2009

The actual field: Slumdog Millionare, Milk, The Reader, The Curious Case of Benjiman Button, Frost/Nixon
The expanded field: The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Doubt, The Wrestler, The Visitor

This past year was the year that caused the change, and it seems fairly obvious, seeing as how two major crowdpleasing films–The Dark Knight and Wall-E–would both be added to the mix. While I feel The Dark Knight was the closest to being nominated (it was even on my prediction sheet), I feel Wall-E would have the best chance to do some damage in the category. First off, it would be very hard to explain leaving Wall-E off a list of the ten best pictures of 2008. Second, it’s populist message could have given voters an uplifting choice in the category outside of Slumdog and made the race really, really interesting. This is a year that needed eight or nine nominees.

Who’s still outside looking in: There’s no way Iron Man or Tropic Thunder was going to get nominated here. However, The Visitor could easily be replaced by Gran Torino. Or Rachel Getting Married. Or Revolutionary Road. There’s also the possibility that Man on Wire or Waltz With Bashier could have snuck in here as well. This was a year with a ton of real nomination possibilities.

2008

The actual field: No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Juno, Atonement, Michael Clayton
The expanded field: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Away From Her, Ratatouille, Eastern Promises, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

If there was ever a year that five was just the right number of nominees, this would be the year. While Ratatouille was the best reviewed film of the year, and the absence of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is curious at best, from the moment the nominees were announced it was clear that it was a two horse race between No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood.

Who’s still outside looking in: The big one is The Bourne Ultimatium. It was hard to exclude it, but it is hard to imagine an academy voter listing it as the number one film of the year. I’m Not There or Before the Devil Knows Your Dead could replace Eastern Promises and The Assassination of Jesse James. There is also a slim chance that enough voters could have come together to get Once a nomination, but it seems unlikely.

2007

The actual field: The Departed, Babel, The Queen, Little Miss Sunshine, Letters from Iwo Jima
The expanded field: United 93, Dreamgirls, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Lives of Others, Children of Men

Another year where no mainstream box office smash gets in with the expansion. United 93 and Pan’s Labyrinth were shoe-ins, and the rest of the field was pretty obvious. This is another year, like 2009, where around eight films might have made for a more interesting race. Honestly, had United 93 or Pan’s Labyrinth been nominated (and Academy voters made to watch them) they would have been favorites to upset The Departed.

Who’s still outside looking in: Borat, Little Children, Blood Diamond, The Last King of Scotland and Flags of Our Fathers.

2006

The actual field: Crash, Good Night and Good Luck, Capote, Brokeback Mountain, Munich
The expanded field: Syriana, A History of Violence, The Constant Gardener, The Squid and the Whale, Pride and Prejudice

While all ten films deserved to be in the running, this seems to be a year where the opposite of what the Academy would have intended by the new voting rules would have happened–five more art films with no chance of mainstream interest. Quite frankly, the nominations were more popular and talked about than the films left out.

Who’s still outside looking in: King Kong and Walk the Line. Two good films that I couldn’t see racking up the weighted votes needed to get in.

2005

The actual field: Million Dollar Baby, Ray, The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Sideways
The expanded field: Vera Drake, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Hotel Rwanda, Before Sunset, The Incredibles

I almost didn’t include The Incredibles, but I was certain someone would put it as the best picture of the year and almost everyone would include it in the top ten. Eternal Sunshine is a youth film, but not exactly mainstream. And, while two stricktly art-house films were added, it seems 2005 would be a good year for 10 nominees.

Who’s still outside looking in: Closer, Kinsey, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Spider-Man 2.

2004

The actual field: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Master and Commander, Lost in Translation, Mystic River, Seabiscuit
The expanded field: City of God, Finding Nemo, Cold Mountain, In America, American Splendor

Nemo and City of God are obvious inclusions, and the support for Cold Mountain and In America went wide. American Splendor would get in via it’s massive support among writers and the more quarky film crowd in the academy that became more powerful in the following years.

Who’s still outside looking in: Big Fish was a big hit with moviegoers, but not with critics and didn’t have much Oscar buzz at all. Pirates of the Caribbean never had a shot, though The Fog of War might have snuck in.

2003

The actual field: Chicago, The Hours, The Pianist, Gangs of New York, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The expanded field: Talk to Her, y tu mama tambien, Far From Heaven, Adaptation, Spirited Away

In a year the Academy couldn’t find one good film to nominate isn’t helped much, at least as far as public interest goes, by adding another five. Adaptation is the most known on that list, and your average movie patron probably thinks of it of that movie where Nicolas Cage wears a fat-suit.

Who’s still outside looking in: Minority Report, About Schmidt, Bloody Sunday.

2002

The actual field: A Beautiful Mind, Godsford Park, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge, In The Bedroom
The expanded field: Memento, Mulholland Drive, Amelile, Black Hawk Down, Ali

For a serious filmgoer, the addition of Lynch’s Mulholland, Scott’s Black Hawk Down and Nolan’s Memento would have been awesome, but the average Oscar-watcher would rather see Shrek in the mix.

Who’s still outside looking in: Shrek, A.I., The Royal Tenenbaums.

2001

The actual field: Gladiator, Traffic, Chocolat, Erin Brockovich, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
The expanded field: Billy Elliott, Almost Famous, Wonder Boys, You Can Count on Me, Chicken Run

A bizarre year where the five films left out are more memorable that those that were nominated. I almost forgot about Chicken Run, which would have been on nearly everyone’s top ten list from that year, and certainly at least one voters top pick (though probably an animator).

Who’s still outside looking in: Thirteen Days, Pollack, Requiem For A Dream, High Fidelity, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

2000

The actual field: American Beauty, The Insider, The Green Mile, The Sixth Sense, The Cider House Rules
The expanded field: Being John Malkovich, Magnolia, Boys Don’t Cry, Girl Interrupted, The Talented Mr. Ripley

Perhaps the only year where the award isn’t slightly cheapened by 10 nominees (though eight would still be more ideal). It still doesn’t provide much of a chance for non-art house films to join the nominees, instead piling up good but largely unseen films in the nominations.

Who’s still outside looking in: Toy Story 2 and Three Kings were the next two films on my list. Hell, 12 nominees wouldn’t have been bad in 1999.

In conclusion, outside of 2009, a couple of serious but not too serious action films and a small ton of nominations for Pixar, expanding the film, as far as I see it, would not add too many major films to the mix. There’s always the possibility of a major crowd pleaser coming along to throw a wrench in the gears, but don’t expect lighthearted summer fare like Star Trek or Iron Man to be mixing it up with the Art films anytime in the not-too-distant future. And no, L.A. Times, The Hangover will not be getting a best picture nomination.

4. “I’m thirsty” – Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) on LOST. In this tense clip Locke (Terry O’Quinn) offers his former ally and current prisoner Sayid (Naveen Andrews) some iced tea. Ben speaks up, but is ignored.

3. “The hammer is my penis.” – Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion) in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Neil Patrick Harris plays Dr. Horrible, arch-enemy of Captain Hammer who happens to be in a relationship with the girl Dr. Horrible is madly in love with, Penny. Captain Hammer teases Horrible about how he’s going to have sex with, when this gem comes in.

2. “You think that’s a Schwinn” -Chad Felmheimer (Brad Pitt) in Burn After Reading. Clip gives pretty good context. Line is about 2:12 in.

1. “Ta Da! It’s…it’s gone!” – The Joker (Heath Ledger) from The Dark Knight.

Agree? Disagree? What did I forget? Let me know.