Review By Liam O Brien, 5 out of 5
It? been another great year for movies ladies and gentlemen. LOTR ended, meaning we can go see next years big films and still feel our bums by the end. HULK came outUsadly. Pirates Of The Caribbean made the women love Johnny Depp, and the rest of the population love Keira Knightly. Tv got a big boost when we found out DOCTOR WHO was coming back, BUFFY ended and ANDROMEDA limped on and on and onUanyway I wont bother you with anymore prattle. Did THE Matrix RELOADED win big? Was THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN really as bad as everyone said? Let? see, as we go to our first award!
BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE
Viggo Mortensen- LOTR: The Return Of The King
Albert Finney- Big Fish
Johnny Depp- Pirates Of The Caribbean
Andy Serkis- LOTR: The Return Of The King
In the first year of the awards, we saw the battle for best actor go right down to the wire, with things decided by ONE VOTE. Everyone on the list deserved to be there. Viggo Mortensen? amazing portrayal of Aragorn has been a driving force throughout the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. Finally taking centre stage in The Return Of The King, he not only starred in the best movie of the year, but was also one of the best actors. BIG FISH only snuck into the poll and is still on general release now, but Finney? performance as the elder Edward Bloom was a riveting, understated piece of work that deserved recognition. It was an important role in that it was one that underpinned the whole idea behind Tim Burton? movie, and the Brit. pulled of off with aplomb. Johnny Depp, as Captain Jack Sparrow was an awesome role, not only in his appearance, but the swagger, the action man and comedy values, and the way he stole the film from everyone, at any time. His accent is one of the rare good ones in Hollywood, and POTC showed a whole new audience how cool the Deppster was. Finally, what can be said about Andy Serkis as Gollum? He was barely on screen himself in ROTK, and didn? appear in the flesh at all in THE TWO TOWERS. Whatever, we may no see the real Serkis, but through Gollum, he has proven CGI actors work, gave THE LORD OF THE RINGS extra weight and delivered a performance that ranges all the way from comedic to tragic. But who won in this clash of the male titans? Beating Serkis by one vote, the award goes to-
Johnny Depp for Pirates Of The Caribbean (Best Male In A Film)
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE
Liv Tyler- LOTR: The Return Of The King
Keira Knightly- Pirates Of The Caribbean
Carrie Anne Moss: The Matrix Reloaded
Famke Jansson- X-Men II
With four foxy ladies turning up the heat for this category, voters were hard pressed to choose who would win. Would it be Liv Tyler, who? sultry, ethereal performance generated the right amount of femininity and world weariness to play Arwen, the immortal love of soon to be King Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)? Would it be Keira Knightly, who as Elizabeth Swann gave Pirates Of The Caribbean a sexy, feisty leading lady who made men? hearts skip a beat the world over? Another choice was Carrie Anne Moss, who? sweaty love scene with Keanu Reeves, together with stunts, wire fu and guns, lots of guns made THE Matrix RELOADED the blow out spectacle that it was? Or finally, could it be Famke Jansson, whose return as mutant Jean Grey in X2 showed the scary dark side to her character in a few key moments?aying the groundwork for a sequel? So, Tyler, Knightly, Moss or Jansson? With 44% of your votes you chose-
Liv Tyler- LOTR: The Return Of The King (Best Actress In A Movie)
BEST ANIMATION
Star Wars: The Clone Wars micro series
The AniMatrix Dvd compilation
Finding Nemo
Brother Bear
With SHREK 2 on its merry way we can pretty much guess what will win this category next year. But what about now? CLONE WARS has been a standout, with its infusion of OTT animation, creative verve and the fact its Star Wars meaning it? a great way to look forward to EPISODE III. THE ANIMatrix, reviled by many was also another way of fusing film and movie. The kinetic layout, that mixed Japanese style into the rule bending world of THE Matrix meant THE ANIMatrix was a hit in the dvd market, selling over 12million units in its first two weeks- a record for this type of release. Finding Nemo was a huge hit for the sublime Pixar studios, outstripping the record set (for the company) by MONSTERS INC. Finally, BROTHER BEAR was the Disney release of the year, and despite a lukewarm reception, it? a fun fable with its heart in the right place. So who won? As if you had to ask, trouncing the competition with 66%
Finding Nemo (Best Animation)
BEST SCORE
LOTR: The Return Of The King– Howard Shore
The Matrix Reloaded- Don Davis
X2- John Ottman
Pirates Of The Caribbean– Hans Zimmer
What is a movie without music? Can you imagine Star Wars?Death Star attack without John Williams stirring themes? Or THE SHINING sans its creepy, tense motifs? This award celebrates the music that gives the films we love emotional resonance and colour. Howard Shores use of leitmotif throughout the LOTR series, coupled with his incredible invention and obvious passion for the narrative gave the trilogy a score worthy of its epic scope. The themes for Moria, The Fellowship, Gondor, all of them stirring, brilliant pieces of work. The Matrix Reloaded benefited from Burly Brawl, possibly the best track of the year. The whole score brings together rock music, classical and technical elements to bring a soundtrack that is hip for the kids whilst actually telling the (bloody complex) story. X2 again had its wonderful main theme, a trait shared with POTC, with both scores underpinning the action perfectly. But with a staggering 81% of votes, the award for best score goes to
LOTR: The Return Of The King– Howard Shore
BEST MOMENT/SCENE
The Neo/ Agent Smith Fight- The Matrix Reloaded
The Battle Of the Pelennor Fields- Return Of The King
Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann stranded on a Island with only rum for company- Pirates Of The Caribbean
NightCrawler in the White House- X2
As the Fifth Doctor notes in EARTHSHOCK, life is made up of small, beautiful moments. And this award picks four of the best to find out what the greatest one was. Starting us off is the truly memorable Neo/Agent Smith tangle from RELOADED. A stand out moment, both action wise and technical, it added to the films appeal and made a generation of cinema goers want to download Don Davis? backing track. The battle to end all battles came in ROTK, with the defence of Gondor looking awesome. Horses charged, dead men loomed and Orc? bayed for blood. It was a sweeping, epic moment, matched perhaps by the lighting of the lanterns that alerted Aragorn and co to Gondor? plight. For comedic value alone, Jack and Elizabeth on the beach is a great moment. It also shows a brief chemistry between the pair, and made us all with we were trapped alone with one of them. Sparrow? reaction the girl setting the drink on fire is a grade a, brilliant moment. X2? opening gambit made Nightcrawler a fan favourite straight away, and boy did it give you bang for your buck. ILM? work once again shows us why they are one of the top teams in their field. But with these classic scenes to pick from, who can possibly win? Chose you did, and that choice was-
The Battle Of the Pelennor Fields- Return Of The King (Best Moment)
WORST TV SHOW
Enterprise
Andromeda
Strange
Battlestar Galactica: Us Mini Series
Looking back over the past year, for every success there was a failure. For every X2 there was a HULK, for every SPOOKS there was a ROSEMARY AND THYME. So, we set out to find the worst of the worst TV shows from the last year. To begin the cacophony of crapness, we have ENTERPRISE. Starting off well for a handful of episodes, this once promising STAR TREK spin off degenerated into a by the numbers boredom fest, with poor characters, storylines so weak they are altering the mythos on a whim and a cast so lifeless and limp they make EASTENDERS look like a carefully crafted bunch of thesps. We also have Roddenberry to thank (in part) for ANDROMEDA, a truly awful programme that is camp, ott and staggeringly badly written. STRANGE, for all its attempts at being charming, at being scary, at being DOCTOR WHO for 2003 just didn? cut it, and as a result has been axed. Finally, a perfect example of when to leave the past alone, the atrocious Battlestar Galactica remake has had fanboy? up in arms, with the rest of us switching over. But who have you voted as the worst? What show made you turn off this last 12 months? That would be, with a 38% share of the votes,
Strange (Worst TV Show)
WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR
Hulk- Ang Lee
The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen- Steve Norrington
The Core- Jon Amiel
Jeepers Creepers II- Victor Salva
It was never Ben Affleck? year, with GIGLI getting its ass kicked, Jenny from the block going back there after their split and the general breakdown of his public persona. So everyone expected DAREDEVIL to be in this poll. But it isn?- why? I have championed this movie since its release, and since I was tasked with putting the nominees together, I left it out. Ben Affleck still sucks however; he? just ok in DD. Explanation over, on to the nominees! HULK was a terrible, terrible film. It? a giant plodding mess of a movie, with Eric Bana seemingly bored with the rest of us. Jennifer Connoly is dire as Betty Ross, while the Hulk himself is a terrible example of when CGI can just go plain wrong. LXG took a great idea and comprehensively trashed it, thanks to a limp script and cast, and the fact that Connery is just too old to be doing this anymore. THE CORE was a by the numbers disaster flick, with about as much excitement as watching a double screening of HULK. JEEPERS CREEPERS II outdid the original- in its poorness. Terrible acting, direction and writing came together on this one. So who won? Who was the worst? It must be noted GENTLEMEN got no votes at all, so someone loves it. But the official worst flick of the year was-
Hulk- Ang Lee (Worst Film Of The Year)
THE PAUL MOUNT AWARD
Doctor Who
The X Files
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Star Trek: The Next Generation
This is a very special award. For the two and a bit years I have been with SciFind my fellow reviewer, Paul Mount has worked tirelessly to battle crap telly. His dissertations (not rants as some would say!) on the state of British TV have made people stand up and listen. Now things are beginning to pick up with the return of DOCTOR WHO, I thought we should reward this talented writer with his own special award, in naming the greatest TV show ever, as voted for by us, the SciFind writers and users. Cheers Paul! So, the first nominee- DOCTOR WHO. Over twenty-six years, the time lord from Gallifrey led the way in excitement, adventure and storytelling. Sure some effects were ropey, but the show always had heart, conviction, and the ability to capture the zeitgeist with strong, iconic, imagery. THE X FILES may have waded too deep in its own mythology by the end, but when it was good, Mulder, Scully and the rest of the gang delivered clever, exquisitely plotted thrillers that both modernised SF and made it respectable once again. BUFFY is pretty much all things to all people. Sexy leads, rocking soundtrack, action, gore, romance- few other shows tackle issues like homosexuality and the burden with growing up when stuck together with vampires, robots and demons. Finally, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION was a wonderful show, with a top notch cast and some great writing. The best of the lot, including the original show, this is a series that could teach the lukewarm ENTERPRISE a thing or two. But the winner, of the Paul Mount award, with 52% of the vote isU
Doctor Who (The Paul Mount Award- Greatest TV Show Ever)
THE SPECIAL AWARD: THE GREATEST FILM EVER MADE
Star Wars: A New Hope (George Lucas 1977)
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (Peter Jackson 2001)
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (Steven Spielberg 1977)
Alien (Ridley Scott 1979)
Raiders Of The Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg 1981)
A slightly bigger poll this one, it? a special one to find the greatest movie-ever. I have taken SIGNS out from the list above as it received not one nomination- and, looking back its hardly ?reatest film?material, no matter how cool it is. Anyway, kicking off this list of greatness, Star Wars: A NEW HOPE, possibly one of the most perfectly constructed films ever. George Lucas stunned the world in 1977, and it? not hard to see why. The story, the effects, the music, the characters, the action, the mythology itself all add to the appeal. No matter how many times you see this its still brilliant. It? the film I grew up with; I loved it, love it and will love it for the rest of my days. LOTR: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING comes a close second in my personal affections. It too is a wonderfully realised piece of cinema, with a thematic weight and attention to detail few blockbusters ever match. It took Tolkien? opus and made it into not just a film, but a masterpiece. Its drive, its verve, FELLOWSHIP is simply a joy to behold, and at three hours it? amazing you will it to last longer. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND is spooky, clever and witty. Spielberg was firing on all cylinders when he made this picture, it? a film that made us believe in aliens when Star Wars was full of them, it made us look at mashed potato differently and it got a generation humming doo-dee-doo-doo-doooooo. ALIEN is another cinematic marvel. Taking a setting as claustrophobic as a space ship, and sticking a dirty great alien in it was a masterstroke, but the casting from Weaver to Hurt to Kotto is flawless. The chestburster scene alone guarantees this flick cult and classic status. Finally, RAIDERS is a lovely piece of action cinema. Indy at once feels like an old and trusted friend. He? easy to love, but this film is deeper than its wham bang thank you maam look would give away. Dealing with love, fear, loss, pain, maturity, death and the Ark of the Covenant, this used mystical ideas and conventions to great effect, producing a classic film. That this was something Lucas and Spielberg did on the side of Star Wars and the rest makes this all the more awesome. But the winner of the SciFind special award is, with 44% of votesUdrum rollN
Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope- George Lucas, 1977 (Best Film Ever)
BEST DIRECTOR
Peter Jackson- LOTR:ROTK
The Watchowski Brothers- The Matrix Reloaded
Tim Burton- Big Fish
Bryan Singer- X2
Of the talented auteurs that bring some of the greatest works the screen has ever seen to life, the five on the list are a diverse lot. One kiwi who had his background in shlock horror pictures. Two brothers who are about as talkative to the press as Jordan is secret about her private life. One quirky, off the wall genius, and finally a talented wunderkind grown up into a blockbusting man. Lord Of the Rings- directed by the kiwi, was an epic, epic treat. All three films have shown spark and intelligence and sheer understanding and love of the source material, and Jackson surely has more to give. The Watchowski? are an enigma. They have crafted, in the Matrix trilogy some of the most visual, visceral cinema ever, yet they barely talk to the press and play things close to the chest. Burton has been making films for a while now, and of those on the list has made the most films. BATMAN, BEETLEJUICE, SLEEPY HOLLOW- all-important but at the same time disposable slices of fun. With BIG FISH, the guy with the crazy hair has finally grown up. Last, but not least, Bryan Singer took the X-Men comic and made X-MEN, a visual treat (if only the rest had been so good). X2 shows Singer the action flick director in full on battle mode- its wall to wall fun, and the driving force has been the man himself. But who got the vote? With a frankly awesome 96% share of voting, leaving two directors with nil points and the other (Burton) with one, the winner is, and had to be,
Peter Jackson- LOTR:ROTK (Best Director)
BEST FILM OF THE YEAR
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
The Matrix Reloaded
Terminator III: The Rise Of The Machines
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
Here we go, the last award, and it frankly, is the biggie. We can hand out ?reatest ever movie?awards all day, but BEST FILM is the important one. So ill get to announcing the contenders. RETURN OF THE KING is brilliant. That? just fact isn? it? The second billion dollar film in movie history. A film that made people who had never even realised a cinema existed down the road go out and find it. It gave an entire generation the Star Wars experience and gave those who had lived through 77 the rare experience of a cinematic double orgasm- something brilliant, happening twice. RELOADED, lambasted as it was by critics across the globe, was, im sorry Mr professional reviewer man, awesome fun. It was the best film of the summer (pretty much) and was chock full of cool music, people in leather, kung fu, excellent effects and the architect. Ergo, it was good. T3 confounded everyone by actually being a worth wile film to see. Jonathan Mostow ensured he didn? mess up the franchise. If this is truly Arnie? last great hurrah, then it? a fitting one, and makes the T 101? sacrifice all the more poignant. Finally, Pirates had Depp, Knightly, Bloom and Rush firing on all cylinders, supported by a script that sparkled like the Caribbean sea, visuals that shone like the enchanted moon, and a story and direction that clipped along as fast as The Black Pearl herself. But what, oh what got 89% of votes? What film ensured RELOADED got no votes and the others only got one? Come on. The winner, of the best film award is-
LORD OF THE RINGS: The Return Of The King (BEST FILM OF THE YEAR)
WELL, THAT? IT. THE AWARDS HAVE BEEN GIVEN OUT- WE MADE IT IN THE END. MANY, MANY THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO VOTED ONLINE IN THE FORUM. THESE AWARDS HAVE BEEN A LONG TIME COMING BUT THEY ARE HERE NOW. THERE IS, HOWEVER, ONE AWARD LEFT TO GIVE?
LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
He may own the site, but he didn? know about this. Brian Edwards is the man behind SciFind. He has edited, crafted and looked over the site since its conception. He has been an architect, one who drops in now and again with the odd missive telling you he wants that review done or he? sending you this or that. He looks over our various works to ensure we don? break copyright laws. That can be a problem-he is the man who told me I couldn? write my DOCTOR WHO e-book because it was against the law, rally against him people! No, I jest, for Mr Edwards is the driving force behind the quality you see around you. He is king of SciFind, he made it up, this is his baby. If we do win the wooden rocket award then that too, is Brian?. Raise a glass ladies and gentlemen, to Brian Edwards, the man behind SciFind, and the first ever recipient of the Lifetime achievement award!
THE WINNERS IN FULL THEN:
BEST FILM: RETURN OF THE KING
BEST DIRECTOR: PETER JACKSON
BEST ACTOR: JOHNNY DEPP
BEST ACTRESS: LIV TYLER
BEST SCORE: HOWARD SHORE
BEST MOMENT: LORD OF THE RINGS
BEST ANIMATION: FINDING NEMO
WORST TV SHOW: STRANGE
WORST MOVIE: HULK
PAUL MOUNT AWARD: DOCTOR WHO
SPECIAL AWARD: Star Wars
LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: BRIAN EDWARDS
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! SEE YOU NEXT YEARU
BY LIAM O?RIEN, 2004.
