76% Winner: A Beautiful Mind 135 min, PG-13, [Biography, Drama] [Ron Howard] [04 Jan 2002]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 82%, Rotten Tomatoes: 74%, Metacritic: 72%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 4 Oscars. Another 33 wins & 67 nominations.
Actors: Christopher Plummer, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Russell Crowe
Writer: Akiva Goldsman, Sylvia Nasar (book)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English Country: USA
Plot: From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experienced it all. A mathematical genius, he made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his tragedy, and finally - late in life - received the Nobel Prize.
Rotten Tomatoes: From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experiences it all. A mathematical genius, he made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery once he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over this tragedy, and finally, late in life, received the Nobel Prize.
83% Nominee: Gosford Park 131 min, R, [Comedy, Drama, Mystery] [Robert Altman] [18 Jan 2002]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 73%, Rotten Tomatoes: 86%, Metacritic: 90%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 1 Oscar. Another 31 wins & 73 nominations.
Actors: Camilla Rutherford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Ryan Phillippe
Writer: Julian Fellowes, Robert Altman (based upon an idea by), Bob Balaban (based upon an idea by)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English Country: UK, USA, Italy
Plot: Set in the 1930s, the story takes place in an old-fashioned English country house where a weekend shooting party is underway. The story centers on the McCordle family, particularly the man of the house, William McCordle. Getting on in years, William has become benefactor to many of his relatives and friends. As the weekend goes on, secrets are revealed, and it seems everyone, above stairs and below, wants a piece of William and his money, but how far will they go to get it?
Rotten Tomatoes: Maverick American filmmaker Robert Altman takes a witty and absorbing look at the foibles of the British class system in this intelligent murder mystery set in the early '30s. Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his wife Lady Sylvia (Kristin Scott Thomas) are a pair of wealthy British socialites who have invited a variety of friends, relatives, and acquaintances to their mansion in the country for a weekend of hunting and relaxation. Among the honored guests are Constance (Maggie Smith), Lady Sylvia's matronly aunt; Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam), William's cousin who is also a well-known actor and songwriter; and Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban), an American film producer who is friendly with Ivor and researching an upcoming project. Observing the proceedings are the domestic staff of the mansion, including imperious butler Jennings (Alan Bates); footmen George (Richard E. Grant) and Arthur (Jeremy Swift); Probert (Derek Jacobi), a valet to Sir William; housekeeper Mrs. Wilson (Helen Mirren); Mrs. Croft (Eileen Atkins), who oversees the kitchen; and Elsie (Emily Watson), a maid. Also on hand are the guests' personal servants, including Mary (Kelly Macdonald), Constance's maid; Henry (Ryan Phillippe), Weissman's valet; and Parks (Clive Owens), a butler. While the servants are required to display a high level of decorum, they are expected to be passive observers who do not comment on what they see, though the gossip among them travels thick and fast once they retire to the servants' quarters downstairs. And it turns out that there's plenty worth gossiping about, especially after Sir William turns up dead, and everyone is ordered to stay at the mansion while the police investigate the killing. Gosford Park also features Charles Dance, Tom Hollander, Natasha Wightman, and Ron Webster; the screenplay was written by Julian Fellowes, based on a story by Altman and co-star Bob Balaban. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
84% Nominee: In the Bedroom 130 min, R, [Crime, Drama] [Todd Field] [08 Feb 2002]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 74%, Rotten Tomatoes: 93%, Metacritic: 86%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 38 wins & 69 nominations.
Actors: Marisa Tomei, Nick Stahl, Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson
Writer: Andre Dubus (story "Killings"), Robert Festinger (screenplay), Todd Field (screenplay)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English, Serbo-Croatian Country: USA
Plot: In idyllic Mid-Coast Maine, the Fowler family's only son Frank comes home from his freshman year at college for summer vacation. His mother Ruth, the school choir director, is unhappy with Frank dating soon-to-be divorced mother Natalie who is several years his senior, but Frank's father Matt, the town doctor, doesn't see a problem. While Frank considers holding off his future for Natalie, her jilted husband causes them all problems until an unthinkable tragedy shakes the community to its very core.
Rotten Tomatoes: Character actor and noted photographer Todd Field made his directorial debut with this emotionally powerful drama, which earned enthusiastic reviews at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. Frank Fowler (Nick Stahl) is a handsome and amiable young man who has recently graduated from high school and is spending the summer working as a lobster fisherman before heading off to college in the fall. Frank is also involved with Natalie (Marisa Tomei), an attractive woman ten years his senior who is separated from her husband Richard (William Mapother), though their divorce has not yet been finalized. Frank's parents, Matt (Tom Wilkinson) and Ruth (Sissy Spacek) wonder if it's wise for their son to be pursuing a romance that he won't be able to continue in a few months; Matt trusts Frank and leaves him to make his own decisions, while Ruth quietly but firmly registers her objections. One day, Richard snaps, and breaks into Natalie's home; when he discovers Frank is there, he viciously kills him. The wheels of justice turn in an unexpected direction, and Richard is released on bail, free to go his own way as he awaits his trial. Matt and Ruth are both deeply traumatized by the event; while Matt tries to deal with his hurt by retreating into his work and avoiding his feelings, Ruth instead becomes increasingly withdrawn, losing interest in her job as a music teacher and spending her nights chain smoking in front of the television. In the Bedroom was adapted from the short story Killings by Andre Dubus. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
72% Nominee: Moulin Rouge! 127 min, PG-13, [Drama, Musical, Romance] [Baz Luhrmann] [01 Jun 2001]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 76%, Rotten Tomatoes: 76%, Metacritic: 66%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 2 Oscars. Another 84 wins & 129 nominations.
Actors: Ewan McGregor, Jim Broadbent, John Leguizamo, Nicole Kidman
Writer: Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English, French, Spanish Country: Australia, USA
Plot: The year is 1899, and Christian, a young English writer, has come to Paris to follow the Bohemian revolution taking hold of the city's drug and prostitute infested underworld. And nowhere is the thrill of the underworld more alive than at the Moulin Rouge, a night club where the rich and poor men alike come to be entertained by the dancers, but things take a wicked turn for Christian as he starts a deadly love affair with the star courtesan of the club, Satine. But her affections are also coveted by the club's patron: the Duke. A dangerous love triangle ensues as Satine and Christian attempt to fight all odds to stay together but a force that not even love can conquer is taking its toll on Satine...
Rotten Tomatoes: The third film from pop-music-obsessed director Baz Luhrmann tweaks the conventions of the musical genre by mixing a period romance with anachronistic dialogue and songs in the style of his previous Romeo+Juliet (1996). Ewan McGregor stars as Christian, who leaves behind his bourgeois father during the French belle époque of the late 1890s to seek his fortunes in the bohemian underworld of Montmartre, Paris. Christian meets the absinthe- and alcohol-addicted artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo), who introduces him to a world of sex, drugs, music, theater, and the scandalous dance known as the cancan, all at the Moulin Rouge, a decadent dance hall, brothel, and theater that's the brainchild of Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent). Christian also meets and falls into a tragically doomed romance with the courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman), who becomes the star of the play he's writing, which parallels the couple's romance and utilizes rock music from a century later, including songs by Nirvana, Madonna, the Beatles, and Queen, among others. Loosely based on the opera Orpheus in the Underworld, Moulin Rouge was shown in competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
90% Nominee: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 178 min, PG-13, [Adventure, Drama, Fantasy] [Peter Jackson] [19 Dec 2001]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 88%, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%, Metacritic: 92%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 4 Oscars. Another 113 wins & 123 nominations.
Actors: Alan Howard, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Noel Appleby, Orlando Bloom, Sala Baker, Sean Astin
Writer: J.R.R. Tolkien (novel), Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay), Peter Jackson (screenplay)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English, Sindarin Country: New Zealand, USA
Plot: An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it! However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign!
Rotten Tomatoes: Assisted by a Fellowship of heroes, Frodo Baggins plunges into a perilous trek to take the mystical One Ring to Mount Doom so that it and its magical powers can be destroyed and never possessed by evil Lord Sauron. The astonishing journey begins in the first film of director/co-writer Peter Jackson's epic trilogy that redefined fantasy filmmaking. This imaginative foray into J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth won 4 Academy Awards (R)* and earned 13 total nominations including Best Picture.