Thoughtful reviews, the Boulder film scene

Betty Blue

There can be beauty in tragedy, particularly when the key ingredient is the same in both —Marty Mapes (review...)

Betty arrives like a bolt from the Blue

" I am the monster’s mother "
— Sigourney Weaver, Alien Resurrection

MRQE Top Critic

Sponsored links

Each year, the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) votes on the best films of the year. Movie Habit — via Marty Mapes — is sharing its votes with the world.

In each category (column 1), members nominate up to five films (column 2). The nominations are tallied and the top five vote-getters in each category are announced (column 3). Members vote again for up to five of the nominees (column 4), and finally, the winners are announced (column 5).

Follow the political machinations as Marty votes with his colleagues on the best of 2003.

The first mention of each film is listed in bold type.

Category Movie Habit Nominations OFCS Nominees Movie Habit Vote OFCS Winners
Best Picture
  1. City of God
  2. Dirty Pretty Things
  3. A Mighty Wind
  4. 21 Grams
  5. Return of the King
  •  City of God
  •  Kill Bill
  •  Return of the King
  •  Lost in Translation
  • Mystic River
  1. City of God 
  2. Lost in Translation 
  3. Mystic River
Return of the King
Foreign Language Picture
  1. City of God
  2. The Man on the Train
  3. Respiro
  4. The Eye
  5. Divine Intervention
  • The Barbarian Invasions
  • City of God 
  • Irreversible 
  • The Man without a Past 
  • The Triplets of Belleville
  1.  The Man Without a Past
  2.  The Barbarian Invasions
  3. --
City of God
Animated Picture
  1. Finding Nemo
  • Cowboy Bebop
  • Finding Nemo
  • Looney Tunes: Back in Action
  • Millennium Actress
  • The Triplets of Belleville
  1. (abstain)
  2. --
  3. --
Finding Nemo
Documentary
  1. Rivers and Tides
  2. Stevie
  3. Winged Migration
  4. Step into Liquid
  5. Stone Reader
  • Capturing the Friedmans
  • The Fog of War
  • Lost in La Mancha
  • Spellbound
  • Winged Migration
  1. Winged Migration
  2. --
  3. Lost in La Mancha
Capturing the Friedmans
Screenplay (adapted)
  1. American Splendor
  2. Mystic River
  3. Spider
  4. Holes
  5. Phone Booth
  • American Splendor
  • Bubba Ho-Tep
  • Return of the King
  • Mystic River
  • Shattered Glass
  1. American Splendor
  2. Mystic River 
  3. --
Return of the King
Screenplay (original)
  1. Dirty Pretty Things
  2. Lost in Translation
  3. Love Actually
  4. In America
  5. 28 Days Later
  •  21 Grams
  •  In America
  •  Kill Bill
  •  Lost in Translation
  • The Station Agent
  1. Lost in Translation
  2. --
  3. In America
Lost in Translation
Director
  1. Return of the King
  2. Lost in Translation
  3. American Splendor
  4. The Man on the Train
  5. 28 Days Later
  • 21 Grams
  • Kill Bill
  • Return of the King
  • Lost in Translation
  • Mystic River
  1. Return of the King 
  2. Lost in Translation
  3. 21 Grams
Return of the King
Actor
  1. Sean Penn, 21 Grams
  2. Paul Giamatti, American Splendor
  3. Ralph Fiennes, Spider
  4. Benicio del Toro, 21 Grams
  5. Bill Murray, Lost in Translation
  •  Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean
  •  Paul Giamatti, American Splendor
  •  Ben Kingsley, House of Sand and Fog
  •  Bill Murray, Lost in Translation
  • Sean Penn, Mystic River
  1. Paul Giamatti, American Splendor
  2. Sean Penn, Mystic River
  3. Bill Murray, Lost in Translation
Bill Murray, Lost in Translation
Actress
  1. Miranda Richardson, Spider
  2. Scarlett Johansson, Lost in Translation
  3. Naomi Watts, 21 Grams
  4. Cate Blanchett, The Missing
  5. Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
  •  Angela Bettis, May
  • Scarlett Johansson, Lost in Translation
  • Charlize Theron, Monster
  • Uma Thurman, Kill Bill
  • Naomi Watts, 21 Grams
  1. --
  2. Scarlett Johansson, Lost in Translation
  3. Naomi Watts, 21 Grams 
Naomi Watts, 21 Grams
Ensemble
  1. A Mighty Wind
  2. The Station Agent
  3. The Safety of Objects
  4. Mystic River
  5. American Splendor
Not among this year’s categories    
Supporting Actor
  1. Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass
  2. Judah Friedlander, American Splendor
  3. Ian McKellen, Return of the King
  4. Andy Serkis, Return of the King
  5. Johnny Hallyday, The Man on the Train
  • Sean Astin, Return of the King
  • Alec Baldwin, The Cooler
  • Tim Robbins, Mystic River
  • Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass
  • Andy Serkis, Return of the King
  1. Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass
  2. --
  3. Andy Serkis, Return of the King
Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass
Supporting Actress
  1. Hope Davis, American Splendor
  2. Patricia Clarkson, The Station Agent
  3. Frances McDormand, Laurel Canyon
  4. Keira Knightley, Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Sand and Fog 
  • Maria Bello, The Cooler
  • Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April
  • Holly Hunter, Thirteen
  • Renee Zellweger, Cold Mountain
  1. --
  2. Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April 
  3. Renee Zellweger, Cold Mountain
Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Sand and Fog 
Breakthrough Performance
  1. Parminder K. Nagra, Bend It Like Beckham
  2. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dirty Pretty Things
  3. Shia Leboeuf, Holes
  4. Wentworth Miller, The Human Stain
  5. Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
  • Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
  • Peter Dinklage, The Station Agent
  • Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dirty Pretty Things
  • Keira Knightley, Bend It Like Beckham
  • Cillian Murphy, 28 Days Later
  1. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dirty Pretty Things 
  2. --
  3. Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
Breakthrough Filmmaker
  1. Russian Ark
  2. Rivers and Tides
  3. American Splendor
  • American Splendor
  • Whale Rider
  • City of God
  • Shattered Glass
  • Raising Victor Vargas
  1. American Splendor 
  2. — 
  3. City of God
American Splendor
Cinematography
  1. Russian Ark
  2. Winged Migration
  3. Gerry
  4. Rivers and Tides
  5. The Cremaster Cycle 3
  • Girl with a Pearl Earring
  • Kill Bill
  • The Last Samurai
  • Return of the King
  • Winged Migration
  1. Winged Migration 
  2.  --
  3. Girl with a Pearl Earring
Return of the King
Visual Effects
  1. Return of the King
  2. Dreamcatcher
  3. Finding Nemo
  4. The Matrix Reloaded
  5. Master and Commander
  • Kill Bill
  • Return of the King
  • Master and Commander
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • X2: X-Men United
  1. Return of the King 
  2. Master and Commander 
  3. --
Return of the King
Art Direction
  1. The Return of the King
  2. Down with Love
  3. Master and Commander
  4. Kill Bill
  • Down with Love
  • Girl with a Pearl Earring
  • Kill Bill
  • Return of the King 
  • Master and Commander
  1. Return of the King 
  2. Down with Love
  3. Master and Commander
Return of the King
Costume Design
  1. Return of the King
  2. Russian Ark
  3. Master and Commander
  4. The Last Samurai
  5. Down with Love
  • Down with Love 
  • Girl with a Pearl Earring
  • Kill Bill
  • Return of the King
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  1. Return of the King 
  2. — 
  3. Down with Love
Return of the King
Score
  1. Gerry
  2. Naqoyqatsi
  3. City of God
  • Kill Bill
  • The Last Samurai
  • Return of the King
  • Lost in Translation
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  1. (abstain)
  2. — 
  3. --
Return of the King
Sound
  1. Gerry
  2. Master and Commander
  3. Russian Ark
  • 28 Days Later
  • Kill Bill
  • Return of the King
  • Master and Commander
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  1. Master and Commander 
  2. --
  3. --
Return of the King
Editing
  1. 21 Grams
  2. City of God
  3. American Splendor
  4. Kill Bill
  5. Naqoyqatsi
Not among this year’s categories