Everyone can be part of the film awards season buzz from the comfort of their own home – and for free – as there’s a host of critically acclaimed movies showing on GREAT! movies and GREAT! action throughout March. Revisit a brilliant selection of award-winning, star-studded actions, dramas and musicals on GREAT! – which were some of the best and the brightest at the box office.
Black Hawk Down – Tuesday 7th March at 9pm on GREAT! movies action
This explosive action film with an all-star cast won two Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. Starring Josh Hartnett, Tom Hardy, Eric Bana and Ewan McGregor, it’s based on a true story of a war waged in Mogadishu by the high-tech Black Hawk helicopters and the US Army Rangers and Deltas.
Emma (1996) – Sunday 12th March at 2pm on GREAT! movies
The Oscar winner for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score, the enchanting Emma stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor and Toni Collette. Emma tells the story of Emma Woodhouse, a congenial young lady who delights in meddling in other people’s affairs. She is perpetually trying to unite men and women who are utterly wrong for each other. Despite her interest in romance, Emma is clueless about her own feelings, and her relationship with gentle Mr. Knightly.
Chocolat (2000) – Sunday 12th March at 4.25pm on GREAT! movies
Juliette Binoche and Judy Dench both received Oscar and BAFTA award nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively for their roles in this sweet story of Vianne who sets up a very unusual chocolate shop in a tranquil, old-fashioned French town. She creates mouth-watering confections that almost magically inspire the straitlaced villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness.
A Few Good Men (1992) – Monday 13th March at 9pm on GREAT! movies
Jack Nicholson scored his 10th Oscar nomination for his amazing supporting actor performance in this acclaimed drama starring Tom Cruise and Demi Moore. Cruise stars as a brash Navy lawyer who’s teamed with a gung-ho litigator in a politically explosive murder case. Charged with defending two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier, they are confronted with complex issues of loyalty and honour. The film received four Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
OLIVER! (1968) – Sunday 19th March at 2:45pm on GREAT! movies
At the 41st Academy Awards in 1969, OLIVER! was nominated for eleven Awards and won six, including Best Picture, Best Director for Carol Reed, and an Honorary Award for choreographer Onna White. A wonderful screen adaptation of Lionel Bart’s sensational stage musical, OLIVER! is the timeless story of a plucky young orphan and his quest for love and happiness in a world populated by rascals, rogues, and thieves.
The Horse Whisperer (1998) – Sunday 19th March at 5:40pm on GREAT! movies
The mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer to help the girl’s equally injured horse in this moving film based on the best-selling book. Starring Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill and a young Scarlett Johansson, the film was Oscar nominated for Best Music, Original Song.
A Beautiful Mind (2001) – Sunday 26th March at 6.15pm on GREAT! movies
The winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, this powerful film is from Ron Howard and stars Russell Crowe in an astonishing performance as brilliant mathematician John Nash, on the brink of international acclaim when he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. Now only his devoted wife (Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly) can help him in this great story of courage, passion, and triumph.
American Gangster – Friday 31st March at 9pm on GREAT! movies
BAFTA nominated for Best Film for Brian Grazer and Ridley Scott, this epic crime drama also attracted Oscar awards attention for legendary actress Ruby Dee. Denzel Washington missed out on a nomination, but his performance is a must-see in this film story as powerful as it is true. Armed with ruthless, streetwise tactics and a strict sense of honour, crime boss Frank Lucas (Washington) rules Harlem’s chaotic drug underworld. When outcast cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) sets out to bring down Lucas’s multi-million-dollar empire, it plunges both men into a legendary confrontation.
GREAT! movies is available on FREEVIEW 34, SKY 321, VIRGIN 425 and FREESAT 302. GREAT! movies action is on FREEVIEW 42, SKY 323, VIRGIN 426, FREESAT 305.
