2003

Best Picture Nominees:

Lord of the Rings:  Return of the King *
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander:  The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit

***

Lord of the Rings:  Return of the King - Finally!  While I still like the first picture the best, the final picture in the trilogy gets the Best Picture win.  Again, this follows the Awards' way of rewarding movies for perceived slights or the culmination of a career.

Lost in Translation - Sofia Coppola's semi-autobiographical quirky movie about aging movie star Bill Murray making whiskey ads in Japan.  Murray should have won Best Actor here, but (see above) lost out to Sean Penn.

Master and Commander:  The Far Side of The World - This movie was based upon three novels following a Royal Navy ship and its crew.  It was a great historical epic and I'm sad that no sequels were made, because I enjoy a good rollicking period piece on a ship.

Mystic River - A movie that I was not interested in seeing.  Following Boston boys from childhood to adulthood and criminality.  I feel it was on the lists solely because it was a Clint Eastwood movie.

Seabiscuit - The story of a successful race horse who beat War Admiral (winner of the Triple Crown) in the late 30s.  Seabiscuit had good heritage but was not seen as a winner, though won many races.  An enjoyable movie, but probably not Best Picture material.

***

My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:

1.  Lord of the Rings:  Return of the King
2.  Master and Commander:  The Far Side of the World
3.  Lost in Translation
4.  Seabiscuit
5.  Mystic River