2003
Winner: Lost in Translation
It was a decent year for films, with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Good Bye Lenin! in the mix too, but ultimately This Tokyo-set tale wins out. A great, moving, funny story, with just the right biter sweet tone. It set up Scarlett with a long and lucrative fiml career, but in her quiet, understated role her, its impossible not to fall in love with her.
The Runner Up was oddball Sci-Fi drama The Big Empty. A very difficult film to describe, its about an out of work actor who ends up caught in some sort of alien related cult gathering in the desert. It has to be watched to be properly understood, but Favreau is endearing, and Kelsey Grammar is hilarious.
2004
Winner: The Terminal
I've had a soft-spot for his film the moment I saw it, and I can't believe 8 years have passed since it was released. Its funny, and touching, and kooky, and its all about characters. Spielberg's production is fantastic, and anyone would genuinely believe it was filmed in a real airport, and not a film studio. Hanks carries his relatively unbelievably character across so well, that you genuinely care for him.
The Runner Up was I Heart Huckabees, an existential comedy drama and a unique blend of elements I've not seen replicated since. Its a film which seems slight and lacking in depth, but once its finished you realise, it threw in some seriously big ideas. Garden State came close, but ultimately it just wasn't up to the competition
2005
Winner: Sin City.
Quite a mainstream choice, but at the time, the visuals were amazing, and the sense of style had never been seen before. A collection of low-life neo-noir stories, coupled with pithy dialogue and great action scenes, it was an instant classic.
The Runner Up was an unusually low-key choice, Nicole Kidman's The Interpreter. It wasn't a flashy story but that was its beauty. It was claustrophobic, and told the story of a quiet conspiracy most people had forgotten about or were uninterested in
2006
Winner: Lady in the water
2006 was a great year for films. There was Batman Begins [though some would put it in 2005], which began the whole Dark Reboot trend we see today. Nacho Libre was a lowbrow slapstick which somehow ended up being far more than the sum of its parts, the setting and story lending it an unusual poignancy. The Lady in the Water ended up wining out however, because it had the X factor. In that low key, condo block, the simple people we see somehow make the story feel truer. The completely original fairy tale and the brilliant cinematography make everything feel magical, and Dallas Howard and Giamatti are both as excellent as always.
The Runner Up was Stick It, a tale of a rebellious girl forced into competing in a gymnastics competition. It was a close call with the more critically acceptable Pan's Labyrinth, and of all the films on the list, this is the only one I've ever considered retroactively changing. Ultimately though, Pan was a bit dreary and depressing for my taste. Stick It may seem like a gymnastics Bring it On, but gone is most of the teen silliness, and the romcom subplots. The focus is squarely on the main character, the struggles in her past, and the difficulty of the task ahead of her, all filmed in a snappy, stylistic manner.
2007
Winner: Ratatouille
I know its a kids cartoon and it doesn't have the critical acclaim expected of the FOTY, but if you haven't seen it, I recommend it, and if you have, I urge you to watch it again. Its a sweet and funny story, full of heart and warmth, and with a tight plot and themes that permeate throughout. Not a single frame is wasted. To my eye, this is the pinnacle of Pixar
The Runner Up is Sunshine, which was a tough call. I absolutely adored Stardust, but ultimately I think there was something about it which couldn't quite escape its own formula, and whilst Hot Rod was very funny, it just wasn't FOTY material. Sunshine won out in the end, the story of a spaceship and crew flying toward a dying sun in the hope of kick starting it and saving the future of the earth. It has a slower pace which nicely explores the characters and the state of being on a long-haul, isolated journey. Some scenes are reminiscent of Alien, but the film goes pear shaped in its horror-schlock third act, undoing most of the previous good work
2008
Winner: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Kat Dennings is perfectly cast in this film about one long night in new york as a bunch of teens scourer the city for a secret rock gig. Its so hip and cool it makes you wish you were young again, and pine for your own past glory days. Michael Cera, who only seems to ever play Michael Cera, gets it right as well
The Runner Up Was The Wrestler. A complex film about a former wrestling champion whose best days are behind him, having to face his advancing age and lowly mediocrity . Its not as bleak as it sounds though, and the excellent across the board, making for an excellent study in male machismo, faded dreams, and living in the past
2009
Winner: Adventureland
I've always had a soft spot for coming of age stories and this one gets the mix of humour, angst, love and frustration dead on. There is something bittersweet and ponderous about this story of a teen's summer spent working at an amusement park, which makes it excellent for watching again and again
The Runner Up was a tough choice, with Up in the Air, very very narrowly beating out the Hong Kong-set superhumans action-drama Push. Reitman's tale of a loner who flies from city to city firing people, finally making a human connection, is sharp and witty, and classy throughout. Its the sort of role Clooney could play in his sleep,and some schmaltz aside, the general message of the film is a positive one.
2010
Winner: Monsters
A very simple sci-fi film, shot on a shoe strong budget, its a romantic drama of sorts, as a journalist brings his boss's daughter back from an alien infected Mexica across to the US. Considering the non-existent budget, it looks amazing, and hauntingly realistic. A slow-burner, but one which builds the emotion slowly, and ends up being quite beautiful.
The Runner Up was The Winning Season. Some sources say this was 2009, others 2010. I guess there's some discrepancy with which cut is used etc, but I'm going with 2010. Its a typical story found in any formula sports drama, but the great thing is the way there is no majesty whatsoever shown of the game. The focus is on the players, and what this games, and on the down-on-his-luck coach who finds this crappy job he didn't wants ends up transforming his life. Its also very funny, and Sam Rockwell and Emma Roberts shine. The beautifully filmed Somewhere was also considered, but ultimately the tale of a minor celebrity facing boredom with his life, showed us a little too much repetition and mundanity in his life, and I became bored as well.
2011
Winner: Crazy Stupid Love
There was some scoffing and lambasting at the decision to make this 201's film on the year, when other critical darlings like Another Earth, Drive, The Tree of Life, The Ides of March etc were all floating around. In truth it was a very good year for films, and while this is one of the most mainstream choices so far, there's a simple reason: Its an excellent film. It may look and feel like a basic Romcom, but this Little tale of how love works in various, confusing ways, is intricately plotted, and strikes an almost pitch perfect tone (the final high school speech scene being an exception). Its is frequently and intensely hilarious, and there is a real emotional punch to the story of a man comming to grips with middle age and the disolution of his marriage. Everyone who watches it can identify with someone in it, and you have to be hard faced not to walk away having strong feels for all the characters involved.
The Runner Up was another commercial one: Super 8. What I love about this film was that it was simple, old-school film making, drawing up memories of early Speilberg. It tells the story of children in a Small town who get caught up in an alien conspiracy. The young cast are great, and Elle Fanning proves herself yet again as being arguable the better of the Fanning sisters. Its another film that makes you long to be young again, and it manages suspense, horror, comedy and drama nicely. The closing credit sequence is also probably the best I've ever seen.
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