
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Gladiator
The Patriot
Best Original Score
Cast Away
The Contender
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Gladiator
Requiem for a Dream
Best Song From/Used in a Motion Picture
The entire Almost Famous soundtrack…
Joey Magidson(Quote) (Reply)
I know how you feel Clayton when it comes to appreciating certain films as I’ve grown older. I’m the same age as you and I had the same exact response to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon when I first saw it. I didn’t see it again until probably six months ago and it was like watching a whole different movie from what I remember. Also, this is a better group of nominees and winners than what the Academy had.
Jeremy DC(Quote) (Reply)
Good choices Clay and not so terribly different from my own — I remember so vividly the press screening for Cast Away (2000) and being blown away by the Hanks performance, just stunning — I was convinced he would win a third Oscar (and he should have), but alas, the Academy owed a debt to Crowe and gave it to him for Gladiator (2000) though it was really for the previous years’ The Insider (1999) — for me the best film was Requiem for a Dream (2000) with Aronofsky as Best Director, Ellen Burstyn as Best Actress for Requiem for a Dream, followed by a breath away Gillian Anderson in The House of Mirth (2000), Del Toro for Supporting Actor, and Jennifer Connelly for Supporting for Requiem for a Dream (2000) — pretty decent year for films actually.
John H. Foote(Quote) (Reply)
Good choices, we agree on director and lead actress. We nearly shared supporting actress as well. Zhang (imo) gave the best performance from the film. An your immense love for Cast Away has me thinking i should re- watch the film.
Picture – Traffic
Director – Darren Aronofsky
Lead Actor – Javier Bardem
Lead Actress – Ellen Burstyn
Supporting Actor – Joaquin Phoenix
Supporting Actress – Jennifer Connelly
Massimo(Quote) (Reply)