JASON'S BEST: If I Voted For The Oscars 2003 (Return to Jason's Best Main Page)


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Here's the detailed list of my Oscar choices for 2003, if I were allowed to vote -- my choice for the winner is in bold -- in addition, I have also included a few additional categories worth mentioning...


Lost in Translation, The Best Film of 2003

BEST PICTURE
Angels in America
Lost in Translation
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
21 Grams
Mystic River

BEST ACTOR
Russell Crowe in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Jude Law in Cold Mountain
Sean Penn in Mystic River
Bill Murray in Lost in Translation
Paul Giamatti in American Splendor

BEST ACTRESS
Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain
Meg Ryan in In The Cut
Charlize Theron in Monster
Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation
Naomi Watts in 21 Grams

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Paul Bettany in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Benicio Del Toro in 21 Grams
Djimon Hounsou in In America
Tim Robbins in Mystic River
Ken Watanabe in The Last Samurai
Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Special Honorable Mentions: Justin Kirk & Ben Shenkman in Angels in America

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Clarkson in Pieces of April
Melissa Leo in 21 Grams
Marcia Gay Harden in Mystic River
Emma Thompson in Love Actually
Holly Hunter in Thirteen

BEST DIRECTOR
Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Clint Eastwood for Mystic River
Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation
Mike Nichols for Angels in America
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for 21 Grams

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
In America
Lost in Translation
Finding Nemo
Love Actually
21 Grams

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Splendor
Angels in America
Big Fish
Mystic River
Cold Mountain

BEST MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE
Thomas Newman for Angels in America
Thomas Newman for Finding Nemo
Lisa Gerrard for Whale Rider
Howard Shore for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Gabriel Yared for Cold Mountain

BEST MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG
"Here's To Love" from Down With Love -- performed by Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger
"Into The West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King -- performed by Annie Lennox
"The Dawning of the Day" from The Guys -- performed by Mary Fahl
"Man Of The Hour" from Big Fish -- performed by Pearl Jam
"Going Home" from Gods and Generals -- performed by Mary Fahl
"Time Enough for Tears" from In America -- performed by Andrea Corr

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Mystic River
Kill Bill - Vol. 1
Cold Mountain
Lost in Translation
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

BEST FILM EDITING
Love Actually
21 Grams
Cold Mountain
Kill Bill - Vol. 1
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

BEST ART DIRECTION
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Cold Mountain
Down with Love
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Cold Mountain
Down with Love
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Last Samurai

BEST MAKEUP
Dr. Seuss's The Cat In The Hat
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

BEST SOUND
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
The Matrix Revolutions
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Seabiscuit

BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
Daredevil
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Matrix Revolutions

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Angels in America
Love Actually
Mystic River
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Seabiscuit

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Finding Nemo
The Triplets of Belleville

BEST SCENE OR SEQUENCE IN A 2003 MOTION PICTURE
The 14 minute car chase on the freeway in The Matrix Reloaded
The blind superhero Ben Affleck envisioning Jennifer Garner's face from the sensory images of the rain falling on her face in Daredevil
Bill Murray's whispered words to Scarlett Johansson that the audience cannot hear at the end of Lost in Translation
Emma Thompson's silent breakdown alone in her bedroom when she discovers her husband's possible infidelity in Love Actually
The lighting of the mountain top torch fires to signal help for Gondor in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The friend secretly in love with Kiera Knightley expressing his love via cue cards on a Christmas night in Love Actually
The final scenes in Mount Doom destroying the One Ring and the final battle at the gates of Mordor in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

BEST FILM QUOTE OF THE YEAR
"To wives and sweethearts ... may they never meet." from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
"I cannot carry it for you, Mr. Frodo, but I can carry you!" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
"Let us go get the shit kicked out of us by love." from Love Actually
"Tell me how he died. I'll tell you how he lived." from The Last Samurai
"The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you." from Lost in Translation
"Man's got a right to protect his property and his life, and we ain't gonna let no rancher or his lawman take either." from Open Range
"You might want to try believing in something bigger than yourself. It might cheer you up." from American Splendor

BEST MOVIE SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
Daredevil
The Matrix Reloaded
Lost in Translation
Love Actually
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

BEST MOVIE POSTER
In America
Big Fish
Lost in Translation
Mystic River
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR: BEST INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILM
The Station Agent
A Foreign Affair
Melvin Goes To Dinner
Irreversible
The Real Old Testament

DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR: BEST INDEPENDENT SHORT FILM
Apsara (directed by Colin McGreal)
Colorforms (directed by Eva Saks)
El Elegante (directed by Vince DiMeglio)
The Goldfish (directed by David Mendel)
Walkentalk (directed by Philip Zlotorynski)