2000
"Cast Away" Robert Zemeckis
"What Lies Beneath" Robert Zemeckis
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" Ron Howard
"Traffic" Steven Soderbergh
"Erin Brockovich" Steven Soderbergh
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Ang Lee
"Amores Perros" Alejandro G Iñárritu
"Gladiator" Ridley Scott
"X-Men" Bryan Singer
"Memento" Christopher Nolan
A lot going on all over the board at the turn of the millennium. The non-hits from the year are also impressive, including Emmerich's "The Patriot", The Coen Bros' "O, Brother! Where Art Thou?", Shyamalan's "Unbreakable", and Petersen's "The Perfect Storm."
A pair of doubles from Robert Zemeckis and Steven Soderbergh highlight the year. Zemeckis put Tom Hanks on a secluded island and it was awesome. Hanks and his buddy Wilson are 90% fresh and made $234 million. The Ford-Pfeiffer psych-horror is 46% rotten, but still earned Zemeckis a Saturn nom and $155 million.
Soderbergh did a really nice job telling the story of Erin Brockovich, a woman who single-handedly took on a large power company when their pollution policies put her family in danger. His other hit displayed the multi-threaded storytelling he is so effective at. Each film pulled an Oscar, Globe, and BAFTA nomination, with "Traffic" winning the Oscar. "Traffic" made $124 million and is 92% fresh. Brockovich made $126 million and is 84% fresh.
Jim Carrey put on a fuzzy green suit and earned Ron Howard a Saturn nom and $260 million.
Iñárritu made a massive splash with his 92% hit weaving several people's lives stories around their dogs. For the Spanish language film, he took home three awards at Cannes and a BAFTA.
Nolan also made his full-length feature film debut with what can only be described as an absolute trip. Oscar and Globe noms and 92% fresh don't do the twist in this film justice. While Nolan has skill with characters and dialogue, the distinctiveness of his style centers on the story and his telling of it. If you haven't seen it, don't forget to give it a try.
After Singer's success in the mid-nineties, he was selected to direct the first installment of the X-Men franchise. $157 million, 81% fresh, and a Saturn award prove it to be a success as well.
"Gladiator" is one of my favorite movies. Ridley Scott's best picture-winning historical thriller earned a nomination from the Oscars, Globes, BAFTAs, and Saturn awards and made $188 million.
Finally, we come to Ang Lee's first great blockbuster hit. Crouching Tiger brought a style of martial arts to the big screen which hadn't had the notoriety it received up to that point. Using various camera tricks, special effects, and mechanical gimmicks, Lee's characters seem to defy gravity in the various fight scenes which litter the Chinese thriller-romance film. Audiences and critics alike loved it, scoring 97% fresh and $128 million at the gate. The awards were just as enchanted, sending Lee home with 2 Oscar noms, a Globe win, two BAFTA wins out of three noms, and a Saturn nom.
Between the success and impact of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" its hard to avoid the stand out winner for the first year of the new millennium.
TITLE BELT: Ang Lee
Between the success and impact of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" its hard to avoid the stand out winner for the first year of the new millennium.
TITLE BELT: Ang Lee
2001
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Chris Columbus
"A Beautiful Mind" Ron Howard
"Ocean's Eleven" Steven Soderbergh
"The Man Who Wasn't There" The Coen Brothers
"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" Peter Jackson
"The Royal Tenenbaums" Wes Anderson
"Black Hawk Down" Ridley Scott
"Y Tu Mamá También" Alfonso Cuarón
"Y Tu Mamá También" Alfonso Cuarón
Among the non-hits was a surprising (albeit narrow) miss from Spielberg "A.I. Artificial Intelligence", Michael Mann's "Ali", Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor", Antoine Fuqua's best film "Training Day", Tim Burton's revival of an old franchise with "Planet of the Apes", and Joe Johnston's lackluster conclusion of the Dinosaur trilogy: "Jurassic Park III."
Fantasy film adaptations were the name of the game in 2001 as both the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter sagas launched. Due to the younger age of both the cast and the target audience of the early Harry Potter films, Chris Columbus was selected to direct. He did admirably, with the initial installment scoring 81% fresh, a pair of BAFTA noms and a Saturn nom, and most impressively $318 million in receipts.
The Fellowship of the Ring producers selected a director from a different world entirely. Peter Jackson had mostly done fairly campy horror material prior to directing Tolkien's epics. A match made in Hollywood Heaven, his larger-than-life interpretation earned a massive $316 million, is 91% fresh and got a ton of award cred to the tune of three Oscar noms, a Globe nom, two BAFTA wins out of four(!) noms, and one win in two Saturn nominations. That's 10 major award nominations!
Less fantastical but no less fascinating was Ron Howard's biopic of the austere and schizophrenic mathematician John Nash. "A Beautiful Mind" won Howard a pair of Oscars, and earned a Globe nom and two BAFTA nominations. Its 75% rottentomatoes score is frankly embarrassingly low for the quality of the film which earned $171 million in receipts.
Also in 2001, Wes Anderson broke through with a hit after his first two critically acclaimed films didn't quite make the cut. Anderson, a master of the odd, demonstrated his skill of character creation in the film which is 80% fresh and earned both an Oscar and BAFTA nom.
Scott made two blockbusters in '01, BHD and the adaptation of Thomas Harris' psych thriller novel "Hannibal." The Anthony Hopkins project made money and spawned several sequel/prequels but is currently 39% rotten so not a benchmark hit. The other, an embellished true story by Mark Bowden of a downed American helicopter, earned Scott an Oscar nom, made $109 million, and is 76% fresh.
Coming off of their near miss in '00, the Coen Bros scored a borderline hit with a black and white, film noir, hijinks story. An Oscar nom and 81% fresh put the impressive ensemble cast into the hit column.
Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón's Spanish-language road trip story scored 92% and earned the director an Oscar nom and a pair of BAFTA noms to make his feature debut a hit.
With his third hit feature in a row, Soderbergh took the ensemble heist movie to new heights. Managing to get Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and more in the same cast brought out the crowds and earned $183 million and an 82% fresh rating.
If "Apollo 13" wasn't Ron Howard's best, "A Beautiful Mind" is, solidifying Howard as a force to watch in Hollywood. Unfortunately, it coincided with the pair of multi-billion dollar franchise launches which really contend for the Belt. The deftness with which Columbus handled his 11-year-old stars (and the fact he was in on the ground floor during their selection) is an overlooked element of the Harry Potter story. On the other hand, Peter Jackson's vision for LotR, the enormity of the spectacle, the precision of the cast, and the subsequent execution was nearly flawless. Advantage Tolkien.
TITLE BELT: Peter Jackson
Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" falls one award nom, 6 percentage points, and $12 million short of being a hit. Lucas' Attack of the Clones wins a much deserved Razzie. Louis Leterrier teams up with Luc Besson and launches the fun (but silly) Transporter franchise. Nolan remakes a Norweigan crime thriller with "Insomnia." Gore Verbinski puts himself in the horror HOF with "The Ring." And my favorite movie ever, "Signs" by Shyamalan, is 74% fresh, ignored at the awards, and makes $228 million, just short of the benchmarks.
After a three year hiatus of non-hit making, Spielberg reminds the world he's alive with another double-hitter. Hanks and DiCaprio shine in the globe-trotting, believe-it-or-not true story which is 96% fresh and made $165 million. Cruise and Colin Ferrell get futuristic as Spielberg adapts a Philip K Dick short story about the age-old confrontation of free will and fate. "Minority Report" wins Spielberg a Saturn, is 91% fresh, and made $132 million.
PTA hits on his third film in a row by tapping into the surprising depth of Adam Sandler's acting talents. A pair of Cannes noms, with a win and 80% fresh show the quirky romance's success.
The two franchise don't waste any time on their sequels, HP's earning a BAFTA and Saturn nom, $262 million, and 82% fresh. Most fans of the series would rank this or the first as the least enjoyable of the bunch, but mostly due to the later installments' extreme enjoyability and less to these films' weaknesses.
Jackson took some liberties with his telling of the second part of Tolkien's masterpiece. However, those liberties were well received and Two Towers is currently 95% fresh, has made $343 million, and also did quite well at the awards. Unable to quite lock down any wins, Jackson received an Oscar nom, a Globe nom, three BAFTA noms, and two Saturn noms.
Although Spielberg put two films up for the Belt, and both were quite successful, Jackson's work made so much money and got so much award chatter, it's hard to take his Belt.
TITLE BELT: Peter Jackson (2)
After the success of "The Ring", Verbinski took his horror chops in a Disney direction taking the inspiration for his blockbuster sea-faring monster tale from a Disney Park attraction. At 79% fresh and with a Saturn nom, the real hit impact of Pirates is at the gate where it made a cool $305 million.
Bryan Singer also cashed in with the second (and most critically accepted at 85% fresh) installment of the X-Men series with $215 million of receipts. Singer was also nominated for a Saturn for his efforts.
Tarantino, after a five-year break, scored his second career hit with the female action star vehicle Kill Bill with a pair of Saturn noms and an 84% fresh rating.
However, as if the industry was aware they'd be competing with a juggernaut, the only other non-hit of note is perhaps Ang Lee's "Hulk."
Jackson's trilogy conclusion matched the first two installments in acclaim (93% fresh) and in the box office ($378 million) but far outdid them at the awards. He took home three Oscars, a Globe, two of his 4 BAFTA noms, and two Saturns for a whopping 8 major award wins. Some of those may have been making up for the lack of wins for the other two, but a viewing of Return of the King will show you it deserved the love.
TITLE BELT: Peter Jackson (3)
Of the ones that made the cut, we see some familiar names from the '80s & '90s. Zemeckis' final hit (so far) featured another experimental and never-before-seen animation style. Using a motion capture technology and then converting it to digital animation, Zemeckis brought Christmas to life from the perspective of some children on Tom Hank's train. While critically panned at 56%, Zemeckis nonetheless earned a BAFTA nomination and the film made $186 million.
The other familiar name from an earlier era is Martin Scorsese. It's not as if he stopped making movies through the '90s, but six straight fell under the hit benchmarks since his 1990 superhit "Goodfellas" won him a Belt. Scorsese found his new star, Leonardo DiCaprio, and together they began a streak of five hits in a row (one of which admittedly Leo is not in). The first of those was a biopic of the eccentric personality Howard Hughes. The film earned Scorsese a nomination from the Oscars, Globes, and BAFTA, is 87% fresh, and made $103.
Also with his last hit to date, Mann gave us a villainous Tom Cruise, not a common sight, in his 86% fresh thriller. "Collateral" earned Mann both a BAFTA nom and a Saturn nom and made $101 million.
As the title would suggest, "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" was only the beginning. Vol 2 received a remarkably similar response, also earning QT a pair of Saturn noms, also at 84% fresh, and making a hair less money at $66 million next to Vol. 1's $70 million.
Brad Bird's second feature is his most well received to date, sitting at 97% fresh. The action-hero animated movie has made $261 million and earned Bird an Oscar win (plus another nom), a BAFTA win, and a Saturn nom.
Harry Potter waited an extra year before giving Alfonso Cuarón the reigns for the third part of the series. With a decidedly darker and more foreboding tone, the Prisoner of Azkaban was slightly more appreciated overall than its predecessors (90% fresh, $250 million) and earned Cuarón a pair of BAFTA noms (with one win) and a Saturn nom.
Bird's animated superheroes outstripped the other competitors on the list comfortably in both financial and critical success. But how does one evaluate the "director" of an animated film? It's notable he didn't only direct but also wrote the story for the film, meaning it's entirely his vision and creation. However, the awards which he received in conjunction with the film are primarily for the writing and not the directing, at least at the major ceremonies I selected to consider. Delving deeper into the various awards he received for the film, you will begin to find he also received a great number of "Outstanding Achievement in Directing" nominations and wins. Coupled with the massive success the film was (and I'd argue in some part a catalyst of the Pixar domination and not simply a symptom of it) and the lack of strong competition, I'm giving him the Belt.
TITLE BELT: Brad Bird
"Batman Begins" Christopher Nolan
"Walk the Line" James Mangold
"The 40-Year Old Virgin" Judd Apatow
"Brokeback Mountain" Ang Lee
"King Kong" Peter Jackson
"Corpse Bride" Tim Burton
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Tim Burton
"Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith" George Lucas
The non-hits include Spielberg's "Munich" (more on that in a moment), Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven", Michael Bay's "The Island", Rian Johnson's debut "Brick", and Ron Howard's "Cinderella Man."
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was a hit for British director Mike Newell who was erroneously left off of the '94 race with his other hit "Four Weddings and a Funeral." Needless to say, Newell wouldn't have won that year and won't win this year. Apologies to Newell and his family for being left off.
Ang Lee's Western broke some social barriers, won him an Oscar, a Globe, and a BAFTA award and is 87% fresh.
Apatow's first feature film also perhaps attempted to break social barriers. The comedy earned $109 and is 85% fresh.
In 1993, Tim Burton wrote the script for a Christmas/Holiday film using a very particular type of stop-motion technology, "The Nightmare Before Christmas." He decided to use that again for the less successful, but still 84% fresh, "Corpse Bride." Burton received an Oscar nom for the film. He scored a double-hit year when his remake of Willy Wonka earned him a BAFTA nom, was rated 82% fresh, and made $206 million.
Peter Jackson turned his larger-than-life style onto a familiar tale with his sprawling remake of "King Kong." While I find it terribly boring, the critics rate it 83% and it made $218 million. He also received a Globe nomination and took home one of two Saturn nominations.
After receiving a total of four Razzie nominations and a win for the first two prequel Star Wars films, Lucas finally found some success with the third. Revenge of the Sith made $380 million, is 79% fresh, and earned Lucas a pair of Saturn nominations. It marks his last directorial attempt to date.
During the late '90s and early turn of the century, James Mangold had several fairly unsuccessful films but was able to break through with his biopic of Johnny and June Cash. Starring the enigmatic Joaquin Pheonix, "Walk the Line" made $120 million and is 83% fresh.
Spielberg made two movies in '05 and while neither were his best work, both are quite special in their own right. The non-hit "Munich" earned a pair of Oscar noms and a Globe nom and is 77% fresh just missing the benchmarks. However, its a really interesting movie about the Israeli hit squad sent to avenge the Olympic terrorist attacks. His hit adaptation of Wells' alien invasion is really masterful, but only earned a Saturn nom and sits at 75% fresh. The $234 million at the gate (Tom Cruise effect?) earned it hit status. The comparatively light response to these excellent films suggests to me a bit of Spielberg-fatigue perhaps.
After a pair of lesser-seen but critically adored sci-fi/thrillers, Nolan got his shot at a blockbuster with a reboot of Batman. It's hard to pick what Nolan's is best at because his characters are fascinating, his stories are deep, his settings are intense and developed, and his imagination is wild. Every aspect shined in "Batman Begins" and it earned $207 million, is 84% fresh (too low!), and earned Nolan a pair of Saturn noms, one of which he won.
Burton had a double, but neither really move the needle far enough to top Spielberg or Nolan. If "Munich" is a hit the year is Spielberg's as he would've again scored success on both sides of the blockbuster aisle. However, Nolan's foray into superheroes and action stars was both sudden and immediately successful.
TITLE BELT: Christopher Nolan
"Pan's Labyrinth" Guillermo del Toro
"The Departed" Martin Scorsese
"Superman Returns" Bryan Singer
"Mission: Impossible III" J.J. Abrams
"Babel" Alejandro G Iñárritu
"300" Zach Snyder
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" Gore Verbinski
also one-hit wonder "Night at the Museum" by Shawn Levy, non-hits "The Prestige" by Nolan, "Deja Vu" by Tony Scott, "Miami Vice" by Michael Mann, "Lady in the Water" by Shyamalan, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" by Adam McKay, and Ron Howard's Razzie earning "The Da Vinci Code."
The X-Men moved on from Bryan Singer for a brief time and so he attempted a reboot of Superman. We previously encountered Richard Donner's hits on Kal-El which were quite successful, Singer's take wasn't nearly as good. But it did win a Saturn, is respectably 75% fresh, and made $200 million.
Verbinski cashed in on the success of the first Pirates film, as Dead Man's Chest made a staggering $435 million in receipts. While I really enjoy it, I'm apparently in the minority as it sits at a 53% rating.
Guillermo del Toro tried his hand at a couple superhero flicks ("Hellboy" and "Blade II") with minimal success. Then in '06, he went back to his roots with the very imaginative cross of historical drama and dream-like fantasy in the Spanish-language hit "Pan's Labyrinth." 95% fresh, Labyrinth earned the director an Oscar nom, one BAFTA win and another nom, two Saturn noms, and a nomination at Cannes.
A high-profile writer (albeit a fairly unsuccessful one) in the '90s, JJ Abrams made his directing debut with the third installment of the Ethan Hunt saga. While hardly up to the first film's standards for this fan, the film earned Abrams a Saturn nom and made $134 million.
Iñárritu's second career hit was an award darling. The 69% rated film earned the director two Oscar noms, a Globe nom, two BAFTA noms, and three Cannes nominations one of which he won. It's extraordinarily ambitious and creative, but I (and apparently the critics) didn't particularly enjoy it.
A new genre began to reach the mainstream with nonhits such as "Sin City" made in the style of writer/stylist Frank Miller. After the moderate success of his feature debut with horror standard "Dawn of the Dead", Zach Snyder directed the first hit in Miller's comic-book, CGI laden, neo-noir style. "300" presented a thoroughly romanticized telling of the 300 Spartans who held off the Persians at Thermopylae. It earned Snyder pair of Saturn noms with one win and made $211 million.
Saying "The Departed" is Martin Scorsese's best movie is an impossible claim to defend, he's made too many great movies. However, his remake of the Japanese movie "Infernal Affairs" exhibits some of the most intense suspense and one of the greatest sudden twists I've had the pleasure to watch. It earned Scorsese an Oscar win, a Globe win, and a BAFTA nom, is 90% fresh, and made $132 million.
Cuarón's signature dark and brooding tone fit perfectly with the dystopian PD James novel. His third hit in a row is 92% fresh and earned the director two Oscar noms and a Saturn nom. In "Children of Men," both the intimate intensities and the atmospheric war environment are handled deftly.
Snyder, Cuarón, and Scorsese had a claim on the Belt in '06, but there can only be one champion. The uniqueness and success of "300" can be attributed as much to Frank Miller as it can be to Zach Snyder so he's out and while "Children of Men" is a really intriguing film, it didn't draw viewers as it only made $35 million.
TITLE BELT: Martin Scorsese (4)
"There Will Be Blood" Paul Thomas Anderson
"American Gangster" Ridley Scott
"Knocked Up" Judd Apatow
"Zodiac" David Fincher
"No Country For Old Men" The Coen Brothers
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Tim Burton
"Pirates of the Caribbean: A World's End" Gore Verbinski
also one-hit wonder "Transformers" by Michael Bay, and nonhits the Jim Carrey horror flick "The Number 23" by Joel Schumacher, "Beowulf" by Zemeckis, "Shooter" by Fuqua, "Ocean's Thirteen" by Soderbergh, "The Kingdon" by Berg, and "3:10 to Yuma" by Mangold (ignored by award ceremonies despite 89% fresh).
Apatow's second hit is scored 90% fresh and made $149. The success of his consecutive hits spawned a number of similar sub-par films in their image. The greater Apatow empire is still making money today.
Bird struck gold again with his tale of the Rat who would be a chef. At 96% fresh and a $206 million haul, it earned Bird a pair of Oscar noms (winning one), a BAFTA win, and a Saturn win.
Tim Burton brought the dark but delightful Hugh Wheeler musical to the big screen in Sweeney Todd. A fantastic cast, some great tunes, and a creepy Depp performance carried it to Globe and Saturn noms for Burton and 85% fresh. Listen to this and tell me it's not beautiful (start at 1:10).
In the midst of a flurry of five films in four years, Sir Ridley found a hit in his gangster biopic starring Denzel Washington. Almost "Scorsesean," it earned him a Globe and BAFTA nom, is 80% fresh, and made $130 million.
After a five year hiatus and 12 years since his last (only) hit, Fincher impressed at Cannes (earned an award nomination) with his telling of the Zodiac killer's hunters. One of the films in this process I need to see, it is currently 90% certified fresh.
Verbinski wrapped up his trilogy (at least everyone expected it to be the end) with the least successful of the three. At World's End still made an impressive $309 million.
Daniel-Day Lewis is one of the very few men with a reasonable claim on the title "Greatest Actor Living." PTA's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's novel "Oil" is a highlight reel of DDL's acting. 91% fresh, "There WIll Be Blood" got PTA three Oscar noms and three BAFTA noms.
The Coen Brothers reimagined the modern Western and made one of the most awarded movies ever. In their distinctive writing style, the Coens took the simplest of scenes and made them tangible, memorable, and impactful. Consider this brief encounter as evidence. 93% fresh, No Country earned the brothers four Oscars noms of which they won three, two Globe noms of which they won one, four BAFTA noms of which they won one, a Saturn nom, and a nomination at Cannes. That's five wins and 12 major award nominations.
How to pick between PTA and the Coens? In every metric, the Coens led, albeit slightly. Their advantage in rating 93% to 91%, in receipts $74 to $40, and in awards five of 12 to zero of six. With the utmost of respect for "There Will Be Blood" I have to give it to the Coens.
TITLE BELT: Coen Brothers (2)
TITLE BELT: Peter Jackson
2002
"Catch Me If You Can" Steven Spielberg"
"Minority Report" Steven Spielberg
"Punch-Drunk Love" Paul Thomas Anderson
"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" Peter Jackson
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" Chris Columbus
Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" falls one award nom, 6 percentage points, and $12 million short of being a hit. Lucas' Attack of the Clones wins a much deserved Razzie. Louis Leterrier teams up with Luc Besson and launches the fun (but silly) Transporter franchise. Nolan remakes a Norweigan crime thriller with "Insomnia." Gore Verbinski puts himself in the horror HOF with "The Ring." And my favorite movie ever, "Signs" by Shyamalan, is 74% fresh, ignored at the awards, and makes $228 million, just short of the benchmarks.
After a three year hiatus of non-hit making, Spielberg reminds the world he's alive with another double-hitter. Hanks and DiCaprio shine in the globe-trotting, believe-it-or-not true story which is 96% fresh and made $165 million. Cruise and Colin Ferrell get futuristic as Spielberg adapts a Philip K Dick short story about the age-old confrontation of free will and fate. "Minority Report" wins Spielberg a Saturn, is 91% fresh, and made $132 million.
PTA hits on his third film in a row by tapping into the surprising depth of Adam Sandler's acting talents. A pair of Cannes noms, with a win and 80% fresh show the quirky romance's success.
The two franchise don't waste any time on their sequels, HP's earning a BAFTA and Saturn nom, $262 million, and 82% fresh. Most fans of the series would rank this or the first as the least enjoyable of the bunch, but mostly due to the later installments' extreme enjoyability and less to these films' weaknesses.
Jackson took some liberties with his telling of the second part of Tolkien's masterpiece. However, those liberties were well received and Two Towers is currently 95% fresh, has made $343 million, and also did quite well at the awards. Unable to quite lock down any wins, Jackson received an Oscar nom, a Globe nom, three BAFTA noms, and two Saturn noms.
Although Spielberg put two films up for the Belt, and both were quite successful, Jackson's work made so much money and got so much award chatter, it's hard to take his Belt.
TITLE BELT: Peter Jackson (2)
2003
"X-Men 2" Bryan Singer
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" Peter Jackson
"Kill Bill: Vol. 1" Quentin Tarantino
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" Gore Verbinski
After the success of "The Ring", Verbinski took his horror chops in a Disney direction taking the inspiration for his blockbuster sea-faring monster tale from a Disney Park attraction. At 79% fresh and with a Saturn nom, the real hit impact of Pirates is at the gate where it made a cool $305 million.
Bryan Singer also cashed in with the second (and most critically accepted at 85% fresh) installment of the X-Men series with $215 million of receipts. Singer was also nominated for a Saturn for his efforts.
Tarantino, after a five-year break, scored his second career hit with the female action star vehicle Kill Bill with a pair of Saturn noms and an 84% fresh rating.
However, as if the industry was aware they'd be competing with a juggernaut, the only other non-hit of note is perhaps Ang Lee's "Hulk."
Jackson's trilogy conclusion matched the first two installments in acclaim (93% fresh) and in the box office ($378 million) but far outdid them at the awards. He took home three Oscars, a Globe, two of his 4 BAFTA noms, and two Saturns for a whopping 8 major award wins. Some of those may have been making up for the lack of wins for the other two, but a viewing of Return of the King will show you it deserved the love.
TITLE BELT: Peter Jackson (3)
2004
"The Incredibles" Brad Bird
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" Alfonso Cuarón
"The Aviator" Martin Scorsese
"Kill Bill: Vol. 2" Quentin Tarantino
"Collateral" Michael Mann
"The Polar Express" Robert Zemeckis
While silent during Jackson's cleanup, the non-hits were plentiful in '94"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" Alfonso Cuarón
"The Aviator" Martin Scorsese
"Kill Bill: Vol. 2" Quentin Tarantino
"Collateral" Michael Mann
"The Polar Express" Robert Zemeckis
Of the ones that made the cut, we see some familiar names from the '80s & '90s. Zemeckis' final hit (so far) featured another experimental and never-before-seen animation style. Using a motion capture technology and then converting it to digital animation, Zemeckis brought Christmas to life from the perspective of some children on Tom Hank's train. While critically panned at 56%, Zemeckis nonetheless earned a BAFTA nomination and the film made $186 million.
The other familiar name from an earlier era is Martin Scorsese. It's not as if he stopped making movies through the '90s, but six straight fell under the hit benchmarks since his 1990 superhit "Goodfellas" won him a Belt. Scorsese found his new star, Leonardo DiCaprio, and together they began a streak of five hits in a row (one of which admittedly Leo is not in). The first of those was a biopic of the eccentric personality Howard Hughes. The film earned Scorsese a nomination from the Oscars, Globes, and BAFTA, is 87% fresh, and made $103.
Also with his last hit to date, Mann gave us a villainous Tom Cruise, not a common sight, in his 86% fresh thriller. "Collateral" earned Mann both a BAFTA nom and a Saturn nom and made $101 million.
As the title would suggest, "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" was only the beginning. Vol 2 received a remarkably similar response, also earning QT a pair of Saturn noms, also at 84% fresh, and making a hair less money at $66 million next to Vol. 1's $70 million.
Brad Bird's second feature is his most well received to date, sitting at 97% fresh. The action-hero animated movie has made $261 million and earned Bird an Oscar win (plus another nom), a BAFTA win, and a Saturn nom.
Harry Potter waited an extra year before giving Alfonso Cuarón the reigns for the third part of the series. With a decidedly darker and more foreboding tone, the Prisoner of Azkaban was slightly more appreciated overall than its predecessors (90% fresh, $250 million) and earned Cuarón a pair of BAFTA noms (with one win) and a Saturn nom.
Bird's animated superheroes outstripped the other competitors on the list comfortably in both financial and critical success. But how does one evaluate the "director" of an animated film? It's notable he didn't only direct but also wrote the story for the film, meaning it's entirely his vision and creation. However, the awards which he received in conjunction with the film are primarily for the writing and not the directing, at least at the major ceremonies I selected to consider. Delving deeper into the various awards he received for the film, you will begin to find he also received a great number of "Outstanding Achievement in Directing" nominations and wins. Coupled with the massive success the film was (and I'd argue in some part a catalyst of the Pixar domination and not simply a symptom of it) and the lack of strong competition, I'm giving him the Belt.
TITLE BELT: Brad Bird
2005
"War of the Worlds" Steven Spielberg"Batman Begins" Christopher Nolan
"Walk the Line" James Mangold
"The 40-Year Old Virgin" Judd Apatow
"Brokeback Mountain" Ang Lee
"King Kong" Peter Jackson
"Corpse Bride" Tim Burton
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Tim Burton
"Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith" George Lucas
The non-hits include Spielberg's "Munich" (more on that in a moment), Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven", Michael Bay's "The Island", Rian Johnson's debut "Brick", and Ron Howard's "Cinderella Man."
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was a hit for British director Mike Newell who was erroneously left off of the '94 race with his other hit "Four Weddings and a Funeral." Needless to say, Newell wouldn't have won that year and won't win this year. Apologies to Newell and his family for being left off.
Ang Lee's Western broke some social barriers, won him an Oscar, a Globe, and a BAFTA award and is 87% fresh.
Apatow's first feature film also perhaps attempted to break social barriers. The comedy earned $109 and is 85% fresh.
In 1993, Tim Burton wrote the script for a Christmas/Holiday film using a very particular type of stop-motion technology, "The Nightmare Before Christmas." He decided to use that again for the less successful, but still 84% fresh, "Corpse Bride." Burton received an Oscar nom for the film. He scored a double-hit year when his remake of Willy Wonka earned him a BAFTA nom, was rated 82% fresh, and made $206 million.
Peter Jackson turned his larger-than-life style onto a familiar tale with his sprawling remake of "King Kong." While I find it terribly boring, the critics rate it 83% and it made $218 million. He also received a Globe nomination and took home one of two Saturn nominations.
After receiving a total of four Razzie nominations and a win for the first two prequel Star Wars films, Lucas finally found some success with the third. Revenge of the Sith made $380 million, is 79% fresh, and earned Lucas a pair of Saturn nominations. It marks his last directorial attempt to date.
During the late '90s and early turn of the century, James Mangold had several fairly unsuccessful films but was able to break through with his biopic of Johnny and June Cash. Starring the enigmatic Joaquin Pheonix, "Walk the Line" made $120 million and is 83% fresh.
Spielberg made two movies in '05 and while neither were his best work, both are quite special in their own right. The non-hit "Munich" earned a pair of Oscar noms and a Globe nom and is 77% fresh just missing the benchmarks. However, its a really interesting movie about the Israeli hit squad sent to avenge the Olympic terrorist attacks. His hit adaptation of Wells' alien invasion is really masterful, but only earned a Saturn nom and sits at 75% fresh. The $234 million at the gate (Tom Cruise effect?) earned it hit status. The comparatively light response to these excellent films suggests to me a bit of Spielberg-fatigue perhaps.
After a pair of lesser-seen but critically adored sci-fi/thrillers, Nolan got his shot at a blockbuster with a reboot of Batman. It's hard to pick what Nolan's is best at because his characters are fascinating, his stories are deep, his settings are intense and developed, and his imagination is wild. Every aspect shined in "Batman Begins" and it earned $207 million, is 84% fresh (too low!), and earned Nolan a pair of Saturn noms, one of which he won.
Burton had a double, but neither really move the needle far enough to top Spielberg or Nolan. If "Munich" is a hit the year is Spielberg's as he would've again scored success on both sides of the blockbuster aisle. However, Nolan's foray into superheroes and action stars was both sudden and immediately successful.
TITLE BELT: Christopher Nolan
2006
"Children of Men" Alfonso Cuarón"Pan's Labyrinth" Guillermo del Toro
"The Departed" Martin Scorsese
"Superman Returns" Bryan Singer
"Mission: Impossible III" J.J. Abrams
"Babel" Alejandro G Iñárritu
"300" Zach Snyder
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" Gore Verbinski
also one-hit wonder "Night at the Museum" by Shawn Levy, non-hits "The Prestige" by Nolan, "Deja Vu" by Tony Scott, "Miami Vice" by Michael Mann, "Lady in the Water" by Shyamalan, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" by Adam McKay, and Ron Howard's Razzie earning "The Da Vinci Code."
The X-Men moved on from Bryan Singer for a brief time and so he attempted a reboot of Superman. We previously encountered Richard Donner's hits on Kal-El which were quite successful, Singer's take wasn't nearly as good. But it did win a Saturn, is respectably 75% fresh, and made $200 million.
Verbinski cashed in on the success of the first Pirates film, as Dead Man's Chest made a staggering $435 million in receipts. While I really enjoy it, I'm apparently in the minority as it sits at a 53% rating.
Guillermo del Toro tried his hand at a couple superhero flicks ("Hellboy" and "Blade II") with minimal success. Then in '06, he went back to his roots with the very imaginative cross of historical drama and dream-like fantasy in the Spanish-language hit "Pan's Labyrinth." 95% fresh, Labyrinth earned the director an Oscar nom, one BAFTA win and another nom, two Saturn noms, and a nomination at Cannes.
A high-profile writer (albeit a fairly unsuccessful one) in the '90s, JJ Abrams made his directing debut with the third installment of the Ethan Hunt saga. While hardly up to the first film's standards for this fan, the film earned Abrams a Saturn nom and made $134 million.
Iñárritu's second career hit was an award darling. The 69% rated film earned the director two Oscar noms, a Globe nom, two BAFTA noms, and three Cannes nominations one of which he won. It's extraordinarily ambitious and creative, but I (and apparently the critics) didn't particularly enjoy it.
A new genre began to reach the mainstream with nonhits such as "Sin City" made in the style of writer/stylist Frank Miller. After the moderate success of his feature debut with horror standard "Dawn of the Dead", Zach Snyder directed the first hit in Miller's comic-book, CGI laden, neo-noir style. "300" presented a thoroughly romanticized telling of the 300 Spartans who held off the Persians at Thermopylae. It earned Snyder pair of Saturn noms with one win and made $211 million.
Saying "The Departed" is Martin Scorsese's best movie is an impossible claim to defend, he's made too many great movies. However, his remake of the Japanese movie "Infernal Affairs" exhibits some of the most intense suspense and one of the greatest sudden twists I've had the pleasure to watch. It earned Scorsese an Oscar win, a Globe win, and a BAFTA nom, is 90% fresh, and made $132 million.
Cuarón's signature dark and brooding tone fit perfectly with the dystopian PD James novel. His third hit in a row is 92% fresh and earned the director two Oscar noms and a Saturn nom. In "Children of Men," both the intimate intensities and the atmospheric war environment are handled deftly.
Snyder, Cuarón, and Scorsese had a claim on the Belt in '06, but there can only be one champion. The uniqueness and success of "300" can be attributed as much to Frank Miller as it can be to Zach Snyder so he's out and while "Children of Men" is a really intriguing film, it didn't draw viewers as it only made $35 million.
TITLE BELT: Martin Scorsese (4)
2007
"Ratatouille" Brad Bird"There Will Be Blood" Paul Thomas Anderson
"American Gangster" Ridley Scott
"Knocked Up" Judd Apatow
"Zodiac" David Fincher
"No Country For Old Men" The Coen Brothers
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Tim Burton
"Pirates of the Caribbean: A World's End" Gore Verbinski
also one-hit wonder "Transformers" by Michael Bay, and nonhits the Jim Carrey horror flick "The Number 23" by Joel Schumacher, "Beowulf" by Zemeckis, "Shooter" by Fuqua, "Ocean's Thirteen" by Soderbergh, "The Kingdon" by Berg, and "3:10 to Yuma" by Mangold (ignored by award ceremonies despite 89% fresh).
Apatow's second hit is scored 90% fresh and made $149. The success of his consecutive hits spawned a number of similar sub-par films in their image. The greater Apatow empire is still making money today.
Bird struck gold again with his tale of the Rat who would be a chef. At 96% fresh and a $206 million haul, it earned Bird a pair of Oscar noms (winning one), a BAFTA win, and a Saturn win.
Tim Burton brought the dark but delightful Hugh Wheeler musical to the big screen in Sweeney Todd. A fantastic cast, some great tunes, and a creepy Depp performance carried it to Globe and Saturn noms for Burton and 85% fresh. Listen to this and tell me it's not beautiful (start at 1:10).
In the midst of a flurry of five films in four years, Sir Ridley found a hit in his gangster biopic starring Denzel Washington. Almost "Scorsesean," it earned him a Globe and BAFTA nom, is 80% fresh, and made $130 million.
After a five year hiatus and 12 years since his last (only) hit, Fincher impressed at Cannes (earned an award nomination) with his telling of the Zodiac killer's hunters. One of the films in this process I need to see, it is currently 90% certified fresh.
Verbinski wrapped up his trilogy (at least everyone expected it to be the end) with the least successful of the three. At World's End still made an impressive $309 million.
Daniel-Day Lewis is one of the very few men with a reasonable claim on the title "Greatest Actor Living." PTA's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's novel "Oil" is a highlight reel of DDL's acting. 91% fresh, "There WIll Be Blood" got PTA three Oscar noms and three BAFTA noms.
The Coen Brothers reimagined the modern Western and made one of the most awarded movies ever. In their distinctive writing style, the Coens took the simplest of scenes and made them tangible, memorable, and impactful. Consider this brief encounter as evidence. 93% fresh, No Country earned the brothers four Oscars noms of which they won three, two Globe noms of which they won one, four BAFTA noms of which they won one, a Saturn nom, and a nomination at Cannes. That's five wins and 12 major award nominations.
How to pick between PTA and the Coens? In every metric, the Coens led, albeit slightly. Their advantage in rating 93% to 91%, in receipts $74 to $40, and in awards five of 12 to zero of six. With the utmost of respect for "There Will Be Blood" I have to give it to the Coens.
TITLE BELT: Coen Brothers (2)
2008
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" Steven Spielberg
"The Dark Knight" Christopher Nolan
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" David Yates
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" David Fincher
"Frost/Nixon" Ron Howard
also nonhits "Valkyrie" by Singer, "Body of Lies" by Ridley Scott, "The Incredible Hulk" by Leterrier, "10,000 B.C." by Emmerich, "Hancock" by Berg, "Che: Part One" and "Che: Part Two" by Soderbergh, "Step Brothers" by McKay, "The Brothers Bloom" by Rian Johnson, and "Burn After Reading" by the Coens.
With one of the greatest films of this millennium, Spielberg brought back his action hero and this time it had aliens! Ok, a bit of an inside joke there, the fourth Indiana Jones installment wasn't quite up to the standards of its predecessors. It still earned a Saturn nom and made $317 million. Spielberg also received a lifetime achievement Globe in '08.
David Yates took over the fifth film in the Harry Potter saga and he hasn't relinquished the helm since. His style is now virtually synonymous with HP. Order of the Phoenix earned Yates a Saturn nom, made $292 million, and is 77% fresh.
Two years removed from earning a Razzie nom, Ron Howard scored a hit with the 93% fresh political drama. "Frost/Nixon" earned him two Oscar noms, a Globe nom, and two BAFTA noms.
The F Scott Fitzgerald short story about Benjamin Button doesn't immediately strike a reader as film material (at least it never struck me that way). However, David Fincher isn't your average reader and adapted it rather beautifully to the big screen. He earned one nomination from each of the four major award academies, Oscars, Globes, BAFTAs, and Saturns. Additionally, the film made $128 million and is 71% fresh.
All of that is well and good, Fincher even makes a decent claim on a Belt. But at 94% fresh and earning $535 million, "The Dark Knight" is simply in a league of its own. For his direction, Nolan received a pair of Saturn noms and one win, but the film did get Oscar recognition including the posthumous Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger. I unequivocally believe Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is the greatest villain in film history.
TITLE BELT: Christopher Nolan (2)
2009
"Polytechnique" Denis Villeneuve
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" David Yates
"Star Trek" JJ Abrams
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" Wes Anderson
"A Serious Man" The Coen Brothers
"Watchmen" Zach Snyder
"Inglourious Basterds" Quentin Tarantino
"Avatar" James Cameron
This doozy of a year included nonhits Stephen Sommers' "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra", Shawn Levy's "Night at the Museum: The Battle of the Smithsonian", Tony Scott's "The Taking of Pelham 123", Michael Mann's "Public Enemies", Emmerich's "2012", Bay's Razzie-winning "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", Soderbergh's "The Informant!", Harold Ramis' last film "Year One", and Ron Howard's "Angels and Demons."
Of the list of hits only three make a legitimate claim to the Belt: Cameron or Tarantino.
The Coens got three Oscar noms and a BAFTA nom but no one saw "A Serious Man" with a paltry $9 million at the gate.
Abrams rebooted Star Trek and managed to create his own timeline without disturbing the venerated stories of the past. 94% fresh and $258 million but only a single Saturn nom mark its success.
Wes Anderson got an Oscar nom and a BAFTA nom for his 92% fresh animated story.
Canadian director Denis Villeneuve's debut historical dramatization got a nomination at Cannes and is 86% fresh.
Half-Blood Prince made $302 million and is 83% fresh. Yates' direction likely unfairly overlooked.
Snyder took the comic-book style and applied it to a comic book story. Revolutionary concept. Jokes aside, "Watchmen" is dark, violent, and thrilling. It made $108 million and earned Snyder a Saturn nom.
James Cameron had lain dormant since his Belt winning epic "Titanic" in 1997. When he resurfaced, it was with a massive spectacle of a film. Critics rightly complain its story is predictable and simplistic but that fault pales in comparison to the immensity of the project. That immensity was matched by the enormous $761 million in receipts, 15th all-time in adjusted numbers. Cameron also received three Oscar noms, a Globe win, three BAFTA noms, two Saturn wins and a lifetime Saturn award.
Tarantino also had a bit of a break with guest director segments in the throwback "Grindhouse" and Frank Miller's "Sin City." In '08 he decided to try World War II. IG combines QT's signature dialogue style with some really intense suspense. He earned two Oscar noms, two Globe noms, two Saturn noms, and a Cannes nom. Definitely my favorite QT.
Cameron's sci-fi epic was his last film to date but according to him is the first of a five-film saga. Tarantino's hit was his sixth of the prophesied ten and another hit is coming. While Cameron's film made an enormous economic impact it doesn't hold a candle to QT's deft storytelling and seamless transitions from suspense to comedy and back.
TITLE BELT: Quentin Tarantino (2)
The '00s
Belts:Jackson (3)
Nolan (2)
Hits:
Spielberg (4)
Jackson (4)
$$$:
Jackson ($1.299b)
Verbinski ($1.245b)
Bay (1.095b)
Spielberg (1.052b)
The Lord of the Rings trilogy dominated the early half of the decade. Peter Jackson's vision and willingness to take creative risks paid off in a big way. Spielberg certainly has a reasonable claim at his third decade Belt in a row, but Jackson wins it by a nose. The director of the aughts is:
Peter Jackson
tune in next time for the exciting conclusion!
