2003
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
(2003)
Takeshi Kitano (screenplay), Kan Shimozawa (novels)
21 wins & 10 nominations.
Blind Zatoichi makes his living by gambling and giving massages. But behind his humble facade, Zatoichi is a master swordsman, gifted with lightning-fast draw and strokes of breathtaking precision. Zatoichi wanders into a town run by sinister gangs and a powerful samurai. He's destined for violent showdowns when he stumbles on two beautiful geishas avenging their parents' murder... Duels, wit and a touch of zen! Cult anti-hero Zatoichi is back in a sword-fighting adventure written, directed and starring Takeshi Kitano.
The Corporation
(2003)
Joel Bakan, Joel Bakan (book), Harold Crooks (narration written by), Joel Bakan (narration written by), Mark Achbar (narration written by), Mark Achbar (developer), Joel Bakan (developer), Thomas Shandel (developer), Mark Achbar (creator), Joel Bakan (creator)
11 wins & 1 nomination.
Documentary that looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance.
The Green Butchers
(2003)
Anders Thomas Jensen
7 wins & 8 nominations.
Svend and Bjarne work for a butcher in a small Danish town. Fed up with their boss' arrogance, they decide to start their own butcher shop. After dismal beginnings, an unfortunate accident happens which coincides with a large order of meat. One hasty decision leads to another and soon the business thrives. In the meantime, Bjarne has to deal with his twin brother who has been in coma for years following a gruesome car accident.
The Last Samurai
(2003)
John Logan (story), John Logan (screenplay), Edward Zwick (screenplay), Marshall Herskovitz (screenplay)
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 47 nominations.
In the 1870s, Captain Nathan Algren, a cynical veteran of the American Civil war who will work for anyone, is hired by Americans who want lucrative contracts with the Emperor of Japan to train the peasant conscripts for the first standing imperial army in modern warfare using firearms. The imperial Omura cabinet's first priority is to repress a rebellion of traditionalist Samurai -hereditary warriors- who remain devoted to the sacred dynasty but reject the Westernizing policy and even refuse firearms. Yet when his ill-prepared superior force sets out too soon, their panic allows the sword-wielding samurai to crush them. Badly wounded Algren's courageous stand makes the samurai leader Katsumoto spare his life; once nursed to health he learns to know and respect the old Japanese way, and participates as advisor in Katsumoto's failed attempt to save the Bushido tradition, but Omura gets repressive laws enacted- he must now choose to honor his loyalty to one of the embittered sides when the conflict returns to the battlefield...
The Matrix Reloaded
(2003)
Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski (characters), Lana Wachowski (characters)
5 wins & 21 nominations.
Six months after the events depicted in The Matrix, Neo has proved to be a good omen for the free humans, as more and more humans are being freed from the matrix and brought to Zion, the one and only stronghold of the Resistance. Neo himself has discovered his superpowers including super speed, ability to see the codes of the things inside the matrix, and a certain degree of precognition. But a nasty piece of news hits the human resistance: 250,000 machine sentinels are digging to Zion and would reach them in 72 hours. As Zion prepares for the ultimate war, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity are advised by the Oracle to find the Keymaker who would help them reach the Source. Meanwhile Neo's recurrent dreams depicting Trinity's death have got him worried and as if it was not enough, Agent Smith has somehow escaped deletion, has become more powerful than before and has chosen Neo as his next target.
The Recruit
(2003)
Roger Towne, Kurt Wimmer, Mitch Glazer
2 nominations.
A brilliant young CIA trainee is asked by his mentor to help find a mole in the Agency.
The Tesseract
(2003)
Oxide Chun Pang (screenplay), Patrick Neate (screenplay), Alex Garland (novel)
1 win & 1 nomination.
A psychologist, an Englishman, a bellboy and a wounded female assasin have their fates crossed at a sleazy Bangkok hotel.
The United States of Leland
(2003)
Matthew Ryan Hoge
1 win & 2 nominations.
As a detached kid spends time in juvenile hall for the unspeakable murder of a special needs kid, a writer and the people around him try to comprehend and cope with his reasoning for commiting this murder from the writings in a classroom book from his juvenile class, where he tries to let people know "the why".
Underworld
(2003)
Kevin Grevioux (story), Len Wiseman (story), Danny McBride (story), Danny McBride (screenplay)
1 win & 8 nominations.
A war has been raging between the Vampires and Lycan for centuries, Selene (Beckinsale) is a death dealer, assigned to hunt down and eradicate the last of the Lycan. When she comes across Michael Corvin (Speedman) who holds the key to end the war she must decide where her allegiances will lie.
Young Adam
(2003)
Alexander Trocchi, David Mackenzie
7 wins & 17 nominations
Joe, a rootless young drifter, finds work on a barge travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh, owned by Les and his wife Ella. One afternoon they discover the corpse of a young woman floating in the water. Accident? Suicide? Murder? As the police investigate and suspect is arrested, we discover that Joe knows more than he is letting on. Gradually we learn of Joe's past relationship with the dead woman. Meanwhile an unspoken attraction develops between Joe and Ella, heightening the claustrophobic tensions in the confined space of the barge.