As part of our celebration of all things Academy Awards, we’ve collected 44 of your favorite Oscar winners and made them available via C Spire Video On Demand. Over the coming days, we’ll provide a rundown of each and every one of the films we’re featuring this year.
In this post, we take a look at seven Oscar winning films from the mid 2000’s that took us across the globe through their storytelling. From Forest Whitaker’s portrayal of the psychopathic Ugandan despot, Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, Colin Firth’s courageous portrayal of England’s Prince Albert in The King’s Speech, to the shanty’s of Bombay in Slumdog Millionaire to the organized crime-laden streets of Boston in The Departed.
The King’s Speech (2010)
England’s Prince Albert (Colin Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence.
Academy Awards Winner For:
- Motion Picture of the Year
- Leading Actor
- Directing
- Original Screenplay
Black Swan (2010)
Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina whose passion for the dance rules every facet of her life. When the company’s artistic director decides to replace his prima ballerina for their opening production of “Swan Lake,” Nina is his first choice. She has competition in newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis) however. While Nina is perfect for the role of the White Swan, Lily personifies the Black Swan. As rivalry between the two dancers transforms into a twisted friendship, Nina’s dark side begins to emerge.
Academy Awards Winner For:
- Leading Actress
The Hurt Locker (2009)
Staff Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are members of a bomb-disposal unit in Baghdad. As their tour of duty enters its final weeks, the men face a set of increasingly hazardous situations, any of which could end their lives in an explosive instant.
Academy Awards Winner For:
- Motion Picture of the Year
- Directing
- Original Screenplay,
- Editing
- Sound Mixing
- Sound Editing
Milk (2008)
In 1972, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and his then-lover Scott Smith leave New York for San Francisco, with Milk determined to accomplish something meaningful in his life. Settling in the Castro District, he opens a camera shop and helps transform the area into a mecca for gays and lesbians. In 1977 he becomes the nation’s first openly gay man elected to a notable public office when he wins a seat on the Board of Supervisors. The following year, Dan White (Josh Brolin) kills Milk in cold blood.
Academy Awards Winner For:
- Original Screenplay
- Best Actor
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
As 18-year-old Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) answers questions on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” flashbacks show how he got there. Part of a stable of young thieves after their mother dies, Jamal and his brother, Salim, survive on the streets of Mumbai. Salim finds the life of crime agreeable, but Jamal scrapes by with small jobs until landing a spot on the game show.
Academy Awards Winner For:
- Motion Picture of the Year
- Directing
- Adapted Screenplay
- Editing
- Cinematography
- Original Score
- Original Song
- Sound Mixing
The Departed (2006)
South Boston cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes undercover to infiltrate the organization of gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). As Billy gains the mobster’s trust, a career criminal named Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) infiltrates the police department and reports on its activities to his syndicate bosses. When both organizations learn they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin must figure out each other’s identities to save their own lives.
Academy Awards Winner For:
- Motion Picture of the Year
- Director
- Editing
- Original Screenplay
Last King of Scotland (2006)
While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) becomes the personal physician and close confidante of dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Although at first Dr. Garrigan feels flattered by his new position of power, he soon comes to realize that Amin’s rule is soaked in blood, and that he is complicit in the atrocities. Garrigan faces the fight of his life as he tries to escape Amin’s grasp.
Academy Awards Winner For:
- Leading Actor
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