# Redux: In hindsight, which movies should have been nominated for Best Picture in 2001?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 26, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454 "2013-02-26T19:05:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/1 "2013-02-26T19:05:18Z")

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As we know, the Academy doesn’t always get it right. Some movies slip under the radar, or maybe we don’t realize just how good they are until we’ve seen them a couple of times.

Here are the movies actually nominated for Best Picture in 2001:

A Beautiful Mind \<—Winner  
Gosford Park   
In the Bedroom   
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring   
Moulin Rouge!

And here is a list of [notable films released in 2001](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_in_film#Notable_films_released_in_2001).

So, with hindsight, what five movies do you think should have been nominated for Best Picture that year?

My picks:  
[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/?ref_=sr_1) \<----- Winner  
[Ghost World](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162346/?ref_=sr_1)  
[The Royal Tenenbaums](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265666/?ref_=sr_1)  
[The Devil’s Backbone](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0256009/?ref_=sr_6)  
[Vanilla Sky](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259711/?ref_=sr_1)

This was a good year for movies. I had to leave a lot of really nice films off this list.

Your picks?

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**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/2 "2013-02-26T19:16:14Z")

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I had a new baby in 2001, so I didn’t get to see a lot of films. I did see A Beautiful Mind and liked it, as well as Lord of the Rings. Moulin Rouge did not impress me.

The rest of my list would be purely based on reviews/reputation. I saw some other movies that year but none that I would say deserved an Oscar.

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**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/3 "2013-02-26T19:32:00Z")

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Amélie  
A Beautiful Mind  
The Royal Tenenbaums  
Ghost World  
Monsters, Inc.

Dark horses: The Center of the World & Wet Hot American Summer

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**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/4 "2013-02-26T19:37:28Z")

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Hannibal.

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**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/5 "2013-02-26T19:38:47Z")

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Five movies, please.

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**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/6 "2013-02-26T19:47:00Z")

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-Fellowship \<----winner (I though it was the best of the LOTR movies, so I would’ve given Jackson his inevitable Oscar here instead of for Return. Though obviously that reasoning only works because I’ve seen the later two installments)

-Amile

-Memento

-Royal Tennenbaums

-Shreck

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**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/7 "2013-02-26T19:47:25Z")

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Man, I watched a lot of movies in 2001.

Ocean’s Eleven \<-- Winner  
Super Troopers  
The Mexican  
Ghost World  
Donnie Darko

hon. mentions:

Training Day  
Mulholland Drive  
Heist  
Black Hawk Down

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**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/8 "2013-02-26T19:58:12Z")

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> [@steronz](#):
>
> The Mexican

The Mexican is underrated. I really enjoyed it.

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**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/9 "2013-02-26T20:06:15Z")

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I think Memento was released in 2000. Otherwise it would make my list.

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**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/10 "2013-02-26T20:23:56Z")

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> [@Skammer](#):
>
> I think Memento was released in 2000. Otherwise it would make my list.

It was nominated for best screenplay in 2001. (I think it had been released in Europe earlier, but the Academy just cares about the US release date).

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**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/11 "2013-02-26T20:35:15Z")

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You must be right. IMDB lists it as 2000 and that’s the date Wikipedia gives, but you’re correct that it was nominated in other categories (screenplay and editing) for 2001.

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**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/12 "2013-02-26T21:05:47Z")

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Donnie Darko  
Ghost World  
In the Bedroom  
In the Mood for Love

- Mulholland Dr.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/13 "2013-02-26T21:41:04Z")

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> [@Simplicio](#):
>
> I though [Fellowship] was the best of the LOTR movies, so I would’ve given Jackson his inevitable Oscar here instead of for Return.

I agree with that.

> [@](#):
>
> Though obviously that reasoning only works because I’ve seen the later two installments

The great advantage of the hindsight we are using in this thread!

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**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/redux-in-hindsight-which-movies-should-have-been-nominated-for-best-picture-in-2001/651454/14 "2013-02-26T21:48:35Z")

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total dittoes to what Spoke just said