Oscar Nominated Films from 1990-1999

At the ten Academy Award ceremonies held from 1990-1999, there were 362 films receiving a combined 908 Oscar nominations. The Best Picture nominees are in bold type, with the top films of the year also underlined. The director and year of the movie is listed afterwards:

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14 nominations

TITANIC (James Cameron, 1997)

13 nominations

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (John Madden, 1998)
FORREST GUMP (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)

12 nominations

THE ENGLISH PATIENT (Anthony Minghella, 1996)
SCHINDLER'S LIST (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
DANCES WITH WOLVES (Kevin Costner, 1990)

11 nominations

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (Steven Spielberg, 1998)

10 nominations

BRAVEHEART (Mel Gibson, 1995)
BUGSY (Barry Levinson, 1991)

9 nominations

GOOD WILL HUNTING (Gus Van Sant, 1997)
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson, 1997)
APOLLO 13 (Ron Howard, 1995)
HOWARDS END (James Ivory, 1992)
UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood, 1992)

8 nominations

AMERICAN BEAUTY (Sam Mendes, 1999)
THE PIANO (Jane Campion, 1993)
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (James Ivory, 1993)
JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991)

7 nominations

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (Lasse Hallstrom, 1999)
THE INSIDER (Michael Mann, 1999)
ELIZABETH (Shekhar Kapur, 1998)
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (Roberto Benigni, 1998)
THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick, 1998)
AS GOOD AT IT GETS (James L. Brooks, 1997)
FARGO (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1996)
SHINE (Scott Hicks, 1996)
BABE (Chris Noonan, 1995)
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (Ang Lee, 1995)
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY (Woody Allen, 1994)
PULP FICTION (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (Frank Darabont, 1994)
THE FUGITIVE (Andrew Davis, 1993)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (Jim Sheridan, 1993)
THE PRINCE OF TIDES (Barbra Streisand, 1991)
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
DICK TRACY (Warren Beatty, 1990)
THE GODFATHER PART III (Francis Ford Coppola, 1990)

6 nominations

THE SIXTH SENSE (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
THE CRYING GAME (Neil Jordan, 1992)
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 1991)
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (James Cameron, 1991)
THELMA & LOUISE (Ridley Scott, 1991)
GOOD FELLAS (Martin Scorsese, 1990)

5 nominations

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (Anthony Minghella, 1999)
EVITA (Alan Parker, 1996)
JERRY MAGUIRE (Cameron Crowe, 1996)
SECRETS & LIES (Mike Leigh, 1996)
IL POSTINO (Michael Radford, 1995)
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (Martin Scorsese, 1993)
PHILADELPHIA (Jonathan Demme, 1993)
ALADDIN (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1992)
THE FISHER KING (Terry Gilliam, 1991)
HOOK (Steven Spielberg, 1991)
CYRANO DE BERGERAC (Jean-Paul Rappeneau, 1990)
GHOST (Jerry Zucker, 1990)

4 nominations

THE GREEN MILE (Frank Darabont, 1999)
THE MATRIX (Andy & Larry Wachowski, 1999)
TOPSY-TURVY (Mike Leigh, 1999)
ARMAGEDDON (Michael Bay, 1998)
AMISTAD (Steven Spielberg, 1997)
THE FULL MONTY (Peter Cattaneo, 1997)
KUNDUN (Martin Scorsese, 1997)
THE WINGS OF THE DOVE (Iain Softley, 1997)
HAMLET (Kenneth Branagh, 1996)
DEAD MAN WALKING (Tim Robbins, 1995)
LEAVING LAS VEGAS (Mike Figgis, 1995)
NIXON (Oliver Stone, 1995)
THE LION KING (Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff, 1994)
THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE (Nicholas Hytner, 1994)
QUIZ SHOW (Robert Redford, 1994)
BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992)
A FEW GOOD MEN (Rob Reiner, 1992)
SCENT OF A WOMAN (Martin Brest, 1992)
AVALON (Barry Levinson, 1990)
THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears, 1990)

3 nominations

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (Spike Jonze, 1999)
MAGNOLIA (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
SLEEPY HOLLOW (Tim Burton, 1999)
STAR WARS: EPISODE ONE: THE PHANTOM MENACE (George Lucas, 1999)
GODS AND MONSTERS (Bill Condon, 1998)
PLEASANTVILLE (Gary Ross, 1998)
THE TRUMAN SHOW (Peter Weir, 1998)
BOOGIE NIGHTS (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997)
MEN IN BLACK (Barry Sonnenfeld, 1997)
BATMAN FOREVER (Joel Schumacher, 1995)
CRIMSON TIDE (Tony Scott, 1995)
TOY STORY 2 (John Lasseter, 1995)
LEGENDS OF THE FALL (Edward Zwick, 1994)
LITTLE WOMEN (Gillian Armstrong, 1994)
SPEED (Jan De Bont, 1994)
THREE COLOURS RED (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)
CLIFFHANGER (Renny Harlin, 1993)
IN THE LINE OF FIRE (Wolfgang Petersen, 1993)
JURASSIC PARK (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
CHAPLIN (Richard Attenborough, 1992)
ENCHANTED APRIL (Mike Newell, 1992)
THE PLAYER (Robert Altman, 1992)
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT (Robert Redford, 1992)
BACKDRAFT (Ron Howard, 1991)
BARTON FINK (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1991)
AWAKENINGS (Penny Marshall, 1990)
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (John McTiernan, 1990)
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (Barbet Schroeder, 1990)
TOTAL RECALL (Paul Verhoeven, 1990)

2 nominations

ANNA AND THE KING (Andy Tennant, 1999)
BOYS DON'T CRY (Kimberley Peirce, 1999)
THE END OF THE AFFAIR (Neil Jordan, 1999)
MUSIC OF THE HEART (Wes Craven, 1999)
SWEET AND LOWDOWN (Woody Allen, 1999)
AFFLICTION (Paul Schrader, 1998)
CENTRAL STATION (Walter Salles, 1998)
A CIVIL ACTION (Steve Zaillian, 1998)
HILARY AND JACKIE (Anand Tucker, 1998)
THE MASK OF ZORRO (Martin Campbell, 1998)
OUT OF SIGHT (Steven Soderbergh, 1998)
PRIMARY COLORS (Mike Nichols, 1998)
THE PRINCE OF EGYPT (Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, & Simon Wells, 1998)
A SIMPLE PLAN (Sam Raimi, 1998)
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
2
1998
AIR FORCE ONE
2
1997
ANASTASIA
2
1997
CON AIR
2
1997
MRS. BROWN
2
1997
SWEET HEREAFTER, THE
2
1997
WAG THE DOG
2
1997
CRUCIBLE, THE
2
1996
EMMA
2
1996
GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI
2
1996
INDEPENDENCE DAY
2
1996
MICHAEL COLLINS
2
1996
MIRROR HAS TWO FACES, THE
2
1996
PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, THE
2
1996
PORTRAIT OF A LADY, THE
2
1996
SLING BLADE
2
1996
TWISTER
2
1996
LITTLE PRINCESS, A
2
1995
MIGHTY APHRODITE
2
1995
POCAHONTAS
2
1995
RESTORATION
2
1995
RICHARD III
2
1995
SABRINA
2
1995
TWELVE MONKEYS
2
1995
USUAL SUSPECTS, THE
2
1995
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
2
1994
ED WOOD
2
1994
FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL
2
1994
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
2
1994
NOBODY'S FOOL
2
1994
TOM & VIV
2
1994
FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE
2
1993
FIRM, THE
2
1993
ORLANDO
2
1993
SHADOWLANDS
2
1993
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE
2
1993
WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT
2
1993
BASIC INSTINCT
2
1992
BATMAN RETURNS
2
1992
BODYGUARD, THE
2
1992
HOFFA
2
1992
HUSBANDS AND WIVES
2
1992
INDOCHINE
2
1992
LORENZO'S OIL
2
1992
MALCOLM X
2
1992
PASSION FISH
2
1992
TOYS
2
1992
UNDER SIEGE
2
1992
BOYZ 'N' THE HOOD
2
1991
CAPE FEAR
2
1991
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
2
1991
RAMBLING ROSE
2
1991
STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
2
1991
HAMLET (mel gibson)
2
1990
HOME ALONE
2
1990
POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE
2
1990
ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER
1
1999
ANGELA'S ASHES
1
1999
AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME
1
1999
BICENTENNIAL MAN
1
1999
EAST-WEST
1
1999
ELECTION
1
1999
FIGHT CLUB
1
1999
GIRL, INTERRUPTED
1
1999
HIMALAYA (CARAVAN)
1
1999
HURRICANE, THE
1
1999
LIFE
1
1999
MUMMY, THE
1
1999
RED VIOLIN, THE
1
1999
SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS
1
1999
SOLOMON AND GAENOR
1
1999
SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER, AND UNCUT
1
1999
STRAIGHT STORY, THE
1
1999
STUART LITTLE
1
1999
TARZAN
1
1999
TITUS
1
1999
TOY STORY 2
1
1999
TUMBLEWEEDS
1
1999
UNDER THE SUN
1
1999
AMERICAN HISTORY X
1
1998
BABE: PIG IN THE CITY
1
1998
BELOVED
1
1998
BUG'S LIFE, A
1
1998
BULWORTH
1
1998
CHILDREN OF HEAVEN
1
1998
GRANDFATHER, THE
1
1998
HORSE WHISPERER, THE
1
1998
LITTLE VOICE
1
1998
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG
1
1998
MULAN
1
1998
ONE TRUE THING
1
1998
PATCH ADAMS
1
1998
QUEST FOR CAMELOT
1
1998
TANGO
1
1998
VELVET GOLDMINE
1
1998
AFTERGLOW
1
1997
APOSTLE, THE
1
1997
BEYOND SILENCE
1
1997
CHARACTER
1
1997
CONTACT
1
1997
DECONSTRUCTING HARRY
1
1997
DONNIE BRASCO
1
1997
FACE / OFF
1
1997
FIFTH ELEMENT, THE
1
1997
FOUR DAYS IN SEPTEMBER
1
1997
GATTACA
1
1997
HERCULES
1
1997
IN & OUT
1
1997
JACKIE BROWN
1
1997
LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK, THE
1
1997
MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING
1
1997
OSCAR & LUCINDA
1
1997
SECRETS OF THE HEART
1
1997
STARSHIP TROOPERS
1
1997
THIEF, THE
1
1997
ULEE'S GOLD
1
1997
ANGELS & INSECTS
1
1996
BIRDCAGE, THE
1
1996
BREAKING THE WAVES
1
1996
CHEF IN LOVE, A
1
1996
DAYLIGHT
1
1996
DRAGONHEART
1
1996
ERASER
1
1996
FIRST WIVES' CLUB, THE
1
1996
FLY AWAY HOME
1
1996
GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, THE
1
1996
HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, THE
1
1996
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
1
1996
KOLYA
1
1996
LONE STAR
1
1996
MARVIN'S ROOM
1
1996
NUTTY PROFESSOR, THE
1
1996
ONE FINE DAY
1
1996
OTHER SIDE OF SUNDAY, THE
1
1996
PREACHER'S WIFE, THE
1
1996
PRIMAL FEAR
1
1996
PRISONER OF THE MOUNTAINS
1
1996
RIDICULE
1
1996
ROCK, THE
1
1996
SLEEPERS
1
1996
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
1
1996
THAT THING YOU DO!
1
1996
TRAINSPOTTING
1
1996
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
1
1996
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO & JULIET
1
1996
ALL THINGS FAIR
1
1995
AMERICAN PRESIDENT, THE
1
1995
ANTONIA'S LINE
1
1995
BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, THE
1
1995
CASINO
1
1995
DON JUAN DE MARCO
1
1995
DUST OF LIFE
1
1995
GEORGIA
1
1995
MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS
1
1995
MY FAMILY, MIA FAMILIA
1
1995
O QUATRILHO
1
1995
ROB ROY
1
1995
ROOMMATES
1
1995
SEVEN
1
1995
SHANGHAI TRIAD
1
1995
STAR MAKER, THE
1
1995
UNSTRUNG HEROES
1
1995
WATERWORLD
1
1995
ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE
1
1994
BEFORE THE RAIN
1
1994
BLUE SKY
1
1994
BURNT BY THE SUN
1
1994
CLIENT, THE
1
1994
EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN
1
1994
FARINELLI: IL CASTRATO
1
1994
HEAVENLY CREATURES
1
1994
HOOP DREAMS
1
1994
JUNIOR
1
1994
MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN
1
1994
MASK, THE
1
1994
MAVERICK
1
1994
NELL
1
1994
PAPER, THE
1
1994
QUEEN MARGOT
1
1994
STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE
1
1994
TRUE LIES
1
1994
WYATT EARP
1
1994
ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES
1
1993
BEETHOVEN'S 2ND
1
1993
BELLE EPOQUE
1
1993
DAVE
1
1993
FEARLESS
1
1993
GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND
1
1993
HEDD WYN
1
1993
MRS. DOUBTFIRE
1
1993
POETIC JUSTICE
1
1993
SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA, THE
1
1993
SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER (INNOCENT MOVES)
1
1993
SHORT CUTS
1
1993
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
1
1993
TIM BURTON'S NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
1
1993
WEDDING BANQUET, THE
1
1993
WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE
1
1993
ALIEN 3
1
1992
CLOSE TO EDEN
1
1992
DAENS
1
1992
DAMAGE
1
1992
DEATH BECOMES HER
1
1992
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
1
1992
LAST OF THE MOHICANS, THE
1
1992
LOVE FIELD
1
1992
LOVER, THE
1
1992
MAMBO KINGS, THE
1
1992
MR. SATURDAY NIGHT
1
1992
MY COUSIN VINNY
1
1992
PLACE IN THE WORLD, A
1
1992
SCHTONK!
1
1992
ADDAMS FAMILY, THE
1
1991
CHILDREN OF NATURE
1
1991
CITY SLICKERS
1
1991
COMMITMENTS, THE
1
1991
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THE
1
1991
EUROPA EUROPA
1
1991
FOR THE BOYS
1
1991
GRAND CANYON
1
1991
MADAME BOVARY
1
1991
MEDITERRANEO
1
1991
OX, THE
1
1991
RAISE THE RED LANTERN
1
1991
ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES
1
1991
ALICE
1
1990
DAYS OF THUNDER
1
1990
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
1
1990
FIELD, THE
1
1990
FLATLINERS
1
1990
GREEN CARD
1
1990
HAVANA
1
1990
HENRY AND JUNE
1
1990
JOURNEY OF HOPE
1
1990
JU DOU
1
1990
LONGTIME COMPANION
1
1990
METROPOLITAN
1
1990
MISERY
1
1990
MR. & MRS. BRIDGE
1
1990
NASTY GIRL, THE
1
1990
OPEN DOORS
1
1990
PRETTY WOMAN
1
1990
WILD AT HEART
1
1990
YOUNG GUNS II
1
1990

Oscar Nominated Films Since 2000

At the eight Academy Award ceremonies held from 2000-2007, there were 278 films receiving a combined 733 Oscar nominations. The Best Picture nominees are in bold type, with the top films of the year also underlined. The director and year of the movie is listed afterwards:

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13 nominations

CHICAGO (Rob Marshall, 2002)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
(Peter Jackson, 2001)


12 nominations

GLADIATOR (Ridley Scott, 2000)


11 nominations

THE AVIATOR (Martin Scorsese, 2004)
LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson,
2003)


10 nominations

MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (Peter Weir, 2003)
GANGS OF NEW YORK (Martin Scorsese, 2002)
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee, 2000)


9 nominations

THE HOURS (Stephen Daldry, 2002)


8 nominations

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2007)
THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
DREAMGIRLS (Bill Condon, 2006)
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Ang Lee, 2005)
A BEAUTIFUL MIND (Ron Howard, 2001)
MOULIN ROUGE! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)


7 nominations

ATONEMENT (Joe Wright, 2007)
MICHAEL CLAYTON (Tony Gilroy, 2007)
BABEL (Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu, 2006)
FINDING NEVERLAND (Marc Forster, 2004)
MILLION DOLLAR BABY (Clint Eastwood, 2004)
COLD MOUNTAIN (Anthony Minghella, 2003)
SEABISCUIT (Gary Ross, 2003)
THE PIANIST (Roman Polanski, 2002)
GOSFORD PARK (Robert Altman, 2001)


6 nominations

PAN'S LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)
THE QUEEN (Stephen Frears, 2006)
CRASH (Paul Haggis, 2005)
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (George Clooney, 2005)
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (Rob Marshall, 2005)
RAY (Taylor Hackford, 2004)
MYSTIC RIVER (Clint Eastwood, 2003)
FRIDA (Julie Taymor, 2002)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (Peter Jackson, 2002)
ROAD TO PERDITION (Sam Mendes, 2002)


5 nominations

RATATOUILLE (Brad Bird, 2007)
BLOOD DIAMOND (Edward Zwick, 2006)
THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese, 2006)
CAPOTE (Bennett Miller, 2005)
MUNICH (Steven Spielberg, 2005)
WALK THE LINE (James Mangold, 2005)
SIDEWAYS (Alexander Payne, 2004)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (Gore Verbinski, 2003)
AMELIE (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)
IN THE BEDROOM (Todd Field, 2001)
CHOCOLAT (Lasse Hallstrom, 2000)
ERIN BROCKOVICH (Steven Soderbergh, 2000)
TRAFFIC (Steven Soderbergh, 2000)


4 nominations

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (Julian Schnabel, 2007)
JUNO (Jason Reitman, 2007)
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (Clint Eastwood, 2006)
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, 2006)
NOTES ON A SCANDAL (Richard Eyre, 2006)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST (Gore Verbinski, 2006)
THE CONSTANT GARDENER (Fernando Meirelles, 2005)
KING KONG (Peter Jackson, 2005)
PRIDE & PREJUDICE (Joe Wright, 2005)
THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird, 2004)
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (Brad Silberling, 2004)
CITY OF GOD (Fernando Meirelles, 2003)
FINDING NEMO (Andrew Stanton, 2003)
THE LAST SAMURAI (Edward Zwick, 2003)
LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
ADAPTATION (Spike Jonze, 2002)
FAR FROM HEAVEN (Todd Haynes, 2002)
BLACK HAWK DOWN (Ridley Scott, 2001)
MONSTERS, INC. (Pete Docter, 2001)
PEARL HARBOR (Michael Bay, 2001)
ALMOST FAMOUS (Cameron Crowe, 2000)


3 nominations

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (Paul Greengrass, 2007)
ENCHANTED (Kevin Lima , 2007)
LA VIE EN ROSE (Olivier Dahan , 2007
SWEENEY TODD (Tim Burton, 2007)
TRANSFORMERS (Michael Bay, 2007
APOCALYPTO (Mel Gibson, 2006)
CHILDREN OF MEN (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006)
LITTLE CHILDREN (Todd Field, 2006)
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE (Andrew Adamson, 2005)
CINDERELLA MAN (Ron Howard, 2005)
WAR OF THE WORLDS (Steven Spielberg, 2005)
HOTEL RWANDA (Terry George, 2004)
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (Mel Gibson, 2004)
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Joel Schumacher, 2004)
THE POLAR EXPRESS (Robert Zemeckis, 2004)
SPIDER-MAN 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004)
VERA DRAKE (Mike Leigh, 2004)
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (Peter Webber, 2003)
HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG (Vadim Perelman, 2003)
IN AMERICA (Jim Sheridan, 2003)
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (Chris Columbus, 2001)
IRIS (Richard Eyre, 2001)
BILLY ELLIOTT (Stephen Daldry, 2000)
DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (Ron Howard, 2000)
THE PATRIOT (Roland Emmerich, 2000)
QUILLS (Philip Kaufman, 2000)
WONDER BOYS (Curtis Hanson, 2000)


2 nominations

AMERICAN GANGSTER (Ridley Scott, 2007)
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES (Andrew Dominik, 2007)
AWAY FROM HER (Sarah Polley, 2007)
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE (Shekhar Kapur, 2007)
THE GOLDEN COMPASS (Chris Weitz, 2007)
INTO THE WILD (Sean Penn, 2007)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (Gore Verbinski, 2007)
THE SAVAGES (Tamara Jenkins, 2007)
3:10 TO YUMA (James Mangold, 2007)
CARS (John Lasseter, 2006)
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (David Frankel, 2006)
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (Clint Eastwood, 2006)
THE PRESTIGE (Christopher Nolan, 2006)
UNITED 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006)
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg, 2005)
HUSTLE & FLOW (Craig Brewer, 2005)
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS (Stephen Frears, 2005)
NORTH COUNTRY (Niki Caro, 2005)
SYRIANA (Stephen Gaghan, 2005)
TRANSAMERICA (Duncan Tucker, 2005)
THE CHORUS (Christophe Barratier, 2004)
CLOSER (Mike Nichols, 2004)
COLLATERAL (Michael Mann, 2004)
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry, 2004)
HARRY POTTER & THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (Alfonso Cuaron, 2004)
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (Walter Salles, 2004)
THE SEA INSIDE (Alejandro Amenabar, 2004)
SHREK 2 (Andrew Adamson, 2004)
A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2004)
21 GRAMS (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 2003)
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (Sylvain Chomet, 2003)
ABOUT SCHMIDT (Alexander Payne, 2002)
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (Steven Spielberg, 2002)
SPIDER-MAN (Sam Raimi, 2002)
TALK TO HER (Pedro Almodovar, 2002)
A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Steven Spielberg, 2001)
ALI (Michael Mann, 2001)
MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan, 2001)
MONSTER'S BALL (Marc Forster, 2001)
SHREK (Andrew Adamson, 2001)
TRAINING DAY (Antoine Fuqua, 2001)
CAST AWAY (Robert Zemeckis, 2000)
THE CONTENDER (Rod Lurie, 2000)
MALENA (Giuseppe Tornatore, 2000)
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2000)
THE PERFECT STORM (Wolfgang Petersen, 2000)
POLLOCK (Ed Harris, 2000)
SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE (E. Elias Merhige, 2000)
U-571 (Jonathan Mostow, 2000)
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (Kenneth Lonergan, 2000)


1 nomination

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (Julie Taymor, 2007)
AUGUST RUSH (Kirsten Sheridan, 2007)
BEAUFORT (Joseph Cedar, 2007)
CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (Mike Nichols, 2007)
THE COUNTERFEITERS (Stefan Ruzowitzky, 2007)
EASTERN PROMISES (David Cronenberg, 2007)
GONE, BABY, GONE (Ben Affleck, 2007)
I'M NOT THERE (Todd Haynes, 2007)
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH (Paul Haggis, 2007)
KATYN (Andrzej Wadja, 2007)
THE KITE RUNNER (Marc Forster, 2007)
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (Craig Gillespie, 2007)
MONGOL (Sergei Bodrov, 2007)
NORBIT (Brian Robbins, 2007)
ONCE (John Carney, 2007)
PERSEPOLIS (Vincent Parronaud & Marjane Satrapi, 2007)
SURF'S UP (Ash Brannon & Chris Buck, 2007)
12 (Nikita Mikhalkov, 2007)
AFTER THE WEDDING (Susanne Bier, 2006)
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (Davis Guggenheim, 2006)
THE BLACK DAHLIA (Brian De Palma, 2006)
BORAT (Larry Charles, 2006)
CLICK (Frank Coraci, 2006)
THE CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (Zhang Yimou, 2006)
DAYS OF GLORY (Rachid Bouchareb, 2006)
THE GOOD GERMAN (Steven Soderbergh, 2006)
THE GOOD SHEPHERD (Robert De Niro, 2006)
HALF NELSON (Ryan Fleck, 2006)
HAPPY FEET (George Miller, 2006)
THE ILLUSIONIST (Neil Burger, 2006)
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND (Kevin MacDonald, 2006)
THE LIVES OF OTHERS (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006)
MARIE ANTOINETTE (Sofia Coppola, 2006)
MONSTER HOUSE (Gil Kenan, 2006)
POSEIDON (Wolfgang Petersen, 2006)
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (Gabriele Muccino, 2006)
SUPERMAN RETURNS (Bryan Singer, 2006)
VENUS (Roger Michell, 2006)
VOLVER (Pedro Almodovar, 2006)
WATER (Deepa Mehta, 2006)
BATMAN BEGINS (Christopher Nolan, 2005)
CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Tim Burton, 2005)
DON'T TELL (Cristina Comencini, 2005)
HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE (Mike Newell, 2005)
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Hayao Miyazaki, 2005)
JOYEUX NOEL (Christian Carion, 2005)
JUNEBUG (Phil Morrison, 2005)
MATCH POINT (Woody Allen, 2005)
THE NEW WORLD (Terrence Malick, 2005)
PARADISE NOW (Hany Abu-Assad, 2005)
SOPHIE SCHOLL (Marc Rothemund, 2005)
THE SQUID & THE WHALE (Noah Baumbach, 2005)
STAR WARS III: REVENGE OF THE SITH (George Lucas, 2005)
TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE (Tim Burton & Mike Johnson, 2005)
TSOTSI (Gavin Hood, 2005)
WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (Steve Box & Nick Park, 2005)
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (Kay Pollak, 2004)
BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater, 2004)
BEING JULIA (Istvan Szabo, 2004)
DOWNFALL (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2004)
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (Zhang Yimou, 2004)
I, ROBOT (Alex Proyas, 2004)
KINSEY (Bill Condon, 2004)
MARIA FULL OF GRACE (Joshua Marston, 2004)
SHARK TALE (Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, & Rob Letterman, 2004)
TROY (Wolfgang Petersen, 2004)
THE VILLAGE (M. Night Shyamalan, 2004)
YESTERDAY (Darrell Roodt, 2004)
AMERICAN SPLENDOR (Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini, 2003)
THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (Denys Arcand, 2003)
BIG FISH (Tim Burton, 2003)
BROTHER BEAR (Aaron Blaise & Robert Walker, 2003)
THE COOLER (Wayne Kramer, 2003)
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS (Stephen Frears, 2003)
EVIL (Mikael Hafstrom, 2003)
A MIGHTY WIND (Christopher Guest, 2003)
MONSTER (Patty Jenkins, 2003)
PIECES OF APRIL (Peter Hedges, 2003)
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE (Nancy Meyers, 2003)
THIRTEEN (Catherine Hardwicke, 2003)
THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI (Yoji Yamada, 2003)
TWIN SISTERS (Ben Sombogaart, 2003)
WHALE RIDER (Niki Caro, 2003)
ZELARY (Ondrej Trojan, 2003)
ABOUT A BOY (Chris & Paul Weitz, 2002)
THE CRIME OF FATHER AMARO (Carlos Carrera, 2002)
8 MILE (Curtis Hanson, 2002)
HERO (Zhang Yimou, 2002)
ICE AGE (Chris Wedge, 2002)
LILO & STITCH (Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders, 2002)
THE MAN WITHOUT A PAST (Aki Kaurismaki, 2002)
MINORITY REPORT (Steven Spielberg, 2002)
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (Joel Zwick, 2002)
NOWHERE IN AFRICA (Caroline Link, 2002)
THE QUIET AMERICAN (Philip Noyce, 2002)
SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON (Kelly Asbury & Lorna Cook, 2002)
SPIRITED AWAY (Hayao Miyazaki, 2002)
STAR WARS II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (George Lucas, 2002)
THE TIME MACHINE (Simon Wells, 2002)
TREASURE PLANET (Ron Clements & John Musker, 2002)
UNFAITHFUL (Adrian Lyne, 2002)
THE WILD THORNBERRYS MOVIE (Cathy Malkasian & Jeff McGrath, 2002)
Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN (Alfonso Cuaron, 2002)
ZUS & ZO (Paula van der Oest, 2002)
THE AFFAIR OF THE NECKLACE (Charles Shyer, 2001)
BRIDGET JONES' DIARY (Sharon Maguire, 2001)
ELLING (Petter Naess, 2001)
GHOST WORLD (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)
I AM SAM (Jessie Nelson, 2001)
JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS (John A. Davis, 2001)
KATE & LEOPOLD (James Mangold, 2001)
LAGAAN (Ashutosh Gowariker, 2001)
THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2001)
MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch, 2001)
NO MAN'S LAND (Danis Tanovic, 2001)
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson, 2001)
SEXY BEAST (Jonathan Glazer, 2001)
SON OF THE BRIDE (Juan Jose Campanella, 2001)
VANILLA SKY (Cameron Crowe, 2001)
AMORES PERROS (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 2000)
BEFORE NIGHT FALLS (Julian Schnabel, 2000)
THE CELL (Tarsem Singh, 2000)
DANCER IN THE DARK (Lars von Trier, 2000)
DIVIDED WE FALL (Jan Hrebejk, 2000)
THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE (Mark Dindal, 2000)
EVERYBODY'S FAMOUS! (Dominique Deruddere, 2000)
HOLLOW MAN (Paul Verhoeven, 2000)
MEET THE PARENTS (Jay Roach, 2000)
102 DALMATIANS (Kevin Lima, 2000)
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
SPACE COWBOYS (Clint Eastwood, 2000)
THE TASTE OF OTHERS (Agnes Jaoui, 2000)
VATEL (Roland Joffe, 2000)

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England Rugby Union Player Pool

Martin Johnson's reign as England's Rugby Union manager has only just begun with plenty of positives and negatives to take from victory over the Pacific Islands, and defeat against Australia. But what should give him heart is the phenomenal number of player options at his disposal.

#1 Loose Head Prop
ANDREW SHERIDAN (SALE SHARKS)

Although Sheridan is reputed to be a fearsome scrummager, for such a big guy, surely he needs to be more of a battering ram around the park?

The alternatives:
Tim Payne (London Wasps)
Nick Wood (Gloucester Rugby)
David Barnes (Bath Rugby)
David Wilson (Newcastle Falcons)
Nick Lloyd (Saracens)
Alex Corbisiero (London Irish)
Matt Mullan (Worcester Warriors)
Alex Clarke (Bristol Rugby)
Jon Golding (Newcastle Rugby)
David Flatman (Bath Rugby)
John Brooks (Harlequins)
Perry Freshwater (Perpignan, France)
Kevin Yates (Nice, France)
Billy Moss (Bath Rugby)

#2 Hooker
LEE MEARS (BATH RUGBY)

Mears looks to be more mobile and interested in carrying the ball than other recent hookers. But who is the best at getting the lineout moving effectively? That's what I call a rhetorical question!

The alternatives:
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
George Shuter (Leicester Tigers)
Andy Titterell (Gloucester Rugby)
David Paice (London Irish)
Andy Long (Newcastle Falcons)
Rob Webber (London Wasps)
Mark Regan (Bristol Rugby)
Matt Cairns (Saracens)
Joe Ward (London Wasps)
Chris Brooker (Harlequins)
Matt Thompson (Newcastle Falcons)
Steve Thompson (Brive, France)
James Buckland (London Irish)
Scott Freer (Leeds Carnegie)
Joe Gray (Northampton Saints)
Ross McMillan (Gloucester Rugby)

#3 Tight Head Prop
MATT STEVENS (BATH RUGBY)

I'd pick a prop that can run with the ball and knock over a few tacklers as opposed to a "more assured" scrummager any day. The so-called specialists in the scrum tend to be the same old-school thugs who end up giving away stupid penalties that cost England three points at the feet of the opposition's deadly kicker!

The alternatives:
Phil Vickery (London Wasps)
Jason Hobson (Bristol Rugby)
Jack Forster (Gloucester Rugby)
Stuart Turner (Sale Sharks)
Julian White (Leicester Tigers)
Tom French (London Wasps)
Micky Ward (Newcastle Falcons)
Darren Crompton (Bristol Rugby)
Tom Mercey (Saracens)
Duncan Bell (Bath Rugby)
Daniel Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Robbie Morris (Connacht, Ireland)
Nathan Catt (Bath Rugby)
Charlie Beech (London Welsh - on loan from Wasps)

#4 and #5 - Second Rows
STEVE BORTHWICK (SARACENS) - CAPTAIN
TOM PALMER (LONDON WASPS)

Watching Steve Borthwick play live is a far different experience to watching him in a televised game. Sitting on your couch at home you could sometimes be forgiven for thinking he goes missing during a game. But rugby is a game of tactical positioning, and Borthwick is like a chess grand master pushing his pawns into position, and making sure his castles are protecting the flanks. I saw him play for his former club Bath at the Leicester Tigers, and decided to focus on him rather than the ball for a few minutes. While his team was attacking, at the possibility of a Leicester kick to touch, a good 60 seconds before it happened, Borthwick retreated down his own sideline in anticipation of being able to prevent the ball going to touch and feeding his back line. He's not captain for nothing you know!

The alternatives:
Nick Kennedy (London Irish)
Simon Shaw (London Wasps)
Ben Kay (Leicester Tigers)
Chris Jones (Sale Sharks)
Richard Blaze (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Brown (Gloucester Rugby)
Peter Short (Bath Rugby)
James Hudson (London Irish)
Dean Schofield (Sale Sharks)
Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers)
Danny Grewcock (Bath Rugby)
George Skivington (London Wasps)
Roy Winters (Bristol Rugby)
Jim Evans (Harlequins)
David Attwood (Bristol Rugby)
Graham Kitchener (Worcester Warriors)
James Cannon (Northampton Saints)
Andrew Springgay (Bayonne, France)
Scott Hobson (Bath Rugby)
Gregor Gillanders (Bedford)
Ben Thomas (London Welsh)
Phil Hoy (Northampton Saints)

#6, #7, #8 - Flankers & No. 8 (Back Row)
TOM CROFT (LEICESTER TIGERS)
TOM REES (LONDON WASPS)
NICK EASTER (HARLEQUINS)

I really like this trio at the back of the scrum, but they all seem like quiet characters on the pitch. There's no galvanising Dallaglio-type, wild-man Micky Skinner, or kamikaze Lewis Moody. They seem like effective rather than flashy players. Perhaps it's the job of the replacement back row crew to come on to the field and stir things up while the opposition has tired legs?

The alternatives:
James Haskell (London Wasps)
Michael Lipman (Bath Rugby)
Jordan Crane (Leicester Tigers)
Luke Narraway (Gloucester Rugby)
Joe Worsley (London Wasps)
Steffon Armitage (London Irish)
Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers)
Magnus Lund (Biarritz, France)
Tom Guest (Harlequins)
Dan Ward-Smith (Bristol Rugby)
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
James Scaysbrook (Bath Rugby)
Phil Dowson (Newcastle Falcons)
Ben Skirving (Saracens)
Will Skinner (Harlequins)
Stuart Hooper (Bath Rugby)
Andy Hazell (Gloucester Rugby)
Dave Seymour (Saracens)
Ben Woods (Leicester Tigers)
Pat Sanderson (Worcester Warriors)
Kieran Roche (London Irish)
Adam Balding (Newcastle Falcons)
Hugh Vyvyan (Saracens)
Andy Beattie (Bath Rugby)
Chevvy Pennycook (Bristol Rugby)
Hugo Ellis (London Welsh - on loan from Wasps)
Matt Cox (Worcester Warriors)
Calum Clark (Leeds Carnegie)
Jon Fisher (London Irish)
Andy Saull (Saracens)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
Brett Deacon (Leicester Tigers)
Isoa Damudamu (Newbury Rugby)
Tom Sargeant (Harlequins)
David Tait (Sale Sharks)
Peter Buxton (Gloucester Rugby)
Chris Cracknell (Cornish Pirates)
Tony Roques (Cornish All Blacks)
James Rodwell (Moseley)
Alex Shaw (Sale Sharks)

#9 Scrum Half
DANNY CARE (HARLEQUINS)

Care looks like an exciting runner, so he could hold on to the number 9 shirt for some time to come. Being a Leicester fan I'd have to root for Harry Ellis to get another shot though! Ellis and Toby Flood in combination fills me with greater confidence than the Care / Cipriani half back pairing.

The alternatives:
Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers)
Peter Richards (London Irish)
Richard Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks)
Paul Hodgson (London Irish)
Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints)
Andy Gomarsall (Harlequins)
James Grindal (Newcastle Falcons)
Shaun Perry (Bristol Rugby)
Nick Walshe (Bedford)
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
Scott Bemand (Bath Rugby)
Johnny Arr (Worcester Warriors)
Joe Simpson (London Wasps)
Kevin Barrett (Exeter Chiefs)
Mickey Young (Newcastle Falcons)
John Brake (Northampton Saints)
Simon Amor (London Scottish)

#10 Fly Half
DANNY CIPRIANI (LONDON WASPS)

Ok, I'll admit that Cipriani has his moments but already I have this feeling that in the black shirt of Wasps he is dynamic and exciting while in the white of England he will often fail to impress, rather like Steven Gerrard of Liverpool in the national football team. I know Jonny Wilkinson was quite "boring" with his kick-friendly game, metronomic penalty strikes at goal, and shoulder-dislocating (usually his own!) tackles on his opposite number. If we could get 80 minutes of Cipriani looking like a world beater, then fine, let him have the shirt for a decade. Alas I feel we'll get one or two major gaffes each game that undo a lot of other hard work around the pitch. I'd select a certain Toby the Tiger!

The alternatives:
Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers)
Shane Geraghty (London Irish)
Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons)
Ryan Lamb (Gloucester Rugby)
Adrian Jarvis (Bristol Rugby)
Andy Goode (Brive, France)
Charlie Hodgson (Sale Sharks)
Alex Goode (Saracens)
Ben Gollings (Sunnybank, Australia)
Adam Greendale (Leeds Carnegie)
Rob Miller (Newcastle Falcons)
Seb Jewell (Harlequins)
James Brooks (Leeds Carnegie)

#12 and #13 Centres
JAMIE NOON (NEWCASTLE FALCONS)
RIKI FLUTEY (LONDON WASPS)

It seems to be the conventional wisdom now in the modern game that your centre partnership needs to include one dazzling attacker and one defensive tackling machine (a "run and gun" combo, if you will). Current incumbents are the exciting Flutey with the "hard as nails" Noon to lead the line. But how is it that the southern hemisphere seems to have centres the size of second rows with Olympic speed? If only we could get Andy Farrell to wear rocket-propelled boots!

The alternatives:
Dan Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers)
Olly Barkley (Gloucester Rugby)
Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby)
Andy Farrell (Saracens)
Anthony Allen (Gloucester Rugby)
Dominic Waldouck (London Wasps)
Adam Powell (Saracens)
Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins)
Ayoola Erinle (Leicester Tigers)
Jon Clarke (Northampton Saints)
Henry Paul (Leeds Carnegie)
Alex Crockett (Bath Rugby)
Ollie Smith (Montpelier, France)
Jack Adams (Gloucester Rugby)
Ben Johnston (Brive, France)
Kevin Sorrell (Saracens)
Chris Mayor (Northampton Saints)
Chris Bell (Sale Sharks)
Luke Eves (Bristol Rugby)
Mike Catt (London Irish)
Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
Andy Vilk (Treviso, Italy)
Nils Mordt (Northampton Saints)
Andrew Higgins (Bath Rugby)
Greg King (Worcester Warriors)
Andrew Thompstone (London Irish)
Sam Vesty (Leicester Tigers)
Greg Barden (Bristol Rugby)
Rob Vickerman (Leeds Carnegie)
Ben Russell (Coventry)
Liam Gibson (Plymouth Albion)

#11, #14, #15 Wingers and Full Back
UGO MONYE (HARLEQUINS)
PAUL SACKEY (LONDON WASPS)
DELON ARMITAGE (LONDON IRISH)

Johnson could have immediately struck gold by adding Monye and Armitage to the impressive presence of Paul Sackey. All three could turn into try-scoring machines in the coming months. So far against the Pacific Islands and Australia, Delon Armitage has looked like a composed veteran of fifty caps rather than a newcomer! But there are plenty of other flyers in the Guinness Premiership .....

The alternatives:
Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks)
Matt Banahan (Bath Rugby)
Josh Lewsey (London Wasps)
Dave Strettle (Harlequins)
Nick Abendanon (Bath Rugby)
Lesley Vainikolo (Gloucester Rugby)
Topsy Ojo (London Irish)
Tom Voyce (London Wasps)
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Tom Biggs (Leeds Carnegie)
Ben Foden (Northampton Saints)
Tom Varndell (Leicester Tigers)
Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks)
James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester Rugby)
Iain Balshaw (Gloucester Rugby)
Richard Haughton (Saracens)
John Rudd (Newcastle Falcons)
Chris Ashton (Northampton Saints)
David Doherty (Sale Sharks)
Tom Arscott (Bristol Rugby)
Olly Morgan (Gloucester Rugby)
Mark Van Gisbergen (London Wasps)
Alex Tait (Newcastle Falcons)
Noah Cato (Saracens)
Ben Cohen (Brive, France)
Miles Benjamin (Worcester Warriors)
Charlie Sharples (Gloucester Rugby)
Paul Diggin (Northampton Saints)
Dominic Shabbo (London Irish)
Mark Odejobi (London Welsh - on loan from Wasps)
Dan Norton (Gloucester Rugby)
Seb Stegmann (Harlequins)
Michael Horak (Treviso, Italy)
Ollie Phillips (Newcastle Falcons)
Anthony Elliott (Bristol Rugby)
Charlie Amesbury (Harlequins)
Greig Tonks (Leicester Tigers)
Tom Williams (Harlequins)
Selorm Kuadey (Sale Sharks)
Phil Christophers (Castres, France)
James Collins (Worcester Warriors)
Dan Scarbrough (Saracens)
Michael Stephenson (Bath Rugby)
Uche Oduoza (Suntory, Japan)
Oliver Dodge (Bedford)
Simon Hunt (Birmingham & Solihull)

So Mr. Johnson, sir ...... ok I'll call you "Johnno" ..... what about this for a line-up?:

1 ANDREW SHERIDAN
2 DYLAN HARTLEY
3 MATT STEVENS
4 STEVE BORTHWICK
5 NICK KENNEDY
6 TOM CROFT
7 MICHAEL LIPMAN
8 JAMES HASKELL
9 HARRY ELLIS
10 TOBY FLOOD
11 MATT BANAHAN
12 JAMIE NOON
13 DAN HIPKISS
14 PAUL SACKEY
15 DELON ARMITAGE

16 Jason Hobson
17 Lee Mears
18 Tom Palmer
19 Tom Rees
20 Danny Care
21 Olly Barkley
22 Mathew Tait

Come on England!

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NBA Basketball: A New Season Chasing the Celtics on Paper!

Last week the NBA basketball season started with the Boston Celtics beginning where they left off in last seasons Finals against the Lakers - by winning! Their calm and skilful dismantling of LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers shows that the "Big Three" of Pierce, Garnett, and Ray Allen are ready to fight for another title in the 2008-2009 season. But are there any other pretenders to the crown, or will champions of recent years make their way back into contention?

I've been looking at the NBA rosters on paper. When you compare their respective squads, how much they are being paid, and how high players were drafted, it's very interesting to start a new season wondering whether a team predominantly comprised of lower-tier draft picks and undrafted players, such as the Golden State Warriors, has any ambition or likelihood to make it to the post-season? Probably not! But high spending doesn't automatically equal success (just look at the New York Knicks!), nor does having a roster crammed with high draft picks, because in actual fact, it's the teams that continually finish bottom of their divisions that annually take the best of the college crop. The future may look bright (on paper!) for the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder (the new name for the relocated Seattle Supersonics), Chicago Bulls, or Portland Trailblazers, but how successful will their young "stars" be in the present?

NBA executives may at this very moment be poring over data and analysing the success of the Boston Celtics last season, trying to replicate their business model in the way that NFL teams labour to reproduce the annual winning formula of the New England Patriots. Maybe it's actually really simple?! You position your NBA team as one of the league's worst, you ditch expensive contracts, wait around for a nice free agent crop, persuade a couple of them to come and earn a fat pay packet, and hope they gel together with a bench-load of humble "team-orientated" guys who don't mind being paid a fraction of the superstars' earnings. It also helps if the veteran stars in question have languished on struggling teams for their entire careers and actually DO care about winning the Championship!

As the 2008-2009 season begins, Boston stand to spend nearly 81 million dollars on players' salaries (up from over 74 million in 2007-2008). These numbers come courtesy of ESPN's data, indicating that Kevin Garnett will receive $24,751,934, Ray Allen will get $18,388,430, and long-time loyal Celtic, Paul Pierce, will pick up $18,077,903. Garnett's wages equate to over 30% of the team's total salary, and when you factor in Pierce, Allen, and Boston's other two starting players, point guard Rajon Rondo and center Kendrick Perkins, their combined $67,112,227 mean they share a whopping 83% of the Celtics player purse. As much as this terrific starting lineup led Boston to NBA glory, without their very deep bench of veteran talent taking comparatively low salaries, their would not have been a chunky diamond- and-emerald-encrusted ring for every bling-hungry oversized hand at the season opener this week! With the completion of the Allen Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to Denver trade, both teams have also moved around their starting line-ups to produce a similar ratio of starting salaries to bench pay (between 80-85%).

So which teams look good on paper, according to the draft credentials of their players? And which players are taking home all of the pay? Here's a look at the NBA by the numbers, before a ball even gets anywhere near a hoop! Remember this is entirely theoretical! We know from experience that it often takes only one great player, surrounded by passionate teammates, to beat teams filled with stars playing only for themselves.

The NBA's best starting five would appear to be the Denver Nuggets! As a result of trading away #1 pick, Allen Iverson, in exchange for a #3 pick, Chauncey Billups, this sent undrafted PG Anthony Carter to the bench, returning #18 pick, shooting guard JR Smith to the Nuggets starting 5. So the draft calibre of their line-up works out as follows:

Point Guard - Chauncey Billups #3
Shooting Guard - JR Smith #18
Small Forward - Carmelo Anthony #3
Power Forward - Kenyon Martin #1
Center - Nene Hilario #7

Average draft position of starting line-up: #6.4

The only team close to this average is the Atlanta Hawks! They have two #2 draft picks, a #3, a #10, and a #17 in their starting five. For those of you unfamiliar with the underachieving Hawks, those players are:

Point Guard - Mike Bibby
Shooting Guard - Joe Johnson
Small Forward - Marvin Williams
Power Forward - Josh Smith
Center - Al Horford

Their average draft position works out as pick number 6.8. Fairly pointless to note this, you might think, but as I said above, on paper a team really can look amazing but really not play as well as their earlier reputations might suggest. When you follow the same analysis, the starting line-up ranked 29th in the NBA for draft pedigree is the San Antonio Spurs. Their starters include future Hall of Famer, Tim Duncan (a #1 pick), two who were drafted at #21 and #28, and two who were not drafted at all. Michael Finley has been a long-standing top quality NBA player, and Tony Parker is an All-Star point guard! Center Fabricio Oberto is definitely not David Robinson, but he's a decent big body, and undrafted Small Forward, Bruce Bowen, is consistently ranked as one of the NBA's top defensive players. On paper they're not supposed to be that good, but come game-time and it's no accident that the Spurs win more often than they lose.

Off the bench, the roster that is apparently rich in talent is the Portland Trailblazers. They have five Top 10 draft picks who are currently not able to break in to the starting rotation! Similarly the Chicago Bulls have an equally rich group of substitutes. At the other end of the spectrum, it's the Atlanta Hawks who have the poorest reserves, as five were not drafted and the other five went between picks 11 and 42.

A look around the NBA reveals just how many players selected in the Top 10 of the draft they have on their rosters:

1. 8 picks - Portland Trailblazers (including #1 Center, Greg Oden)
2. 8 picks - Chicago Bulls (including #1 Point Guard, Derrick Rose)
3. 7 picks - New Jersey Nets (including #5, All-Star Vince Carter)
4. 6 picks - Dallas Mavericks (including #2, All-Star Jason Kidd)
5. 6 picks - Oklahoma City Thunder (including #2, Kevin Durant)
6. 5 picks - Charlotte Bobcats (including #2, Emeka Okakor)
7. 5 picks - LA Clippers (including #3, Point Guard, Baron Davis)
8. 5 picks - Denver Nuggets (including #1 picks, Allen Iverson & Kenyon Martin)
9. 5 picks - Memphis Grizzlies (including #3 Shooting Guard, OJ Mayo)
10. 5 picks - Detroit Pistons (including #3, Chauncey Billups)
11. 4 picks - Atlanta Hawks (including #2 Point Guard, Mike Bibby)
12. 4 picks - Philadelphia 76ers (including #1, Elton Brand)
13. 4 picks - LA Lakers (including #3 Power Forward, Pau Gasol)
14. 4 picks - Boston Celtics (including #5, Kevin Garnett)
15. 4 picks - New York Knicks (including #4 Center, Eddy Curry)
16. 4 picks - Minnesota Timberwolves (including #5, Mike Miller)
17. 4 picks - Houston Rockets (including #1 Center, Yao Ming)
18. 4 picks - Miami Heat (including #2, Power Forward, Michael Beasley)
19. 3 picks - Washington Wizards (including #4, Antawn Jamison)
20. 3 picks - Milwaukee Bucks (including #1 Center, Andrew Bogut)
21. 3 picks - Orlando Magic (including #1 Center, Dwight Howard)
22. 3 picks - Phoenix Suns (including #1 Center, Shaquille O'Neal)
23. 3 picks - Cleveland Cavaliers (including #1 Forward, LeBron James)
24. 2 picks - Indiana Pacers (including #3 Guard, Mike Dunleavy)
25. 2 picks - New Orleans Hornets (including #2, Tyson Chandler)
26. 2 picks - Toronto Raptors (including #4 Power Forward, Chris Bosh)
27. 2 picks - San Antonio Spurs (including #1 Forward, Tim Duncan)
28. 2 picks - Sacramento Kings (including #5 Forward, Shelden Williams)
29. 1 pick - Utah Jazz (USA Olympian, Point Guard Deron Williams)
30. 1 pick - Golden State Warriors (reserve Forward, Brandan Wright)

Teams differ on the composition of their rosters, how many high draft picks mix with undrafted or lower-salaried veterans. They differ in the relative percentages of salary devoted to starting fives versus their bench players. It's not really clear what the winning combination is!

To be continued ......... this post will soon include more stats about salaries, highest paid, overpaid, and value starters .....